NEWSFLASH

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GENEVA'S BRUNEI CONNECTION

Manila, April 28, 1998 - The Manila Times confirmed in its Showtime page Sunday that Geneva Cruz is considered a favorite concert artist by Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

According to the Times story, Geneva had made the best impression on the Sultan among the many Filipino entertainers who had gone to Brunei, and that" she turned her back on a gold mine" when she married musician Paco Arrespacochaga three years ago.

The Sultan, writes the Times, sponsored Geneva's vocal studies in London, and produced a major concert by Geneva for the citizens of Brunei. She was sent to London to choose her concert wardrobe of several designer gowns. And when concert time came, the Times said, her front act was no less than Regine Velasquez.

Quoting a source, the Manila Times revealed that Geneva recently called up the sultan's aide to inquire if she could be invited to perform in Brunei again, and she was immediately asked to come. She was even able to bring along her sister Aubrey and another sister.

The three Cruz ladies, according to the source, flew to Brunei before Holy Week and returned to Manila a few days later.

The Times added that Geneva's latest Brunei engagement had the full blessings of her husband, but was not known to her manager, Plinky Recto, described by the Times as "no stranger to sending talents to Brunei."