Julio Iglesias with good friend Jorge Araneta during the presscon Thursday night at Sofitel where Julio and company are billeted. His Heart of Gold concert is set for tonight at the Big Dome. — Photos By Ver Paulino
Barely seven hours after he arrived on his private plane from Miami where he keeps one of his many homes, Julio Iglesias reiterated why Filipinos have a special spot in his heart when he faced the media early evening last Thursday at the Visayas Room of the Sofitel where he and company are billeted.
“I love the Philippines for special reasons. First, I have three kids (one daughter and two sons, Julio Jr. and Enrique) who are half-Filipino (with ex-wife Isabel Presyler). Second, anywhere in the world I have a concert, I hear the voice of Filipinos saying to me ‘Iniibig kita.’ And third, I’ve learned to love the country and its people.”
And the food.
“I arrived at 10:30 this morning and since 11 o’clock I’ve been eating pansit. I love adobo, lumpia and other Filipino food.”
Last here for a concert at the Manila Hotel in the early ‘90s, Julio is back to perform gratis et amore at a charity concert titled Heart of Gold tonight at the Araneta Coliseum, proceeds from which will be spent on the construction of 200 houses for victims of Typhoon Ondoy in Tanay, Rizal, one of the hardest-hit areas, in cooperation with Gawad Kalinga, the provincial government of Rizal led by Gov. Junjun Ynares and his good friend Jorge (whom Julio calls Jor-ge) Araneta who was seated beside Julio at the presscon. Jorge is waiving the rental for the Big Dome and donating it to the same cause. Guest performer Sharon Cuneta will do two songs with Julio, All of You and When You Tell Me That You Love Me.
He said that his heart bled when Jorge showed him photos of the devastation wrought by Ondoy six months ago.
“There’s so much suffering in this country,” he added. “The typhoon destroyed so many homes and the lives of so many people.”
Julio recalled that when a killer earthquake struck Haiti, he personally visited the country with a medical team.
“I saw with my own eyes a country almost totally destroyed. Just like what happened in Chile (which was also hit by a strong earthquake). Sad story. The world is full of disasters. Artists like me who have the means should help the victims. We should compromise ourselves to help those in need,” added Julio who was, in 1989, was named UNICEF Special Ambassador for the Performing Arts.
It’s Julio’s fifth time to perform in the Philippines.
“The first time,” he joked, “I was only 10 years old,” drawing laughter from the media. Seriously now, “It was in 1971, 29 years ago. I had just married Isabel and we had a little baby with us.”
He’s now married to a model with whom he has five children.
On a lighter note, when asked what his idea of romance is and if he has a special way of showing his being romantic, Julio said, “There are millions and trillions of ways of expressing romance. No,” he joked again, “I don’t have any special technique,” adding, “Women are superior to men because they have nine months to give life to children and those nine months are the greatest experience of women.”
In tonight’s Big Dome concert, Julio will sing his heart out for the Ondoy victims. He will dedicate a Filipino song to the audience, the immortal Dahil Sa’yo.
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