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Filipino News June 2017

New Zealand's only Filipino Community Newspaper since 2000. websites: www.filipinonews.nz and www.pinoynzlife.nz ; FB page: Filipino Migrant News ; email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz

New Zealand's only Filipino Community Newspaper since 2000. websites: www.filipinonews.nz and www.pinoynzlife.nz ; FB page: Filipino Migrant News ; email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz

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1Number<br />

PINOYS #1 COMMUNITY PAPER SINCE 2000<br />

Two Editions Fortnightly : NZ wide & South Island.<br />

Print. Web. Tablet. Mobile. FB. YouTube.<br />

Vol 8 No 102<br />

JUNE <strong>2017</strong><br />

North<br />

and<br />

South<br />

Island<br />

W: www.filipinonews.nz, www.pinoynzlife.nz | E: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | M: 027 495 8477 P: 09 838 1221 | F: <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong><br />

www.filipinoheroes.nz<br />

From left: Ayla Motencio,<br />

Binibining <strong>Filipino</strong> <strong>News</strong> 2013<br />

Sheena Meryl, Binibining<br />

<strong>Filipino</strong> <strong>News</strong> 2016<br />

Seresa Lapaz, Miss Universe<br />

New Zealand Runner Up<br />

Shekinah Delos Santos,<br />

Miss Universe NZ 2107 Finalist<br />

Photo credit: Virgillio Santos<br />

Wow! 119th Philippine Independence Day Commemoration<br />

Mt Albert War Memorial Hall, Auckland. www.filipinoheroes.nz<br />

Star attraction: The DC Boys<br />

Finding beauty in NZ<br />

17<br />

JUNE<br />

pg04


02 JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | tel: 027 495 8477, 09 838 1221 | Facebook: <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong><br />

By LOUIE ENCABO<br />

<strong>Filipino</strong>-Kiwi Hero<br />

Awards - Journalist of<br />

the Year 2014<br />

The <strong>Filipino</strong> hero Dr.<br />

Jose Rizal once remarked<br />

that “the youth are the hope<br />

for our country’s tomorrow”.<br />

With that line he<br />

emphasized the importance<br />

of developing our young<br />

and properly equipping<br />

them to lead the nation in<br />

the future.<br />

It cannot be denied then<br />

that in this year’s general<br />

elections we not only need<br />

to think of ways to help our<br />

home-owners, our jobseekers<br />

and our elderly, but we<br />

should also look at policies<br />

that will greatly benefit our<br />

youth.<br />

We like to think that<br />

enough has been done.<br />

Primary and secondary<br />

school students enjoy<br />

access to tuition-free education<br />

and free dental<br />

check-ups until the age of<br />

18. However, life is not so<br />

easy for university students,<br />

many of whom are<br />

struggling under the burden<br />

of their student loans, compounded<br />

by the harsh reality<br />

of a good paying job<br />

Put our students first<br />

being hard to come by. To<br />

top it all off the price of<br />

housing is ever-increasing,<br />

which further hinders our<br />

young adults from succeeding.<br />

Faced with seemingly<br />

insurmountable inconveniences,<br />

political will is necessary<br />

to help the plight of<br />

our young.<br />

The Labour Party has<br />

recently offered a policy<br />

which will give three free<br />

years of post-school education<br />

for school leavers; the<br />

plan includes university,<br />

apprenticeship or postgraduate<br />

study and can be<br />

used on a full-time or parttime<br />

basis. The three years<br />

do not all have to be used<br />

up at once, but can only be<br />

applied to educational<br />

pathways approved by the<br />

NZQA.<br />

The plan, while helpful,<br />

has been criticized for not<br />

being useful to those who<br />

wish to pursue medicine or<br />

engineering degrees, which<br />

often take at least five years<br />

to complete.<br />

The Green Party, on<br />

the other hand, wants to<br />

introduce a cap on tertiary<br />

education fees, preventing<br />

any fee increases, according<br />

to their Party website. It<br />

can also be recalled that at<br />

the last election they campaigned<br />

to introduce free<br />

off-peak public transport<br />

for students, which would<br />

alleviate some of the other<br />

costs students face while<br />

pursuing their studies.<br />

These would be of great<br />

help to our students, but the<br />

policies have been criticized<br />

for not going far<br />

enough to ease the burden<br />

faced by our tertiary students.<br />

New Zealand First has<br />

also recently announced a<br />

tertiary education policy,<br />

the Up Front Investment<br />

Policy, which promises to<br />

wipe off the student loans<br />

of graduates who agree to<br />

work in New Zealand for<br />

the same amount of time<br />

that they have studied. If<br />

you borrow three years<br />

worth of student loans you<br />

would have to work for<br />

three years in New Zealand<br />

to wipe them off. It turns a<br />

student’s cash debt into a<br />

EDUCATION STAND @ Migrant <strong>News</strong> Expo (migrantnews@xtra.co.nz)<br />

