Bing Pimentel: Songs straight from the heart

"Music has a therapeutic effect on me."

That, in a nutshell, is what makes Bing Pimentel (not to be confused with the former wife of Mark Gil, the Bing Pimentel from Bicol who owns a flower shop right across Ateneo along Katipunan Road, Quezon City) write songs, more than 100 so far in a span of more than three decades.

"I don’t need that much inspiration," added Bing, wife of Sen. Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel. "Everybody and everything can inspire me to write. It could be a street-kid, or a flower about to bloom, or a beautiful sunrise, just anything!"

Or it could even be something tragic.

Last April when Nene was involved in a (car) accident on his way to a speaking engagement in Nueva Ecija, Bing sat down after recovering from her initial shock upon hearing the bad news in Cagayan de Oro and, that’s it, wrote a song entitled Loving You dedicated to Nene. Part of the lyrics goes: In a split second, I could lose you, no time for goodbye; when you love, love every second, and show every second how much you love.

I’m sure Nene was moved to tears, as he always is everytime Bing writes a song for him, when he first listened to Loving You, a song straight from Bing’s heart.

Loving You, to be sung by Dulce, is included in the repertoire for the concert Awit... Pagibig, Alay, Papuri to be mounted on Dec. 11 at the Teatro Aguinaldo in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, to celebrate Nene’s 68th birthday. Besides Dulce, the other performers are Freddie Aguilar, Isay Alvarez, Pinky Marquez, Bimbo Cerrudo, Gamy Viray, Sheila Asuncion, Gelyn Onate and the UP Vocal Ensemble, to be accompanied by no less than the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Direction is by Chinggoy Alonso.

The concert, like the two previous ones (Nasaan Si Hesus? and Buhay Isang Awit), showcases Bing’s compositions, with a medley of religious songs as opening number (Walang Masama sa Nakikita Ko, Dahil Kay Kristo, Kay Hirap Maging Kristiyano, Bagamat Ako’y Walang Karapatan and Tsismis – Tama Na, from the Nasaan si Hesus musical revue).

Every song in the repertoire has a story behind it, to wit:

• Hinahanap-Hanap Kita, composed 43 years ago when Nene and she were not yet married. She was in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, as a teacher while Nene was in Manila reviewing for the bar exams. In this song, Bing expresses her longing for him, looking forward to their wedding.

• Binibiro ng Panahon, circa 1984, which Bing wrote for a senior-citizen friend who fell in love with another senior citizen but was jilted (how sad!).

• Whisper to Me Once More, written by Bing when she turned 50.

• Why I Must Go on Living, written when she and Nene attended a marriage-encounter seminar during which they had to write each other letters on their reason for living. Bing turned her letter into a song, complete with an arrangement.

There are also songs done while Nene was detained during the Martial Law years.

"He was arrested and put behind bars four times," recalled Bing. "He was first arrested in September, 1972. It was during Nene’s incarceration that I wrote most of the 100 songs I’ve done so far."

She picked out five for the Dec. 11 concert, namely:

• I Am There, I Am There, written on April 30, 1978, to mark their 18th wedding anniversary. Nene was then in detention in Bicutan and Bing couldn’t see nor visit him because the camp was on red alert. "I wrote this song to console him," said Bing, "and myself. I couldn’t give him the song that day but I was with him in spirit."

• Only a Moment, circa 1974, when Nene was detained at Camp Crame. "I would fly from Cagayan de Oro to Manila to visit Nene," said Bing. "On that visit, I brought with me Inde, our youngest child who was then only three years old. During the visit, I slipped Inde to Nene by sitting Inde on a Lazy Susan and turning it around across the barrier. I wrote that song consoling myself that Nene’s detention was temporary and looking forward to his immediate release."

• Pagibig sa Bayan (1978). "I was on my way to visit Nene in Bicutan when I thought of the song’s first line. Along the way, I kept repeating it in my mind, memorizing it until I completed the lyrics. It hurt me to see him behind bars but I couldn’t ask him to give up the fight for freedom because I understood how he felt and what he was fighting for."

• Ninoy, Ninoy Pa Rin (1983). "Nene was under house arrest in Cagayan de Oro when Ninoy (Aquino) was murdered. I was so deeply moved by the incident that, in an instant, I finished that song."

Bing composes for pleasure, specially for Nene and her family, and not (yet?) for commercial purposes. The album she had recorded (as live) from the Buhay Isang Awit concert could be a smash-hit, a best-seller, had Bing decided to release it commercially. Instead, she and Nene gave away copies as souvenirs to friends. Among the artists in the album are Freddie Aguilar (Pagibig sa Bayan), I Am There, I Am There (Jose Mari Chan), Nora Aunor (Itay), Rico J. Puno (Ayoko Na, Ayoko Na), and Dulce (Only a Moment and Go If You Must Go).

The couple have six children, their pride and joy: Gwendolyn Petrecia, a lawyer (UP); Ma. Petrina, MassComm (California State University) and Economics (Maryknoll College); Aquilino Martin, laywer (UP) who topped the bar exams in 1990; Aquilino Justinian, an orthopedic surgeon; Teresa Lourdes, BS Psychology (Xavier University) and a Law student; and Lorraine Marie, Comparative Politics (Claremont Graduate University, California, USA, and AB Interdisciplinary Studies from Ateneo).

Bing finished AB (Xavier University) in 1958, BS Education (also at Xavier, a gold medalist for general excellence) in 1959 and M.A. in Education (major in Guidance and Counselling). She later served as Dean of Women at Xavier College in Cagayan de Oro

"As I’ve said," smiled Bing, "music has a therapeutic effect on me. Writing songs has helped me survive all the trials Nene and I have been through."

Asked what her source of strength is, Bing said, "The Lord. Prayer."

Oh, yes, she and Nene have their own theme song and it’s none other than You Are The Sunshine of My Life.

"Nene always sings it to me in his hoarse voice," revealed Bing.