An orange night in Koronadal

KORONADAL, SOUTH COTABATO , Philippines  — It was a warm orange night at the South Cotabato Sports Complex, where stars attracted people like bees to honey for the Wowowillie Meets Rockatropa last Sunday, April 11.

Some 150,000 people filled up the heavily-secured place (this is Mindanao, remember?), where stars flew all the way from Manila to perform and support Willie and his friend, presidentiable Manny Villar.

The event is a repeat of a similar one last Feb. 25 at the SM MOA, which was originally set last Sept. 26, 2009. It was postponed because of typhoon Ondoy.

Randy Santiago sang the nostalgic Hindi Magbabago. Andrew E proved that his showmanship has never waned as the crowd lapped up his signature hit, Humanap Ka ng Panget. Balikbayan April Boy Regino brought back the good old days with Di Ko Kayang Tanggapin. Ara Mina sang Ay, Ay, Ay Pag-ibig and asked the crowd to tell their relatives to vote for her as Quezon City councilor.

Lito Camo stood beside Manny Pacquiao as the boxing champ rendered Para Sa ’Yo ang Laban na ’To.

Jessa Zaragoza, Aegis and 6Cyclemind also performed.

The color orange was everywhere: In giant swathes of cloth lined side by side on the stage background, and in Randy, Andrew E and Manny Pacquiao’s shirts.

Wowowee host Willie Revillame, who brought the show’s sexy Kembot Girls with him, also came in orange.

The people lined the massive gate of the sports complex. The young and the old stood side by side like packed sardines the entire night. Some came only hours earlier; others as early the night before.

It is for them, not so much for his friend’s presidentiable bid, that Willie says he’s mounting the show every Sunday, the only time he’s free from the daily TV grind.

And he swears he’s not getting a single centavo from it. In fact, he is even forking out his own money.

“I give away money, but that is mine,” says Willie. “I can’t bear to see old people suffering. So I give money to buy coffee, milk, breakfast for the next day.”

And he’s just taking advantage of the situation to bring joy personally to the people, especially those who can’t watch Wowowee on TV.

“It’s not us who are important, it’s the people. They are the stars of the show,” he said.

On that note, the orange night ended, only to resume, this time in Davao.