Kapamilya Fiestavaganza in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — History books tell us Tacloban is the land of Imelda Marcos and the Sto. Niño Shrine she built at the height of her power. What they don’t tell us is that the Leyteños are head over heels over other things, like the Pintados and the Sangyaw festivals; that they scream their lungs out at the sight of Rico Blanco and Sandwich’s Raimund Marasigan.

A one-day stay in this city of binagol (a sweet delicacy every visitor must taste) brought this message home, loud and clear. As ABS-CBN put up its own Fiestavaganza at the Robinsons Place, not a single man, woman or child was left out of the massive dancing (to the tune of Jai-Ho) — as participant or mere spectator.

Unlike Cebu’s Sinulog festival for the Sto. Niño, Tacloban’s version, also for the same patron saint, had simpler, less measured dance steps. The ladies, their colorful costumes flapping gently in the wind, swayed to theme of Slumdog Millionaire. Their leader, holding a little Sto. Niño image aloft, danced a few paces ahead of the pack in this celebration of religion and pop culture.

Over at the newly-built Robinsons Place, the city’s High Level dancers gyrate to a modern song while giving away samples of Happy Penguin baby powder. Greenpeace, the city’s top band, wows the 10,000-strong crowd with lead vocalist Banal’s Bob Marley looks and repertoire.

Gary Valenciano, Piolo Pascual, Kim Chiu, Angel Locsin, Gerald Anderson, Jake Cuenca, Julius Babao, Karen Davila, Zanjoe Marudo, Maja Salvador, Enchong Dee, Bea Alonzo, Cherry Pie Picache and Agot Isidro and other ABS-CBN stars who greeted the fiesta crowd in an audio-visual presentation, would have been tickled pink.

Oh, but the crowd had many more things coming its way that night. Ladies swooned when Raimund shouted, “Ngayong gabi ay namimiyesta kami dahil maraming magagandang dalaga!”

The men jumped along with Sandwich’s front man, as he revved up the crowd with the band’s signature songs, Betamax, Pulis, Pangkalawakan, Selos, Procrastination and Magasin.

Raimund leapt from the stage to a monoblock table in front of him and the surprised crowd cheered themselves hoarse.

They shouldn’t have. The piece de resistance was yet to come. Shortly after the crowd cleared its throat after all the cheering, Rico, who credits Leyte for giving him roots on his mother side, mounted the stage.

“I’m always excited when I perform in Tacloban,” he announced. “A group always raises its hands whenever I ask for relatives in the crowd.”

No way would the former Rivermaya vocalist allow Raimund to overshadow him. Rico was armed to the teeth with his crowd-pleasers: Ba-Bye Na, Himala, Awit ng Kabataan, Kisapmata, Your Universe, Liwanag sa Dilim, Hinahanap-Hanap Kita, 214, Yugto, Elise and Antukin, the finale.

Rico was far from sleepy after the show, though. He sat down for a short chat with this writer who has both good and bad news for fans.

First, the good news. Rico finally broke his one-year self-imposed exile from the music scene with a new album. Your Universe is part of his three-year contract with Warner Music and his first as a solo artist (after his break-up from Rivermaya).

“I’m more relaxed now,” he says. “I am answerable to no one but to myself. I can set my own pace.”

When he finally broke free from Rivermaya, Rico made up for lost time with those he missed during his Rivermaya days. He could have gone on like this, until the Warner Music bosses came and topped other offers from rival recording outfits.

Now, the bad news. Rico can’t promise he’ll be a musician forever.

“I can do other things,” he reasons out. To my loud protests, he answers, “I love leaving my comfort zone. All I want to be happy.”

 So what are the other things that make him happy besides music? You’ll be surprised. Rico is a Management Economics graduate from Ateneo. So he can put up his own business. He was also with the Sangguniang Kabataan. So who knows if he will eventually enter public service (the way his father did)?

And then again, he plans to train new talents with whom he can share his knowledge and passion.

The point is, Rico has options. He can always march to the beat of his own drum — his own “cycle,” as he puts it. And while this makes him a lucky guy, Rico knows it also bestows on him a lot of responsibility.

Yes, he’s on the look-out for his own happiness. But he knows he must take care of others as well. Thus, Rico’s next moves may be his own. But he’ll never forget how they affect those around him. This makes his next moves worth the wait — no matter how long it takes.