Gemma Teresa Guerrero Cruz-Araneta (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈkɾus ɐɾɐˈnɛtɐ]; born September 30, 1943) is a Filipino politician, writer, director and beauty pageant winner who served as the secretary of tourism in the administration of Joseph Estrada from 1998 to 2001.
Araneta's paternal great-grandmother was Doña Maria Mercado, the sister of the Philippines' national hero, José Rizal.
[3] In a 2021 podcast, Araneta commented that her victory at the Miss International pageant may had been a political ploy to deflect scrutiny away from the United States amidst the then-ongoing Vietnam War.
[4] Araneta first entered public service in 1968 when President Ferdinand Marcos appointed her Director of the National Museum.
[6] On May 16, 2005, Araneta started hosting a daily radio programme, Krus Na Daan (Filipino for "Crossroads"), on DZRJ 810 and a weekly television show, Only Gemma!