In the March 2003 issue of YES! magazine, Ms. Amalia Fuentes's home was featured. She was then 58, and she said she didn't feel like 58. And she revealed her secret.
Below is the actual article published in the said issue of the country'snumber one entertainment magazine.
The secret, she says, is contentment. These days, grand titles such as movie queen or Elizabeth Taylor of the Philippines do not interest her one bit. To grab her attention, call hera promdi.
And she has good reasons for being happy with that tag—with all of them having to do with Tali.
If you want to see Amalia Fuentes these days, chances are, you will not find her in her famous brick house in New Manila, or in any of her other fabulous homes in the metropolis. You have to go all the way to Tali beach in Nasugbu, Batangas, where she owns a two-story rest house nestled on a 5,000-square-meter hilly lot. It's worth the three hours of travel time. Not only is the view breathtaking; Amalia's legendary hospitality makes the visit grand.
"Basta nakasilip ako ng chance, 'yong wala akong business or commitment sa Manila, dumarating ako dito," she admits. "Minsan one week ako dito, minsan two days."
Despite the costly maintenance—P7,000 a month on the average, excluding repairs, homeowners's fees, electricity, and the staggering water bill—she still finds life in Tali simpler. "Dito, kahit wala kang pera, puwede kang mabuhay," she says. "Wala kang pera, magtanim ha. Meron ha nang konting ulam."
Amalia learned about Tali beach in 1959 from a former suitor. This suitor's family happened to own the entire beach property and was then already bent on developing it into a resort. The suitor, seeing that Amalia was a nature tripper, brought her to Tali.
It was love at first sight—with Tali, if not necessarily with the suitor. Amalia says the old Tali reminded her of her days in Toril, Davao City, where she lived for three years, between the ages of 10 and 13.
Toril was inspiration; Tali was foresight. Sensing a good investment, Amalia set aside some of the money she was earning from acting and staked her claim on a 2,000-square-meter prime lot, paying the owners P7 per square-meter. She was then 20 and a mother to three-year-old Liezl.
"I was one of the first na nakabili ng lupa dito," says Amalia, clearly proud. "Pioneers kami dito. No'ng dinala ko dito 'yong dalawa kong kapatid, sabi nila, 'Naku, Nena, ang feeling namin sa'yo para kang si Magellan na naka- discover ng Pilipinas.' Kasi ang mga dinaanan namin, hindi ganitong patag na. Rough roads talaga! But when we arrived naman, it was so pristine, as in napakagandang lugar. Siguro apat pa lang ang bahay dito. Right away I made up my mind that I was gonna have my rest house built here."
But the building of the house—originally made of nipa—came a year later.
First, she planted.
"Nagtatanim-tanim na ako pag weekend," she recalls. "Dadalhin ko ‘yong Volkswagen, magpa-park ako do'n sa favorite spot ko ngayon—where I view the sunset—and that's where I would sleep. Gusto ko lang mataniman muna ‘yong lote. Pag nagtanim ako, puso sa sides, because I knew I was gonna build my house in the middle."
In 1960, in between shots, Amalia started building her rest house. She wanted to and she needed to: showbiz life was stressful! Plus, she wanted the young Liezel to develop a sense of country living. "That experience in Toril stood out in my memory. Na ‘yon bang survival? Para kang nasa jungle."
By 1961, the house was habitable. But electricity would come to the area only many years later.
"May maliit lang akong parang generator na mga hanggang alas-diyes lang ng gabi. Minsan romantic nga, candlelight, and everything. And we used to sleep in the balcony pagka walang hangin. Pagka may hangin, magmumuskitero. Ang advantage no 'ng wala kang electricity, sa gabi matutulog kami nang maaga para the next morning we wake with the sun. Kasi ayan 'yong araw, tumatama na right in our faces."
For many weekends over many years, Amalia's beach house was the Muhlach clan's gathering place."Pito kaming magkakapatid. I was the eldest. Alex enjoyed his fishing here. Si Cheng, swimming. Nakakapagdala siya ng mga girlfriends dito. We had great family gatherings here. This was where we would gather every weekend, and it made us closer as a family. My mom was here and she was happiest because she would see all of us here."
The second-generation kids—Liezl, Aga, Nino—spent a large part of their growing up in Tali. "Si Nino, dadalhin siya dito ng Papa Alex niya, and this house saw many of his childhood performances. Si Cheng naman, ang dala, si Aga at si Arlene. Anna-Lissa spent many happy days here with her cousins and friends."
"Lahat kami lumaking mahilig sa tubig," Liezl seconds her mother. "I was even in the swimming team before at I.S. [International School]. No'ng time namin, hindi pa uso jetski dito, kaya puro swimming lang talaga."
Now it's the turn of Amalia's grandchildren to enjoy Tali. Liezl says her kids come here almost every weekend. "They all know how to waterski. Ang gagaling."
Over the years, the Tali house has undergone a lot of changes. Eventually, nipa and bamboo gave way to steel and concrete. The main house has been converted into the kitchen and dining areas, while the extension soon became the receiving area.
Through it all, Amalia was the sole architect and contractor. There were times she herself delivered—and carried—floor tiles to Tali!
"Tingnan mo 'yong ibang bahay dito. Dalawang taon pa lang, sira na ang bubong, faded na ang pintura... Iniasa sa contractors, paano," says the take-charge star.
"Ang essence lang ng bahay na 'to... it's notso much para magpabongga. Ang katwiran ko, ayoko naman na magandang-maganda ang bahay ko, 'tapos uutangin ko sa bangko. Pumupunta nga ako dito para 'wag ma-stress e. Kung alam kong, 'Naku, six million pa ang utang ko dito, ang laki ng interest na binabayaran ko,' masisira 'yong peaceful existence ko dito, hindi ba?
"The house is just so we have a place to come home to at the end of the day. To have a place na we can pursue our outdoor activities—speedboat, jetski, snorkeling, sightseeing, deep-sea diving. Kasi, hindi naman 'yong bahay ang pinupuntahan dito, e. They come here for the beach, the sea.
"Isa pa, ayoko ‘yong magwo-worry ako. ‘Hay, ang aking gamit. Hay, ang aking sahig, baka matuluan ng ganito, ng gano'n.' Ang gusto ko, everybody is relaxed when they come here."
Now Amalia has also acquired the 3,000-square-meter lot adjoining her original 2,000-square-meter property. On this she plans to build another house soon.
"Itong original na bahay, ibibigay ko na kay Anna-Lissa," says Amalia, feeling understandably wonderful.