www.migrantnews.nz; www.asia2nz.com<br />

skill debt instead, not only<br />

reducing the financial burdens<br />

they face, but also<br />

reducing the skills shortage<br />

the country faces.<br />

Regardless of what criticisms<br />

these policies face,<br />

they certainly will help the<br />

lives of our younger generation.<br />

It is also heartening<br />

to know that these parties<br />

have the plight of our students<br />

in mind and have<br />

officially pledged to help<br />

them.<br />

FREE COPIES OF<br />

MIGRANT NEWS:<br />

If your club or non-profit<br />

community group requires<br />

free bulk copies of<br />

Migrant <strong>News</strong> we have a<br />

‘Free Subscription’ campaign<br />

going on for a limited<br />

time. Please apply by<br />

emailing your contact<br />

details to: migrantnews<br />

@xtra.co.nz<br />

Migrant <strong>News</strong> celebrates 27 years of publication<br />

MIGRANT NEWS (www.migrantnews.nz; migrantnews@xtra.co.nz) was launched in<br />

1991 - one of the first ethnic publications in NZ and distributed free of charge nationwide.<br />

As the migrant population<br />

starting growing by leaps<br />

and bounds, offshoots of the<br />

main newspaper were<br />

launched - FILIPINO<br />

MIGRANT NEWS (www.<br />

filipinonews.nz - nationwide<br />

circulation), PinoyNZ<br />

Life (www.pinoynzlife.nz -<br />

South Island’s <strong>Filipino</strong><br />

newspaper) and ASIAN<br />

MIGRANT NEWS (www.<br />

asia2nz.com the voice of<br />

the broader Asian community<br />

in New Zealand).


JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | Facebook: <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong> www.pinoynzlife.nz 03 BUHAY<br />

