Gary V’s ‘Shout For Joy’ music video on Instagram’s list of best practices

Gary Valenciano

As Gary Valenciano is about to turn a year fiercer on Aug. 6, he can’t help but get sentimental. Gary celebrates the joy of being given a new lease on life after his health scare two years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a cardiac bypass surgery. Gary V went through five procedures and his diabetes made it all the more difficult. But he survived and is now cancer-free. That chapter of his life made the OPM icon aware of the importance of having an insurance plan. For him, insurance means assurance that you have a partner to help you during emergencies. So it’s only fitting that AIA Philam Life (AIAPL) tapped Gary V to be its brand ambassador, to inspire us Pinoys to protect ourselves so we will have peace of mind, especially during this pandemic.

As Gary V’s hit song goes, huwag tayong “‘Di Na Natuto” after life’s trials so just like him, we will become Mr. or Ms. Pure Energy and be ready, willing and able to let the universe bring it on.

Here’s my chat with Gary V:

What’s the most creative thing you did during quarantine?

My music videos! “ASAP” challenged us to create our own music videos and I heard one of them, “Shout For Joy,” was noticed by Instagram International as they mentioned in an online webinar. After Taylor Swift and John Mayer, that video came in third on a list of best practices on Instagram. I was so thrilled.

If you would compose a song to cheer Pinoys up during this health crisis, what will the title be?

I actually just recorded a song, entitled “Pwede Pang Mangarap,” produced by Thyro. It is meant to encourage people to buy from small and medium enterprises to boost the economy. I am also writing a ballad to inspire people to carry on amid the health crisis.

What’s the best and hardest part of being Gary V?

The best part is that I have a wonderful family who loves me and God who will never leave me. I have been blessed with many supporters for my 37-year career. And despite everything that’s happened to me with my health, I’m still alive and able to do what I love, which is to step up onstage to perform. Also, that I have the equipment, my Genesis team, and the means to come up with something new and different online. I may not have the biggest numbers, but at least I can constantly feed people with something that will inspire them, or things they never knew about me—stuff that show people how human I am.

The hardest part is that my health is hard to maintain and control. Also, there are ideas in my head, but I don’t know if I’ll still be able to accomplish them, or if I’m meant to be the one to execute them. However, I would love to contribute the ideas for somebody else to execute. But the hardest thing for me now is to be able to do what others do, which is to go into a place, fearless because of good health, because even if I’m fully protected, my system and entire body have already been compromised because of diabetes and other health challenges. So I have to really watch myself. Another tough thing is privacy. Being a public figure, people always think that they own a piece of me. Everyone thinks it is so easy to just make a video to greet someone or agreeing to all the invitations, forgetting that sometimes I get tired, too.

What are your sentiments about the ABS-CBN shutdown?

At first, we were all devastated, but because of my faith, I know that God has His reasons and I just really need to trust His will. What pains me the most is that the network had been cleared by all the government organizations and yet its franchise was denied. ABS-CBN has allowed me to become like an ambassador when I’m given the chance to perform for OFWs (overseas Filipino Workers) for TFC (The Filipino Channel)—a way of bringing a piece of home into the homes of Filipino workers abroad. So my heart goes out to them because that was basically the only thing that they would look forward to when coming home from work.

Yes, you can watch the shows online, but there was something about the normal way of just clicking your remote and seeing ABS-CBN no matter where you are in the world, watching the news, entertainment and teleseryes that have become part of the Filipino culture.

What made you say “yes” to AIAPL?

Because its track record speaks for itself. People have entrusted their lives into the hands of AIAPL. They make sure to provide the services that people need ever so badly, especially during this time of Covid-19. INQ