MANILA, Philippines – With her administration confronting another corruption scandal and a possible assassination attempt against her, President Arroyo sang her blues away with three-time Grammy award winner, composer Richard Carpenter and local singer Claire dela Fuente in a Valentine’s Day program in Malacañang.
Carpenter, of the Carpenters fame in the 1970s with his late sister Karen, paid a courtesy call at the Palace at noon yesterday. Mrs. Arroyo then gave the multi-awarded songwriter, pianist and arranger a Presidential Citation which recognized his “strong influence to Filipino songwriters and musicians, and whose artistic genius has become a standard for Filipino music.”
“This is more appreciated than I can put it in words,” said Carpenter, who was wearing a jusi barong.
Carpenter arrived a few minutes before his scheduled courtesy call and obliged an invitation to practice on the grand piano at the Rizal Hall, where major Palace events are held.
Just before the appointed courtesy call, Carpenter was brought back to the Music Room where he was welcomed by Mrs. Arroyo, who enthused that Carpenter’s music “has been in the Philippines for many years.”
The President then led Carpenter’s delegation, which included record producer Vic del Rosario, to the Kalayaan Hall Garden where a sumptuous garden luncheon awaited them.
But before sitting down to lunch, the group proceeded to the already jampacked Presidential Broadcast Studio for a mini concert of sorts, with Dela Fuente belting out two songs, followed by Carpenter who sat on the piano and played “Yesterday Once More.”
Asked by the audience for an encore, Carpenter obliged by playing the sentimental “I Have You,” with Dela Fuente volunteering to sing. Faltering midway through the ballad, she was suddenly joined by Mrs. Arroyo, who stood up from her chair and walked to the piano.
She sang the chorus: “Sometimes all the world can seem so friendless, and the road ahead so endless, and the dream so far away, sometimes when I’ll almost surrender, then I stop and I remember, I have you to save my day.”
Later, some of Mrs. Arroyo’s companions said she intimated to them the song was for First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, who was conspicuously absent during the Valentine’s event at the Palace.
Carpenter was then treated to a simple lunch prepared by the chefs and students of the Asian Institute of Culinary Arts at the Kalayaan Garden.
RPN-9 board director Robert Rivera said Carpenter and Dela Fuente will do a recording with Vicor Records for a compilation of old and new songs.
The two will also perform in a private concert on Saturday in Makati City, Rivera said.