NZ<br />

SUNRISE,<br />

SUNSET<br />

One photo shows my hubby lifting his<br />

older nephew above his head while<br />

the child pretended to be flying.<br />

Today, that same nephew is even<br />

taller than hubby and is the proud<br />

father of a one year old boy.<br />

I’m sure that many of our<br />

readers with children can<br />

relate to the song ‘Sunrise,<br />

Sunset’, which is about the<br />

passing of time. This message<br />

was brought sharply<br />

home to me when I looked at<br />

my two nieces the other day<br />

and realized that they were<br />

already young women.<br />

My older niece, who is<br />

turning 21 this year, exudes<br />

a confidence and maturity<br />

beyond her years and I recall<br />

many, many years ago when<br />

I held her for the first time in<br />

my arms. I still have that<br />

picture. She was newly born,<br />

an infant who was a mere<br />

few days old. Today, she<br />

stands before me confident<br />

and sometimes cocky, as is<br />

typical of youth. She told me<br />

once to “get with it, Tita;<br />

come into the 21st century”,<br />

referring to some technology<br />

that I was unfamiliar with.<br />

The other niece, no less<br />

cocky, asked hubby when he<br />

asked for some help with his<br />

smartphone, “why do you<br />

have such a crappy phone?”<br />

And then when he did<br />

upgrade to a newer one she<br />

had the cheek to tell him,<br />

“it’s the wrong model.”<br />

Hubby and I could only<br />

laugh. It amazes me how<br />

outspoken and honest they<br />

can be. However, we wouldn’t<br />

have it any other way.<br />

I was sure it was only yesterday<br />

that I was the cocky<br />

one, showing off to my parents<br />

the knowledge and<br />

information I learned from<br />

school and the world around<br />

me, assuming an air of<br />

worldliness in my newfound<br />

confidence of knowing more<br />

than them. How did<br />

I end up on this<br />

side<br />

This Pinay’s<br />

OPINION<br />

By Dr Lilia Sevillano<br />

of life? How come I now<br />

find myself in the same<br />

place as my parents?<br />

Don’t get me wrong, middle<br />

age certainly has its<br />

advantages and perks, but<br />

time just crept up on me!<br />

Where I used to tease my<br />

niece a lot, and played<br />

games with her like trying to<br />

steal her favorite ice-cream<br />

can from her, she now looks<br />

at me the way I looked at my<br />

parents and older people<br />

then – with a bit of a longsuffering<br />

and amused smile,<br />

confident of her ‘superior’<br />

Photo<br />

features models<br />

knowledge over them.<br />

“I don’t remember growing<br />

older, when did they?...<br />

Swiftly fly the years.” Truly,<br />

the years have a funny way<br />

of just flowing from day to<br />

day, month to month and<br />

year to year, without our<br />

noticing it. In our busy lives<br />

and with our focus on everyday<br />

responsibilities and<br />

challenges we just do not<br />

notice the passing of time.<br />

Then suddenly – boom! -<br />

you’re actually older and<br />

find yourself on the other<br />

side of the fence.<br />

I guess the lesson in<br />

all this is to enjoy the<br />

children, their innocence<br />

and dependence<br />

on you while<br />

you can. Spend as<br />

much at time with<br />

them as possible and<br />

actually savor those<br />

moments. All too swiftly<br />

you’ll be the one<br />

who’ll be in need of their<br />

assistance and guidance.<br />

Where you used to hold their<br />

little hands in your big<br />

strong ones, soon their big<br />

stronger hands will be holding<br />

your withered ones.<br />

They will also – too quickly<br />

– be busy with their own<br />

lives, friends and social<br />

activities. This switching of<br />

places is probably most evident<br />

to mothers, as they are<br />

the carers who live more<br />

closely with their children.<br />

But even those who are on<br />

the periphery of caring for<br />

children, like aunts and<br />

uncles, will still notice the<br />

subtle changes.<br />

Hubby is one example. He<br />

has photos of his nephews<br />

when they were children.<br />

One photo shows him lifting<br />

his older nephew above his<br />

head while the child pretended<br />

to be flying. Today, that<br />

same nephew is even taller<br />

than hubby and is the proud<br />

father of a one year old boy.<br />

I tease hubby by telling him<br />

that his nephew can now lift<br />

him above his head!<br />

When our ‘children’ come<br />

to visit the conversations can<br />

range from the inane to the<br />

serious. It is then that I realize<br />

that they have truly<br />

become our peers, because<br />

we can talk to them about<br />

anything now. It also<br />

becomes more apparent that<br />

there are already things they<br />

know which I don’t, reminding<br />

me again of the words<br />

from another song, “they’ll<br />

learn much more than I’ll<br />

ever know.” Every sunrise<br />

and sunset time ever so subtly<br />

brings changes.<br />

Editor - Dr Lilia Sevillano is<br />

a learning consultant at Massey<br />

University with a background in<br />

Literature. Previously she<br />

taught at De La Salle University<br />

in Manila.


