Press Release
April 30, 2009

Gordon commends Pineda for personifying the success
of the Global Filipino

Taking pride on the talents and achievements of Filipinos here and abroad, Independent Senator Richard Gordon today commended Arnel Pineda, the Filipino lead singer of an American rock band Journey, for exemplifying the international success of the Filipino.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate tourism committee, filed Senate Resolution 1039 which commends Pineda's achievements and exhorts his talents that inspired national pride and personified the success of the Global Filipino.

"Arnel Pineda is an inspiration to many Filipinos, a man who triumphed not only in singing competitions, but against hardship and adversity, through hardwork and with full faith in his talents and capabilities," he said.

Pineda rose from obscurity to international fame by believing in himself and his talent. When his mother passed away when he was 12 years old, his family became heavily indebted and led him to the streets to fend for himself for years.

He had to quit school and help his father by collecting glass bottles, newspapers, and scrap metal and selling them to recyclers, even as he took on odd jobs, like cleaning scrap metal and docked ships.

The hard and trying times pushed Pineda to pursue his dream so that, at the age of 40, after singing with different bands in the Philippines and Hong Kong, he was discovered by the lead guitarist, Neal Schon, of Journey.

Journey's first album produced with Pineda as the lead singer, "Revelation", debuted at No. 5 in the Billboard Top 200 album charts in the week following its release and achieved platinum status by October 1, 2008.

"Arnel is a good example of how Filipinos should face challenges in life. He used his talent and strived hard to achieve his dream. He has become a renowned singer and has brought pride and honor for our nation," Gordon said.

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