Watch full length episodes of your favorite 60s, 70s, and 80s cartoons and tv shows. Upon the discovery of shabu in four magnetic lifters in Cavite, Duterte commanded the dismissal of BOC executives in his speech during the anniversary of… So while his friends were dedicating to … “I found myself wondering whether I would’ve [taken] the same path they had, which of course only led me to dig deeper into the reasons they took the paths they did. Your Journal. He knew even fewer details about the historical forces that led to their family’s migration. Get a dose of real nostalgia with Nostalgia Manila! Later that year, Anita Badejo, a producer at Pop-Up and a former colleague, reached out to ask if Samaha had any stories he wanted to pitch for their show. Los Angeles County expands COVID vaccine access — but biggest challenge is supply, Twilight Glory: Honoring Heroes And Veterans, Teaching kids a deeper appreciation of their heritage, QUIAPO: Blood, sweat, hope, and Rodallie S. Rosende’s story. All Rights Reserved. As someone who is into investigative journalism, Samaha did more research after that. "[citation needed] There was also speculation that the acronym stood for "Vicor Super Team" — implying supremacy in the roster of Vicor Music Corporation. Samaha currently works as an investigative reporter at BuzzFeed, something he calls his dream job, one that he is in because he was able to catch some lucky breaks early on in his career. The all-male group's monicker, "V.S.T", is said to represent the names of three lead vocalists, "Val, Spanky and Tito." Update this biography » VST is also being used by Tito Sotto, which means "Vicente Sotto the Third." . He then realized that the biggest challenges ended up being more about how to do their stories justice — what lessons, insights, and conclusions to draw, how their experiences fit into the arc of history. His mom grew up in Manila, though her parents are from northern Mindanao. When Spanky Rigor, a member of the legendary VST & Company and producer of the Bagets movie soundtrack first let me hear this beautiful, bittersweet song composed by Odette Quesada I fell in love with it right away.As it turned out, Odette had written Farewell during high school and wanted to record it herself. It wasn’t until Samaha was in his 20s, when he mentioned his uncle to a Filipino friend, fellow writer Matt Ortile, who used to be his colleague at BuzzFeed. The  “S” in VST actually stands for his name Spanky, while the “V” and “T” stand for the other lead singers of the group: Val and Tito. Amb. Samaha learned some of the biggest life lessons from his uncle, and for that he is grateful. “It was like going to La La Land. His mother had immigrated alone to the States in 1978, and his whole family followed one by one. Life was all glitter and glamor for Rigor, who only realized he was famous when he encountered a busload of students screaming at him while he was waiting for his taxi driver to finish repairs on the roadside. Sometimes, people would recognize him and would ask for a selfie. Filipino group VST & Co to relive golden days of disco in Abu Dhabi Taking centre stage at the event – which is part gig, part live karaoke – will be Spanky Rigor and Roger Rigor, two brothers remembered as founding members of one of the era’s biggest bands, VST & Co. “Over the Bridge,” which I think might end up as a chapter title. Spanky Rigor, co-founder of VST & Co., now lives a simple life in US as baggage handler (Main photo credit: Pop-Up Magazine) Former actor and founding member of the popular band VST & Co. Spanky Rigor … “You always hope at the outset that a story can have an impact, but it so rarely happens, so you never expect it. There were three Rigors in VST, namely, Spanky, Roger, and Male. Come dressed to be a star. Apl.de.Ap, real name Allan Pineda Lindo of Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, rocked San Francisco's Union Square last Saturday, June 15, 2013, as he headlined the Philippine Independence Day celebration of the city. Snaffu Rigor would have celebrated his 70th birthday last Aug. 8. [OPINION] The daunting task of uniting the ‘divided states of America’ is upon us: Are we brave enough to see, be the light? Samaha is now working on his next book “Concepcion,” the bigger project he anticipated when he decided to focus on his family’s decision to migrate to the U.S. “Sometimes they would tell me ‘What the hell were you thinking about?’ You practically had it made here,” said Rigor. It entertained Filipinos from 1980 to 1989. That part took a lot of reading and thinking. Spanky Rigor used to live the life of a rockstar. History [edit | edit source]. Listen to music from Tito Sotto III & Spanky Rigor / Joey De Leon like Ikaw Ang Aking Mahal. “I never thought to dig into that past— which now feels a bit shameful.”, His elders would take about it and make passing references to Spanky’s time in the band, but as a kid, Samaha assumed “they were hyping it up the way my mom hyped up my report cards or science project.”