Martin releases statement about his non-appearance in Pop’s concert
Nakatanggap kami ng surprise text last Saturday afternoon (November 24) mula sa Concert King na si Martin Nievera. Unexpected sa amin ‘yon dahil mas malapit kami kay Gary Valenciano kesa sa kanya. Dedemahin sana namin ang text na ‘yon dahil baka isa siyang prank texter. But out of courtesy and part of cellphone etiquette, nag-text back kami ng, “Yes, can I help you?”
“Can you release a statement re going or not going to Pops [Fernandez] concert?”
Upang maging balanse sa bawat panig, pumayag kami sa kanyang request. Binanggit ni Martin sa amin kung kanino niya nakuha ang cell number namin, kaya hindi na kami nagduda na siya ang ka-text namin.
“I am just very, very concerned about all this talk about Pops supposedly saying that I might surprise her or that she hopes I come to her 25th anniversary concert,” kasunod na text ni Martin sa amin.
Nag-suggest pa kami kay Martin na i-email na lang niya sa amin ang official statement niya. But after ilang minutes, sa text pa din niya dinaan ang pahayag niya sa mga tinuran ni Pops sa nakaraang presscon ng Diva-Licious concert niya na gagawin sa December 8 sa Araneta Coliseum.
Heto ang statement ni Martin na una ninyong mababasa sa PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal):
“Just tell all that as much as I would love to be there as her career turns 25, I will NOT be.
“It hurts me to have accepted work on that same day just to make sure I am not tempted to go. Why?
“After reading her YES! magazine and her last interview with Isah Red, I really don’t need to read anything more to get the hint that Pops doesn’t want me anywhere near her. Would you?
“My best wishes to our country’s Concert Queen. May all your wishes come true!” end ng text ni Martin tungkol sa kanyang dating maybahay.
Matatandaan na naging controversial para sa dating mag-asawa ang tell-all interview na ginawa ni Pops para sa October 2007 issue ng YES! magazine. Ang tinutukoy naman niyang interview ay may pamagat na “A Martin-less 25th year in show business” na isinulat ni Isah para sa broadsheet na Manila Standard Today.
Bukod pa rito, marami pang pinakawalang maaanghang na pahayag si Pops sa nakaraan niyang presscon para sa upcoming Diva-Licious concert. Naging dahilan pa ‘yon upang tumanggap ng kasabay na show si Martin (sa December 8 din ito sa SM Mall of Asia naman) para hindi na talaga siya magkaroon ng surprise appearance.
Kadarating lang ni Martin mula sa Guam at Saipan kung saan nagkaroon siya ng shows. Sa pagkakaalam namin, hanggang December 15 lang dito si Martin at sa Amerika siya magse-celebrate ng Christmas kasama si Katrina Ojeda and their baby boy Santino.
Source: PEP
Here’s the interview with Isah Red:
A Martin-less 25th year in show business
By Isah V. Red
TWENTY-FIVE years ago whenever someone mentioned Pops Fernandez’s name, immediately it would be followed by Martin Nievera’s. They were such an inseparable couple that their fans, either separately or united, couldn’t think of any of the two would do without the other.Today, Pops is requesting, nearly begging in fact, the members of the media, if it would be possible, not to mention the name of her former husband in things written about her. “I have moved on, he has moved on. We have lives different from each other, so I don’t see why Martin should always be part of anything that is going to be written about me.”
Pops specifically refers to her forthcoming birthday concert and 25th anniversary celebration of being in show business for a quarter of a century at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 8.
The show is called Divalicious.
The singer, though, admits the inevitability of her name being attached to Martin’s (or vice versa) every now and then. “As a pair we have become part of the industry, and just like the other love teams whose members had gone their own separate ways, it will remain Pops and Martin or Martin and Pops for many years for as long people remember us as a tandem.”
Yet, on Dec. 8, Pops wants to mark her 25 years in show business as Pops Fernandez and not necessarily a part of a tandem that no longer exists.
Divalicious, which also features performances of Gary Valenciano, Kuh Ledesma, Jay-R, Kris Lawrence and Sharon Cuneta, is, according to producer Arnold Vegafria (who is also Pops’ manager), the biggest and most expensive concert by a local artist.
It’s not unusual as everyone knows how fastidious Pops is with shows. She wants it to be perfect and with all the accouterments of a big production.
Especially this time that she is marking a quarter of a century of her life in the business, she wants to give an impression. “Really, after 25 years, it feels like I’m just starting all over again,” she shares. “I want a new beginning. I’m a more confident person and performer now.”
And she is starting without a Martin in her career path. “He will always be there, that’s for sure. But now, isn’t it great that I’m becoming me again?”
No, she’s not expecting Martin to be in the audience on Dec. 8. But she won’t prevent him from coming and watching her show.
“Martin is full of surprises, really. And for the last 25 years that I’ve known him and part of those years we’ve spent together, I will no longer be surprised if he pulls another one this time. I will be surprised if he wouldn’t,” Pops says.
