The Charice Pempengco Story

Charice and her Mom

This Q&A sums up so far the storied life of Charice Pempengco. Read up.

Q: The first contest, do you still remember? What was your piece?

Charice: In Laguna at the Pavilion Mall. I sang the Tagalog version of You’re My World, Ikaw ang Aking Daigdig.

How old were you when you joined your first contest?

Seven years.

How many contests have you joined?

About 80.

Do you keep your trophies?

They are stored in Batangas. The other trophies are too old and they are kept in a storage room.

Were other contestants scared of you?

In singing contests, we have what we call “bato.”

Mga bato? Who are they?

Mga bato, that’s how we called the seasoned ones. And they were really very, very good. And they called me “buhangin.”

Was there a time that you had to join the contest because you needed money and you had to win?

That was the time when somebody stole my mother’s money. My mother lost four thousand pesos to thieves. We didn’t have transportation money.

What about that story when you had just transferred to a place and you didn’t even own a bed?

We only had foam as bed. And we had plastic chairs. We borrowed a table from our neighbors.

Banig (native mat)?

Yes. The foam which we used as our bed was too small for us. It got lost so I told mommy, maybe you can ask a neighbor to lend us money and we will join singing contests. I joined one in Batangas. Had I lost, we woudn’t have money for our fare back home.

Your memorable experiences “as buhangin”?

People would laugh at me when they saw that I was sleepy.

Why?

Because when I am sleepy, I lose my voice. Other contestants loved it when I am sleepy. But my mother would bring me toy soldiers that I could play with and would keep me awake.

How are you as a daughter?

I am the mischievous one. My younger brother would always give in. And it would always appear that my younger brother is the older one.

Oprah Winfrey, how is she? What do you call her?

Charice: I am not comfortable calling her Oprah. But she does not want to be called Ms. Oprah. One time, I wanted to have a photo with her so I called her “tita” on impulse. And she said, “what’s that?” I told her, “auntie”. She is so casual and so kind.

So everytime you go to the States, you get in touch? You call her?

It’s her assistant that I talk to most of the time. But I send her letters. I write letters to her and to David Foster. They say “this is just the sweetest!”

Oprah is now your mentor?

David Foster is my mentor. Ms.Oprah is my adviser.

Who introduced you to David?

Oprah called David. That’s the real story behind David and Friends. She called sir David… David, that is how David wants to be called.

Who among the celebrities do you want to meet?

Justin Timberlake.

Do you aspire to become a movie star?

Yes. I was so inspired when I was shooting Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Who are you when no one is watching?

I love to play with my younger brother Carl. Magaling po kasi si Carl maghubog ng clay. It’s his talent. He can make minitature Transformers.

Who is your crush?

Josh Groban.

Your indulgence like clothes and make-up?

I spend my money well. We are used to budgeting our money.

Rumors have it that you and your mother have become swell-headed. Comment?

People who are with us, and who have been with us can say that my mother and me haven’t changed. I am still the same Charice.

The National Historical Institute wrote you a letter after you sang the National Anthem at a basketball game.

I sang the anthem with a slower tempo.

You are being compared with Sarah Geronimo and Sam Concepcion? Is this a problem?

That is not an issue.

Have you and Sam retained your friendship?

We saw each other last month. Nothing has changed in our friendship. Ate Sarah is an idol.

They say your mother is hard to deal with. She is a stage mother.

She is really a stage mother. She is all I have. She’s the best mother. She is a stage mother because she takes good care of me. But she does not make the decisions. I have my manager. I have my business agency.e of