If only for the fact that pop diva Tootsie Guevara has more actual hit songs than most Filipina singers you can list down to compare her with, then we can already attest to the greatness of her legacy.
There are at least four songs she popularized, all certified classics: “Kaba,” “Pasulyap-sulyap,” “Mahal Ka Sa Akin,” and “Nang Dahil Sa Pag-ibig.”
Yes, Tootsie had been a hitmaker. Then she left the music business practically at the peak of her career – a move that should make her essentially even greater, especially since her commendable character played a key role as to why she did it.
“I’m proud of the hit songs and fame, but not what went behind that,” expressed the multi-platinum awardee whose major hits were written mostly by ace tunesmith Vehnee Saturno.
She was referring to the dark side of the industry, and she’d rather not name people because it is not her goal to expose certain individuals. It’s her reaction to some kind of situation that matters, like when she returned a movie script because there were scenes requiring her to go topless, or when she confronted a man that she couldn’t be simply the other woman he’s “gonna use in exchange of money.”
She said, “I was so traumatized and I told myself, is this the life that I want, surrounded by dirty old men, being offered with indecent proposals? Ayoko ng ganung buhay. I could say no and I was proud of my decision.”
Tootsie, a degree holder from St. Paul University, relocated to the United States in 2004. She became a realtor for a time before she jumped into the healthcare industry where she blossomed as a marketing manager and business development director.
It was significant that she finished college while embarking on a showbiz career that began at the age of nine when she won at a Yamaha singing competition, which led to a record deal with Vicor Records. In 1990, she became a member of That’s Entertainment, and six years later, she was signed by Star Records.
She said, in a tone of true grit that she came to develop in due time, “If I was materialistic, fame-hungry, or a gold digger, I could have easily accepted the offers. But I am a college graduate who came from a good family, and considering the lucrative offers, I don’t think I’m ugly.”
Tootsie’s father was an incorruptible government official who refused to drive a luxury car. Then in 2012, she married Italian-American Mike Monaco whom she proudly labels as the “confident, self-secured” man meant for a “driven, strong-willed woman” like her.
That immense drive helped her make another name for herself, her legal name Emma Monaco, to be exact. She has been inducted into the Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry for her “expert leadership at Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center and Huntington Beach Hospital.” Marquis has recognized accomplished individuals and innovators in America for the last 125 years.
Tootsie as Emma is currently the director of post acute strategy, marketing, and physician relations at the said healthcare facilities.
She noted, “I love my job in healthcare partly because I get to understand patients and listen to their stories, many of them with traumatizing experiences worse than what I had.”
With her “heart, mind, and soul aligned,” Tootsie is making some steps to announce her loud return to the music scene. She’ll have a solo concert on April 6 (7:00 p.m.) at the View Music Lounge in Knox Street, Torrance, California. It is dubbed A Night of Musical Bliss with the OPM Diva Tootsie Guevara, produced by Rubilou Productions LLC and directed by Jensen Carlo Quijano.
She said, “You can expect that I’m more bold and more confident, and I think I am a better singer now. I didn’t know that I could belt.”
Tootsie didn’t deserve those dirty proposals, while her fans deserve to see her back in the limelight partly serving as a good example of how one should not succumb to the temptation of a broken system.
She argued, “I’m not mad nor am I looking down on celebrities who chose a different path. I feel bad for them and I understand where they are coming from. Ang hirap talaga ng buhay na nasa Pinas. And it takes a special person to be able to say no when there’s almost no reason to say so.”
On that note, we need more Tootsie Guevaras in a world filled with whoever you have in mind. No need to name names. It’s Tootsie’s way to righteousness and self-development that matters.