Tita Midz sings for the Makati seniors

It’s heaven to be a senior citizen in Makati City. No other city in the Philippines, nay in the world, pampers senior citizens the way Makati does, thanks to incumbent Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. who is carrying on the legacy handed down to him by his parents, Vice Pres. Jojo Binay and Dr. Elenita Binay, who have both served the city in the same capacity.

Consider these: Mayor Junjun has earmarked around P131 million for the seniors’ benefits which include unlimited free entrance to movies in upscale cinemas, aside from free cakes on their birthdays and golden-wedding anniversaries, and P96 million in cash gifts for 50,000 BLU card-holders and P4 million in burial assistance.

And more: once a month, the Armida “Tita Midz” Siguion-Reyna entertains her fellow Makati seniors with a special presentation of her iconic show Aawitan Kita at the University of Makati auditorium.

We were lucky to have been invited by art patron/banker/STAR columnist Danny Dolor to watch the special Lenten presentation of the show last March.

“You will enjoy it,” assured Danny who is a member of the board of trustees of Aawitan Kita Foundation. “I’ve watched the show on various occasions and I feel like I’m watching it for the first time.”

There was no need for the assurance from Danny. I’d really been looking forward to the show but due to time constraints I was able to do so only that day which marked, according to Bibeth Orteza, the 77th edition titled Diyos ay Pag-ibig.

I see Tita Midz with the barkada during potluck salu-salo usually at the Vera-Perez Garden in the old Sampaguita Studio in Quezon City (with most of the food provided by the regular host, Marichu “Manay Ichu” Maceda) and although she still looks, uhm, magnificent especially with her striking silver hair, she’s not as robust as she used to be. I suspect that she’s hard of hearing because during the free-wheeling chit-chat, she would ask the barkada to repeat what latest showbiz stories are being discussed.

So I wanted to find out how she was onstage and what a big surprise was in store for me.

I learned from Danny the Aawitan Kita special usually draws an SRO and that was what happened that day. All seats were taken and what a good time, as usual, the seniors had! They were fetched from their homes and back on chartered buses.

The show consisted of not just one song after another rendered by Tita Midz and her fellow performers — Raul Montesa, Bayang Barrios, Miguel Castro, Joel Villaflor, Bimbo Cerrudo and Cris Villonco who, very obviously, has inherited (lucky girl!) her grandma Armida’s talent. There was a plot scripted by Bibeth: The story is about priests, men of cloth, and how they handle their vocation. Raul is tempted into a liaison with Bayang, his childhood sweetheart. Joel, who is rigid, looks down on sinners like Armida as an old prostitute. Miguel, a gay priest, struggles to keep his vow of chastity. Bimbo and Cris are lovers who appear to be in a normal relationship.

I paid more, if not all, attention to Tita Midz as she sang such immortal songs as Hanggang Doon Kay Bathala, Bakit Ang Pag-Ibig Ko, Ikaw and May Umaga Rin. Regal in her Filipiniana attire, Tita Midz sang with same brio that she used to years ago when Aawitan Kita, which has been declared a national treasure by Congress many years ago, was started more than three decades ago. Walking on a cane from one end of the large stage to the other, she sang without missing a beat, her voice as fresh as ever, every word of every line of every stanza of every song spilling beautifully and distinctly like little pearls being showered by angels onstage. The Armida Siguion-Reyna of old was in her element, dignifying that stage with her scintillating presence.

Towards the end of the show punctuated by prolonged, heartwarming applause, Tita Midz addressed the audience in the vernacular, “Nagpapaalam kami sa inyo, mga kapwa ko senior citizens na Makateño. Katulad nng dati, pansamantala lamang ang paalam na ito, dahil habang nariyan ang tunay na nagmamahal sa ating lahat na si Mayor Junjun Binay, hindi mawawala ang Aawitan Kita sa Makati.”

There’s really nobody like Armida Siguion-Reyna who is a class of her own. I agree with Tempo columnist Ronald K. Constantino that, before anybody else, it should be Tita Midz who should be named a National Artist. You, too, agree, don’t you?

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