We here at S Magazine celebrate our passion for music and our rich abundance of musical talents in Philippine society with this issue. Music is very important to our lives.

Everywhere I go in my travels, from the 5-star international hotels of Shanghai, Seoul, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore to music bars in Dubai or other countries, one can always enjoy the beautiful pop music of Filipino bands or singers. Once during a midnight snack at an East Asian city I heard several Filipino guys and young women chatting in Tagalog, and I learned that they were waiters and waitresses from a Philippine resto chain who were also sent to perform as a music band there!


One phenomenon which is striking and very inspiring is how the sublime art of music has given us several of our greatest showbiz “rags-to-riches” success stories, all of whom started out in life poor and disadvantaged, but won singing competitions to gain fame and fortune.

Here are 4 outstanding modern-day singing Cinderellas which I cited among the Top 10 greatest Philippine showbiz rags-to-riches sagas in a recent special interview by QTV’s Ang Pinaka show:

Nora Aunor---The reason I had immediately accepted a recent invitation by the Mayor of Iriga City in the Bicol region, though there are no famous tourist destinations there, was the fact that I have heard a lot of stories about the heart-tugging tales of a poor girl there who used to sell cold water in used softdrink bottles to passengers at the train station. During that trip to witness the city’s cultural festival, I specifically requested my hosts to bring me to the exact place at the old Iriga train station where the little girl Nora Aunor used to peddle water in order to help her poor family survive. I even heard a story of how one early evening, after buying a small supot or paper bag of rice, a sudden downpour of rain caused the rice to fall and scatter all over the ground, and gone was her family’s supper that night.

Due to her sheer natural talent and artistic genius as winner of singing competitions, then her almost unequalled greatness as actress, Nora Aunor the poor girl from Iriga City became nationally famous. The morena Nora also broke the age-old traditional mold of Philippine movie queens being only white-complexioned mestizas. Music was Nora Aunor’s stepping stone to become the multi-awarded legendary “Superstar” of Philippine showbiz.

Regine Velasquez---This former poor girl from Bulacan won singing contests to become Asia’s Songbird and one of the wealthiest stars with an elegant mansion in Ayala Hillside subdivision in Quezon City. Her boyfriend Ogie Alcasid is also a musical whiz.


Sarah Geronimo---This former poor girl from Santa Cruz, Manila won singing contests to become now the Box Office Queen of Philippine movies and an amazing singing star who has wowed almost all other singers in the entertainment industry from Pops Fernandez to Lea Salonga.

Charice---This former poor girl whose father had abandoned her family, she has come a very long way as a singer and has even hit the big time internationally with the support of VIPs like Oprah Winfrey and others. She has been included in the USA TV show Glee and another recent highlight of her meteoric career was her baptismal ninang or godmother Kris Aquino Yap invited her to sing the Philippine national anthem at the June 30 inaugural of President Noynoy C. Aquino.

-- Wilson Lee Flores, editor in chief
Email the editor willsoonflourish@gmail.com