Remembering Luneta Park

THEN: April 6, 1988 — 22 years ago

The father with his son on his shoulder wondered aloud if Rico J. Puno will come to the Luneta Park concert. The program said so and he showed it to his wife who said that she will only believe it if she sees the singer. The young son wondered who they were talking about but did not bother to ask since he was comfortable on his father’s shoulder.

The park this Sunday was not so clean. The sparkling cleanliness of the Ka Doroy Valencia tenure has been eroded by time. But never mind, for that Sunday was a special day. It was the 10th anniversary of The Concert at the Park and it was an OPM (Original Pilipino Music) kind of celebration with Rico and Dulce as soloist with Pop Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tina Monzon-Palma came early in casual blouse and pants and with hardly any make-up. She has been the favorite emcee for 10 years now and tonight, she, too, will receive a special award. The crowd filled up the seats in front of the stage and you could see people waiting for the show to start as far back as the fountain area. A lot of foreigners came to watch.

One Sunday I had the chance to watch a debate going on with such dramatic flourish at the small garden in front of the Chinese Park. The man was articulate enough and the questions well-researched. I learned from the audience that this was a regular happening reminiscent of Hitler a long time ago when he was just standing on boxes in Hyde Park to insinuate his ideas to the world.

This Sunday, the debaters were not around the garden. Perhaps they called a break to watch the concert.

Anyway, Tina soon started to thank the sponsors and those who helped the park through the years. When one mentions Luneta Park, Ka Doroy comes to mind and that Sunday his whole family, led by his wife Trining, was there to receive the award for him. Seated near the Valencia family were Virgilio Pantaleon of Caltex and Oscar Villadolid of San Miguel. But with Oscar there, I wondered who sent the Carlsberg beers used for the celebration after the concert.

King Kasilag was there as one of the awardees. Ting Roxas of CCP was expected but he did not show up. It rained just when the orchestra started playing the first strain of Canseco’s Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, and people scampered to get some cover from the rain. The hot afternoon sun absorbed the rain just as fast. Two other Canseco’s compositions, Saan Darating ang Umaga and Hiram were played and soon the rain stopped.

Sol Jose Vanzi, colorful in her long skirt, and talking about Honasan’s escape, was also one of the awardees. She said it was for making sure that the concert was televised — and it has been continuously done for the last 10 years. “The longest running free concert in the world,” Sol exclaimed.

Tina Monzon-Palma used to be the favorite emcee of The Concert at the Park

Sol’s equipment has been on loan to the concert series for some years now even during the EDSA Revolution. Sol’s husband Vic was there to share his wife’s triumph, sitting quietly in the middle aisle while Sol regaled the other awardees in the front row on the latest news from the Marcoses in Hawaii. Has she talked with them lately? Sol just gave that enigmatic Madonna smile.

King stayed through the whole performance. She was wondering at some of Rico J.’s jokes and why people were laughing. The man with the son on his shoulders and his wife were laughing, too.

The singer told the audience that once upon in his life, he, too, went around the park with no money in his pocket. This, the crowd understood and on that Sunday they even thought it was fun to be on that level of the economy.

NOW: April 18, 2011 — 22 years later.

The legacy of Ka Doroy lives on. The Concert at the Park is ongoing. The last time I watched had Richard Merk with his friends in the band. It was a beautiful afternoon. That Sunday afternoon was two years after the EDSA revolution. The Marcoses were in exile in Hawaii and Cory Aquino was president. King is dead but her compositions are now treasures of our musical history. Dulce and Rico J. are still active in the entertainment field. Canseco is dead but his composition lives on in our musical mind. The Marcoses came back after Marcos died. Mrs. Marcos is now a congresswoman, Bongbong, a senator and Imee Marcos, governor. They are now in the forefront of the campaign to have the late President Marcos, now in a refrigerated vault in Laoag, to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Sol is widowed but still comes up with creative projects once in a while.