The image of a frail-looking nine-year old girl being subjected to maltreatment is considered as one of the most enduring images of Vilma Santos as a child star. Her heartrending portrayal in Trudis Liit did not go unnoticed, allowing her to bag her first acting trophy as Best Child Performer from FAMAS. This paved the way for her luminousacting career, which gave way to an even more luminous political career as three-term Mayor of Lipa City, and now Governor of Batangas.