Category: Cebuano Icons

From Spotlight to Service: The Inspiring Journey of Carol Ballesteros

Her life shows that true success is not found in titles or fame, but in the lives one inspires and transforms.

Education

From an early age, Carol Ballesteros displayed a rare blend of brilliance and versatility. A consistent honor student, she excelled not only in academics but also in leadership and the arts. She held key roles in school-based organizations, the campus publication, and the dramatics guild—early signs of her natural gift for communication and creativity.

Her most memorable student milestone came in 1981, when she represented Region 7 in a national oratorical contest in Manila. Against the country’s best young speakers, Carol emerged as Grand National Champion, a triumph that foreshadowed her future in media and public speaking.

Carol credits much of her foundation in communication and the arts to Dr. Milagros Castillo Espina, then Dean of USJ-R’s College of Arts and Sciences. Affectionately called Madame Mila, Dr. Espina recognized Carol’s potential early on, mentored her with patience and vision, and helped shape the communicator she would become.

Carol graduated summa cum laude with a degree in BS Commerce, major in Accounting, from the University of San Jose–Recoletos, where she was both an academic and Aboitiz scholar.

Later in life, her love for learning led her to pursue Biblical Studies at the International Bible Institute of London, which she completed in 2014.

TV, Media, and Hosting Journey

Carol’s name became a household fixture in Cebu media, but her career began almost by accident.

While still in college, she was invited as a guest on the local TV show Sali Kami to promote the “Close-Up Campus Coed” interschool contest. Her articulate charm and screen presence caught the producers’ attention, and before long, she was offered her own hosting role in Premyo Jamboree—at just 17 years old.

She credits Larry Abelgas, producer of Sali Kami, for discovering her and opening the door to television. With his mentorship, her career quickly flourished.

Soon after, she returned to Sali Kami as host, and by 1989—after the restoration of democracy—she joined ABS-CBN Cebu as co-host of Campus Beat under Dante Luzon. This became her gateway to a decade of hosting some of the region’s most popular shows, including Star Treat, Star Showcase, Sabado Na Gyud, Ngiga Gud, and the beloved morning show Maayong Buntag Sugbo.

She also co-hosted the weekly talk show Carol n’ Cosme, which later evolved into Home Buddies, Alas Diyes Na, and Chikahay Ta!

At the peak of her TV career, Carol appeared in an episode of Maala-ala Mo Kaya and took on a memorable villainess role in the teleserye Kapalaran. With her warmth, wit, and grace, she became one of Cebu’s most trusted faces and voices for over two decades.

Beyond TV: Corporate, PR, Academia, and Consultancy

Parallel to her television career, Carol built an equally successful path in the corporate and academic worlds.

She served as a professor in Speech and Public Speaking at USJ-R, mentoring a new generation of communicators. Professionally, she wore many hats—Account Executive at SunStar Daily for seven years, Branch Manager at Urban Bank for two, and later became the first Public Relations Manager of Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort.

Her years with Shangri-La were especially historic. She managed PR during the resort’s pre-opening in 1993 and the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, when the candidates visited the resort for their fun shoot.

She later served as PR Consultant for White Gold Club, and in 1998, took a leap into public service by running for Cebu City Councilor.

In the 2000s, Carol transitioned fully into corporate leadership—first as Communications VisMin Head at eTelecare, then as Assistant Vice President for Branding and Corporate Communications at the Aboitiz Group, a role that held special meaning as she had once been an Aboitiz scholar herself.

In 2013, she joined the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) as Vice President for Reputation Management, where she served until her early retirement in 2019. She later founded her own events, training, and consultancy firm—Carol Ballesteros, etc.

Making a Difference: Community and Faith

At her core, Carol has always been drawn to service.

At RAFI, she led communications and stakeholder engagement for the Mega Cebu Program, a visionary initiative that brought together government, business, and civil society toward a “wholesome, advanced, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable Cebu.”

Her passion for faith-based work also runs deep. In 2009, she joined Ladies of the Fellowship–Philippines, a Christian women’s organization that shares the gospel in workplaces through evangelistic dinner events. These gatherings featured inspiring testimonies from personalities such as Enchang Kaimo, Miriam Quiambao, Kuh Ledesma, and Tirso Cruz III.

