Derek Ramsay

Lying on the northwestern side of the main island of Palawan province and bounded by the West Philippine Sea in the west, the town of San Vicente is home to prime coastal areas, including the Long Beach, touted to be the Philippines’ longest white beach, which covers 14 kilometers of undeveloped shoreline.

- Jocelyn T. Valle

Small wonder Derek Ramsay has fallen in love with the place, specifically the beachfront property that he and his parents own plus two small islands with sandy white beaches that the Ramsays also acquired. Palawan is now where they usually spend the holidays with the rest of their extended family and with Derek’s friends.

While on vacation mode, the tall, dark, and handsome actor, athlete, and product endorser drops those labels and just lets himself become, in his own words, “a very simple guy.” It’s in that relaxed state that the YES! team finds him in his seaside retreat one fine day in the middle of Holy Week.

Shirtless and barefoot, his skin exposed to the midmorning sun, Derek cuts a nonchalant figure against the picturesque view of the shoreline, right where the pristine white sand and the calm blue sea meet. He’s fixing what looks like an implement for a sports or fitness activity. Some of his companions, including his girlfriend Joanne Villablanca, shoot the breeze under a canopy, while the others cool their heels on the wooden steps leading to the glass-and-steel beach house.

Derek’s father, Derek Arnold Ramsay, stands near the entrance to the beach house, which he and his family like to keep wide open. He is an Englishman of imposing height and heft, but he has smiling eyes and a cheery grin on his flushed face when he greets us and engages us in small talk.

Now wearing a bright yellow tank top, Derek the son walks towards our spot, and joins in our lighthearted conversation. He then asks, “Have you seen my mom?” When we ask where she is, he leads us, not to the beach house itself, but to a nearby structure.

Derek’s mother, Remedios “Medy” Paggao-Ramsay, sits in one of the chairs around a dining table with a lazy Susan. Her quiet and graceful demeanor speaks volumes about her beauty and elegance.