What do award-winning actress Pilar Pilapil and Jennifer Garciano Escoton Phillips have in common?
They’re both Cebuanas.
And they’re cousins in real life.
To begin with, who is Jennifer Garcia Escoton Phillips?
Jennifer, Jenny for short, is a fashion model who started her ramp modeling career in the Philippines as a mannequin for the late fashion designer Goullee Gorospe. Later, she went to Hong Kong to do fashion shows, and the rest is history.
In the former British colony, Jenny met her future husband, David Phillips. They fell in love and got married. Although she was still modeling because David didn’t interfere in her career, Jenny voluntarily quit the runway and concentrated on her family, as she was already on the family way with her firstborn. Besides, her husband was assigned to work in Indonesia. But Jenny didn’t detach herself from the limelight by keeping track of what’s happening in Manila entertainment by talking regularly with Pilar.
“Tita—a term of endearment to an aunt by blood or an older person by affinity—Pilar and I are very close. She is the one encouraging me to be the best in my modeling stint but then as I age, I altogether quit modeling,” said Garciano Escoton Phillips.
It is in Indonesia that Jenny met and associated herself with Seann Miley Moore, the “The X Factor” sensation in the UK who has millions of views on YouTube and one of the semi-finalists in the recent “The Voice Australia” singing contest. Seann’s family also lived in Indonesia because of his father’s work.
You see, Seann’s mom is Filipino while his dad is British. “Noong maliit pa si Seann, alam ko na na bading siya (When Seann was still a kid, I knew he was already gay),” Jenny said matter-of-factly.
She also became close to the Moores.
But gaiety is the last thing Seann and Jenny would crow about. Because Moore is talented, the two sit well with making his music the more important thing in life than gender identity.
Coincidentally, the man of the house of both the Phillipses and the Moores were assigned to work in Australia in their respective jobs and when they moved in Down Under their families still got closer. Jenny has more time to mentor Seann in music and fashion which he acknowledges until this moment.
A few weeks ago, Seann joined “The Voice Australia” with the song “The Prayer” and he was elevated to the semi-final round. He interpreted the Justin Bieber song “Lonely” but he was eliminated.
That started a controversy. According to popular international singer Rita Ora, one judge of the talent search, the song wasn’t tailor-made for Seann who she rooted for. Rita blamed fellow juror, world-famous Jessica Mauboy, for a wrong choice of song for her protégée.
The results somehow affected Seann but Jenny as a life coach on mental health advised him not to take it seriously because he is very talented and “The X Factor” has favored him a lot of times. “International singer na kasi si Seann kaya sobra siya sa standard ng mga singing contest (Seann is already an international singer, so he is overqualified),” quipped Jenny who continues to mentor Seann especially in fashion.