As the first edition of Hola! Philippines hits newsstands this week, a Coconuts Manila reader reminisces about the weekly Spanish-language, celebrity-driven magazine that his family used to devour decades ago in Manila.
It was my mom who introduced me to Hola! when I was around the age of seven. She loved going to the Embajada Español in Manila, where she spent a lot of time in their massive library. Here is where she took home her complimentary copies of the Spanish magazine. I remember leafing through the visually stunning pages with intrigue. The pictures of Queen Sophia and King Juan Carlos de Borbón left a deep impression in my heart. I was deeply moved because my late mother named me after this King of Spain. Being of Spanish descent herself, she was sent to Madrid, Spain, by my grandfather Dr Jose Valdés, to take up her Masters in Spanish.
It was in Madrid, back in the late 1950s, where she immersed in everything and anything Spanish. It was also in Spain where she became close to our relatives, the Morales family, who lived there. One of them became really famous later on. Everyone knew this superstar heartthrob back in the late 1970s here in the Philippines: Junior Morales. He made a series of movies here, and was also romantically linked to Vilma Santos.
Naturally, the entire family knew that it was all a publicity stunt because he was already married, with kids, to Rocio Durcal. She was known to family members as Marieta. Rocio is such a huge multi Latin Grammy award winner that she used to frequently grace the pages of Hola! with her stunning redhead beauty and sparkling eyes. Nonetheless, she was not the only one featured. Her children were constantly seen in this magazine as well. During her last few years with us she was featured in Hola! with her husband Junior. Unfortunately, she eventually succumbed to cancer. But her legacy has been immortalized through her stunningly gorgeous daughter Shaila Durcal, who happens to be as equally famous as the mother. Famous enough to grace the pages of Hola! as well.
Hola! is not just some regular and random magazine to me. It has got a deep sentimental value. I also truly enjoy and devour this magazine because of its fashion edition. I remember when I used to live here in the Philippines (I now live in the US), my ninang from Spain used to bring home to me the fashion edition of Hola! Since fashion is my religion, I loved this so much. One time, some lady borrowed one of them from me, and I felt very depressed because she never returned it. I felt a great loss because there was a full page image of Anna Bayle on the runway, wearing a stunning red evening gown by Valentino.
I used to take long siestas and would open up my eyes to a mouthwatering merienda and a copy of Hola! beside it. This magazine is what opened up my eyes to Spanish royalty and celebrities, and I noticed that even Great Britain adapted it. It was equally as delightful to read as it’s Spanish counterpart. That’s why I would like to congratulate the Philippine edition of Hola! I know that their readers will enjoy the articles, the beautiful images of our very own Filipino royalty and aristocracy.
The author has kept copies of Hola! Fashion Edition from the 1990s to this day.
