General Admission
Mitoy and Osang
By Al S. Mendoza
MITOY Yonting of San Carlos City has gained instant fame for winning national singing honors under the mentorship of world celebrity Lea Salonga.
Before his victory that earned him a fortune beyond his wildest imagination, Mitoy was a “mere” vocalist of a band quaintly named, “The Draybers.”
He’s had trials and tribulations, bringing him to stints abroad to eke out a living singing in clubs in Tokyo and other Asian cities.
I saw Lea Salonga one time at the MOA Arena in Pasay City and, in a brief chat, she said to me, “What I like best in Mitoy is his being a very humble person. Despite his tremendous singing talent, Mitoy’s humility stands out.”
Mitoy came to my life through Danny “Sir John” Isla, who discovered Mitoy at Resorts World where Mitoy and his “Draybers” perform weekly.
“Mitoy and his band mates are so good that is why even if they are booked on a Monday, supposedly a ‘lean day,’ their gig at Resorts World is always standing room only,” Danny tells me.
When I first heard Mitoy sing after Danny had invited his band to a Toyota event, I was awestruck.
Not only is Mitoy good. He is also versatile. His pitch is so high it could rival, if not surpass, that of Journey’s Arnel Pineda.
With his Mt. Everest-high range of voice, Mitoy does every Freddie Mercury ditty peanuts.
Yet, in spite of his enormous talent—plus the fame he now enjoys—Mitoy has remained low-key, humble to the max.
And now comes Rose “Osang” Fostanes, the X-Factor winner this week in Israel.
Like Mitoy, Osang also struggled all her life.
Now 47 years old, Osang, a caregiver in Israel, has found success beyond her belief.
Almost every minute of her free time at Brgy Calsada in Taguig City before flying to Israel, Osang sang at karaokes, not even hoping that someday she’d gain singing success.
But fate has a way with us, mere mortals.
Pitted against 88 hopefuls, Osang incredibly passed crucial hurdles and blasted her way to the finals, dishing out the immortal “My Way” in her final act to win convincingly.
Even her entire family in Taguig couldn’t believe it when Osang clinched the champion’s trophy, which went it the proverbial fame and fortune that can happen, can be dreamed of, only in one’s wildest imaginations.
One thing I like in Osang is her being a straightforward, no-secret style of living.
Following her victory, Osang told the world she is gay and even acknowledged the inspiration given her “by my partner of 30 years now.”
Osang, like Mitoy, is from the people, of the people, by the people.
It is from the simplest of folk that, most of the time, we can see honesty, truth and sincerity in their shiniest—even when fate had smiled on them kindly, very kindly.
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