She Means Business
Whenever we have an opportunity to sit down and chop it up with an OG, it’s always a curious thing.
On the one hand, it would be safe to assume that since Rachel has been in the spotlight so long that people already know most of the things that there are to know about her — particularly in her case as she’s not just an OG but also a media darling and a social media superstar at the same time.
On the other hand, as professional storytellers, we naturally task ourselves to frame the conversation a certain way for us to be able to peel back more layers of the onion, so to speak, with the goal of being able to share and offer more to entertain our audience.
As we’ve done with everyone else, we approached this interview with the same mindset and goals. In celebration of women’s month, we at ALL-STAR wanted to showcase RAD in a different light—beyond the usual where her volleyball prowess is coupled with her pretty face and stunning physique to take front and center.
Instead, we present RAD to you as Miss Independent, the OG volleybelle, the serial entrepreneur—a total Girl Boss.
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MISS INDEPENDENT (cue music)
In true trooper fashion, Rachel Anne Daquis, aka RAD, drove herself to the shoot. Judging by how she easily managed to park her car in a tight spot, it seems that she shows up to a lot of her engagements this way.
“Welcome to the ALL-STAR House,” I greet her.
“Hi po, Rachel!” she says, extending her hand to meet mine.
We both tried to break the ice immediately with a bit of casual conversation but the scorching noon sunlight hurried us indoors, so we went to business straightaway.
Before long, she found herself comfortable in the makeup area, exchanging war stories and giggling with the glam team. It’s an amazing experience to be a part of—how the aura changes in every part of the venue that she enters.
As a friend of mine so eloquently put it, “Universal kasi ang beauty ni Rachel,” (Rachel’s beauty is universal)—one that needs no explanation.
Funnily enough, a different friend’s words of wisdom also come to mind when it comes to the make up of a superstar. It’s this really rare combination of being “girl hot + guy hot + beki approved.” (LOL. made you think.)
Rachel is all that. And then some. She’s brought that to the table since she first became a public personality as an FEU Tamaraw volleyball legend as early as 2004. And now, at a later stage of her athletic career, she’s learned to combine her natural assets with her endearing charm and energy plus her eager-to-please personality. We may have just found the formula for sunshine on a cloudy day.
“Ay! Tapos na po!” (Oh! We’re done already) Rachel says loud enough for everyone to hear, half-kidding that we already got the money shot after just a few snaps of the camera in.
I say half-kidding because she’s really mindful of how she spends her time as she likes to squeeze the juice out of every day.
She shared that with the exception of her off days, her daily routine normally starts at 4 a.m. She drives out from her house out east in Taytay to their practice facility in Mandaluyong for a 5:30-9:00 a.m. session. She has the middle of the day for her business and the evening for her pilates classes. On top of that, she does non-profit work.
“Pero maaga din po ako matulog,” (But I sleep early), she adds as she tells us that her normal bedtime is anytime between 8-9 p.m.
She’s a creature of habit, and perhaps her routine is a big reason for her long and successful volleyball career that started in FEU way back in 2004—that was 21 years ago.
The OG Volleybelle
Now 37, RAD continues to add to her volleyball legend as a member of the Farm Fresh Foxies—a team that competes in the Premier Volleyball League.
In a career that spanned more than 2 decades, she’s collected almost every accolade as well as every bit of hardware you can think of—from multiple awards to MVPs, championships, and more. She’s even had her college jersey retired as a testament to her greatness.
Despite all that, when asked what the ultimate highlight in her career is, she was quick to say that it’s being the team captain for the national team that faced off with the titans of the sport.
“When I was the team captain for the national team that went against Brazil, Japan.”
She goes on to talk about how happy she is with the growth of the game of volleyball in the country and is also quick to praise the fact that there is now a rallying of support around the sport that could help ensure that we fare better in the future internationally.
“Ngayon mayroon na tayong programs like Alas Pilipinas.” she says with a wide smile across her face. “Siguro kung noon pa meron na niyan baka para na din tayong Japan or Thailand.” she adds.
(Now, we have programs like Alas Pilipinas. But if we had it long ago, we could be like Japan or Thailand by now.)
At the time of writing this story, Rachel is coming off some of her best volleyball as of late, and her team, the Farm Fresh Foxies are in contention for a playoff spot.
Long as her playing days may have been, as far the eye can tell, Rachel still has a lot of volleyball left. Not bad for a late bloomer who started at 15, if you ask me.
The Winning Attitude
Apart from her natural gifts, the other thing that Rachel has in her is her unbreakable spirit.
“Attitude.” she says when asked about if there’s anything that she got from sports that she has taken to the business arena. “Courage. And never giving up.” She follows up when she’s prodded to be more specific.
Putting up a business has always appealed to Rachel. She was 16 years old when she had her first venture of selling RAD shirts to her fans. “Ayaw ko kasi humingi ng allowance sa parents ko. Gusto ko may sarili akong pera.” (I don’t want to ask my parents for money. I want to be independent.)
She’s come a long way since as she’s established more than a couple handfuls of business concepts already, which saw her successes go hand-in-hand with failures.
“Wala kasi akong naging mentor,” (I did not have a mentor) she says. Being a first-generation entrepreneur from your clan or family is a major challenge, especially when she was starting.
Unlike today, information that offers know-how on how to up businesses was not as readily available. “Dati kapag sinabing business ang i-look up natin is mga SM or yung mga malalaki na. Pero ngayon, magsalita ka lang on camera to promote a product or even yourself, pwedeng business na.”
All that said, she still managed to find her way in the field of business. Her most recent venture, FORN de MANILA, is a bakery that serves Filipino breads and pastries in Barcelona, Spain.
Rachel has two of her aunts as her business partners in this specific venture: Tita Arlene and Tita Nerissa. Both are based in Barcelona and have been supplying baking goods in the area for quite some time already.
You can visibly see the pride and excitement on her face as she goes on to tell us about how they are able to share Filipino culture with the rest of the world through their store.
“Gumagawa kami ng sarili naming peanut butter, leche flan, and other Filipino delicacies.”
(We make our own peanut butter, leche flan, and other Filipino delicacies.)
Pan de sal, kababayan, ensaymada, and putok are some of the other offers you will find at their bakery.
She even told us that their store has become a “tourist spot” of sorts for Filipinos from other parts of Europe when they visit Barcelona.
While FORN de MANILA seems to be on its way to achieving greater heights, Rachel is not planning on resting on her laurels at all.
In fact, she already has her sights locked in on her dream business which is investing in real estate and establishing rental properties.
To end, we asked her what her “Why” is and she said that its to inspire.
“Hindi naman ako marunong mag-volleyball noon pero hanggang ngayon naglalaro ako. Hindi naman ako mayaman pero may mga business ako.” she says with confidence.
(I didn’t know how to play volleyball before, but I still play until now. I’m not rich, but I have businesses.)
What a total boss.
Catch the full interview with Rachel Anne Daquis on ALL-STAR’s YouTube channel.
IN THIS STORY
Production and Creative Direction by James Leonard Cruz • Art Direction by Karlota Tuazon • Interview by Naveen Ganglani • Cover Story by James Leonard Cruz • Photos by Noel B. Monzon Jr. • Hair and Makeup by Team Muriel Vega Perez • Outfits and Styling from Sophie Echauz • Brought to you by Zus Coffee and Farm Fresh Foxies • Special thanks to Nolita Joe’s
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