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Cuneta spoke affectionately of Velasquez through a post on her social media pages, where she described in detail her co-performer’s gestures and how their relationship has evolved.
Cuneta and Velasquez, who first staged their “Iconic” joint concert at the Araneta Coliseum in 2019, kicked off their North America tour in July.
Sharing photos of her performing with Velasquez, Cuneta said, “Not since Zsa Zsa [Padilla] in 1984 and Juday (Judy Ann Santos) in 2002 have I ‘fallen this much in love’ with a co-performer/co-actor — until this woman, Regine.”
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Velasquez, 52, has long identified Cuneta, 56, as her music idol growing up and once described their concert collaboration as a dream come true. Now, they have terms of endearment for each other; Cuneta is “Ate” to Velasquez, while Velasquez is “Baby Nana” to Cuneta, according to the latter.
“Regine takes such good care of me. I haven’t felt this loved by a friend & co-performer in such a long, long time. She always goes out of her way for me,” Cuneta wrote on Wednesday.
Cuneta narrated how Velasquez would make sure she drinks her maintenance medicine on time, and how the “Pangako” hitmaker once handed her her drink during one of their performances.
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She also now considers Velasquez as her “singing teacher,” explaining, “She’s taught me a few tricks which I had never used before to be able to hit some of my high notes and better!”
“She is just so perfect & so much fun to be with,” Cuneta wrote. "I can tell Regine anything because I’ve learned that I can trust her completely (plus -may amnesia pa sya. Malilimutin hahahaha!). What a blessing it is to have had the chance to get to know this woman. What a bigger blessing it is to be able to call her my friend -& it is so rare in showbiz to find a true friend.”
“We always have our arms hooked when we’re together, or we’re holding hands.I love hugging her & kissing her cheeks! I just thank God that I have found someone so pure, generous as a co-performer & of spirit, humble, trustworthy, honest, real,” she added.
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Aside from Velasquez, Cuneta has also formed close relationships with the songbird’s siblings, including her manager Cacai Mitra.
Likewise, Cuneta’s husband, former senator Kiko Pangilinan, appears to have a bond with Velasquez. Pangilinan was among those who commented on Cuneta’s post, telling Velasquez, “We love you Nana! Thank you for ‘take caring’ (as Kakie would say it when she was 3) of the heart of our family.”
“Salamat for being there for Sharon. Truly appreciate this as we are all praying daily for her and for you and the success of your US tour!”
