HEAD: WILMA DOES IT

SUB: Wilma Doesnt on how shes built her career, her company, and her familyand how shes turned
her blessings to so much more

By Jovi Figueroa

They did not just have enough; they had plenty.

This was the kind of outlook Wilma Doesnt grew up with. She grew up tucked in the middle of a huge
family where love and happiness is abundant, not material things.

I had a wonderful childhood. I grew up in a foster family. But from the start I knew about it, Wilma
recalls about her roots. Named Wilma Lynn Doesnt, after her father who is in the US, she shares about
the family she grew up in. Isang malaking house kami, typical na family ng Pilpino na clannish. Meron
kaming common dining area na pag nagluluto yung lola ko, May handaan ba? Hindi, kakain na kami
(laughs). Kasi madami kaming kakain.

Mahirap kami pero kasi nung time na yun, di ko na na-feel na mahirap kami kasi sinasabi ng lola ko
lagi, Sobra sobra yan, marami tayo niyan. Kunwari, Lola pahinga pa ng kanin. Ay naku, sobra sobra
na yang (nasa plato mo). Ah okay, sobra sobra to. So napapaniwala kami na we had plenty, na we
had enough. Wilma says laughing.

She did not only grow up in a house full of boys (she grew up with 11 boys in the house, all her cousins
and foster brothers); she has always been surrounded by laughter and clowning around. This, she has
brought with her until now. Family ko din kasi, komedyante. Kaya by nature, growing up sa masayang
ambiance ng pamilya, malaking pamilya, puro mga lalaki, ganito ako. Yung pagiging jolly person ko,
nakuha ko sa kanila. Kaya di ko rin naman naramdaman yung poverty.

This kind of abundance was also the reason why Wilma never really got to the angst most foster children
feel. The longingness for her own blood, searching for her biological mothershe never really went
through that. Okay lang kasi marami namang nagmamahal sakin. Kaya di ako bitter. I was surrounded
by a lot of people. Marami akong pinsan, marami akong tito at tita, ang daming nag-aalaga sakin.

Bring on the spotlight

And then came that fateful day when Wilma stumbles upon the door to the limelight. Maybe it was her
early experience with her own version of coutureMeron akong tito na nagtatahi ng kurtina so
yung mga pinagtabasan ng kurtina nagiging skirt namin, short, blouse. So bata pa lang, nagsusuot na
ko ng cucur. (Hindi couture!) Cucur. Kukurtinahin (laughs). Or maybe, it really was just destiny pulling
the strings.

Naligaw lang kasi siya (fashion director and model maker Robby Carmona). It happened na dun siya sa
kalye namin dumaan and nagwawalis ako. I was 19 back then. 1994. So sinali niya ko sa beauty contest.
Sabi niya, Not for you to win. Gusto ko lang makita anong itsura mo pag nasa stage ka. Kung titindig
ba daw ako ng maayos. Eh nanalo ako, teh! Wilma recalls fondly. That is what you call destiny. I dont
believe in luck; I believe in destiny.
And then the rest, Wilma says, is history. The 90s was Wilmas year in the fashion industry, booking
project after project, and sashaying down runway after runway. She was one of the premier models of
her time, where Photoshop was not yet an industry staple and every shot and pose had to be perfect. In
fact, her professionalism and cred as a model shined through during our photoshoot with her. In every
snap of the photographers camera, we got a perfect shot.

But then, show business happened. Wilma gets her hosting debut in a model search program with Plinky
Recto and Joey Mead-Kingand suddenly, she was unsure of herself.

Ako lang yung walang experience sa hosting! Nanginginig ako. Yung gusto kong sumuka sa nerbyos.
Ano bang gagawin? Babasahin ba lahat to? Baka mali yung pronunciation ko! Im just a girl from the
Bronx! Wilma can joke about it now but she echoes how nervous and anxious she was during that
time.

Lahat ng friends ko sa modeling industry, todo support. Hawak-hawak sila kasi alam na nila na, Oh my
God, tignan natin kung anong gagawin niyan, di nya kaya yan (kasi inglisan yun, eh)! Mapapahiya
talaga ako, Wilma says. So nung binigyan nila ko ng mic, bago ako magsalita, nag-sorry ako. Sorry
ha, di talaga ito yung nature ng job ko. I hope you bear with me kasi this is the first time Ill do this. So
lets do it. Lets rock n roll! So gumanon ako. Natuwa yung mga tao. At napanood ni Mr. M.

