A Mega Treat

CEBU, Philippines - Certified Sharonians in Cebu enjoyed a rare visit and free show by the Megastar herself when she staged a thanksgiving concert last December 7th at the Ayala Terraces, never mind if it was briefly marred by a five-minute power outage.

Spicing up the event were first-ever Pinoy Big Brother winner Keana Reeves and comedian Ariel Villasanta who introduced each one of Sharon’s guest performers, starting off with the dancing staff of Plantation Bay Resort. Other performers were Cebuano singers Jem Cubil and Jayr Siaboc, Star Power finalist Monica Sacay and veteran balladeer Dingdong Avanzado.

It was Sharon that the audience was eagerly waiting for, of course, and she regaled her fans with OPM hits including Maging Sino Ka Man, Kahit Maputi na ang Buhok Ko and Basta’t Kasama Kita, but not before sharing why Cebu is particularly close to her heart. The actress-TV host said it was here where she was offered her first movie Dear Heart, when she was around 13 or 14 years old. Former Cebu City Mayor Florentino Solon had also declared her an adopted daughter of the city, plus our lechon being her favorite is already a given!

The electrical power suddenly went off while Sharon was in the middle of challenging Keana to translate her Tagalog spiel into English, but the showbiz veteran remained smiling and composed. Her fans used the lull as an opportunity to chat and take photos of their idol who plopped down on stage while staff took care of the problem.

The concert capped off Sharon’s southern sojourn, which began with tapings for a week-long feature on Cebu for her TV5 talk show Sharon Kasama Mo, Kapatid. Aside from sit-down interviews held at Plantation Bay Resort with Cebuano personalities, Sharon also indulged on a mouth-watering food trip and discovered the best-kept secrets of our most famous and iconic brands. All five Cebu episodes will be aired this Dec. 17-21.

Sharon’s Cebu stop was the last part of her daily talk show’s nationwide tour, wherein she earlier visited her hometown of Pampanga and then Davao to feature inspiring and heartwarming stories of love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption. (FREEMAN)