Her True North

Always ahead of the curve when it comes to living clean and green, Bianca Araneta Elizalde takes a deepdive into the belief systems that she has supported since her younger days, and talks about the persisting relevance of wellness in an ever-changing world

- MJ Jose

How success is measured varies from person to person, and from moment to moment. There are times when we aim for large scale achievements such as accumulating accolades or breaking world records. There are also times when we applaud our day-to-day accomplishments such as getting errands done or cooking a satisfying meal. For restaurateur and wellness advocate Bianca Araneta Elizalde, it is not so much about measuring it, but about being the best you can be in any situation. “It is about waking up each day, deciding to put your best foot forward and doing what you can,” she says. “I don’t like to compare myself to others and use them as my benchmarks. Instead, I compare who I am today to who I was years ago. I like to work on creating a better version of myself. For me, that is success.”

As an ‘It Girl’ back in the Nineties, her pretty face was a staple on numerous print ads, magazine covers and television commercials. Good looks run in the Revilla family: her grandfather Jose “Pinggoy” Goyena Revilla, Jnr was an actor and a matinee idol; her grandmother Paquita Roces was the first-ever model for soap brand Camay; her mum Maritess, also a sought-after movie star, followed as the next Revilla Camay Girl; her aunt, Cita, followed a third time as Camay Girl. This record of the Revilla women remains an oft-mentioned feat in the local commercial-modeling world.