Cover Loida Nicolas-Lewis, about to start her podcast
Loida Nicolas-Lewis, about to start her podcast
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In her recent visit to Sorsogon, Loida Nicolas-Lewis’s passion for her hometown was reignited as she shared her inspiring vision with us
Like a long-lost friend with many stories to tell, Loida Nicolas-Lewis was beside herself, rattling off everything she’d been doing in the last 10 years when she last visited the country after boycotting the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. But she did not while away the time idly. No, “idle” is a word that does not exist in Nicolas-Lewis’s vocabulary. But “busy” is high up there with “committed, engaged, proactive.”
She spent the interregnum in the United States, where she has a beautiful apartment in Manhattan and a beach house in East Hampton. She actively engaged in various advocacies, including empowering Filipinas, promoting Philippine art and culture, and supporting local political candidates in the US, particularly those of Filipino descent. In addition, she wrote a book and started a podcast. All this, and turning 80 as well. But now she’s back.
Read more: Covid changed everything, so I quit: AA Patawaran on walking away from lifestyle journalism
Above Nicolas-Lewis returned because of a milestone: the 25th anniversary of Lewis College
Nicolas-Lewis returned because of a milestone: the 25th anniversary of Lewis College
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Nicolas-Lewis returned because of a milestone: the 25th anniversary of Lewis College. “I can’t believe we are already on our 25th!” she enthuses. “We started with a population of 314, now, it’s 2,500!”
Despite the pandemic, she reports, the educational institution she founded in her home province of Sorsogon and named after her late husband, the American businessman Reginald Lewis, was able to put up four buildings and expand to cover the whole academic level, from Prep to College. “My brother Francis and sister-in-law Edith started the school. My nephew Nikko, however, is an aggressive executive director who increased the student population and led the construction of four new buildings,” she says.
Much as she might want a more straightforward schedule, it’s simply impossible for a well-known and esteemed personage like Nicolas-Lewis. Her presence in the country to celebrate Lewis’s College’s 25th was sooner than soon logged on the media’s calendar.
“The anniversary was my purpose for coming home, but when I arrived, Mon Abrea, the head of Asian Consulting Group, hosted a private dinner with some media people. So, they started writing about me,” says Nicolas-Lewis.
The media was very interested in her book, Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?, a 200-page autobiography launched on March 28, 2023. The book is already in its fourth printing.
Above Nicolas-Lewis actively engaged in various advocacies, including empowering Filipinas, promoting Philippine art and culture, and supporting local political candidates in the US
Nicolas-Lewis actively engaged in various advocacies, including empowering Filipinas, promoting Philippine art and culture, and supporting local political candidates in the US
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Before writing and getting her book published, Nicolas-Lewis spent 25 years promoting her husband’s book, Why Should All the White Guys Have All the Fun? It’s still selling very well, she says, and excitedly reports that a movie based on the book is in the works. Interest in Reginald is very much alive, as Nicolas-Lewis shares that Baltimore, his home city, mounted an epic exhibition of his life at the Baltimore Museum, to run until April 2026.
Another product of her active life is the Loida Lewis podcast on YouTube. It just showed Season 3 in March and is starting on Season 4. The podcast has featured popular names such as Lou Diamond Philips, Boy Abunda and Karen Davila.
More from Tatler: How British Punjabi journalist Isabella Silvers champions mixed heritage voices through her groundbreaking newsletter
Above Before writing and getting her book published, Nicolas-Lewis spent 25 years promoting her husband’s book, ‘Why Should All the White Guys Have All the Fun?’
Before writing and getting her book published, Nicolas-Lewis spent 25 years promoting her husband’s book, ‘Why Should All the White Guys Have All the Fun?’
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But what makes the decibels of Nicolas-Lewis’s voice higher these days is the promise of her province, Sorsogon.
“Sorsogon is paradise!” she does not mince words. There are so many improvements, she says, that the prospect of helping bring in investors excites her. She cites the largest coliseum in the Philippines, built through the efforts of Governor Boboy Hamor. “It can accommodate 60,000 people!” she says. Then there’s the Sorsogon Museum (“It’s world-class!” Nicolas-Lewis says) built by Sen Chiz Escudero, which displays the story of Sorsogon, from the pre-historic days to the present.
Infrastructure is also much improved. Nicolas-Lewis says there is a good coastal road along Sorsogon Bay, the streets are vast and Escudero plans to even widen them to four lanes. “Never before has Sorsogon seen roads like these!” she gushes. “It used to take two hours from Legaspi to Sorsogon; now, only 45 minutes. And on top of this, the national road is immaculate.” Then, she says that according to Hamor, Sorsogon will have an international airport in two years.
Above The educational institution Nicolas-Lewis founded in her home province of Sorsogon and named after her late husband, Reginald Lewis, was able to put up four buildings and expand to cover the whole academic level, from Prep to College
The educational institution Nicolas-Lewis founded in her home province of Sorsogon and named after her late husband, Reginald Lewis, was able to put up four buildings and expand to cover the whole academic level, from Prep to College
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Nicolas-Lewis has again found a new project that will benefit from all her passion. She said she is “planning to bring the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce members to Sorsogon.” She cites several reasons for attracting investment: the copra industry and its by-products, rice production, the fishing industry particularly sardine canning and real estate. “It is a very promising province,” she declares.
In a bold declaration, she announces that her investing days are over. “From now on, I’m all about supporting the Lewis College,” she declares enthusiastically. And when you think she’s done, she teases the idea of yet another book, playfully titled, How to Look Younger When You’re Older Without Botox. Exciting times are ahead!
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Credits
Photography: Joe Salazar
A journalist of more than 30 years, Chit has had varied exposures in this field, both in hard news as well as in soft news, and brings everything she has learnt to the production of the magazine. When not writing or editing, Chit is deeply involved in her chosen service organisation, Rotary International.
