Myra Manibog takes advantage of her ‘bold star’ past to help her kids’ band
Myra Manibog, who once appeared in movies with titillating titles like “Silip,” “Bomba Queen” and “Isang Kumot, Tatlong Unan,” did not encourage her kids to join showbiz.
But as soon as she found out that they had musical skills and were confident enough to join the fray as one unit, she readily pushed them onto center stage—and happily allowed them to mention her former life as a “bold star” if it will help them get noticed.
“I’m allowing them to take advantage of my past para mas mabilis silang makilala,” the former sexy star told Yahoo Philippines in an interview during the recent launch of her kids’ debut album which she produced.
The band is called A.K.A which is the acronym of her kids’ first names: Alekzandra Nicolle (vocals), Kevin (bass), and Aiki (lead guitar). The fourth member, drummer Roqs Quinto, is an employee of the call center company where Myra works as an executive.
The past won’t change
Yes, one of the more notable names during the reign of sexy stars in the 80s is now a corporate executive and an entrepreneur helming her own Myra Manibog Productions.
Perhaps the key to the reformation of the now-widowed Myra is her acceptance that the past won’t change.
She shared, “I’m not uncomfortable with my past. Ginawa ko yon eh. There were choices I made which were wrong. But hopefully people can look beyond those mistakes and see me for what I have become.”
Hard life
Myra’s life is the stuff of poverty porn movies.
Born Geraldine Zervoulakos, she was abandoned by her father on the day she was born and only met him once during a chance encounter at a party.
In a 2006 first-person article in the Christian magazine Kerygma, she wrote about how she was repeatedly molested by her stepfather.
Supportive mom
Dirt poor, she dropped out of school at age 11 to work as a commercial print model, before she joined the movies and did a slew of sexy movies. Later, she and her husband became shabu addicts, purportedly so she could lose weight after she had gotten fat.
She was able to turn her life around after she surrendered it to the Lord, she had said then.
Today, she says, “Naranasan ko gawin ang mga bagay na di ko gusto. Kaya even if I’m not urging my kids to join showbiz, the fact they want to do music is reason enough for me to support them.”
17-year-old songwriter
The self-titled album contains 10 ten original songs, with music and lyrics by 17-year old lead singer Alekzandra.
Nolit Abanilla, head of IndiePinoy group, orchestrated the recordings, while Njel De Mesa directed a music video for the single “Oras.”
Myra is hopeful the band’s attachment to her name will be proved beneficial.
Bold stars were better off then?
“I hope makatulong at di makasira. My dream is one day I’d be recognized as the mom of A.K.A, instead of A.K.A being composed of the kids of Myra Manibog,” she said.
When asked if she plans to go back to showbiz, she mused, “Iba na ang panahon ngayon. Nung araw kahit sa bar ka nagtratrabaho, nililigawan ka pa. Ngayon nasa mall ka naman, babastusin ka pa.”
Manibog concluded, “Mas mahiyain din ang mga lalaki noon, kaya I think we (bold starts of the past) had a better time then.”