04 JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | tel: 027 495 8477, 09 838 1221 | www.pinoynzlife.nz<br />

CHIKA<br />

MUNA<br />

By REW SHEARER<br />

Inna<br />

It’s the kind of remark, unsolicited, from<br />

a cousin, an aunt, an uncle or a friend, that<br />

is inevitable on a return visit to the<br />

Philippines.<br />

“Ngek! Ang taba at itim mo na!” (“Gee,<br />

you’ve got so chubby and dark!”)<br />

Many are understandably offended; most<br />

bite their tongues. The few who might call<br />

out the rudeness find it quickly deflected<br />

with the claim that “it’s just the <strong>Filipino</strong><br />

way”. And whether such bluntly personal<br />

comments are the <strong>Filipino</strong><br />

way or not remains an<br />

ongoing discussion.<br />

But there is an additional<br />

underlying attitude betrayed by those<br />

comments; that thinness and fairness are<br />

the measures of beauty and that, automatically,<br />

bigger or darker is uglier.<br />

It’s a beauty expectation absorbed at a<br />

very young age in the Philippines, particularly<br />

by girls and it’s not uncommon for<br />

young women who are beautiful in their<br />

own right to feel anything but: doubting and<br />

even hating themselves because of a measurement<br />

here, a skin-tone there, reinforced<br />

by body-shaming disguised, in a uniquely<br />

<strong>Filipino</strong> way, as humour – “Jokes lang!<br />

Hihi.”<br />

This beauty bias is endemic and brutal.<br />

Actors, models, even politicians are criticised<br />

mercilessly for the colour of their skin.<br />

Any TV star who is not stick-thin will struggle<br />

to find success in any arena other than<br />

comedy.<br />

Finding Beauty<br />

in New Zealand<br />

New Zealand, by contrast,<br />

has a somewhat<br />

broader – although by no<br />

means all-embracing –<br />

concept of beauty. Any<br />

colour can be beautiful<br />

and it can be argued that<br />

there is much more liberal<br />

acceptance of different<br />

figures, too. Perhaps New<br />

Zealand’s more diverse<br />

population, in which<br />

beauty appears in every<br />

shape, size and hue, tends<br />

to open the eyes of the<br />

beholder a little wider.<br />

Inna, 29 (pictured),<br />

came to New Zealand as a<br />

teenager. In the Philippines<br />

she had been<br />

labelled<br />

too chubby<br />

and<br />

too dark<br />

and it<br />

showed in<br />

her shyness.<br />

But after a couple of<br />

years immersed in New<br />

Zealand with<br />

friends of<br />

many different<br />

ethnicities<br />

and being accepted<br />

instead of criticised, she<br />

began to see her place on<br />

a spectrum of beauty.<br />

Confidence in herself followed<br />

and now Inna is, in<br />

her own words,<br />

“Black, chubby<br />

and proud!<br />

Kiwis love my<br />

skin colour”.<br />

Paola, 28, has<br />

experienced the<br />

comments from cousins,<br />

uncles and aunts.<br />

“When I was<br />

in the Philippines<br />

I did a<br />

whitening treatment.”<br />

But back in New<br />

Zealand her perspective<br />

has been res-tored. “I’m<br />

more confident here,<br />

because they like my<br />

colour,” she laughs.<br />

Others echo the sentiment.<br />

Lyn,<br />

a 32 year old nurse and<br />

now naturalised Kiwi: “I<br />

feel a lot more confident<br />

with myself in NZ. There<br />

are fewer unnecessary<br />

comments thrown in relation<br />

to my skin, weight,<br />

sexuality and all the rest.”<br />

Josephine, 40, feels the<br />

heat in more ways than<br />

one whenever she returns<br />

to the Philippines. Rather<br />

than suffer the remarks<br />

and criticisms and disapproving<br />

looks she wears<br />

long sleeves and long<br />

pants even on the hottest<br />

days, saving the singlets<br />

and shorts for New<br />

Zealand where she feels<br />

more comfortable baring<br />

her skin.<br />

For some, though, the<br />

struggle goes on, even in<br />

New Zealand. Anna, 22:<br />

“You realise that nothing’s<br />

going to change<br />

about your body. You just<br />

end up accepting it. I can<br />

say that I love my colour<br />

anytime … even though I<br />

just accept it. They’ll<br />

never know.”<br />

All agreed that the narrow-minded<br />

view of beauty<br />

so prevalent in the<br />

Philippines is sad and<br />

that there is so much to be<br />

celebrated here in New<br />

Zealand.<br />

Inna sums up her experience<br />

in a sentence: “In<br />

general, here in New<br />

Zealand, I feel like I fit in<br />

fine no matter what size<br />

or colour I am.”<br />

Perhaps acceptance is<br />

the first step towards true<br />

self confidence and with<br />

it, more eyes can behold<br />

the full spectrum of beauty.


JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | Facebook: <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong> | www.migrantnews.nz 05<br />

What to do<br />

if you see<br />

flashing lights<br />

and hear<br />

sirens behind<br />

your car<br />

Of sirens and<br />

flashing lights ...<br />

m i g r a n t n e w s . n z<br />

By JESSICA PHUANG QSM<br />

Asian Liaison Coordinator<br />

NZ Police (Auckland)<br />

Jessica: Can you give us<br />

an example of a basic road<br />

safety rule that new drivers<br />

should focus on?<br />

Constable: In NZ we<br />

drive on the left side of the<br />

road, so whatever country<br />

you come from it is important<br />

to remember this and to<br />

concentrate when driving on<br />

the road.<br />

Jessica: I believe that in<br />

some countries the only person<br />

legally required to wear<br />

a seat belt is the driver. What<br />

is the law about this in New<br />

Zealand?<br />

Inspector: In NZ, everyone<br />

sitting in the car needs to<br />

wear a safety belt, whether<br />

sitting in the front or the<br />

back seat. If there aren’t<br />

enough safety belts for<br />

everyone, then that means<br />

that there are too many people<br />

in the car and that extra<br />

person cannot sit in that car<br />

Columnist Jessica Phuang chats with the Road Policing Manager of Auckland City District,<br />