A Journey Beyond COVID

In 2022, Carol moved to the United States to join her husband, Joshua Veloso Pilapil, a retired Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Both already retired, they embraced a new mission: founding The Human Project Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to nurturing resilience and wholeness in future generations by balancing intellect (IQ) with emotional intelligence (EQ).

Their flagship program, Project 12, introduces a groundbreaking education framework that integrates EQ development into the K–12 curriculum as a core subject. Officially launched in 2024–2025, Project 12 now partners with 58 pilot schools, including all 43 public schools in Dumanjug, Cebu—impacting more than 36,000 students and training over 1,600 teachers.

Through The Human Project Foundation, Carol continues her lifelong calling: empowering others, nurturing empathy, and building a society where people feel heard, understood, and valued.

A Reflection on Her Journey

Looking back, Carol sees a common thread running through the many seasons of her life—as a student leader, television host, corporate executive, and now co-founder of The Human Project Foundation.

Each stage—whether marked by triumph or trial—was an opportunity to learn, grow, and serve. She believes that victories and setbacks are not opposites but partners that shape one’s character. The wins gave her confidence; the challenges gave her depth, empathy, and resilience.

For Carol, true success is no longer measured by recognition or titles, but by the lives she uplifts and the hope she helps ignite.

Today, together with her husband Joshua, she is devoted to raising a generation that is not only intelligent but also emotionally strong, compassionate, and grounded in values.

Her story reminds us that when faith, resilience, and purpose come together, life becomes a powerful platform for inspiring and serving others.

A Diamond Life: Happy 75th Birthday, Pilar Pilapil

Last October 12, marked the 75th birthday of Pilar Pilapil, a name that gleams in the annals of Philippine cinema and beauty pageantry. Seventy-five years. A diamond milestone. And just like the gem, her life has been shaped by time, pressure, and fire , yet she continues to shine with quiet strength and unbreakable faith.

Born in Liloan, Cebu, Pilar grew up far from the glitter of the screen. Life was simple, sometimes harsh, but it was there she first learned resilience, a trait that would later define her. At just 17, she conquered the stage of Binibining Pilipinas, winning the Miss Universe Philippines 1967 crown. From that moment, the small-town Cebuana girl was thrust into a world of beauty, fame, and intrigue. The cameras loved her, and so did audiences.

Pilar Pilapil became one of the most respected actresses of her generation, starring in award-winning films and unforgettable dramas that spanned decades. But behind the glamour, she carried a quiet longing, for peace, for purpose, for something deeper than applause. In her own words, she was “The Woman Without a Face.” It was a metaphor for losing herself amid the fame and expectations. But through faith, she found healing.

In 1995, she became a born-again Christian, later founding the Pilar Pilapil Foundation, dedicated to helping abused women and children, those whose stories were once silenced, like hers almost was.

In 2011, the world gasped when she survived a brutal stabbing incident, left for dead in a dark field. But the woman who had already faced so many trials stood up again. She lived, forgave, and even returned to acting, a testament to her courage and faith.

Today, at 75, Pilar Pilapil is no longer the ingénue or the screen goddess, she is something rarer: a diamond woman. Tested, refined, and radiant. Her story is no longer just about beauty, but about survival, strength, and spiritual grace. Happy Diamond Birthday, Pilar Pilapil, may your light continue to inspire generations of women who dream, fall, and rise again.

🎬 THE FIRST FILIPINA MOVIE STAR IN HOLLYWOOD IS FROM SIBONGA!

📽️ Elena Jurado, born on May 19, 1901 in Sibonga, Cebu, made history as the first Filipina to star in Hollywood during America’s silent film era.

At just 18, Elena sailed to San Francisco to study radio—but fate had bigger plans. She caught the eye of filmmakers, acted in silent films, and wrote her own “photoplays.” American newspapers hailed her as the “Island Cinderella” and the “First Filipina Movie Star in Hollywood.”

