HERE’S a slice of throwback.
March, 1978 noong nagpapraktis ang noo’y graduating batch ng isang priest-run all-boys school sa Pasay City kung saan nagtapos ang inyong lingkod para sa commencement exercises.
Since our high school had no auditorium at that time, ang mga ganu’ng pagkakataon —preceded by a mass—ay sa simbahan ginaganap.
Sa saliw ng awiting “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” played on organ by our Music teacher ay ineensayo namin ang seremonya which gathered beaming would-be graduates, both from the elementary and high school levels.
Makatawag-pansin ng mga sandaling ‘yon ang isang ma-ganda’t artistahing dalagitang patakbu-takbo at paikut-ikot sa mga pews. Mag-isa lang siyang naglalaro thinking the church was a playground, minus the other kids in sight nga lang.
Kinaray pala siya ng aming kamag-aral, si Cesar pet named Chet. The little girl who had the world all to herself was Sharon Cuneta.
Kung hindi kami nagkakamali, the little girl who would later become local showbiz’s iconic Megastar was only 11 or 12. Limang taon ang tanda sa kanya ni Chet, who moved to the school from La Salle Greenhills. Mayor na noon ang kanilang ama (SLN) na si Pablo Cuneta.
Ilang buwan mula noon, naririnig na lang namin si Sharon on the airwaves via her debut single Tawag ng Pag-ibig.
And the rest is history.
Kami ng 1978 batch—to which Chet and this writer belonged—ay naghahanda para sa aming Ruby (40 years) celebration kung paanong puspusan din ang pagtutok ni Sharon sa kanyang Sept. 28 concert at the Big Dome marking her 40th year in the business.
Admittedly, hindi kami Sharonian but we’ve seen a good number of her movies, mostly melodramas. Namangha rin kami how Sharon had evolved as a singer during the 80s.
Dahil big fan kami ni Vilma Santos, during our college days ay hindi namin pinalampas ang pelikulang “Langis At Tubig” which she starred opposite Dindo Fernando (SLN) at ang karibal sa kuwentong si Amy Austria.
In between major scenes in the film hanggang mag-scroll na ang closing credits ay nagtatanong kami who sang its theme song. Boses pala ‘yon ni Sharon. Mas defined, mas intense. Lutang ang texture.
‘Yun ang napansin naming malaking pagbabago sa timbre ng kanyang boses in stark contrast to her previous renditions ng mga pa-cute na kanta yet were certified chartbusters.
Forty years have passed. Wala kaming matandaang matagal nagpahinga si Sharon from work she has so passio-nately embraced and nurtured over the years.
Maaaring kulang na lang kay Sharon ay ang sundan ang mga yapak ng kanyang yumaong ama at kabiyak, to inhabit the world of politics.
Pero sabi nga sa amin ni Chet, “Sharon has a heart but not the stomach for it.”
Anyway, maligayang ika-40 taon sa Megastar!