Month: April 2011

I’m going to THE WEDDING today.

Not the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey.

It’s the wedding of Bem Pontejos and Bam Frangue, two wonderful people I know.

It will be held at the Holy Rosary Parish in Boracay at 3.pm. Reception will follow at the Sagana Ballroom, Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort & Spa.

Of the couple, I first met Bem at the Marine Brig in Fort Bonifacio where he was detained together with other Magdalo officers for standing up against the unelected and corrupt Arroyo presidency on July 26, 2003, what is now referred to as the “Oakwood mutiny.”

Bem is Armand Pontejos. At the time of the Oakwood incident, Bem was then a young ensign with the Naval Special Warfare Group having graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 2001.

I met Bam later, who turned out to be a province mate.

In one of my home visits during the 2007 election, I noticed Trillanes-for-senator streamers at the San Jose plaza. There were also vans going around with Trillanes streamers. I wondered who his leader was in Antique.

Trillanes told me the girlfriend of one the Magdalo soldiers was the daughter of one of the mayors in Antique. He was Mayor Frangue of Caluya, an island near the northern tip of Antique where the Semirara coal plant is located.

I was told later by a neighbor who was a member of our town’s (Laua-an) Sangguniang Bayan that Mayor Frangue asked fellow mayors to carry Trillanes in their ticket, which they did.

That kind of Magdalo network explains why despite being in detention and short of campaign funds, Trillanes won a Senate seat.

Trillanes, as expected, is one of the wedding sponsors together with his wife, Arlene, and fellow Magdalo officers, LTsg James Layug and Manuel G. Cabochan.

I saw familiar names in the list of sponsors: Sen. Gregorio Honasan; Sen. Loren Legarda (also an Antiquena) former Antique Governor Sally Perez, former Arroyo political adviser Ray Roquero; Col. Ariel Querubin and wife, Maria Flor; Jeanne Monteverde; Bernadette Lomotan.

The wedding vows will be officiated by Most Rev. Romy Lazo (Bishop of Antique). Two of the seven co-celebrating priests are Fr. Danny Tabuyan, a barrio mate, and activist priest, Robert Reyes.

Today’s wedding is proof of the adage” love conquers all.”

In their wedding website (Bem is an IT genius), the couple related their love story.

They first ‘met’ through text in July 2000. The courtship began after almost three years of text messaging sometime in February 2003. They finally met in May 2003. Then, in July 2003, ‘Oakwood’ happened.

Bem and Bam’s love blossomed behind barbed wires. In their own words: “That was when we learned what sacrifice and freedom meant, and what true love can endure.

“Despite the circumstances, we were incredibly (Oak)wooed by each other that we officially became a couple on September 3, 2003.

“Visits, takeouts, and sneaky phone calls made our days exciting. Our dates and anniversaries, and all other special occasions, were spent inside strictly guarded barricades– three in those seven years– where sentinels walked around, watching every move.”

While in detention, Bem earned two master degrees through the University of the Philippines ‘Open University.’ When he got his first master’s degree in Management Information System, he was allowed to attend the commencement exercises with armed escorts.

Bem and Bam wrote: “At the end of the day, it is what we believed and saw in each other – the beautiful face, the even more beautiful heart, the passion and conviction, the brilliance, the wonder, the laughter – that mattered. These are what made “us” work; these are why there is nothing we would not do for the promise of a lifetime together.”

Bem and Bam, your love story inspires us all. We wish you happy and meaningful life together.

From Yahoo OMG:

On May 16, the grand ballroom of the Dusit Thani Manila hotel will be filled with the delightful hits of the Hotdog band when the trailblazing Pinoy pop- rock group in the 1970s stages a one- night reunion concert.

Dennis Garcia, one of the founders of the band and who plays bass, said the rare event will bring together other members of the group, namely, Rene Garcia (lead guitarist/vocals), Jess Garcia on drums, and Gina Montes, Maso Diez, Joy Reyes, and Rita Saguin Trinidad, all former lead vocalists of Hotdog at various times.

They will be backed up by guest performers Joey Abando from The Boyfriends, and session musicians Benjie Santos, Carlo Gaa, Roy Marinduque, and Roy Sadicon.

