V-Day Bash with Mr. C, the RCS, and Piolo Pascual

When I learned that the Ryan Cayabyab Singers will be performing with Piolo Pascual for his valentine concert at the Philippine International Convention Center, I hastily texted my cousin Yurie Moore if she will watch the concert courtesy of her younger brother Poppert Bernadas, who is now a senior member of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers. And voila! Instantly she replied with a big yes and invited me to join her in going to Manila. Together with their beloved mother, my aunt Maria Cristina Bernadas, we planned of meeting together at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 considering that we have different flights and choice of airline a day before the said concert.
Alarming stories of minor plane repairs, flight delay, and rebooking of flight schedule haunted their trip to Manila which prompted me to wait for them the entire day inside the mammoth NAIA 3 on February 13. Not to mention the intermittent increase in blood pressures, palpitations, numbness and paleness they suffered from the seemingly tragic coincidences. Waiting for them to arrive the whole day at the NAIA 3 have given me though the chance of bumping into Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, who were in a hurry that time to leave the airport for their “Party Pilipinas” show. However, alas, from continuous and fervent prayers for safety from our family members, the RCS family and within ourselves, they likewise arrived in Manila safely and blessed. Thanks be to God!
Heading for my cousin’s apartment from the airport was just a matter of leaving our bags and luggages there in order for us to maximize our first day in the capital city again even if its almost night time already. We went first to Trinoma for a pizza and pasta feast at Pizza Vaneto and talked the entire evening about their horrific stories and my own amusing personal moments at the airport full of giggling laughters. We retire the night before Piolo’s concert relaxed and excited for the next day, the Valentine’s Day!
Waking up the next day was teeming with energy for all of us. We planned of hopping from mall to mall as a preparation in watching for the concert at the PICC during the night. But everything was totally changed when Poppert invited us to join him in going to the PICC for their final rehearsal during the afternoon instead. Ofcourse, without batting an eyelash we swiftly adhere to his proposition and prepared our next stop for our V-day celebration in Manila. Luckily, the long stretch of EDSA from Quezon City to Manila proper was not so suffering from heavy traffic at that very moment. We arrived at the PICC alongside Mr. C himself, ahead of schedule. Sir Ryan Cayabyab immediately told us about his joy of seeing us after learning of the bad news Yurie and her mom experienced before their flight to Manila. Even the entire RCS members greeted us with a mention of hearing the frightening yet amusing experience we have had.
Mr. Piolo Pascual arrived at the venue enthusiastically, bringing along with him two tumblers of lukewarm beverages which I believe he should have as a singer. He greeted each and every one of the production team sincerely. Sound checks, lighting tests, blockings and minor script revisions were a showcase to behold during the entire rehearsal. The voices of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers were superbly world-class. They can even sing very well while dancing very well at the same time. Their Motown medley was heart-pumping even during the rehearsal. Piolo Pascual was equally a soothing singer with his unique brand of ballads. He shows professionalism in rehearsing his numbers for his own concert, which goes to show that he is one of the showbiz industry’s asset in this generation.
After their rehearsal, we went to the Mall of Asia to shop a little bit, eat our dinner, and dress up for the concert. Upon returning to the PICC, the first person we looked for was Ms. KC Concepcion, but we couldn’t locate her in the thick audience. However, later in the concert Ms. KC Concepcion was shown on the big screen conveniently seated beside Piolo’s mom. As everyone witnessed on the showbiz news in television, Piolo went down the stage to serenade KC, knelt down before her and offered to her the song “Ikaw Ang Aking Pangarap”. That specific number brought the crowd roaring for cheers. Even male audiences jokingly shouted the famous commercial phrase: “I Love You Piolo!”, which was originally done by Toni Gonzaga for a soda commercial. Piolo then gamely shouted back: “I Love You Too Pare!”, which prompted the audience to a loud laughter.
During the special number of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers with Mr. Piolo Pascual, they sang the OPM hit classic from a remarkable songwriter George Canseco. Before they sang, Piolo did an “ASAP” style interview of the members of RCS. Our very own Poppert Bernadas was the last one to be interviewed and Piolo asked him why he was named so, in which Poppert unknowingly answered: “I don’t know with my mom”. Piolo was so amazed by Poppert’s singing voice and uttered during the interview: “Grabe! Ang tindi ng boses nito!”, ofcourse referring to Poppert Bernadas. Piolo even mentioned to Poppert infront of the audience: “I believe, your family all flew in from Davao?”, and kiddingly added: “Andito ba silang lahat?”, which ushered the crowd to an applause.
One of the most memorable and noteworthy part of the concert was when Piolo did a soliloquy in songs, especially arranged by Mr. C himself. A soliloquy is like a monologue in which the speaker tells a story by talking to oneself, but the one in the concert was entirely unique because it utilizes songs to tell the story, specifically Mr. C arranged the soliloquy with the songs from the Beatles. Piolo’s soliloquy was one of a kind and with the meticulous hands of Mr. C on grand piano, it was a totally splendid presentation. Audiences went into loud applause and cheers everytime Piolo shifted from one Beatle’s song to another, in which every part of the love story was seamlessly interconnected. Amazing!
When the concert ended, KC Concepcion was no longer present. The audience begged for her to come up the stage for the encore, but she weren’t around at all. So, in gratefulness and sincere thanksgiving to all who came for his valentine concert dubbed “Piolo Meets the Maestro Ryan Cayabyab”, he dedicated his last song to all of them, for celebrating their Valentine’s Day with him in his concert, and that included us.

P.S. Thank you very much to Mr. Ryan Cayabyab, Mr. Piolo Pascual, Poppert Bernadas of RCS, the rest of the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, and Ms. Yurie Moore of Nuskin International!