NASSAU, Bahamas —Like millions of Filipinos working abroad, husband and wife Arvin and Emily Abatayo proudly brand themselves as OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), who sacrifice being away to secure their families a better life.
But Arvin and Emily are not your typical OFWs who work in anonymity. They actually bask in the spotlight, getting paid and pampered to do what every Pinoy perhaps would love to do for a living — singing.
The Abatayo couple have been performing for thousands of passengers in one of the biggest cruise fleets in the world, the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), which owns several luxurious megaships that sail across all continents.
Arvin and Emily — whose music covers all genres like pop, jazz, R&B, standard and Broadway tunes — are part of NCL’s stable of world-class artists.
They have built a fan base of frequent travelers, some of whom would only join the vessel that would carry the Pinoy husband and wife.
In October, during an eight-day New York-Florida-Bahamas cruise with one of NCL’s newest ships, the Breakaway (filled with 4,000 passengers and over 1,000 crew members), we got a chance to witness the nightly performance of the duo dubbed the King & Queen of Timeless Songs.
With their silvery and soothing voices, disarming charm and ability to connect with people of all ages and colors, many of those who have watched Arvin and Emily perform took note of another major reason why people fall for their romantic tandem.
“They have the ability to emit love to their audience,” honeymooning newlyweds from Puerto Rico, Noemi and Fernando Maisonet, told The STAR. “You just can feel the romance emanating from them.”
Married in 1999 in Imus, Cavite, Arvin and Emily met when they joined the popular Iggy de Guzman Orchestra performing in Casino Filipino across the Philippines. Encouraged by a friend, singer Eric Bernabe of Carnival Cruise Line, to try their luck as cruise ship entertainers, they sent videos of their performances to a Miami-based agency that supplies artists for NCL. The rest is history.
Today, Arvin and Emily get rave reviews on cruisecritics.com, where travelers from all over share their cruise experiences.
Novemar Peroja, an Ilongga bar server on board, said Arvin and Emily make her proud whenever they take center stage.
“Patok na patok sila sa audience dahil ang ganda ng chemistry nila (they’re a big hit because of their good chemistry),” gushed Peroja. “Siguro dahil in love talaga sila sa isa’t isa (maybe because they really are in love with each other) and it comes out naturally.”
“People like their selection of songs,” Peroja added. “They’re very warm to everyone as if lahat sa audience eh friends nila. Ang bait-bait ng mag-asawang ‘yan (that couple is kind-hearted).”
NCL regards Arvin and Emily, along with other NCL’s in-house talents, as international artists, having performed before people from all over the world, according to NCL personnel manager, Cathy Noble, also a Filipina.
“Arvin and Emily are among the major attractions of NCL,” Noble said. “People adore their relaxing voices and music.”
Noble noted that the couple is part of the large Filipino crew of NCL’s Breakaway, comprising nearly 70 percent of the total crew and staff. Five of the ship’s top officers are also Filipinos, including JC Chavez, cruise director; Grace Frias, casino manager; Dia Ambida, guest service manager; Dindo Ramos, beverage manager; and Marite Naz, executive housekeeper.
This December, Arvin and Emily are marking their seventh anniversary with the famous cruise line they praise for nurturing them over the years.
“I think we’ve got the best job in the world,” declared Emily (nee Cervantes), a native of General Santos City. “Mahal mo ang trabaho mo, nakakapunta ka sa iba’t ibang lugar sa mundo, at nakaka-meet ka ng iba’t ibang tao (You love your job, you get to see the world, and you meet all types of people).”
“And the pay is good,” added Arvin, who hails from Iloilo City. Aside from being a vocalist, Arvin also plays the keyboard, percussion, drums and guitar.
The couple have invested their money wisely, mostly in real estate and stock market, for their two daughters, aged 12 and 14. Among other things, they have built their dream house in Imus, and managed to send their kids to a prestigious school.
The couple acknowledged they’re lucky they only have to devote at least three hours (in two or three sets) daily entertaining people, while crew members from service departments work for up to 8 to 10 hours.
“We do nothing else but sing,” shared Arvin, who is also a bandmaster, supervising all musicians in the ship. “We just have to take care of our voices and prepare our songs, we go to the gym to stay in shape and we have healthy food choices on board.”
“Hindi ganoon kapagod or kahaba (it’s not as exhausting) compared to the work loads of ordinary crew members,” added Arvin, who was an eight-week winner of Tanghalan ng Kampeon singing contest in the early ’90s, hosted by Pilita Corrales and the late Philippine TV icon and comedian Bert Marcelo.
Although both didn’t finish college — he was a Mass Communication student, she was an education major — they are grateful that they both landed fulfilling jobs. To give back to the Lord, Arvin and Emily make time to attend weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings on board, along with fellow Born Again Christian crew members.
“Besides praying for the safety of our every trip, we pray for our family and friends, especially our children,” Emily said.
“We work hard for our children but, sadly, we’re not there to guide and protect them,” she said. “There’s nothing that we can do but to pray and trust in the Lord and remind our children to stay away from troubles and be careful at all times.”
“Ang dami-dami nang crimes sa atin at hindi na natapos tapos ang mga kidnappings, mga budul-budol, (crimes are rampant and endless),” she added. “Sometimes, it pains me that those who are supposed to take care of the people’s well-being and safety are not up to the task. Tapos malalaman mo na’yung mga leaders na nirerespeto mo noon na akala mo eh malinis at matapat sa tungkulin eh mga corrupt din pala (then you’ll find out the very people you look up to for their integrity turn out to be crooks as well).”
“As OFWs, we just want the environment to be safe for our children,” Arvin added. “That’s our main concern as OFWs.”
The couple said they are soon applying for visas for their two kids to give them cruise experience.
“We want them to try the awesome water slides on the ship and visit beautiful places, while seeing the kind of work their mom and dad do,” Arvin said.
The couple said not many people in their Imus neighborhood know the nature of their livelihood.
“Some even think we work as domestics abroad,” Emily, the singing diva known for her killer bod and legs, remarked with a smile.
“It’s okay... nagwawalis nga ako sa bakuran namin na naka-duster at tsinelas lang (I clean our yard wearing only duster and slippers).”