Thats W hat F riends A re F or
![](https://qa.philstar.com/images/authors/1697794.jpg)
February 8, 2004 | 12:00am
![](./main/20040208/images/ent1.jpg)
But also like a beautiful love song, the friendship of Regine and Ogie has remained untainted and unshaken by the nasty rumor. For them, the show must go on, no matter what and come what may.
On Feb. 13 and 15 at the Araneta Coliseum, the good friends will have a Valentine concert called The Songbird and The Songwriter... Journey of Love... Music To Remember, produced by Viva Concerts with Raul Mitra as musical director, Louie Ignacio as TV director and Regine and Ogie themselves as stage directors. Guest artists are Sarah Geronimo, Erik Santos, Sex Bomb, Hotlegs and the Viva Hot Babes. (For tickets priced P2,500, P2,000, P1,500, P750, P500 and P200 call Ticketnet at 911-5555 or Viva Concerts at 687-5853 or 687-1125.)
After that, Regine will fly to Germany on Feb. 18 for a series of concerts, come back to host the grand finals of the search for Star For a Night (on March 13) and, before she can recover herself, pack her things again for her and Ogies US-Canada concert tour from mid-March to late April.
Obviously, they dont let the nasty rumor cramp their style.
As the song Thats What Friends Are For says, In good times and bad times, Ill be on your side forever more. In short, let the (unfounded) rumor, generated by people suspected to be envious of Regine and Ogies ideal working relationship, die a natural death and let the rumor-mongers blabber about it until their tongues wag out.
Three days ago, Conversations invited Regine and Ogie to play The Truth Game over lunch at Annabels Restaurant in Quezon City. Im sure everybody around was trying to "read" Regine and Ogies body language you know: did they exchange tell-tale sticky glances... how long did they look into each others eyes... did they hold hands longer than friends should... did Ogie wipe a morsel off Regines lips with his hanky...did they blush when onlookers notice, uh, something unusual in the way they treated each other?
The answer to all of the above is a big no.
The truth was that Regine and Ogie were comfortable with each other, as friends should be, and they didnt act "defensive" at all.
Read, if you wish, between the lines as bosom buddies Regine and Ogie tackle "tricky" questions in The Truth Game. Here we go...
Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but?
Ogie: We do!
Regine: So help us God!
Whats the real score between the two of you? Be honest now.
Ogie: Five all.
Regine: Were friends, just friends.
Ogie: Friends through and through.
Define "just friends."
Ogie: Mahilig kami sa jazz. (To Regine) Ikaw na nga ang mag-define!
Regine: Ikaw na!
Ogie: Friends in every sense of the word supportive of each other, nagdadamayan in each others problems. But I dont know her innermost secrets.
Whats your innermost secrets ba?
Regine: None. Teka, how do I define "just friends"? Yon na nga, just friends. Real friends talaga.
Ogie: Except that hindi pa ako nakakautang sa kanya.
Regine: Try ko yon. Ako ang mangungutang sayo. Nagpapalibre ako sa kanya, parati.
Ogie: Besides, when you borrow from a friend, you dont need to pay, do you?
Regine: But if you borrow money from me, you have to pay.
How has the nasty rumor affected your, ehem, friendship if it did?
Regine: For a while, it did. It felt parang weird.
Ogie (Poker-faced): For a while, she was cold to me; she didnt talk to me; she didnt look at me while we were singing.
Regine: Of course, not! Huwag kang maniwala diyan!
You describe yourselves as "working partners." Please elaborate.
Ogie: Regine is probably the best (working) partner one can ever have. One, the fact that shes talented youd think that shes mayabang but shes not. Two, shes hardworking, although moody sometimes because shes a woman. Three, shes very generous with her time. Four, she will make you shine in your own way; shes shining all the time.
Regine: Masarap siya ka-trabaho. Very professional, hindi maarte. Kahit saan mo siya ilagay, he doesnt complain. If you tell him to sit in one corner, hell sit quietly in one corner. Hes very creative; he has great ideas.
Ogie: Not all the time, though. Some of my ideas she finds a bit crazy.
Regine: But I still try them because I find them interesting. Besides, Im willing to try new things. It can be challenging. Yung voice niya bagay sa voice ko.
As a friend, what would you do for each other that your other friends wouldnt do?
Regine: Pauutangin mo ako?
Ogie: Oh, sure!
Seriously now...
Ogie: When I give her (pieces of) advice, my perspective is that of someone who would try to lose her. Yes, if she had a baby, I would be the ninong.
Would you, heaven forbid, kill for her?
Ogie: I would, I would! If somebody maligned her. Pag may dumapo sa kanyang lamok, papatayin ko! O langaw kaya. But not butterflies because she loves butterflies.
Regine: Pauutangin ko siya as long as he pays. I dont give good advice so he better not ask me.
Whats the best song that youve composed for Regine?
Ogie: Kailangan Koy Ikaw (theme song of Regines movie with Robin Padilla). She asked me to write it for her movie and I didnt expect it to be a big hit. Its one of my most memorable songs for her.
Regine: He has written a lot of songs for me including Pangarap Koy Ibigin Ka, Hanggang Ngayon, Sa Piling Mo. You know what, he gave me the rough draft, complete with the erasures, of Kailangan Koy Ikaw as souvenir. I had it framed. Thats how memorable the song is to us.
If you were a song, what would you be?
Ogie: A ballad. Like I Am What I Am.
Regine: Pam-bading yon, e!
Ogie: Maybe one of the songs by Rey Valera.
