Fernando ready to sing during gov’t events

If Bagumbayan Party vice presidential candidate Bayani Fernando gets the post, the government could count not only on his skills as an engineer but also on his talent as a singer.

In an interview, Fernando said he’d be willing to sing in government events, especially in functions welcoming members of the diplomatic corps and visiting heads of state.

A smiling Fernando told the Philippine Daily Inquirer: "If it will create better relationships (why not use my talent)?"

Fernando has been using his talent in courting voters.

He usually gives in to requests for songs in the forums he attends and belts out "Pitong Gatang."

He also gives out copies of his still unreleased CD, which contains recordings of all-original songs. The CD is titled: "May BF ka na ba? (Do you already have a BF?)"

Fernando said: "I think this is an advantage (over other vice presidential candidates). In this campaign, every bit of talent counts."

He did not get any formal voice lessons but singing has been his favorite pastime all these years. He said he probably got his interest in singing from his mother who was a pianist.

He has expressed preference for belting out standards although he occasionally sings country-style pieces.

But his all-time favorite piece is the song "This is the moment" which, he has noted, is also apt for his vice presidential bid.

Fernando also emerged as the winner in GMA7's "Celebrity Duets" in 2008.

He said he liked singing because "when you sing, you can really feel the message that you want to say."

But aside from his voice, Fernando is also confident about his skills as an engineer, which he said he would maximize in office.

In an earlier interview, Fernando said he had been "very hands-on" in his vice presidential campaign, saying that in order to maximize limited resources, "we have to be creative."

His campaign is indeed creative: Fernando designed two trucks to look like "Optimus Prime," a fictional character in the animated series "Transformers." Fernando and his presidential bet, Senator Richard Gordon, have used "Transformers" in their campaign slogans.

The first truck accompanies Fernando and Gordon in the few campaign sorties they hold together; most of the time they campaign separately to maximize time.

The second truck has been going around provinces in Luzon non-stop since the campaign began.

But Fernando said his most important accomplishment was being able to "change the character" of people in Metro Manila when he became Marikina City mayor and chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Some critics accuse him of being anti-poor, recalling the MMDA's sidewalk clearing operations against illegal sidewalk vendors and other illegal structures during his time, but Fernando said the operations had made streets safer for pedestrians, vendors and motorists.

He said: "It is not anti-poor. It is implementing the law. It is about bringing order."