Golden gives back

CEBU, Philippines —  When neighbors in her hometown of Minglanilla, Cebu would notify Golden Cañedo and her family that so and so politician will be distributing rice – this was especially around Christmas season – their brood would be among those making a beeline for the barangay hall. She remembers hoping that one day the tables will be turned and she’ll be the one doling out goods to the less fortunate.

“I know how it feels to be on the receiving end,” the singer, speaking from her Quezon City residence, told The FREEMAN in a Zoom interview.

With her grandmother giving her family constant updates of the plight of residents in Minglanilla since stay-at-home orders were enforced to arrest the spread of the coronavirus, Golden thought of using the budget meant for her debut party to help out her fellow Cebuanos.

Turning 18 last April 5, Golden had a bash already planned out in Manila, but had to scrap it with the ban on social gatherings. She instead sent the money to relatives in Cebu, who used it to buy sacks of rice, repacked to have enough for 400 families.

“Yung debut, isang kainan lang sa isang araw. Better to just give it, instead of me receiving gifts for my birthday,” she said. In lieu of the whole nine yards, her parents cooked at home and wore out their videoke.

As documented on her YouTube channel, one elderly beneficiary is seen breaking into tears after being handed rice, as she thanked Golden for her “good heart.” In the video, Golden emphasizes that the rice is not a donation, but a gift. For a young woman, she is surprisingly sensitive to not appear patronizing, but just genuinely concerned of her kababayan back home.

Despite still starting out – she signed with GMA Artist Center in 2018 after winning the first season of the network’s singing tilt “The Clash,” where she was the youngest of 61 contenders – Golden seems to be spared the worries of other talents whose dearth of projects are said to have caught them unprepared and thus draining their savings.

With the help of her parents, Golden said they are fortunate to have invested in businesses and have enough set aside for this current crisis. The businesses, a concert production venture called Golden Martin Productions and a Nursing recruitment service, are in partnership with Golden’s first boyfriend, 19-year-old Martin Raval. They met last year in New York where he is studying, when Golden was there for a “Studio 7” concert.

Golden admitted that the long distance relationship is tough, and she credits the guidance of both their families for why they’ve so far managed. In fact, she said it was their families who became close first, with Martin wooing her parents before courting her.

Asked if she doesn’t see any risk in sharing a business with someone she’s only known for a year, Golden said they are hoping to be each other’s first and last. “We know our dreams and goals, so I feel malabo kami magkahiwalay,” she added.

Before the pandemic, the “All-Out Sundays” mainstay was supposed to fly to Florida for a concert with Martin Nievera and Jaya. She was also set to record a fourth single under GMA Music in February, which was moved to May when lockdown was lifted but was cancelled again since she had issues with her jaw.

She finally got to record the track, face mask and all except when she would belt out some lines, and the song, titled “Walang Hanggang Sandali,” is available for streaming starting today on Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and other digital platforms.

Penned by OPM artists Ebe Dancel, Yumi Lacsamana, Herbert Hernandez, and Jim Paredes, “Walang Hanggang Sandali” is about chance encounters and how destiny works in meeting the right person to love.

These days, Golden said she relishes the time with her two rambunctious younger siblings and seeing their growth first-hand. After spending three hours in the morning on her online classes, the Grade 12 student either helps out her mom with errands, tinkers with her guitar, or explores other music genres.

“Being with family is enough to make me happy,” she said. “When things get hard, they are there to back me up.”