Daddy’s angel
Regine Velasquez Alcasid and Julie Anne San Jose on their close ties with the one each call fathers
Regine Velasquez-Alcasid and Julie Anne San Jose on their close ties with the one each call fathers
Some say fathers are not as appreciated as they should be. Too often, people see them merely as breadwinner or disciplinarian. Few think that like moms, dads know best too. Singers Regine VelasquezAlcasid and Julie Anne San Jose couldn’t agree more.
Here, the two honor their fathers respectively by remembering how much they owe them and why.
‘Best father on Earth’
Regine lost the “wind beneath her wings” in 2014. At the time, many thought performing live would never be the same again for Asia’s Songbird without her father, the late Gerry Velasquez or simply Mang Gerry, watching and cheering her on by the sidelines.
“He was very good in teaching,” she said, recalling how Mang Gerry served as her coach-mentor and official chaperon throughout her journey in the industry.
Quite misty-eyed, Regine remembered that every time she failed to win in a singing competition, her father would always tell her “luto (ang laban).” “Luto kahit pumiyok ako,” she said. “Kidding aside, my father always makes sure na napoint out niya kung saan ako nagkulang. He makes sure na I learned something from that experience, na maybe next time I could do better. My father showed me not to let a simple failure be my failure.” Mang Gerry was not a perfect father, Regine said, but she considers him the best father on Earth.
“No one is perfect and the only perfect father that we have is our Father in heaven,” she pointed out.
The singer said she sees the good qualities of Mang Gerry in her husband Ogie Alcasid.
“He (Ogie) is a very good father. My husband is a very gentle person, ’yun siguro ang pagkaka-parehas nila ng tatay ko,” she explained. “In terms of parenting style, what I like about Ogie is that he let the kids experience life. Kumbaga let them be wrong because that’s how they will learn. Besides we can’t go shelter them forever, ’di ba?”
‘Strict dad’
Asked to describe her father Jonathan San Jose, Julie Anne said he is “strict.”
“But, siyempre, I know naman na para sa akin kung bakit siya ganu’n. Siyempre ang mga tatay, maalaga talaga yan lalo na babae ako,” she said.
The singer-songwriter recalled there was a time in her career when she almost quit. And her father welcomed the idea since he’s not much in favor of her entering show business in the first place.
Had she not bawled and begged her
dad to give her one more chance, Julie Anne, by now, would have been out of the scene. “I made sure na hindi ko mapapabayaan ’yung pag-aaral ko while I’m in showbiz,” she
noted. “My dad is very supportive of me naman. It’s just that gusto niyang magkaroon
ako ng malinaw na goal sa buhay ko.” According to Julie Anne, her dad always advises her to be humble and be thankful for what she has.
“He said I should not forget to thank all those people Because if it weren’t for them,
’yung passion ko. So, I always say thank you to those who support and guide me in every step of the way,” she said.
All set
Julie Anne and Regine won’t be in the country for Father’s Day tomorrow. That’s because the two, alongside Christian Bautista, will be in Dubai for the third leg of their concert series “3 Stars, 1 Heart.” Following its successful regional shows in Cebu (Jan. 20) and Dagupan (April 14), the powerhouse trio takes over Dubai World Trade Center for a night. Asked about the new things they will do in the show, Regine simply said, “marami lang bagong songs.” Part of their preparations is to be updated with showbiz news as “ang mga kababayan natin mahilig sa tsismis.”
Apart from the remarkable song numbers and performance, the audience will witness the reveal of the seven lucky winners of “Regine By Request,” a special segment wherein no less than the Songbird will grant each of their requested songs and sing these on-stage together with Julie Anne and Christian.
Adding glitz to the concert are the gowns and suits created by three renowned Filipino designers based in Dubai, particularly Furne One of Amato Couture, Ryan Pacioles of Atelier Zuhra, and Ezra Santos of Ezra Couture.
Directed by Paolo Valenciano with Raul Mitra as musical director, “3 Stars, 1 Heart” is produced by GMA Pinoy TV together with partner carrier OSN.