The Avatar of Wellness

“The foundation of beauty is good health. And the secret of looking and feeling young is to live a healthy lifestyle. A lifestyle of wellness leads to beauty regardless of age.” — Cory Quirino

She is a woman of awe and incredible poise, beauty and positivity. Women all over look up to her for wisdom and advice. At 68 years old, SOCORRO ALICIA QUIRINO — popularly known as Cory — is still one of the world’s most beautiful Filipinas and she sports an incredible figure that would put young ladies a quarter of her age to shame. Through good health practices including daily exercise and a smart diet, she is helping many women realize that taking care of one's body is the best way to stay fit forever.

I’m glad to have bumped into her recently in one of Conrad Manila’s gastronomic events in celebration of Philippine independence. And she looked absolutely every bit of the embodiment of beauty and wellness that she has long been famous for. Her secret for her youthful looks is having a calm spirit. “A mind should always stay open and one's soul should stay loving and forgiving because this is not a perfect world and people are not perfect,” she declares. “So, if we are expecting perfection from everyone around us, we might be very disappointed. Keep a very calm spirit, an open mind and a very loving heart.”

Cory comes from a bloodline that is no stranger to fame. Her grandfather, after all, was the late Philippine President Elpidio Quirino. After graduating from Philippine Women's University in Quezon City, with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management, she began her broadcasting career in the 1980s when she hosted the late-night talk show “Oh No, It's Johnny!” for then RPN-9. Eventually, she hosted her own show “Citiline,” a weekly travel and fitness show that aired on Studio 23 (now, ABS-CBN Sports+Action), a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation.

Sometime in 1995, during an out-of-town shoot for “Citiline,” Cory Quirino and her entourage were abducted by bandits. This incident was chronicled in her book, “Waiting for the Light.” as well as the movie, The Cory Quirino Kidnap: NBI Files. Her program “Citiline” was eventually re-titled as “The Good Life with Cory Quirino.” After surviving that traumatizing ordeal with her kidnappers, she committed to devoting a life of fitness and overall well-being as her personal mission. Apart from helping others formulate a prescription for living founded on the principles of wellness — encompassing dimensions covering emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical and social aspects — she has written a series of best-seller books titled “Forever Young,” which feature beauty and health tips, hosts the Sunday morning television program, “Tuesdays with Cory” on CBRC TV in YouTube; and a weekly radio show, “Kaya Mo Yan” in DZRH. Apart from this, she writes a weekly column, “Beyond Wellness” in the Daily Tribune.

On top of this, she devotes a copious amount of time for charity work. She is currently the president and national director of Mutya ng Pilipinas, an annual national beauty pageant established in 1968. She earlier headed Miss World Philippines as a former licensee and national director. She is also a council member of the Philippine Red Cross, Rizal Chapter. As a crime victim, she currently heads the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) as president.

Indeed, Cory Quirino has made herself into her own most powerful creation. She brings her fascinating, enigmatic narrative in full bloom, often unpicking the seams between truth and myth in a story that reveals the true heart of health and wellness personified.