Wilma again credits destiny that Johnny Manahan, the man behind ABS-CBNs Star Magic (which was
then still called the Talent Center), saw her potential from that single hosting stint. And from then, after
her first acting project for Richard Loves Lucy, its been a good run for Wilma in the industry.

When asked if there were particular challenges for her when she started in show business, Wilma shrugs
and says, Yung tao kasi, they know me. Im so honest, di ako nagpi-pretend. Kung ayaw mo sakin,
okay lang, I wont take it against you. Kaya yung blending in, di ako nagkaroon ng problema.

But if there was one challenge she can pinpoint, its not about the industry. Its that during the height of
her career, she gets pregnant with Asiana, her eldest daughter.

27 na ko nung (nabuntis ako with Asiana). So I left showbiz for three years. After nun, nag-Sweet Life
(a daily lifestyle magazine program in 2007) na ko. Tapos nabuntis nanaman ako (with Svetlana).
Naging hobby ko kasing magbuntis. Magastos nga lang! she says, laughing. Then nag-aral ulit ako. I
was 32 (after giving birth to Svetlana) nung na-realize kong, Oops, parang yung showbiz, di siya pang-
long term. I have to do something.

Wilmas new baby

Already in a relationship then with her current partner, Mark Van Jericalthough Wilma insists
everyone call him Bebelub, as Richard Gomez himself calls the manthe two enroll in culinary school.
Jeric then takes an OJT (on-the-job training) abroad and Wilma gets on board a baking and pastry
startup with the owner of the school they attended.

It didnt take long for things to go sour, however. Wilma, then pregnant with Orion, decided to break off
from the partnership and start a new oneand so MIILC was born.
Manila International Integrated Learning Center (MIILC), as coined by the Commission on Higher
Education (CHED), is an auxiliary service provider, Wilma explains. Meaning, we provide linkages
between local institutions and international institutions. Kami yung nagbi-bridge ng gap between the
academe and the industry. For example, ano ba yung need ng industry? So we create a program based
on the need of the industry, and then we sell it to the higher education institutions. Para yung mga
graduates nila, kahit fresh grad sila, pag meron sila nung certain certificate or requirement na need ng
industry, pasok sila.

But thats just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg for MIILC. They are also offering much more. They
have ESL (English as second language) classes and foreign language classes like Mandarin, Nihongo,
French, and Korean. They also offer local internships for people in the provinces who would like to work
in 5-star hotels here in the metro. And one of their newer programs created by Wilmas trusted business
partner, Ed Marcellana, is the DOH-recognized Basic Food Safety Training and Examination System,
which aims to help students get their license to handle food.

Still, their biggest program is their study and work abroad curriculum. The program sends the student to
the Kuala Lumpur campus of an Australian institution, which, when completed, provides the student a
Level 5 Malaysian qualification. Wilma explains, Pag natapos mo yung one year, may international
qualification ka na, may work experience ka pa. Isipin mo, kung may 1 million pesos ka, pag nagpaaral
ka ng anak mo ng four-year course sa college, kulang yang 1 million mo. Sa project, baon, kung anu-
ano. Kung sakin, yang 1 million mo, after K-12, basta 18 years old, nasa Australia na siya. One year sa
Malaysia tapos sa second year niya, Australia na. Kung gusto niyang makapangasawa ng kangaroo dun,
go lang (laughs).

For almost four years now, MIILC has already been able to send more than 500 students abroad. What a
huge feat for a startup whose first office was just a small desk inside the Philippine Stock Exchange!

But like all businesses, its growth came with all the heartaches and the struggles of any starting venture.
Kinakailangan, mahal mo siya. Kailangan gusto mo siya. Its not everyday its a bed of roses. Humanap
ka talaga ng tao na mapagkakatiwalaan mo, which is mahirap. Ilang beses akong niloko pero I never
give up. MIILC is a family corporation now. Ive learned my lesson. At least magkakapamilya kami. Kahit
mag-away-away kami, at the end of the day, pamilya kami.