Acting Inspector Matthew Knowsley and Constable Ed Fong, a Road Policing Officer.<br />

without wearing a safety<br />

belt, no matter how short the<br />

distance is.<br />

Jessica: What happens if<br />

someone is caught not wearing<br />

a safety belt?<br />

Inspector: It is a $150<br />

fine for each person not<br />

wearing a safety belt. If the<br />

person not wearing the seatbelt<br />

is under the age of 15<br />

years then the driver of the<br />

vehicle will be responsible<br />

and will receive the fine. If<br />

the person is over the age of<br />

15 years then the fine will be<br />

issued to that person.<br />

Jessica: What do you do<br />

when you hear a siren?<br />

Inspector: For any driver<br />

that is visiting NZ or has<br />

been in NZ for a short time,<br />

it is important to understand<br />

that when you hear a siren or<br />

see flashing lights behind<br />

you, you should pull over to<br />

the left of the road as much<br />

as possible to make way for<br />

the fire, ambulance or the<br />

police vehicle as all these<br />

services use flashing lights<br />

and sirens. It could be that<br />

the police wish to speak to<br />

you and want you to stop<br />

your car, so pull over to the<br />

left side of the road and stop.<br />

Don’t stop in the middle of<br />

the road.<br />

Jessica: Constable Fong,<br />

from your experience, what<br />

do people usually do when<br />

you put the siren on?<br />

Constable: Most people<br />

are pretty good and know<br />

how to pull over to the left<br />

side safely. However, we do<br />

have situations where drivers<br />

will keep going or where<br />

some will just brake suddenly.<br />

This can cause problems.<br />

By stopping suddenly the<br />

driver may cause a crash,<br />

especially if vehicles travelling<br />

behind their car in the<br />

same direction are travelling<br />

fast. Stopping a car in the<br />

middle of the road can also<br />

block traffic and<br />

cause a traffic jam, which<br />

may prevent the police from<br />

getting to an emergency.<br />

Jessica: What are some of<br />

the reasons why the police<br />

would turn their siren and<br />

flashing lights on?<br />

Inspector: It could be to<br />

stop a vehicle if the driver of<br />

that vehicle has broken the<br />

road rules such as not stopping<br />

at a stop sign or driving<br />

through a red light or it may<br />

be that the officer needs to<br />

get to an urgent job quickly,<br />

such as a robbery, serious<br />

assault or vehicle crash.<br />

Jessica: When police pull<br />

over a car should the driver<br />

come out of the car or<br />

remain inside the car?<br />

Constable: The driver<br />

should stay inside the car<br />

and wait for the police to go<br />

More Police<br />

news at<br />

website: migrantnews.nz<br />

over to him/her, especially if<br />

it is a busy road. The safest<br />

place for the driver to be in<br />

is inside the car.<br />

Jessica: I have received<br />

calls from people who have<br />

been given tickets because<br />

they were driving too slowly.<br />

Is that common?<br />

Inspector: Not so much in<br />

Auckland because of the<br />

congestion. However, the<br />

idea is to drive to the conditions<br />

within the posted speed<br />

limits. If they drive too<br />

slowly then they are impeding<br />

and slowing down the<br />

traffic flow.<br />

CONTINUES ON PG 6


06 JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | tel: 027 495 8477, 09 838 1221 | www.pinoynzlife.nz<br />

www.halohalo.nz<br />

CONTINUES FROM PG 5<br />

websites: filipinonews.nz, pinoynzlife.nz<br />

DUE DILIGENCE. Acceptance of advertisements is at the discretion<br />

of the publisher. We encourage readers to practice due diligence when buying<br />

products and services. For advice contact resource centres like the Citizens<br />

Advice Bureau. If you wish to lodge a complaint against an advertiser don't<br />

hesitate to call <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong> on: 027 495 8477 or email: filipinonews<br />

