Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani
Fernando arrived yesterday, September 15, at Annabel's restaurant on Tomas Morato, Quezon City wearing a
black coat and a crisp white polo bearing his initials BF on its chest pocket.
He went around greeting members of the press before sitting down to answer
questions from the media regarding his stint in the GMA-7 singing competition Celebrity
Duets 2.
Clips of his past three performances were shown to the public and he said it was his first time to see his own renditions. The former Marikina City mayor performed a duet with Renz Verano ("Macho Guapito"), Andrew E ("Hahabol-habol"), and Janno Gibbs ("Beyond the Sea").
In Celebrity Duets 2, Bayani is competing against celebrity chef JL Cang and Fil-Brit soccer player Phil Younghusband. The other contenders are Joey Marquez, beauty queen Carlene Aguilar, and fashion designer JC Buendia. The sister of Joey, Melanie Marquez, and beauty and wellness guru Cory Quirino have already been eliminated from the competition.
Foremost on people's minds is that Bayani may have joined the GMA-7 show to gain media exposure, in time for the coming 2010 elections. However, the politician denied this by declaring, "Actually, it looks like [that] since it is a very popular show. Everywhere I go, people were mentioning the show... I don't know how much it will help my political career in 2010, but it was actually never intended [by me] to use this for politics."
Bayani revealed that he was already invited to join the first season of Celebrity Duets but he declined. "This is the second invitation I got from the producers, nahiya naman ako to turn it down a second time. The first time, I turned it down because I was afraid that I may not have the time for it. But now, I'm not sorry for having accepted this opportunity."
Does he think that joining this show is beneficial for him
since the ratings of the show are doing well according to AGB Nielsen? "I
didn't realize that until after the first show, saka ko na-realize ganun pala
kabigat ang rating nito."
Bayani has tapped Nonong Pedero to serve as his vocal coach
and he practices three times a week for the show. On Wednesday, he has a piano
rehearsal, on Friday the band rehearsal, and on Saturday, he performs his
chosen song during the actual taping of the episode.
According to Bayani, a portion of his winnings will go to
CHILD Haus (Center for Health Improvement and Life Development), a
dormitory-type halfway home for pediatric patients from the province. This
initiative was formed in 2003 through the efforts of the Ricky Reyes
Foundation. In fact, beauty consultant Ricky Reyes was present during the press
conference to show his support for his family friend Marides Fernando, the wife
of Bayani. Currently the mayor of Marikina City, Marides has been married to
Bayani for the past 25 years.
During the press conference, Bayani narrated an interesting anecdote about singing when he was in Grade 4. "Pinakanta ako ng teacher ko pero pumiyok ako. E, meron akong crush dun na girl in the other room and naisip ko baka narinig ako. Since then, hindi na ako kumanta kasi that was very traumatic for me. After college, 'pag nakainom na ako, slowly kumakanta-kanta ako. Di pa uso ang karaoke noon, e. I'm so happy for developing that passion for singing while my friends were all drinking."
Bayani has clearly overcome that traumatic experience since he has already performed in several concerts with his partners: then Secretary of National Defense Angelo Reyes and former Secretary of Interior and Local Government Joey Lina.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked Bayani to compare performing in front of a live crowd and singing in front of cameras. "Mas mabigat 'to, katulad din ng concert, no second take. But in a concert, 'pag nagkamali ka, nakaka-recover ka pa. Pero ito, sa isang minuto na pagkanta mo, kailangan perfect. Kailangan bawat galaw mo, tumama dun sa kanta mo. Walang pagkakataon na maka-recover ka. Saka dito, ang isang minuto mong kanta, you spend something like eight hours of rehearsal."
When asked to react on reports pitting him against
heartthrob Phil Younghusband, Bayani laughed before saying, "Okay lang yun.
It's a compliment of my standing, e. He may have a good following kasi ang
guwapo."
Will Bayani live up to his name of being a hero? "Kung ako'y papalarin, wala na akong gagawin na ako'y isang bayani, pero buhay na bayani, ha," he joked.
Does he want to be known as The Singing Hero? "Hopefully, if I can promote my advocacy through singing, why not? Kasi ang singing tumatagos sa damdamin ng tao. 'Pag may composers diyan, i-compose n'yo ako ng songs na puwedeng maka-deliver ng gusto kong sabihin sa bayan. I'm willing to shell out some amount coz I really believe music is a very effective medium."