Sun, 11 Aug 2002
Our Gracious Songbird . .

by a Regine fan

Imagine being slapped on the cheek. Twice.

Most people would probably do the next logical thing. That's to 
strike back. But Regine Velasquez is not MOST people. And 
she's proven it time and again.

Case in point: the Aliw (someone said its "BALIW") Awards. The 
broadsheets have once again sided with Regine. They say that 
Lani's winning the award was a surprise (to put it mildly). Last 
Saturday's issue of Malaya dared to mention that there was a lot 
of hush-hush reactions after the awards. Manila Bulletin came 
up with another "blind item." We're not the only ones who feel 
that she didn't deserve it. You don't have to be a Regine fan to 
know that.

But our Songbird, bless her, was gracious enough to accept the 
unacceptable. On today's SOP, Regine was the only one who 
congratulated Lani for winning Entertainer of the Year. And you 
know how that made Lani look? Sheepish. Small. 
Undeserving.

She may have won the "plum" in this year's Aliw but it was 
obvious that in the eyes of her peers, Lani didn't measure up. 
Neither Ogie, Kyla nor Jaya said anything about Lani's award. 
It's as if they didn't acknowledge her as a "legit" winner. 

So right now I am appeased by the fact that Lani's winning is 
really nothing without the acknowledgement of her peers. 
What's an award worth when everyone else around you thinks 
you don't deserve it? 

After today, Lani may be regretting having won. Besides, since 
she's gotten to the top so fast, there's no where else to go but 
down.

God Bless Regine for letting me see the light. There's power in 
humility. By turning the other cheek, Regine showed everyone 
that she's the real WINNER. Award or no award.

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