Raymond Lauchengco recalls one ‘date’ with Regine Velasquez in the ’90s

OPM veteran and forever “Bagets” star Raymond Lauchengco is now happily married to Mia Rocha for 22 years and they have two children, Nathalie and Davey. Once upon a time, however, Lauchengco admitted to have gone out on a date with Regine Velasquez in the early ’90s, when they were still both single.

“I just felt so much in love with her voice,” Lauchengco told ABS-CBN News. “And mind you, kasama namin si Mang Gerry [Velasquez’s dad] when we went out. That’s why I love the guy. He was the sweetest.”

They had an early dinner at Bistro Lorenzo in Greenhills, then went on to watch the musical, “Evita,” with Menchu Lauchengco, his sister, at the Meralco Theater. “We had a nice meaI,” Lauchengco recalled. “I don’t expect Regine to even remember that now.

“The whole time, she was talking about somebody else. But in my heart, it was a date. The last thing Mang Gerry said to me, ‘Anak, next time kami naman manlilibre.’ Wala na.”

“I just fell in love with her voice. I will put things into perspective. Baka naman she was not aware of it that it was a date. Maybe sa akin lang ‘yun… …She went out with me that one time. I’m blushing because I will see her on November 21.”

A decade after Lauchengco did Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Bagets,” he and Velasquez did a “privately-commissioned” album together for PilTel, then a subsidiary of PLDT.

“We recorded the songs of Levi Celerio,” Lauchengco said. “My two favorite female singers are Regine and Lea [Salonga]. Both of them I’m in love with their voices. For the record, I never went out with Lea.”

His biggest crush, though, was Megastar Sharon Cuneta, with whom he performed last year, when she guested in “Everybody Loves Raymond” at The Theater at Solaire. 

“Kung wala si Sharon, walang Raymond Lauchengco, as simple as that,” he said. 

“She was a student of my father at the International School. She would sometimes sit on his desk and my dad bragged about his unico hijo. ‘That’s my son, magaling kumanta ‘yan,’ my dad said. I used to go to sleep listening to Sharon Cuneta on my Walkman. Before I knew it, I was already a part of Viva and I was doing concerts with Sharon.”

On November 21 at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, Lauchengco is doing an ’80s concert, “We Built This City,” taken from one of the popular hits of the era by Starship. “I love everything about the ’80s except the fashion,” he said. “Their fashion choices and color spectrum was very confused.

“But everybody is welcome, whether you’re Gen X, Gen Z, millennial or Gen Alpha. The music of the ’80s is so different. In every show that I do, the audience bring their kids. Even the kids find something to enjoy. Because ’80s music is universal. That’s why it is easily revivable. We don’t need to do something contemporary.

“This is a journey. This is looking back upon the city that we built with our life. The premise is: The biggest treasures in life are found at the beginning and at the end of your journey. So what are the songs that will remind you of all those treasures when you started up to now.”

“We Built This City” is about Lauchengco’s journey. “It’s about the Gen X that built the city that continues to this day,” explained Menchu, who is directing the show. “It will be storytelling by videos. It’s going to be different in that sense. As you know, I’m a theater person, so every time I talked to Raymond, it’s theatrical. It has to always tell a story.”

The concert is a metaphor for Gen X, whom the concert is celebrating through memories. “We raised families,” pointed out Lauchengco. “We built careers, we built friendships that lasted the best of time, we drank water straight from the garden hose. We rode our bicycles until it got dark.

“The guys had Brooke Shields and Phoebe Cates. The girls had Menudo, Rob Lowe. No cell phones. We had one super power. We learned to rely on ourselves early. That’s what I want to celebrate. To celebrate Gen X, we built this city. We celebrate the people, the memories and the music that shaped our lives through every season.

“Since this is the journey, this is looking back upon the city that we built with our lives on. My premise is the biggest treasures in life are found at the beginning and at the end of your journey. So what are the songs that can remind you of all those treasures from the time you started up to now.”

He noted that the local concert scene in Manila is very vibrant, with a show to watch every weekend – Gary Valenciano at the Music Museum, Regine Velasquez just did Mall of Asia Arena, Pops Fernandez is doing Newport World Resorts and Basil Valdez is performing at Maybank.

“The production value of Filipino concerts is like never before,” Lauchengco noted. “I wish you could see the set design for the show. It’s really something else. We have Enzo Pizarro doing the scenic design.”

Menchu also directed “Everybody Loves Raymond” concert at The Theater at Solaire last year and will again direct the show this year.

“Menchu is more of an actress,” said Lauchengco. “I was more like a singer. We grew up near Roxas Boulevard where there were night clubs before. We were near Jimmy’s night club, where we got used to seeing a microphone. That was my play time with Ate [Menchu].”

“We Built This City” will take place eight days before Lauchengco’s birthday on November 29.

His other guests in the concert are Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid and Mitch Valdez. Musical direction is by Marvin Querido. The concert is produced by Global Resource Creative Exchange under industry veteran Girlie Rodis. Production managers are Arlene Austria and Dodie Crisostomo.