Chin-chin Gutierrez: Captivating Goddess by Karisma Kasilag-Sison

Chin-Chin Gutierrez: Captivating Goddess

By Karisma Kasilag-Sison
Photos by Raymund Isaac

From the depths of her spirit to her captivating face, Chin-Chin Gutierrez is a breathtaking survivor and protector of the earthly kingdom whom God continually bestows graces upon.

Everybody admires Chin-Chin’s unwavering faith and equanimity especially when the public heard about the terrible fire of not so long ago that destroyed her house and eventually led to her mother’s death.

She declared to us that a Total Woman must be in “union with God. Woman or Man, this is all, total and encompassing. Everything else is living, passing and proceeding.”

Beyond doubt Chin-Chin has a God-intoxicated soul and a compassionate heart. She enthusiastically shares with us the teachings of Chilean Biologist Humberto Maturana about the “biology of love.” Maturana has stated that “we all live in a loving world because it sustains our lives and this makes us loving beings. Beauty is the seed of love — really caring about how we live, making amends and living with the light of forgiveness. Compassion is the beauty of being human and it will simply reflect on the surface.”

Chin-Chin’s aura reveals an undeniable possession of the best of both physical and spiritual beauty. Her insights on this topic are profound and hopeful; “What is in the spirit is reflected in the physical world. Physical acquisition of something beautiful is different from spiritually becoming the beauty that we already are. It’s not just a matter of principle; it is a relationship with life and all the living.”

Having the face and character of an exquisite goddess, Chin-Chin debuted in showbiz with the role of Maria Clara in the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ TV production of “Noli Me Tangere” in 1991. Since then, she has acted in more than twenty movies over the years and has won the Gawad Urian for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 for her role in “Maala-ala Mo Kaya: The Movie.” Internationally, she is recognized as Best Actress (1996) and Best Supporting Actress (1999) in the Asian Television Awards for her outstanding work in “Melinda” and “Desaparacido”. Chin-Chin’s avid followers will see her soon in Book Two of “Maging Sino Ka Man” on ABS-CBN Channel 2.

Musically gifted as well, Chin-Chin’s album, “Uyayi: A Collection of Philippine Lullabies,” has received the 2004 Catholic Mass Media Award for Best Secular Album and is currently available at all branches of A Different Bookstore, Mag:Net Plus, Filipinas Heritage Library, Ayala Museum and Popular Bookstore.

Chin-Chin’s prominence also encompasses her exceptional involvement in caring for the environment. In 2003, she was named among Time Magazine’s “Asian Heroes” for using her celebrity stature to further the cause of ecological awareness. She has also received the 2004 The Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service (TOWNS) Award for environmental advocacy.

A campaigner of the natural world to the core, she meaningfully conveys, “When one gets to know about nature, not just its laws but realizing one’s relationship with it in the way we sustain our needs without compromising the lives of others, we discover a deeper beauty of being human.”

Consistent in adopting a holistic approach both in her advocacy and way of life, she incorporates what she calls an ecological lifestyle involving an organic vegetarian diet, natural forms of exercise such as gardening and trekking up and around nature trails, using products that have natural ingredients and packaged with recyclable materials and creating sound time management for “sacred space” as relaxation.

Chin-Chin altruistically elaborates on the holistic lifestyle, hoping for others to benefit from it too, “It is a process of understanding where and why compromises are made (with regard to food for example) and discerning the BIG difference between stopgap solutions and opting for long-term health management instead.”

This step leads to discovering that one doesn’t have to stop being “well” or “relaxed” just because one is working. Being successful in her chosen career, Chin-Chin fully understands how difficult it is to strive for harmony in a frenzied workplace. She expresses in detail, “Working for peace in a corporate cave is a conscious participative and transformative process of nurturing individual identity and collective integrity. Competition can transform into cooperation. Haven’t you noticed the opposite of that? Everyone can’t wait to leave – not just the office, but the house, the car, the dinner table, the country – yes even the planet! It becomes a highly toxic environment yet everyone is responsible. Financial plans and vacations, weekly massages and treatments are helpful considerations but cannot promise to completely heal you physically, emotionally, intellectually and soulfully.”

She continues to say that in answer to the above situation, wellness and relaxation activities should begin with being aware of thoughts, feelings, words and actions as these create positive conditions. She adds, “For me, certain minutes of the day rising, during traffic, mealtime or sunsets are quieted with a sense of giftedness and gratitude, and recollecting briefly what went wrong if any with a brief prayer to heal relationships and our planet.”

Meditation is a significant part of Chin-Chin’s day; she even admits to meditating even while in the makeup room preparing for photo, TV and film shoots. She enlightens us about the inadequacy of what women generally focus on to pursue wellness; “Although creative and athletic recreation urges the spark to come from our damp wells, retreats and recollections allow us the space to rediscover our sacred fire within. True wellness is a way of life rather than an occasional vacation or a bracket of events.”

Nutrition-wise, Chin-Chin adheres to a well-balanced vegetarian diet. Her eating habits have remained for the last ten years, favorably resulting in her hardly ever getting sick except for the occasional fever due to fatigue from sleepless nights of shooting and taping. Nevertheless, she quickly maintains that she recovers from illnesses quite easily.

She expounds that vegetarianism truly fits with the holistic lifestyle, as it is good for the environment and addresses issues on world hunger and poverty. She found it strange at first but was able to acquire much information about the interconnections between economic policy and natural resources; the way people consume and how much are produced against how much are wasted. Acknowledging these interconnections, one will see the culprit of a plundered planet and a suffering humanity.

Exceedingly conscious and sensitive to the world we live in, it comes as no surprise that this beauteous lady safeguards the gifts of nature by consuming very limited or mostly none of preserved and artificially processed foods. She completely shuns junk food, cigarettes and alcohol. It is crystal clear that Chin-Chin is knowledgeable and disciplined about taking care of herself well for she religiously goes for an executive checkup every year, clocks in adequate exercise and believes in the merits of complementary medicine modalities that satisfy demands not met by orthodox or mainstream health care.

All her statements, from the beginning to the closing of the interview, unswervingly prove that Chin-Chin Gutierrez munificently dedicates her life to the conservation of the planet and its inhabitants. She is every inch the dependable and stunning goddess out to spread the spirit of compassion and faith to all of humanity.

*With special thanks to Artist Manager Anjie Blardony Ureta.

Total Woman Magazine: Oct-Nov 2007 Issue