MANILA, Philippines - While other celebrities keep mum on their personal lives, Daryl Ong is not afraid to speak about anything including his past romance and their love child. Yes, the R&B singer is already a dad and a proud one at that.
Indeed, many were surprised when he posted on his Instagram pictures of him and his now nine-year-old son Dwayne during their short-but-sweet bonding moments in the US recently. One of the photos was captioned, “Best birthday gift. After 3 years, nagkita ulit tayo. Everyone, meet my son, Dwayne.” It instantly earned over 6,000 likes and heartening comments from netizens.
According to Daryl, it took three years before they got to see each other again in the flesh because his son and his former wife relocated in the US. The reunion happened during one of Vice Ganda’s Pusuan Mo Si Vice concerts in the US where Daryl was one of the guest performers. That’s why, he is grateful to Vice and TFC for inviting him to be part of the show.
“I’m so happy seeing him again after three years,” shared Daryl after the presscon for his concert DARYL sONGs happening on May 19 at the Music Museum. “Medyo hindi okey yung hiwalayan namin ng mother n’ya. They went to the States without me knowing it and it was too late when I learned about it. I was in a gig then and after my first set, I saw the post of my ex(-spouse) with my son on a plane, iyak ako ng iyak. We were still married then.”
His separation from his son was one of the reasons why he joined The Voice Philippines “because my son served as an inspiration and I wanted him to be proud of me.”
Asked if his son is aware that he is now a singer, Daryl nodded and said that Dwayne often watches his performances on YouTube. “During the San Diego leg of Pusuan Mo Si Vice, I invited them to watch the show and from the stage when I saw my son taking a video on his cell phone, I told the audience that the show is special to me because it’s my first time to perform in the US and it’s the first time for my son to watch me perform. And then I introduced him to the audience.”
After the show, Daryl shared, there were people who asked for photos and his son was visibly proud of him as if telling, “Daddy ko ‘yan!”
“His mom allowed him to stay with me in the hotel. We went to the mall first and then we had a tour inside Warner Bros. Studios at sakto naman di pa din s’ya nakakapunta ‘dun kaya na-a-amaze kami pareho. We went around the whole day,” related Daryl.
Since he flew back home, Daryl has been keeping in touch with Dwayne through Viber and supporting him financially. The boy and his mom are staying in Long Beach, California. Still, he wishes to spend time with his son. “That’s why, I am all the more motivated to work harder. Who knows I might get the chance to perform there again or if not, I hope I can afford to go there just for a vacation so I can spend time with him and be a full-time daddy while I’m there.”
These days, Daryl is prepping up for DARYL sONGs, his first headliner concert in the three years of being in the music scene. “I hope everyone will enjoy spending the night with me singing songs close to my heart. It’s like telling my story to the people through songs.”
Produced by ABS-CBN Events and Star Events, the concert will also be an evening full of love songs with the ASAP Soul Sessionista performing a mix of original hits and some famous covers. Jay-R, Vice Ganda, Jona, Thor and Voices of 5 will also perform.
Daryl has popularized many chart-topping hits that also became part of the Kapamilya teleserye soundtrack like Basta’t Kasama Kita and Ikaw from FPJ’s Ang Probinsiyano; Ikaw Na Nga, Bridges of Love; To Love Again, Til I Met You; and Stay, On The Wings of Love.
On the night of his concert, Daryl wishes to see his son in the audience “because there is a song that is meant for him. But I’m sure even if he is in the States, there’s a way for him to be able to watch the concert.”
When asked if he has a special someone, Daryl smiled and affirmed that he is exclusively dating a singer-actress from another TV network but he is not revealing the name yet. “I met her through (common) friends in 2011 at one year pa lang kami.”
Daryl filed for the annulment of his marriage in 2013 and it was granted after three years.
(For tickets to DARYL sONGs, call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or Music Museum (721-6726). They are priced at P2,500 for VIP; P2,000, Patron; and P1,000, Balcony.)