📽️ Elena was a child of the Philippine-American War. Her father, a 22-year-old lineman of French ancestry assigned to install telephone poles in Sibonga, fell in love with her mother, Placida, a local Cebuana. Though unmarried, they raised Elena, who spent her early childhood at Camp Jossman in Guimaras, mingling with the children of U.S. military officers and civil officials.

🎞️ On April 13, 1922, Elena signed a contract with the Motion Picture Utility Corporation to star in two films to be shot in the Philippines — “Sunshine and Shadow” and “Wings of Love” — based on scenarios she herself wrote about life in the Philippines under American rule. Her stories impressed renowned actor Hobart Bosworth and novelist Peter B. Kyne.

📽️ Elena once declared:

“The fact that I am the first Filipina to enter the moving picture profession simply demonstrates that the Filipino women, like their sisters of the Caucasian race, will rise up from obscurity to limelight if they are given opportunity.”

💐 Elena Jurado passed away on her 73rd birthday, May 19, 1974, at an elderly home in Los Angeles County — leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer who paved the way for Filipinas in global cinema.

Atty. Augusto Go: The Educator with a Heart

In Cebu, where thousands of young people dream of lifting their families out of poverty through education, one man became their champion: Atty. Augusto Go, founder of the University of Cebu.

What set him apart was not just his business acumen or his leadership, but his kindness. Students at UC would often tell a story, almost like campus folklore—that Atty. Go himself would personally sign excuse letters so that a student could take an exam even if they hadn’t yet paid their tuition fee.

For Atty. Go, no one should be denied an education simply because they were poor. He understood the struggles of working students who sometimes had to choose between paying school fees and buying food for their families. His policy was simple: let them take the exam, they’ll find a way to pay later. It was a gesture that may have seemed small to some, but for countless students, it meant the world.

University of Cebu (UC) began in 1964 as the Cebu College of Commerce, a modest institution founded by Atty. Augusto W. Go with the vision of providing affordable and accessible education to young Cebuanos.

Early years of the school

As the years went by, the school widened its academic offerings beyond commerce to include law, engineering, maritime education, criminology, computer studies, and the liberal arts. With this expansion came a new identity, and in 1972 the school was renamed Cebu Central Colleges. It was during this period that the institution became a leading hub for maritime education, producing highly trained seafarers who would later sail across the globe, carrying with them the name of Cebu.

The steady growth of the school culminated on November 1, 1992, when it was granted full university status by the Commission on Higher Education. From then on, Cebu Central Colleges became known as the University of Cebu, a recognition of its academic achievements, breadth of programs, and increasing prominence in higher education.

Today, the University of Cebu stands as the largest private university in Cebu and one of the biggest in the Philippines, with a student population of more than 40,000 across multiple campuses.

From its main campus in Sanciangko Street, the university has expanded to Banilad, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, Pardo, and its world-class Maritime Education and Training Center in Mambaling. It has produced generations of professionals, from engineers and lawyers to IT specialists, criminologists, educators, and world-class seafarers.

Pardo Campus

UC is also widely recognized for producing board exam topnotchers gifting them with brand new cars and for its vibrant athletic program, represented by the UC Webmasters in Cebu collegiate sports.

From a small commerce school to a multi-campus institution, the University of Cebu is the lasting legacy of Atty. Go’s vision: a university built not only on academic excellence but also on the belief that every young Cebuano deserves a chance at a better future.

Over time, UC became a home for working scholars, seafarers-in-training, engineers, teachers, and professionals in many fields. Many graduates who now hold successful careers remember that one defining moment: when their school gave them a chance even when they were at their lowest. And that was Atty. Go’s doing.

Beyond being an educator, he was also a businessman and civic leader. But if you asked him what legacy he wished to be remembered for, it would not be the companies he served, nor the titles he held. It would be the simple act of opening doors for young people who might otherwise have been shut out.

Today, the University of Cebu continues to thrive, with tens of thousands of students across multiple campuses. And at its heart is Atty. Augusto Go, still the active and passionate lawyer, educator, and philanthropist who believed that opportunity, once given, can change a life forever.