And until now, the company is still growingmuch like Wilma, who never stops learning, as well. She is
planning to add courses for engineering and a program to help people working in the government get a
non-professional license to augment their income.

For her babies

Contrary to the joker that she usually is, Wilma takes these all seriously. MIILC and all that shes doing
for the company, at the end of the day, she does it for her family and her kids. She says, Dahil
personality ako, maingat ako. Madali akong masira. At darating yung araw na yung mga anak ko, uupo
kung san nakaupo yung mga estsudyante ko, at mage-enroll din sila.

I think yung difference ng parenting style ko now, Gen-X type of mom kasi ako. Kung mahal mo yung
anak mo, itaboy mo ng malayo para matuto yan. Kasi di yan matututo kapag lagi silang under your
wings. Nakikita ko rin yung mga batang tinataboy ko at pinapadala ko sa ibang lugar at nagiging
successful; so why not do it to my child? Wilma explains.

It looks like she is ready to let her children fight their own fight abroad. But are her kids ready? She
jokes, Alam na nila. Meryenda nila yan. Maaga pa lang, sine-set ko na sila. O, Asiana, alam mo na,
papadala kita sa Malaysia. Minsan, breakfast; minsan meryenda (laughs).

Right now, Wilma has four children and she calls their family a blended family. She explains,
Biologically, its three. So si Kuya Harley at si Orion, isa lang yung tatay nila (Wilmas current partner,
bebelub). Si Asiana, Svetlana, at Orion, isa lang ang nanay nila. Wag niyo nang itanong yung tatay!

Wilma reveals that Asiana and Svetlana have no communications with their fathers. In fact, they dont
look for their dads at all. Asiana was the one who answered that. Tinanong ko siya one time, Di mo ba
nami-miss yung tatay mo? Sagot niya, Ma, I dont miss the things that I dont have.

This is why when one of her daughters father came to her, she tells this hilarious story:

Dati, isa sa mga tatay ng anak ko, nagtanong kung pwede daw makita yung anak. Sumagot naman
ako siyempre, Pwede naman pero bayad ka, 20 thousand. Bat naman kailangan magbayad? Sabi ko,
Bakit? Tourist destination ba yung anak ko para magpa-picture ka? Di siya tourist spot. Kung nga dun
sa Banawe magbabayad ka ng 20 pesos pag magpapa-picture ka sa mga Ifugao, eh! Ako, bente mil.

Wilma may have her comedic and lighthearted side but when it comes to her children, shes all business.
Her disciplining style is very unique for someone who is at the top of her game.

One, wala kaming Wi-Fi sa bahay. I have 17, 14, 9, and 4 years old. No Wi-Fi in the house. (Para
masanay sila) kasi pag pinansin mo yung mga millennials ngayon, Hi! Tapos di ka papansinin. Pag
nag-Hi ka sa mga anak ko, Hi, hello, kumain ka na ba? Pasok ka. At nga mga ang anak ko, pag
pasukan, walang bago. Yung mga bags nila, they have to take good care of it kasi alam nila after 3
years, saka lang ako bibili ng bago. Tapos hand me down yung mga ibang bagay. Kaya you have to take
good care of your stuff kasi ibbiigay mo pa yan sa kapatid mo, Wilma explains. Mahigpit din ako sa
grades. For the ladies, I dont accept grades lower than 90. For the boys, for kuya, I cannot accept grades
lower than 83. Nasu-sustain naman nila.

There was only one time when Asiana failed to make it to her quota. And for these instances, Wilma
says that their punishment is they dont get to go to the beach or go camping, which are some of the
familys favorite activities.

Wilma might be strict but she knows its all for the good of her children. In fact, the lack of electronic
gadgets at home and their extra time at the beach only make for a closer and more fun family, where
everyone goes out of their way to entertain themselves by teasing and playing with each other.

This is why when we ask Wilma what more can she wish for her family, she replies, coming from a
person who has built her good fortune from scratch, Good health lang, basta wala silang sakit, perfect
na yun. I have nothng more to ask. Kasi alam mo, We have plenty!