Fedwilyn
Villarba, fondly called Eden by friends and family, doesn’t want you to be
intimidated. She even considers herself as the nicest, most approachable person
you’ll ever meet, who can talk unceasingly about the most random things.
Yet no one
can really blame the others for their insecurities.
At 25 years
old, she already has a string of accomplishments and a lot of titles under her
name.
Known for her
impeccable sense of style, she’s the face behind Chic in the Tropics, one of
Cebu’s go-to blogs in terms of fashion and was nominated for this year’s Best Cebu Blogs under Fashion Niche; an active member of the fast-growing Cebu Fashion
Bloggers Group; and part of the Seven Stylish Filipinas Online shortlist by the
Philippine Online Chronicles.
She’s also
used her deep passion and knowledge on the field as a freelance stylist,
working with some of the top brands in the country such as Yves Identify,
Topshop, and Wafer Models Philippines.
Putting her
Mass Communications degree from the University of the Philippines-Cebu College
to good use, she worked as a disc jockey for 96.3 WRock, a newscaster for Y101,
and now a contributing writer for SHOT, a new lifestyle magazine based in
Manila.
Eden is
also very much into the arts. She isn’t just an events host—she has mingled
with bigwigs and celebrities such as Borgy Manotoc—but also a freelance
voice-over talent. She’s braved the cameras and acted on TV shows and
independent films like Saranghae My Tutor,
Volition, Lingkawas, Esoteric Music,
Dirty Blue Money, and Kumpisal ng Birhen, which made it to
Singafest Asian Film Festival in Los Angeles.
In fact,
she’s so good in her craft she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for
last year’s Cinema One Film Festival for her brilliant portrayal of Merly in Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria. Her name has
also appeared in playbills as part of Vagina
Monologues of Crystal Cavalier Productions.
You may say, however, she had it easy. She’s smart,
sassy, and beautiful. But Eden is someone who doesn’t really rest on her
laurels. Though she knows she has all the innate attributes to succeed, she’s
also aware that without passion, hard work, and inspiration, she wouldn’t be
able to achieve all these or even move forward and do more for herself. She has
definitely met a couple of challenges along the way, but she believes there’s
nothing she can’t do and sees everything as a journey with hundreds of lessons
to learn and a push to always be the best.
Face of
Cebu wants to end 2011 with a huge bang, and what better way to do that than to
have one of the prettiest, no-nonsense, dream-chaser Eden for October. Her
ability to create big goals and run after them no matter what it takes should
be a great source of inspiration and motivation for every Cebuano.
Writer: Milafel Hope Awe-Dacanay
