The best thing about Kuh Ledesma - DIRECT LINE by Boy Abunda

I’ve known Kuh Ledesma even before I actually met her. Not because I have watched her at the Regent’s Alibi Bar with the Music and Magic. Neither was it because I paid attention to this gorgeous morena proclaiming on TV, "If my friends could see me now." It was not even because of her braided hair that you could not ignore as she proudly declared, "Ako ay Pilipino." I knew her because she looked good from a distance; and even looked better from the inside. She also looked smashing when she didn’t smile. There was a certain iciness about her. Her eyes were mysterious and enchanting. Her whole persona was enigmatic.

And Kuh Ledesma was where she was and was getting to where she wanted to be because she wanted it so badly and she worked darn hard. And in retrospect, she wouldn’t have settled for the backseat. Not one with a voice like hers. For someone who has the drive of Cleopatra and the perseverance of Mother Teresa – she always took the driver’s seat. In control is what Kuh is and has always been about. Not that things turned out the way she wanted them to. For Kuh went through devastating tornadoes in her life. And she fought quietly with the strength of a Masai warrior and the dignified ferocity of the Grand Poetess Maya Angelou.

I have never seen anybody who works so hard, to the point that she defies sense and reason. You only realize what she means when you see her onstage – from her entrances to the time she opens her mouth; every note, every word, the hand, the hair and the pieces of clothing that wrap her svelte frame – all this makes a stunning presence and performance. And when you listen to her on record, she verbalizes all your confusion, insanity and idiocy mostly about love and life! The voice is so soothing – you can actually die in peace – and go straight to heaven. It’s a kind of voice that heals.

And the best thing is that when you get to know Kuh, she traps you into a friendship that is free. She has no conditions, no requirements whatsoever. She leaves you to be who you are. Despite her very strong opinions about so many things – she listens – not always without argument. But she does listen and she learns. She is always hungry to learn new steps and tricks. She’s eternally interested about the world. She asks questions that could tire your body and soul. She taunts and challenges – making you and herself more informed at the end of each mental wrestling. And what an expert wrestler Kuh Ledesma is.

And then she laughs. It’s a hearty laugh. Her laughter is never vulgar. Like herself, it’s always classy.

In the entertainment business, the hardest lesson to learn is that nothing lasts forever. But this one lesson, Kuh learned even before she made it. This is the reason why she seems to have stayed forever. She seizes the moment. She is never out of synch. When you’re a diva or an aspiring divette, you must sing with the original Pop Diva. And while waiting for the next fledgling diva or the emerging super diva, she decided to sing with herself in a precious album called Duets. Come to think of it, Kuh Ledesma is in the same stage as Madonna in the School of Reinvention. Before anyone gets bored with her, she throws cold water on your face and wakes you up to bow to her serene presence.

A few years ago, my Nanay got sick. I wanted to learn how to pray correctly. I was weak and confused. I needed help. I wanted to talk to God and beg Him for a longer life for Nanay. I don’t recall how I found myself talking to Kuh on the phone. We talked about the power of prayers. Next thing, I was in her house and she was helping me how to pray. Weeks later, she sent me a Bible. I shall forever be grateful to Kuh for her kindness during those tumultuous times of my life. Kuh has found God in a special way and she shares this with you without making you feel like a sinful woman of the dark corners of Quezon Boulevard.

Some years back, a big fire gutted a number of houses around Kuh’s place. It left families homeless. Kuh (and this I learned from another friend) called for the victims and lent them money so they can start a new life.

Don’t get me wrong, Kuh is not a candidate for beatification. She will be the first one to laugh at this silly idea.

But right now, Kuh is into something new. And she’s spreading the good news with gusto and passion everywhere she goes. This is Pinatubo, a registered party list in the May 14 election. Kuh is the first nominee of the party. Pinatubo is about micro-lending. Essentially it is about development from the poverty base moving upwards. In short, it’s a better life for the poor. Kuh should be able to explain this in her appearances everywhere. But she and her group can’t go everywhere to explain what Pinatubo is all about if they don’t have the logistics to support them.

Like my faith in the party is not enough to make them go around Visayas and Mindanao to inform the electorate – which is not even familiar yet with the party list system. So tomorrow, March 8, there will be a Pinatubo fund-raising auction at the Republic of Malate at 7 p.m. Friends and generous citizens are expected to attend and I’m sure, Kuh will sing a few songs. I’m looking forward to attending this worthy endeavor. I always look forward to seeing Kuh Ledesma, up-close, personal and this time talking about Pinatubo.