Regine: Id be a love song.
If you were a duet, what would you be?
Ogie: Batman and Robin. But you know, although we sing a lot of ballads, we would be a fun song something like Kalabog en Bosyo.
How would you spend Valentines Day?
Ogie: Ill be at home.
Regine: Ill go out on a date, kaya nga wala kaming show that day.
Ogie: Im visiting my wife and kids in Australia a week after Valentines.
Whos your Valentine?
Ogie: Si Michelle. Valentine ko rin ang mga anak ko, sina Leila, six, and Sarah (a year and five months).
Regine: Me? None!
I understand youre going abroad for shows.
Regine: Im leaving on Feb. 18 for shows in Germany. Ill be there for two weeks. Ill come back for the finals of the search for Star For a Night (March 13) and then Ogie and I will leave for a US-Canada concert tour (March 20 in Los Angeles, March 27 in San Francisco, March 28 in Las Vegas, April 2 in Atlantic City, April 4 in Washington, DC., April 17 in Chicago, April 24 in Toronto and May 1 in Mangilao, Guam. May tentative schedule kami sa Atlanta, Georgia, on April 11.
Hows your long-distance set-up with Michelle?
Ogie: Its hard. Since they left, Ive been coming and going; Ive been there five times already. Its hard but we manage. When Im there, I spend quality time with my family. Here, I work and work. There, I dont work; Im just with my family.
How do you cope with, uh, lonely nights (here)?
Ogie: I watch movies. I spend a lot of time with my friends.
Are you faithful?
Ogie: Yes. Very!
Have you seen or talked to Michelle since the nasty rumor started?
Regine: No. But Ive met her before.
If you meet her, whats the first thing youll tell her?
Regine: I dont know. But shes very nice; shes very, very nice. Shes nice to me.
You seem to be very choosy. What are you looking for ba in a guy?
Regine: Ill know when I meet him.
Whats your ideal man na nga?
Regine: Well, he must have the body and face of Richard Gomez, the sense of humor of Martin Nievera and the personality of Ogie.
Ogie: Wow, its a very hard combination to find.
Arent you scared of ending up an old maid?
Regine: Not bad. If thats my fate, what can I do?
Your father, Mang Gerry, can hardly wait to have a grandchild from you, somebody who would inherit your talent. What if, by accident, you have a love child?
Regine: For example, I get pregnant "by accident"? Okay lang. Ill keep the baby. I guess I can handle it. I think Ill be a good mom.
Any advice and/or pointers for Regine?
Ogie: You know, people have been pushing her to find a man when it seems shes happy with herself, with her life now, being herself. Siguro, I should give tips not to Regine but to the one who will be courting her.
Such as what?
Ogie: You know, the key to Regines heart is... You should befriend her first.
Regine: Di ba thats what Ive always been saying you know, I have to know a person first, whether manliligaw or kaibigan, before I can trust him/her. I dont easily trust people but when I do, you can bet its a lasting kind of trust. But the moment you break that trust, mahirap nang maibalik pa.
Ogie: Kung unahan mo kaagad ng ligaw, talo ka.
Regine: I get uncomfortable that way. Its weird! Its better if you start as friends you know, kuwento-kuwento lang about nothing, no pressure. Then, eventually, if you feel something...
Does the guy have to also win your family?
Regine: So much the better if he also loves my family. You know, when my sisters got married, I appreciated my parents all the more. Theyre so nice to my brothers-in-law. Sobra silang mabait na in-laws. They love us children so much, kung sino ang mahal namin ay mahal na mahal din nila.
Anyway, what can we expect from your Valentine concert?
Regine: A lot!
Ogie: Maraming surprises. Its full of love songs and other things besides. Panoorin na lang nila.
Regine: Marami siyang (Ogie is also the concert director. RFL) pinagagawa sa akin na normally ay hindi ko ginagawa.
Ogie: Expect the unexpected.
Dont you get conscious performing a love song together especially with the persistent nasty rumor?
Regine: You know, weve never done a duet kasi everytime we do one, wed end up laughing and laughing, hindi namin natatapos ang song. It happened six years ago when we had a show in Japan and it happened in other shows. During rehearsal kasi, Ogie would do something funny and the moment we performed onstage, Id remember that funny thing and Id end up laughing and laughing. Hes so funny.
Ogie: Conscious? Why should I be? In fact, I look forward to it. Kasi, ang galing-galing niya. Ang taas-taas ng boses niya pero nakakasabay ako.
Regine: You know, sa mga nakaka-duet ko, siya ang talagang nakakasabay sa akin. You know naman kung gaano kalakas ang boses ko; maski malayo na ang mike, malakas pa rin. At ang haba ng hinga ko. And yet, Ogie can sing in synch with me; nagdya-jibe kami.
What do you like most about each other:
Ogie: Mabait, bukod sa talented at maganda. I think thats her most endearing quality. Mabait na tao.
Regine: Hes funny; he makes me laugh all the time. Katsismisan ko. We make tsismis all the time. As soon as I arrive on the set of S.O.P., first thing I ask him is, "O, Ogie, ano ang tsismis? Ano ang bago?" I think hes a mabait na family man, a good husband and a good father and a good provider.
Whats the Song of Your Life?
Ogie: For the First Time (originally by Kenny Loggins). Another one is Rainbow (by South Border, written by Jay Durias). It says that no matter what we go through in life, theres always a rainbow after the rain.
Regine: I cant think of any. I want a happy song. Yon. Happy!
(E-mail reactions at
BrandSpace Articles
<
>