Hotdog revolutionized Philippine musical landscape with what was dubbed as the “Manila sound.” The songs were original Pilipino music distinguished for their catchy lyrics written by the Garcia brothers, Rene and Dennis, which mostly conveyed exuberance.

Music critic Baby A. Gil of the Philippine Star, said, ” It was (Hotdog) who killed colonial mentality in pop music with (their) phenomenal ‘Pers Lab’ in 1974. Suddenly it was cool to talk Taglish and listen to a Pinoy band.”

Hotdog songs were being played even in the enclaves of the elite where Filipino songs used to be looked down as “bakya (pedestrian).” Perhaps it helped that the Hotdog female soloists were from Catholic exclusive girls school.

One of their megahits,”Bongga ka, ‘Day,” an ode to fashionistas, cajoled people to let go and enjoy,“Bongga ka, ‘Day/ Bongga ka, ‘Day/ Sige lang, sige lang, itaas ang kilay/ Bongga ka, ‘Day/Bongga ka, ‘Day/Sige lang, sige lang, itaas ang kilay.”

Their first album, “Hotdog: Unang Kagat,” released in 1974 by Villar Records, became such a monster hit that it spawned a movie of the same title the following year. It starred the band alongside some of the biggest names in local cinema—Fernando Poe Jr., Joseph Estrada, Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, and Boots Anson Roa—in cameo roles.

Another hit that was turned into a movie starring Nora Aunor was “Annie Batungbakal” about a disco-loving salesgirl.

Journalist Sol Vanzi, who owned a boutique in Malate where the band sourced some of their “hippie” attires, observed that the period when the Hotdog’s songs ruled the music scene was when anti-Vietnam war protests were winding down and the Philippines was under martial law. “The young people vented their energy through the vibrant music of the Hotdog rather than marched in the streets,” Vanzi said.

Their song, “Manila,” a tribute to the country’s capital city, became the anthem of overseas Filipinos: “Hinahanap-hanap kita, Manila/ Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga/ Mga jeepney mong nagliliparan/ Mga babae mong naggagandahan/ Take me back in your arms, Manila/ And promise me you’ll never let go/Promise me you’ll never let go.”

Since the mid 1980s, the band’s members have all pursued other endeavors, some of them based abroad.

They had their first reunion concert in 1988 at the Rizal Theater in Makati, before it was torn down.

Hotdog’s first female soloist, Ella del Rosario, who gave the public hits like “Pers Lab” and “O Lumapit Ka” was supposed to have staged a series of homecoming concerts starting Dec. 14 last year but this was cancelled because she lost her voice two days before the start of the concert.

The unfortunate incident all the more encouraged Dennis to mount another Hotdog concert. “I felt the frustration of people who bought tickets (for the Ella del Rosario concert),” he said.

One of those whose Dec. 14 schedule was upset by the cancellation was former defense secretary and presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro who bought 20 tickets as he had planned to celebrate his wedding anniversary with friends in the concert.

Another compelling reason for the concert was Dennis’s bandmate from his first band, “Red Fox,” who was battling pancreatic cancer. “With my Hotdog bandmates and I sheepishly realizing that we had T.R.O. (time running out), I felt a reunion was the right thing to do,” he said.

Dennis promises a treat for those coming to the concert. He said they will perform all their hits, including “Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko,” “Pers Lab,” “Panaginip,” “Ikaw Pa Rin,” “Langit Na Naman,” “Careful, Careful,” “Behh, Buti Nga” and many others.
They will also play the hits that Dennis wrote for other artists like “Sa Isip Ko,” “Saan Ka Na Kaya Ngayon,” “B.A.D.A.F. Forever,” and “Ayayayyy, Boracay.”

There were also good songs released but got overwhelmed by their numerous blockbusters: “Kung Aminin Kong May Asawa Na Ako,” “Dying to Tell You,” “When the One You Love Is Gone,” “Kulang,” and “Parang Robot.” The audience will have the chance to rediscover them.

Tickets for the concert are available at the Dusit Thani Manila concierge, and through telephone numbers 886-6186, 0915-359-8228 and 0921-293-1784. Tickets are on first-come, first-served basis, and include dinner, drinks, and dancing all night.