Give a smile this Christmas

David Pomeranz has come to love the Philippines as a second home that’s why he’s always here, sometimes for a brief vacation but most of the time for work.

David flew in last Wednesday from Florida where he and his family are based to perform in two Christmas mall shows (at Market Market yesterday and at Alabang Town Center on Monday, Dec. 22) and to endorse Operation Smile. Staying for only one week, David will go back to Florida to spend Christmas with his family but he’ll be back in February next year for the In Our Hands concert, presented by Operation Smile Philippines in cooperation with The Ultimate Entertainment, Inc., on Feb. 27 at the Pacific Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug, Cebu City; Feb. 28 at the CAP Auditorium in Davao City; and on March 1 at the Harbour Tent, Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Pasay City.

“Operation Smile is new to me,” admitted David (who was raised in New York and lived in L.A. for 28 years). “But when the people behind it asked me to represent it, they explained to me what it’s all about. I did my homework and here I am, asking people to give a smile this Christmas — and beyond.”

Operation Smile is a private, non-profit volunteer organization which provides free reconstructive surgery and related health care to indigent children and young adults with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Its headquarters are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and is present in 30 countries. Since 1982, Operation Smile has treated more than 22,000 Filipinos with facial deformities. One of its beneficiaries is 13-year-old upcoming Cebuana singer Chadleen Alberth Lacdo-o who was born with a cleft palate and, thanks to Operation Smile which sponsored her corrective surgery when she was four years old, she not only regained her self-confidence (she developed inferiority complex because of her deformity) and realized her dream to be a singer.

“Chadleen is performing in my concerts next year as a special guest,” said David. “How she recovered is incredible, almost like a miracle. Amazing!”

Because it’s Christmas, Funfare asked David how he’s spending the holidays.

“Oh, with my family...always with my family. We start to celebrate right after Thanksgiving, almost like the way Filipinos do — you know, lots of kids, gifts hanging on the Christmas Tree. We even hang a huge parol given to me by Kuya Germs (German Moreno) two years ago. Ours is the only house in the neighborhood which has it so everybody goes, ‘Wow! What is that!!?!’ It’s the conversation piece in the neighborhood.”

Any favorite Christmas song?

“Yes, O Holy Night. It is, I think, by far the most touching Christmas song. I have a few others. Silent Night is the most beautiful Christmas song ever written. And, of course, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas which always makes me cry...” And then he sang, “...through the years we all will be together if the fates allow,” his eyes turning misty. “It has an extraordinary melody and very meaningful lyrics.”

Those three songs, plus Pasko na Sinta Ko, are on his one and only Christmas album, first released by MCA Music and now by EMI (get a copy; you’ll like it).

And his Christmas wish?

“It sounds funny but television has a way of making the world seem like a dangerous place and us afraid of each other — you know, because of all the sad and bad news about wars and other negative stories. I hope that when we come back to our senses after the euphoria brought about by the season, we will realize that we are exulted, beautiful beings and we are here to love each other. That’s not a cliche; that’s true.”

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