The Songbird soars in Cebu

FROM LEFT: PLDT Home VP and head of marketing Gary Dujali, Regine Velasquez, Binibining Pilipinas-Universe Maxine Medina and Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Nicole Cordoves

My son, IC Mendoza, and I relished every minute of our coverage of “The Regine Series” at SM City Cebu.

The musical extravaganza capped PLDT Home’s month-long festivities in the Queen City of the South. It was their way of thanking the Cebuanos for making them the market leader in digital and multimedia services.

Regine Velasquez was in her element as she wowed the full-house audience with her rendition of OPM classics, pop songs and her signature hits. She even sang a Visayan tune, “Usahay,” much to the delight of the crowd.

According to Reg, Cebuanos are among the hardest to please, since many locals are born singers. She endeared herself to the crowd all the more when she spoke in Cebuano.

Reg said that she has fond memories of her growing-up years in her mom’s hometown, Leyte.

The Songbird’s voice was clearer than the Queen City’s beaches.

Ogie Alcasid gamely did a duet with his wife, while their unico hijo Nate cheered them on.

Donna Cruz also jammed with Reg. They reminisced about their filming days of “DoReMi.”

Christian Bautista regaled the crowd with his solo number and duet with Regine. Binibining Pilipinas beauty queens, Maxine Medina, Nicole Cordoves and MJ Lastimosa, added glitter to the event.

I asked Maxine how she feels about Manila being the venue of the Miss Universe pageant 2017. “Too bad I won’t get to compete for the crown abroad,” she sighed. “But I have come to terms with it already. At least my family and friends can watch it live. It will feel good to compete with majority of the crowd rooting for me.”

Aside from the concert, the top broadband and digital services provider held The Fantastic Sale with deals that came with free DSL installation and WiFi modems.

It also mounted an exclusive event at Radisson Blu Hotel wherein guests tried out Smart Home devices.

Prior to the show, I got to bond with Reg, Ogie and Nate backstage. It was such a delight to see them in their unguarded moments. What an adorable “Family Three.”

Here’s a bit of preconcert trivia about the Songbird: Unlike other celebs who have makeup artists, Reg prefers to do her own makeup.

But even if she was busy getting dolled up for her miniconcert, she still doted on Nate.

“He’s fascinated with airplanes,” said Reg. “So every time we travel, I don’t have a hard time taking care of Nate on the plane because he loves flying. For now, it seems like he wants to be a pilot, not a singer like his dad and me.”

When I told Nate that I saw his TV commercial, he

snapped back so cutely, “The first one?” He will soon have another ad as the face of Smart Watch.

To celebrate her 30th anniversary in the biz, Regine will mount a concert in October. She will also release an album under Viva Records, compiling 30 songs that played a significant part in her career.

After three decades, the Songbird still has a lot to chirp about. “Singing is in my system. I want to keep making good use of my God-given talent.” Reg pointed out, “Even if I’m just singing ‘Bahay Kubo,’ I want the audience to feel it. Their applause gives me an adrenaline rush that makes me reach the high notes.”

Gary Dujali, PLDT vice president and Home Marketing director, praised Regine: “She was our unanimous choice to be our brand ambassador,” he quipped, “because she best represents the modern-day mom who’s also a career woman.”

Personal
Kudos to Gary Dujali, Aleli Bustamante, Maxine Loyola and the rest of my wonderful PLDT family for the successful Cebu leg of “The Regine Series” (visit pldthome.com).