Why Helen Gamboa-Sotto's Birthday Bash Is A Quintuple Celebration

just two days before the midterm elections—close friends and family gathered for an intimate and meaningful celebration in honor of the ever-graceful Tita Helen Gamboa-Sotto.

- razzle-Daza

The evening was more than just a birthday dinner; it was a heartfelt, quintuple celebration marked by love, gratitude, and hope.

We celebrated Tita Helen's birthday and Mother's Day, but our prayers that night were also for the success of her loved ones in the upcoming elections. Her husband, former Senate Pres. Tito Sotto, was seeking re-election to the Senate. Their son, Gian, was running to keep his post as vice mayor of Quezon City. And their nephew, Vico Sotto, was gunning for a third term as mayor of Pasig.

It was a rare moment where family, public service and personal milestones converged in one joyful occasion. (And the prayers were answered—all three won.) Held on the second floor of Chef Jessie's restaurant, the gathering was cozy and personal, attended only by a few of us—Tita Helen's "dabarkads"—and by family, though Gian and Vico were absent because they were at their respective miting de avances.

Among the early birds was none other than actress Elizabeth Oropesa, who brought not only her warmth but also stories of her surprising artistic journey. She delayed a planned trip to the United States just to celebrate with Tita Helen and revealed that she's mounting an art exhibition there. I was stunned to learn she's also a painter, aside from being a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist. When she showed me a photo of her painting of Whang-od, the legendary 109-year-old tattoo artist, I was truly impressed. What a delight to discover the many layers of a woman as talented as La Oropesa.