Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

All the Right Notes

Words and Styling by Amyline Quien Ching
Photography by Pinggot Zulueta
Assisted by Czarina Nicole Ong

(The Escuderos were such great sports especially Christine who composed a song for Chiz for this special Father's Day issue in Manila Bulletin Moms&Babies. When she sang the song, I wished so much that there was a videocam or something to capture the special moment. The kids were also great sports because they managed to sit through three fashion layouts for the issue.)

“Woweee!”

It is hard to imagine the normally unflappable senator—with his proverbial double entendres, pun-chy speeches and a humor that cleverly takes a bite without as much as a toothmark—would have this word in his dictionary, much less be his lips’ constant companion for the entire day.

“It’s a long-standing joke in the family ever since my wife realized that the maids were watching Wowowee with the kids because they kept repeating the word. Ang cute nga nila when they say it. Tumawa ako ng malakas nang marinig ko. Now, I seem to have caught the habit,” explains Chiz, with a sheepish grin.

That he even knew how to look sheepish was as shocking as it was telling. Conscientious, yes… but conscious? But as many who are close to him would attest, there is more quirkiness in Chiz that his straitlaced demeanor lets on. He actually laughs a lot and is quite playful in the company of friends and loved ones. What else can you expect from someone who lets his staff call him “Quezo”?

Catch the Kiddie bug

In fact, as his wife Christine confesses, Chiz can be such a kid at home. When he’s with the twins, Chesi and Quino, both 2 years old, one can expect a rambunctious day, with the TV blaring and laughter after them.

Saying “Woweee” is only the first in the long list of kiddie activities that Chiz engage in with gusto. He watches “Babab” (Spongebob) and Hi-5 with his kids whenever he can and loves every minute of it. They will run from one room to another, chasing each other. Their lamutakan time consists of harutan, kulitan, and kilitian. They will raise such a ruckus, the noise has already become a sign that the Senator is already home, a truth that the Senator has easily owned up to.
“As a kid, I was not taught by my parents to be like that. That’s why, with my kids, I do the opposite. Nakikipagbiruan ako sa kanila. We laugh a lot. I tell them “I love you” all the time. I kiss them. Sinusulit ko na because when they grow up, they won’t be as receptive. At least by then, you can tease them, ‘I already got a million kisses from you anyway,’” he says with a naughty gleam in his eyes, followed by a big, hearty laugh.

Sometimes, they will just spend the day cooped up in the bathtub—their makeshift swimming pool—until the skins on their fingers get all wrinkly and ugly. Other times, he will just lie in bed while his kids play ‘horsie’ with his belly as saddle and his shirt’s collar as bridle.

Music from the Heart

But one of his absolute favorites is whenever he would sing to them with an impromptu set of lyrics “Usually yung last song syndrome ko, yun ang music. I just make the lyrics as I go along. They’re actually just things that I want to tell them but I sing the words instead,” he explains, proceeding to sing several lines of a song set in Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star.

“Love ka ni dada. Love ni Chesi si Dada. Love din ni dada si Chesi. Love ka ni dada. Love ni Quino si Dada. Love din ni dada si Chesi”

With his love for music, it is not surprising that his wife Christine wrote a song for him and included it as part of his Father’s Day gifts. Christine even sang “Idolo” using “Beautiful in my Eyes,” a song that Chiz himself sang when he proposed to her.

IDOLO

Ikaw ang haligi ng tahanan natin
Ang lahat sa ‘min ng yong mga supling
Pagmamahal mong kay lalim
Ang tanging dalangin sa Diyos aming hiling
Ang kaligtasan mo, tatag ng iyong dibdib
Kailanman ikaw ang idolo namin

Sa pag-ikot ng mundo at pagtakbo ng mga taon
Lumingon ka lang at nariyan kami
Nakaalalay sa iyo
Pagsasaluhan natin bawat ngiti
Pagpatak ng luha, yakap naming papawi
Kailanman ikaw ang idolo namin.

CORO:
Mananatili kang idolo namin
Anuman ang mangyari
Dito sa puso naming
Kailanma’y idolo, idolo namin.


Idolo’s heartfelt lyrics tell of their gratitude and love for a dad, who has given his all (sacrificed so much) to his family. In the song, Christine and the kids promise to be there for him, no matter what happens and that together, they can surmount any challenge and beat all odds.

And for the second time that day, Chiz does something totally uncharacteristic: the normally implacable Senator melts right before one’s eyes as the last notes of Idolo fade into oblivion. And he grins, a wide wistful smile that says more, so much more than all his speeches combined.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 5:27 PM