But it wasn’t always like that. Nobody cared much about celebrating Valentine in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. A dozen roses from Encarnacion Bechaves on Taft Avenue set you back only a few pesos. A good meal at reputable eating places like Madrid, Patio Alba, Casa Marcos or Au Bon Vivant could be had for less than four figures. Pilita Corrales and Carmen Pateña (then, later, the likes of Jacqui Magno and Kuh Ledesma) lit up romantic nights. Fetching your date did not mean starting on the road in the morning to beat traffic that lasted till four in the morning.
In those days, too, life and love were simpler. You could have a rendezvous over sandwiches and Coke and still be cool with the object of your affection. You did not need to book a table in a five-star hotel, get a PhD in French wines, drive an SUV or tote the latest cell phone to impress your fashion-victim date. A peck on the cheek was fine and lasted you a few weeks.
Fashion for Valentine simply highlighted the color red. I do miss the more romantic styles of the ’50s and the ’60s (or maybe that’s because I grew up on romantic Hollywood movies, imagining myself as a Cary Grant or George Peppard with an Audrey Hepburn for a date). Locally, LVN studio stars set the trends with conservative yet colorful technicolor outfits.
Those were the days of the love teams of FPJ and Susan Roces, Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa. The tradition was carried over to the ’60s with Guy and Pip, Vilma and Boyet. Today’s stars and starlets, however, change partners like they change underwear. Fashion today leaves little to the imagination, and American idols resort to breast-baring shenanigans just to get media attention (my EBay order of star-shaped nipple rings is still on route to me).
In the ’50s and ’60s, too, a movie date on Avenida Rizal or later at Rizal Theater and Greenhills in the suburbs was an acceptable pre-Valentine treat. That went out of style in the late ’70s to the ’90s. (Thank God, cinemas have been upgraded with guaranteed seating, plush seats and much better tasting popcorn.)
Movies made for great fantasy escape and fantasies then were also much simpler. Our dream dates then were always one of the "sisters" – any one of the Diaz or the Revilla sisters, later the Pangilinan, Castillejo and Cojuangco sisters. Today’s men (or boys) dream of hot FHM dates where the women are related only by way of similarly-sized silicon implants and almost-absent clothing (twins are another common fantasy among men/boys … but this is a family paper).
Classic date venues were the hotel lounges – the Calesa Bar at the Hyatt, Le Boulevardier at the Intercon and the Tap Room at the Manila Hotel. The discos were happening places – the Circuit, Stargazer, and Where Else?. Today, the gimmick centers are Eastwood, Rockwell, and Greenbelt – depending on your demographics.
A lot of people nowadays escape farther for Valentine. Tagaytay is a popular choice with numerous great restaurants like Antonio’s, Bag of Beans, Josephine’s, Dencio’s. The renovated Taal Vista Hotel is also a wonderful addition to the menu. Then, of course there’s Baguio. Then there’s Hong Kong, Bali and Singapore – no traffic there.
Still and all I’m staying put this weekend. I advise everyone to stock up on basic necessities. The road will be filled with star-struck lovers, MMDA traffic personnel and rose vendors. I think I’ll hop over to my favorite book store and buy a good book.
OK, so my good looks have slightly faded with the years and I’ve lost a bit of my charm (though the salt-and-pepper look is attractive to many and I’m once again a bachelor), but it doesn’t mean that I’m not romantic. Au contraire – I think a night with an intelligent, attractive and equally charming woman is among life’s few remaining pleasures. It’s the rest of the city – the politics, the noise, the smog, etc. – that gets me blue on the reddest of days.
Help, I need a date!