Ricky Reyes: 'Mother of beauty'

Episode airs March 26, 2007 Reporter: Howie Severino No one will ever evict Ricky Reyes again. Recalling that he would be awakened at night as a boy because his family was being told to leave their rented home yet again, "Mader Ricky" is now probably the country's wealthiest openly gay businessman, ruling over an empire that stretches from beauty to tourism. Reyes has also done his share of philanthropy. As part of I-Witness's documentary series on Philippine icons, the famed “beauty tycoon" opens up on his Cinderella childhood and introduces reporter Howie Severino to the world of gay success. What has Reyes meant to the country’s gays? Is he a pioneer or merely an exception? Reyes provides insights into the lives of gays in the beauty business. Howie explores parlors in malls and small towns, weighs in on their contributions to the community, and appreciates their cultural and economic power. Will gay beauticians one day also be powerful in politics? Ricky Reyes offers intriguing clues in this I-Witness episode, which airs Monday late night after Saksi over GMA-7.