Joe Mari assures Lovi he’ll write song for FPJ

The fund-raising dinner/mini-concert hosted Saturday last week (Oct. 19) by Regal Matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde for the 66th anniversary of the Quezon City Chapter of the Red Cross at her own events place on Valencia St., Quezon City, turned out to be a little night of nostalgic music.

Rachel Alejandro set the tone by opening the show with the dance tune Sway, followed by her father Hajji’s ‘70s hit song Nakapagtataka.

Celeste Legaspi sustained the mood by doing plakang-plaka versions of La Vie En Rose (first in French and then in English) and Gaano Kita Kamahal, her walang-kamatayang signature song.

Cris Villonco (who said she’s getting more haters for her villainess role in the GMA soap Ang Lihim ni Annasandra, which simply means that she’s that effective) sang Ikaw which, she said is the favorite song of her grandparents (Armida Siguion-Reyna and her late husband, lawyer Leonardo Siguion-Reyna).

Saying she lacked sleep and didn’t have time to rehearse, Lovi Poe impressed everybody with her rendition of Heaven (from the hit trilogy Twilight).

McDonald’s (Philippines) big boss George Yang won applause by first singing solo and then doing duets with Joe Mari of three songs: Speak Softly, Just Say I Love Her and How Wonderful to Know, George singing in Italian and Joe Mari in English. Bravo!!!

George then did a show-stopping duet of The Prayer with Cris, followed by Joe with Lovi on Please Be Careful With My Heart.

Mother Lily showed her piano prowess with Magtanim ay di Biro, Bahay Kubo and other songs from her childhood, followed by CCP president Raul Sunico with a medley of well-loved Filipino songs.

That was when Joe Mari told an interesting story.

On Dec. 28, 1940, Lovi’s Lolo Fernando Poe Sr. crowned 16-year-old Florence “Inday” Lim as Mutya ng Kagab-Ihon (Muse of the Night) in Iloilo City. Watching from a distance was a young man named Tony Chan, not knowing that a few years later, Inday would become his wife and together they would produce a singer-songwriter and businessman, none other than Joe Mari.

Last May 11, Florence Lim-Chan turned 90, blessed with five children, 12 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

At a party years later, recalled Joe Mari, he and FPJ (Da King) sat beside each other and they talked about that 1940 event. FPJ suggested to Joe to write a “song tribute to all mothers,” as Filipinos have a great love and devotion for their moms. FPJ passed away and Joe Mari never got to write that song.

At the Red Cross event, Joe Mari promised to Lovi that he would finish the song.

Then they launched into their duet before Joe Mari capped the party by leading everybody in singing his multi-platinum hits Christmas In Our Hearts and Perfect Christmas.

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