A surprise dinner for Ligaya as she turns 80

How do you spring a “surprise” on a grand lady who’s turning 80? Lea Salonga and her brother Gerard knew how.

Their mom, Ligaya Salonga, turned 80 last Aug. 14 and the big “surprise” happened six days later (on Aug. 20).

Together with Ligaya’s grandchildren Nicole (Lea and Rob Chien’s daughter), and Antonio and Carmen (Gerard’s children), Lea and Gerard connived with a hundred of their mom’s friends who gathered at the Bonifacio function room of Shangri-La Plaza at The Fort a few minutes early.

Initially, the family met for an early dinner at the hotel’s coffee shop. The kids were ecstatic when they succeeded (by using the name of somebody powerful... yes, Pres. DU30!) in making their mom go up to a different function room where the dinner guests were waiting. Ligaya was incredulous and speechless when she was greeted by a rousing Happy Birthday song.

The well-wishers included Aga Muhlach and wife Charlene Gonzales, Nyoy Volante and wife Mikkie Bradshaw, The Voice Kids runner-up Esang de Torres, Cris Villonco, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, recording executives Rudy Tee (with wife Myrna)and Narciso Chan, Preciosa Soliven, talent managers Sandra Chavez and Celeste Feliciano-Pacana, ace photographer Raymund Isaac and fashion designer Rajo Laurel.

Back to ‘running with RWM’

It’s running time again with the second Resorts World Manila (RWM)’s Run With Me, an annual charity run that celebrates health, wellness, camaraderie and goodwill. In its inaugural year, over 800 employees ran the 7K race with participating celebrities who led teams to the finish line. With the collective efforts of the employees, corporate partners and celebrity leaders, Run With Me 2016 was able to raise P1.3 million for the benefit of four charity institutions namely Caritas Manila, The Lola Grande Foundation for Women and Children, The Tzu Chi Foundation and White Cross Philippines.

This year, Run With Me is opened to the public with three categories of 5K, 10K and 21K distances. As that of last year, the participants will be divided into teams to be led by celebrity couples Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles; and Ali and Cristine Reyes-Khatibi; with theater actor Gian Magdangal; and Meg Imperial running for the benefit of YesPinoy Foundation, Hero Foundation, Inc., and the Children of Resorts World Manila (COR) Foundation.

Did you know that passion for health and fitness has brought Troy and Aubrey closer?

Excerpts from Funfare’s exclusive interview with the couple:

Who got into fitness first between the two of you?

Troy: I would think probably around the same age, yet different times since I’m older.

Aubrey: Oh, age-wise he probably got into fitness before me, hahahaha!!! But I started when I was 13.

Did one of you have to convince the other to become fitness conscious or was it a shared interest?

Troy: Luckily for us, that has never been an issue. We both want to stay healthy and fit for ourselves and for our family.

Aubrey: We go to the gym together almost everyday. We don’t have to convince each other anymore. I’m so happy he’s into fitness.

Tell me about each of your fitness routines.

Troy: I used to lift really heavy weights because my goal was to gain muscle and size. That was then, and nowadays, I want to be lean and mean! So I do a balance of cardio and weight training. This year, we are starting triathlon training and we also do yoga regularly.

Aubrey: I divide my workouts. I go every day so I need to plan the body parts I work on. For example, Monday I do legs, Tuesday I do upper, Wednesday I work out my core, Thursday I do power yoga to stretch my muscles, then Friday I do circuit. We are also training for triathlon on weekends.

Now that you’re both fitness advocates, how does it blend in with your roles as husband and wife, father and mother?

Troy: There’s nothing like being a positive role model, especially for your kids. As for each other, we both agree that fitness is not just to reach a certain level or goal. It’s a lifestyle.

Aubrey: To be honest, I try not to talk to them about dieting. I show them what workout I do every day. They see that I go to the gym every day so for them it’s normal. I do healthy eating at home so they think it should be like that. What I’m trying to say is I want them to feel and see that what we’re doing is normal. I don’t want to force anything on my kids.

How much are you into running?

Troy: I enjoy running a lot, especially outdoors or when I’m abroad. Running events are also fun to join. It’s great to see so many people coming together early in the morning ready to go! I try to run at least 30 minutes a day, even if it’s on a treadmill.

Aubrey: I wasn’t really a good runner but once I focus and really dedicate my time to something positive like running, I discovered that I actually love running. I enjoy it more than anything.

What made you decide to join this year’s Resorts World Manila Run With Me?

Aubrey: Aside from our love for running, we wanted to help in raising proceeds for the COR Foundation.

Troy: I was able to join last year’s Run With Me and it was really fun. It’s like running as one big family with RWM.

Aubrey: It is easy to register. All they have to do is to go online and visit www.rwmanila.com/runwithme2017. They have to hurry up because there is only limited slots left. Registration is until Aug. 29 only.

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