REGINE VELASQUEZ: Is This Really The Last? After 40 Years, What Would Tatay Gerry Say?

Home Tour

Regine Velasquez welcomes Karen Davila into the home she has shared with Ogie Alcasid for about 15 years. The tour offers a peek at their music-filled living room, Ogie’s carefully arranged record collection, and the rehearsal setup where Regine prepares for concerts.

She jokes that Ogie acts as her personal trainer: their walks sometimes turn into sprints, even though she’s 56. Asked about getting back to her old figure, she says she just wants to look good in a gown—not return to being too thin.

A Career Spanning 40 Years

The interview centers on Regine’s “last big concert” after 40 years in the business. She imagines her late father, Tatay Gerry, telling her it’s about time to rest, but makes clear that she still loves singing and mentoring younger artists.

She’s proudest of inspiring other performers and grateful for the loyal support of her LGBTQ+ fans. She also reflects on career milestones, including winning the Asia Pacific singing contest, performing solo at Carnegie Hall at around 20, and representing the Philippines at the turn of the millennium.

Her Father’s Support

Regine recalls that Tatay Gerry was her first singing teacher and constant supporter. One of his unconventional training methods was asking her to sing in neck-deep water, which she later learned helped build her breath control. When she lost competitions, he focused on how she could improve rather than scolding her.

A particularly moving memory involves her first single. When few people knew her, he bought dozens of copies and handed them out to promote it. Regine says she would tell him, “We did it”—that all their effort had been worth it.

Love, Ambition, and Family

Regine’s humor and self-awareness shine through in stories about her younger self. She says she wanted to be rich more than famous because she hoped to support her family and escape poverty. She also admits she was extremely career-focused and had forgotten how to date, make friends, or simply live.

She describes Ogie as someone who brought color into her life, took her out to eat, and wasn’t intimidated by her success. Their relationship had a difficult beginning, but she says she wanted him more than anything.

Regine says she’s now a wife and mother first, while continuing her career. She speaks warmly of her son Nate, whom her father lived long enough to meet, and says she and Ogie tried for another child but felt they were too old.

Creative Plans and Reflections

Regine hopes to produce stories with Ogie. She invents plots in her head but struggles to write them because of dyslexia.

She also passed on the chance to train for Miss Saigon, saying she was young, not suited to theater, and that Lea Salonga was the right person for the role.

Resilience and Faith

The conversation closes on family, resilience, and faith. Regine says she has learned she’s stronger than she once realized, despite being a crier, and recites a blessing from Numbers that she prays for Nate and Ogie.

Personalities

• On-screen: Regine Velasquez, Karen Davila
• Discussed: Ogie Alcasid, Tatay Gerry, Lea Salonga, Gary Valenciano, Jose Mari Chan, and musical director Louie Ocampo