o para sa mga lovers dyan!

Kissers of the Philippines, unite!

By Vanessa Doctor
Inquirer News Service

CURRENT record holder Chile was able to gather 4,445 couples to kiss simultaneously in 2003. This year, the Philippines will try to break that record through Close-Up's Lovapalooza (from the '90s international all-nighter music extravaganza Lollapalooza) with an estimated 5,000 couples.

The entire stretch of Roxas Boulevard, from the Manila Yacht Club to T.M. Kalaw, will be closed on the eve of Valentine's Day to make way for thousands of couples celebrating the magic of love. The country's top musical performers will serenade couples and guests in three stages. Couples (and singles!) can choose which type of music they want to be entertained with.

The main stage will feature the 30-piece Manila Philharmonic Orchestra with pop and R&B belters Arnee, Jay-R, Sarah Geronimo, the Kundirana with Paolo Santos, Malik, Restrospect, 7th Soul, Freestyle and many others.

The acoustic stage will have performances by Paolo Santos, Wency Cornejo, Noel Cabangon, Cookie Chua, U-Turn, Trio and Hourglass.

Meanwhile, the partying lot can strut over to the House stage featuring DJ Manolet Dario, NBK DJs, Fritz Barth and the Ateneo Dance Club.

Those who are not into the concert mode may try the love booths and rides. People can still get their groove with cheese (okay, romance) through a plethora of activities such as parlor games, kissing booths, Valentine doctor booths, fortune-telling stations, marriage booths and all kinds of lovey-dovey goings-on. And believe it or not, there will even be a brushing booth!

At exactly 12 midnight, everything will come to a complete standstill as all couples (hetero***ual and otherwise) will be enjoined to lock themselves together in a 10-second kiss to beat the Chilean record.

The kissing spree will be initiated by celebrities Ala Paredes and Luis Manzano (who, for the record, are a working couple), Kim and Felicia Atienza, models Mike Carreon and Bianca Valerio, ABS-CBN Publishing's Apa Ongpin and wife Ada Rapadas (they just got married on January 17) and singing duo Jay-R and Arnee.

The record-breaking kisses will be preceded by a fabulous laser lights show and followed by a spectacular fireworks display. All these will be broadcast live via satellite over ABS-CBN channels and radio stations all over the country.

Admission to Close-Up Lovapalooza Kiss for the Record is free. All you need to do is register online at www.closeupplanet.com or simply show up at the event itself with Close-Up proofs of purchase.

So if you're a bit shy about kissing in public, this is definitely your night to break free. You'll be alongside thousands of other couples doing exactly the same thing, and it being on Valentine's Day makes it a legitimate excuse.

After all, inhibitions within will eventually disappear once your lips lock with that one person whose heart beats the same way as yours. And when that happens, I tell you, everything else will just be background noise. See you on February 13!