@xtra. co.nz.<br />

Make the right move with Donna.<br />

For your property needs,<br />

she is your heaven-sent ...<br />

Constable: There could also be<br />

incidents where people are slowing<br />

down to enjoy the scenery or for<br />

someone inside the car to take a photograph.<br />

The problem here is that<br />

other cars approaching from behind<br />

may not know that this car is driving<br />

at 40kmh or 50kmh in a 100kmh<br />

zone until it’s too late.<br />

Inspector: So, if you are a visitor<br />

and wish to enjoy the scenery, the<br />

best thing to do is to stop somewhere<br />

safe to do this and the reason for this<br />

advice is that NZ roads are dangerous.<br />

Jessica: If someone is driving and<br />

wishes to change lanes, normally we<br />

put the indicator on, look at the side<br />

and rear mirrors and then change. Are<br />

there any other things that we have to<br />

do in NZ?<br />

Constable: Head turn, turn to look<br />

back to ensure that it is safe before<br />

changing lanes.<br />

Inspector: You should give it 3<br />

seconds from the time you indicate to<br />

the time you check your mirrors to<br />

the time you turn your head to the<br />

time you move your car to properly<br />

ensure that it is safe to do so.<br />

Jessica: I normally indicate long<br />

before I wish to change lane or make<br />

a turn, is that wrong?<br />

Inspector: You shouldn't do that.<br />

Say you indicate 10 seconds before<br />

you need to change a lane or turn,<br />

you may confuse other drivers, that’s<br />

why we recommend 3-5 seconds.<br />

Jessica: What about the use of telephones?<br />

Constable: We find that people are<br />

using their mobiles, texting or talking,<br />

while driving, trying to do it<br />

beneath the steering wheel. This is<br />

illegal.<br />

Jessica: How many demerit points<br />

do you get for using a mobile while<br />

driving?<br />

Constable: 20 demerit points and a<br />

fine of $80.<br />

Inspector: If you get 100 demerit<br />

points within 2 years your driver’s<br />

licence will be suspended.<br />

Jessica Phuang Tel: 09 302 6421<br />

extension: 95421, Mob: 021 192<br />

0935, jessica.phuang@police.govt.nz<br />

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If this opportunity sounds like you please apply by sending your<br />

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JUNE <strong>2017</strong>. ISSUE 102 | www.filipinonews.nz | email: filipinonews@xtra.co.nz | www.pinoynzlife.nz Facebook: <strong>Filipino</strong> Migrant <strong>News</strong> 07<br />