. But now, he lives a simple life as a baggage handler at the San Francisco International Airport. But in 1988, he surprised the whole nation and even his bandmates when he decided to leave that life behind. “He taught me the power optimism and warmth can have on others. Copyright © 1991-2021 Asian Journal Media Group. It was going to another dimension, another world. “The whole bus started screaming and I was just looking. He played in his first two years of college, then quit to focus on journalism, something that he enjoys doing to this day. used to live the life of a rockstar. Before I knew anything about his rockstar days, I’d admired him as an eternally joyous and steady presence, a champion of the underdog, always first to put an arm around anyone who seemed down,” he shared. “It’s the story I know best, and though it’s only one thread in the tapestry of the immigrant or American experience, the more threads we can record, study, and reflect on, the more understanding we’ll have of why the world works the way it does,” he quipped. “He has always struck me as a person at peace, and his enthusiasm for the granular moments of life made a big impression on me growing up.”, As he looked back at the past, Samaha thinks that one of the reasons he underestimated his uncle’s celebrity status is that” he always seemed to live in the present: he eats slowly, listens closely, and sees the best in people.”. More from EsquireMag.ph DISCO MANILA LIVE BAND KARAOKE. How to take part: Step 1. What happened to the group? Sometime in late 2016, Samaha began to become really curious about his family’s history in the US and was asking all these questions. Television’s Outrageously Delightful All-Star Show. The Best of 60s, 70s, and 80s Nostalgia. When several new shows started copying its format, T.O.D.A.S. Rigor spent his VST days attending red carpet events, guesting at celebrity basketball tournaments, and greeting screaming fans whenever they recognized him. By the time she got there, he knew it was only a matter of time before he followed. — His dad is from Beirut and currently lives there. No surprise since VST & Company in their heyday pioneered ’70s disco sound was often referred to as the “BeeGees of the Philippines.”. From why they came here to what they left behind, and how his elders feel about all that now. Concepcion is his mom’s family name, and it’s the name that links the main characters in the story: from his grandparents and uncles, aunties to his cousins. Biden’s first directives. All Rights Reserved. The Filipino-American Community Newspaper. “I graduated college at a time when newspapers were shutting down and magazines were shrinking, so the precarity of working in journalism is always in the front of my mind.”. Find link is a tool written by Edward Betts.. searching for Waks 174 found (177 total) alternate case: waks WAKS-HD2 (1,083 words) case mismatch in snippet view article find links to article WAKS-HD2 (96.5-2 FM) – branded Real 106.1 – is a digital subchannel of Cleveland market radio station WAKS (96.5 FM). His 2015 story that led to the police chief getting terminated investigated a narcotics unit in Mississippi that targeted college-age students for minor possession, then pressured them to serve as confidential informants. They were just talking about Philippines stuff and family stuff when it came up. When it does happen, it feels good, obviously, but also like a relief, because it can be disheartening to devote weeks to revealing a problem that doesn’t get fixed,” he shared. It looks like we don't have any Biography for Spanky Rigor yet. He considers sports as his gateway into writing. I don’t think that’ll ever change, but you have to tell the stories when you can, which means deadlines and final drafts,” he explained. There were rumors that acronym stood for "Vicor Super Team" – implying supremacy as a roster of Vicor Music Corporation. Spanky Rigor left his rockstar life for a simpler life in America. “I go like ‘what are they screaming about?’ And then they were looking at me and I just waved. “That the name also alludes to birth and origins made it feel fitting for the story of people starting fresh in a new place,” he said. Your News. Beautiful.’ I couldn't see the dregs of life. His mom was a flight attendant, his dad a passenger. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, October 25 fired all commissioners and department heads of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) amid controversy that P6.8 billion worth of shabu was uncovered. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Biography submission guide. He tended to avoid writing anything about himself because there is so much else to write about. The 461 boys have been together for many years, as with the Paco boys...the 461 boys were Spanky (Rigor), Male (Rigor), Monet (Gaskell), Celso (Llarina), Jun (Medina) and myself...Val (Sotto) was the lone Paco boy until Vic (Sotto) joined us in the latter part. But the older he got, and the more stories he heard from his elders, and the more he researched, the more he got drawn to the idea of reporting on his family’s experience. His wife left for the U.S. in 1981 in what was supposed to be a temporary setup to support his mother. 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