MANILA, Philippines - If the name of flutist Jong Cuenco is a familiar one to those in the music field, it is primarily because he is the junior of Ernani Cuenco, National Artist in Music and composer of such renowned songs as Bato sa Buhangin and Gaano Kita Kamahal. All the blessings that came including working with FPJ, Erap and Dolphy who were close to his dad, having doors opened to him, learning the trade so to speak, Jong attributes to his dad.
There is one thing, however, that wasn’t offered to him on a silver platter for being the son of Ernani — his current post as host of Bingo Socials replacing the late Eddie Mercado. This, he had to work for, to audition for.
Meeting Jong again after many years one day led to an invitation to the Bingo at Pagcor United Nations where he worked as bingo master. We felt nostalgic upon entering its portals. During our heyday years of talent management, one regular client was the Pagcor Alegria Lounge where we launched the solo careers of our talents Jenine Desiderio upon her return from Miss Saigon in London, Jong, Anna Fegi and many others.
Jong says it all started when he was invited by Pagcor Pavilion to be guest at one of its VIP nights. “That evening, Allan Pineda formerly with Entertainment and now with Bingo asked if I would be interested to audition for Bingo Master. Eddie Mercado, their resident host, had a stroke and they needed someone to tentatively take over. So I auditioned and was given two days of the week. After a month or two, I was hosting the bingo full-time.”
Our role in Jong’s career began when we met him at a recording session at Sampaguita Pictures compound where one of our talents Gretchen Barretto had to record a song for Kuya Germs’ GMA Supershow where she was a regular. The vocal coach was Jong, one of his many jobs, he said. We remember Jong because he was gutsy and came over to us, introduced himself as the son of Ernani, and asked if we could manage him. We asked what he could do and after a long list of the usual skills of all Pinoys he said he was a flutist. We decided then and there we could build up his career as a solo flutist.
We booked him immediately as guest in our talent Dawn Zulueta’s show RSVP on GMA which Fritz Infante directed. Pretty soon he was everywhere, including becoming a recording star, and we launched his first solo concert at the Alegria Lounge of Pagcor. It has been two decades since then and now we were watching Jong who has easily slipped into the shoes of the master host Eddie Mercado.
We ask Jong if he didn’t feel overwhelmed at taking the place of the legend. Jong says he never really felt he was replacing him, thought of it as a temporary job, even remembers attending the tribute to Eddie who was already on a wheelchair and telling him that everyone was waiting for his return.
As a flutist, Jong was successful in attaining a solo career, which was most difficult for an instrumentalist in the Philippines. He started playing the flute at age 12, and Jong remembers his dad taking him to recordings for movie soundtracks where he would play second flutist. The day before the recording he would already rehearse his part so as not to make any mistakes.
His dedication eventually paid off and Jong ended up recording six solo albums with Octoarts-EMI and Sony BMG which is already some sort of accomplishment, with his second Night Wind given a Gold Record Award. He has been nominated as Best Instrumentalist by different award-giving bodies and in 2002 was awarded Best Instrumentalist by the Aliw Awards.
Jong’s penchant for hosting started when as one of Randy Santiago’s Hawi Boys he eventually did some hosting on Randy’s musical variety show Shades; also did a segment on Movie Magazine, a showbiz-oriented program on RPN-9; a weekly cultural musical show A Little Night of Music with Fides Cuyugan-Asencio on GMA; a radio program for Joe D Mango Tuesday Night Flight over Wave 89.1. We can see him eventually moving on to hosting TV competitions, beauty contests, game shows.
The best thing in Jong’s favor is that he is a born comedian. Perhaps that is why he is often guesting on the shows of Vic Sotto like Ful Haus where we caught him recently. Apart from Vic there are others he cites as unforgettable in his journey through life. He loves the way President Erap, FPJ, and Tito Dolphy treated him as one of their own and with whom he did small movie roles as a child. “They were never the King of this or that, or even the President of the Philippines. To them, I was their nephew or inaanak.” Randy was not just a friend, but a mentor; Martin Imperial and Rod Munsayac were true friends. Pete Cura gave him all he knows in event production and jingle making and encouraged him to open an events company. Director Peque Gallaga made him do musical direction. His colleagues John Lesaca, Tots Tolentino, Toti Fuentes and Eddie Katindig shared the stage and their talents with him.
Now that Jong is in a new chapter in his life, there will be more people he will meet and learn from. But hovering over them all would be his dad from whom he learned the importance of hard work, plus building strong relationships with people around and maintaining them to the end.
(E-mail me at bibsycarballo@yahoo.com)