Mother's Day with the Laurels at The Podium

MANILA, Philippines – Iwi Laurel, Denise Laurel, and Nicole Laurel-Asensio will serenade mothers with well -loved songs tomorrow, Mother’s Day at 4 p.m. at The Podium’s Atrium.

They are all members of the distinguished clan that includes the late Philippine President Jose P. Laurel and the late Vice President Salvador Laurel. Over the years, they have not only been known for their political stature, but also for their artistry through Celia Diaz-Laurel and her son Victor “Cocoy” Laurel.

Iwi, the youngest of the children of Vice President Salvador and Celia Diaz- Laurel, recalls how she learned about music at age seven from Cocoy and Ryan Cayabyab. They would take a break from writing music in their living room, and spend hours teaching her to do all sorts of vocal calisthenics and aim for high notes all for fun. Pretty soon, she was a regular guest in Cocoy’s concerts and TV shows along with her older brother Kristipi.

At 14, with her father’s approval, she joined acclaimed Repertory Philippines productions such as Pippin, Fiddler on the Roof, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Sweeney Todd.

In the 1980s, she was launched as a recording artist for Viva Blackgold Records with a hit single Special Memory, for which she won the Cecil Award for Best Performance by a New Artist in 1983. Later on, she was launched as a solo artist in the local entertainment circles, doing her unique renditions of well-loved standards and popular jazz tunes.

On June 22 last year, Iwi went back to her roots and once again shared the stage with brother Cocoy at his concert entitled Uliran at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She was in her element as she sang classical favorites like And This is My Beloved (from Kismet) and Mutya ng Pasig.

Denise Laurel is an actress singer and a member of ABS-CBN’s circle of homegrown talents, Star Magic. The youngest daughter of Iwi’s brother David, Denise — like many members of her family — found her calling in the theater early on. She was about five years old when she landed her first stage role in the musicale South Pacific.

Iwi’s daughter Nicole Laurel Asensio also shares the family’s love for the theater. She played Annie in 1998, and Tea in the world premiere of The Magic Staff by the Okasaki Theater Company in 1999. A Literature Major and Dean’s List Awardee in the College of Liberal Arts in De La Salle University, she delights in writing and performing poetry, elocution, pieces, and drama. She has won awards for her stage performances, as well as for her original elocution pieces.

Their repertoire will include Sweet Memory, Someone to Watch Over Me, Think of Me, A Whiter Shade of Pale, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and On My Way.