By MONET LU<br />

Martin Nievera:<br />

The man who<br />

would be ‘king’<br />

LOS ANGELES - He followed<br />

in the footsteps of his<br />

father, who sang for the<br />

group ‘S.O.S.’ (A Society of<br />

Seven) in Hawaii. He went<br />

back to his birthplace in<br />

1982 to pursue his musical<br />

career and released his first<br />

album that went platinum<br />

over the span of five months.<br />

Thus began the journey of<br />

the man who would be<br />

called ‘The Concert King'.<br />

Martin Nievera (Ramon<br />

Razon Nievera) was born on<br />

February 5, 1962, in Manila,<br />

the Philippines, to Bert<br />

Nievera and Conchita<br />

Razon. The Nievera family<br />

took up residence in the Bay<br />

Area in California in the late<br />

’70s. Martin graduated from<br />

Clayton Valley High School<br />

in Concord, California, in<br />

1980.<br />

Martin and I met almost<br />

30 years ago at his first concert<br />

with then wife Pops<br />

Fernandez. We’ve been<br />

friends since then, but I am<br />

still starstruck each time I<br />

meet him. The guy is my all<br />

time favourite performer. I<br />

will always be a fan, because<br />

he still amazes me with his<br />

performance. And his music<br />

is so timeless; it never fades<br />

- in fact it gets better with<br />

time.<br />

He is both an amazing<br />

songwriter and an amazing<br />

singer - a combo that solidified<br />

the trappings of the legendary<br />

performer that he<br />

was to become. His first<br />

album, ‘Take One', was a<br />

huge success; not the norm<br />

for a neophyte in the industry.<br />

And his talent opened<br />

another door to his impending<br />

stardom; it started his<br />

career in TV hosting. Martin<br />

co-hosted the TV variety<br />

show ‘Penthouse Live!’<br />

with (then) future wife Pops<br />

Fernandez, the Philippines’<br />

‘Concert Queen'.<br />

His second live performance<br />

in 1984, ‘The Best<br />

Gift', was also certified platinum.<br />

In 1987 ‘Penthouse<br />

Live!’ was changed to<br />

‘Martin and Pops Twogether',<br />

reflecting the duo’s<br />

marriage.<br />

While he is an exceptional<br />

singer in his own right, it is<br />

mostly his jovial on-stage<br />

personality that makes him a<br />

hit across generations. His<br />

mass appeal spread throughout<br />

the ‘80s and ‘90s as his<br />

albums and live performances<br />

were fanatically devoured.<br />

Martin’s 1997<br />

album 'Journey' was a hit in<br />

Hawaii and a roaring success<br />

in the Philippines. The track<br />

‘You Are My Song’ earned<br />

him Awit and Katha Awards<br />

for 'Best Performance by a<br />

Male Recording Artist'.<br />

“I was actually discovered<br />

while singing at the shower<br />

in our locker room. I was<br />

part of the basketball team,<br />

but not a very good one at<br />

that and I intentionally took<br />

a shower after everybody<br />

else had so it would seem<br />

like I had a tough game<br />

when I was actually a bench<br />

warmer … As I was singing<br />

the wrestling coach passed<br />

by and heard me, called out<br />

loud and said that he should<br />

see me at the choir auditions<br />

the next day. So I joined the<br />

choir and next thing I know I<br />

am singing back-up (in a<br />

choir) for Barry Manilow<br />

for his three-day concert and<br />

that’s where I realized that<br />

this is what I want to do,”<br />

Martin recalled in an interview.<br />

Even in the darkest<br />

moments of his life, specifically<br />

the dissolution of his<br />

marriage, the ‘Concert King’<br />

turned to music. He wrote<br />

and recorded a song, entitled<br />

‘Forever’, to win back his<br />

wife. Though the song didn’t<br />

achieve its main goal it<br />

effortlessly achieved double<br />

platinum, moved up to triple<br />

platinum in a few months<br />

and later soared to quadruple<br />

status.<br />

Martin and his music were<br />

warmly embraced by his<br />

adoring public and ‘Forever’<br />

has become an all-time bestseller.<br />

The two sequels,<br />

‘Forever Forever’ (platinum<br />

to double platinum to triple<br />

platinum within the same<br />

year) and ‘Return to<br />

Forever', both alluded to the<br />

couple’s heartbreaking split.<br />

They, however, decided to<br />

be civil (and be good<br />

friends) throughout the<br />

years.<br />

Martin’s success in the<br />

field of music carried over to<br />

his acting career. He has<br />

appeared in eleven movies<br />

and seven television series<br />

and specials. His television<br />

show, ‘Martin after Dark’,<br />

lasted for almost a decade<br />

(1988-1998) and won 'Best<br />

Celebrity Talk Show'. It garnered<br />

him the Star Awards’<br />

'Best Celebrity Talk Show<br />

Host' award consecutively<br />

from 1989 to 1991 and then<br />

again in 1993, 1994 and<br />

1996.<br />

In 2006 the Aliw Awards<br />

Foundation Hall of Fame<br />

distinguished Martin as<br />

'Entertainer of the Year'<br />

and Recipient of the<br />

'Lifetime Achievement<br />

Award'. The Honolulu<br />

Adviser likewise named him<br />

'Best Male Singer' and 'Star<br />

of the Year' in 1988. He also<br />

won 'Best Interpreter for a<br />

CHIKA<br />

MUNA<br />

Composition' at the Abu<br />

Golden Kite Awards in<br />

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in<br />

1990.<br />

Martin’s transfer to a rival<br />

network from 1998 to 2002<br />

gave the public ‘Martin<br />

Late@Nite’, as well as a television<br />

show with Gary<br />

Valenciano in July 2010,<br />

'Twist & Shout’. Martin’s<br />

film credits include drama,<br />

romance, science fiction,<br />

comedy and action films.<br />

Right now Martin is busy<br />

with concert tours around<br />

the U.S. His upcoming one<br />

will be in Las Vegas. I am<br />

pretty sure that this is going<br />

to be a memorable one. His<br />

songs will always have the<br />

same force and appeal as<br />

they did the first time I saw<br />

him on stage. And for someone<br />

who is dubbed the<br />

‘Concert King', there’s no<br />

doubt that the man has set<br />

himself up for greatness anywhere<br />

he goes.<br />

Monet Lu is a Marikina-born,<br />

award-winning, celebrity beauty<br />

stylist, with his own chain of<br />

Monet Salon salons across<br />

Southern California and Las<br />

Vegas, Nevada. www.monetsalon.<br />

com.


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