Ogie, emosyonal sa manager ng 34 years

Nakakabigla ang pamamaalam ng ta­lent manager na si Leo Dominguez noong Biyernes ng gabi sa edad na 54.

Kabilang sa mga alaga ni Leo sina Ogie Alcasid, Lovi Poe, Janine Gutierrez, Paulo Avelino at marami pang iba.

Pero OG talent niya talaga si Ogie. Kaya siya ang pinaka-emosyonal.

Binalikan ng singer / TV host sa kanyang post kung paano naniwala sa kanya ang manager, nasa high school pa lang siya.

Ang haba ng post ni Ogie : “When we were in 4th year high school and members of the high school singing group the Kundirana, Leo Dominguez told me that i should be a professional singer songwriter and I thought he was kidding me. As fate would have it, he eventually became my manager for almost 34 years,” umpisa ni Ogie.

Aniya pa, pamilya na si Leo sa kanya : “He was my carpool mate, my classmate, my neighbor, my kachismisan, my travelling companion, my critic, my fan, my brother, and perhaps my biggest protector.

“There are just too many stories. Just so many. All of them give me a huge smile in my heart because Leo and I just had a fantastic working relationship that was easy and uncomplicated.”

Perfect match aniya sila.

“We always had a good laugh. Inspite of the many challenges we faced, tumatawa lang kami.”

Pero noong 2018 pa pala huling nanood ng kanyang concert ng manager na pumanaw : “During the recent years, leo could not watch me perform because of his limitations with mobility but one concert of mine that he didn’t want to miss was my concert at the Araneta in 2018. Sabi nya, “naiyak ako Ogie noong nakita kita mag perform lalo na nung kasama mo family mo. Eto yung pinangarap natin noon pa. Naiyak ako.”

“Sabi ko ang dami kong concert doon ka pa naiyak. ‘Yun pala ang huling malaking concert ko na mapapanuod nya. As far as my film and tv career was concerned, siya ang unang humihikayat sa akin that i could do it as he was a huge music and movie fan as well.

“One time naman we were in Spain and throughout all the land trips nagkukwento si Leo tungkol sa movies and music. His knowledge about these topics is immeasurable. So he was telling us  the story of  one of direk Gil Portes’ films’ Merika and how he enjoyed the film. I remember we were about to board this train that would take us to the mountain top church of the sacred heart in Barcelona. Lo and behold as the train stops, guess who comes down from the train? None other than direk Gil Portes. What are the chances di ba?

“One of the funniest stories was when i had to perform in a tiny japanese bar in Tokyo. Nag aaway at nagtatalo kasi sila ni Rey Lanada kaya habang nagpeperform ako so naririnig sila ng audience na nagmumurahan sa likod. Hahahaha..”

Umiyak si Ogie habang sinusulat ang post na ito. Masakit aniya sa puso niya pero napapangiti rin dahil sa magagandang alaala.

“This was your effect on us Leo. You drove us crazy but you made us laugh so hard and this is why we love you so much.

“Leo, my dear Leo. I thank you for believing in a short singer like me. Thank you for taking this journey of taking life as it is and making the most of what it could offer.

“You are a priceless and most precious friend and mentor Leo. Go rest with Jesus now  and listen to all the blondie songs with the angels. Go tell them how Genevieve Bujold was the best ever actress  when you were growing up and Kate Blanchett took over when you got older and that Snooky was our fave.

“Go wear your heavenly Hermes bags and cuddle up with your new pet animals  there. We miss you already leo.

“We so much miss you. I love you.”

Sa totoo lang, consistent ang kabaitan ni Leo noong hanggang sa kanyang pamamaalam.