By JT Nisay
CHATTER and clinking cutlery rang about at The Café in Hyatt Hotel, City of Dreams Manila, on that slow Wednesday afternoon.
On the far end of the restaurant, the hubbub was dissipated by a soothing voice—a singing that was like a sunlight piercing through clouds. The sun behind the shine was young singer-songwriter Chadleen Lacdo-o, who was crooning a few lines of Rivermaya’s “Himala” in preparation for the media launch of her debut album Sana Ikaw Na Nga, under 12 Stone Records.
“Kuya, pakitaas pa po ’yung volume,” Chad politely requested to a technical-crew member as she made sure everything was on-point on her big day, which just happened to precede her 21st birthday.
Clad in a white off-shoulder dress, the Cebu native was completely in her element: cross-legged on a stool, guitar on hand and family in sight. Her posture was strong and confident, refined by the rich experience she has already accumulated this early in her career, while her childish smile and aura revealed her age and grounded personality.
But long before her first shot at fame as the champion of a nationwide singing competition; before she performed around the globe in front of various crowds, including US legislators; and before she shared the stage with renowned artists from Martin Nievera to David Pomeranz, Chad could only hope to find herself in the position that she now occupies.
Tagged as the “Miracle Artist,” the rising singer was born with a cleft palate.
According to the her father, Roberto, who was at the launch to support his daughter as always, Chad showed at an early age that singing was her passion.
“Bata pa lang siya, mahilig na siya kumanta,” said Roberto, who calls his daughter “Ling,” a play on the Cebuano word “laling,” which means a little child who needs help. “Kahit may kapansanan siya, kahit di maintindihan ’yung pagkanta niya, kumakanta pa rin. Talagang hilig niya.” The elder Lacdo-o said they had first sent Chad under the knife to repair the defect when she was 1 year and 8 months old, but the surgery, despite costing a hefty amount, was unsuccessful. Just four days after the operation, which was conducted by a private doctor, the stitching opened up.
Chad carried the condition into school and was subjected to heavy bullying by her classmates. “’Pag kumakanta ko sa mga tito at tita ko, normal lang, ina-accept nila ako, but then nung kumanta ako in front of my classmates, dun ko na-feel na, ‘Oh, okay, I’m different,’” she said. “Hindi pala ako normal.”
She added, “Nawalan ako ng confidence and na-experience ko ’yung walang kaibigan talaga and kinailangan pa ng kasama sa bahay namin na magbigay ng cupcakes sa mga bata para makipagkaibgan sa ‘kin.”
Some years later, Roberto said they came across Operation Smile, an international medical charity dedicated to extending access to exemplary and surgical care for children with facial deformities for free. According to the web site of the organization, which is present in 80 countries with 5,000 volunteers and has operated on almost 30,000 patients in the Philippines, it is estimated that worldwide, a child is born every three minutes with a cleft, or a gap in the mouth that didn’t close during the early stages of pregnancy.
A friend tipped Roberto that the organization was going to conduct a mission in Cebu and, without hesitation, they quickly seized the opportunity. Chad was 4 years old then.
Roberto said they almost left the line because of the long queue but ultimately stayed on, finally giving Chad a successful operation.
After the operation, Operation Smile conducts follow-up checkups to every patient to ensure optimal recovery. The organization employs speech therapy but, according to Roberto, it was singing that helped Chad’s treatment.
“I can say that everything happens for a reason,” Chad said in retrospect. “I have a purpose why I’m here, and that is to inspire people with disabilities, to not lose hope.” In a video message played at the album launch, Operation Smile CEO Dr. Bill Magee Jr. expressed his full support to Chad’s career. “You have the ability to communicate,” said Magee, who founded the organization in 1982 as a plastic surgeon while on a volunteer mission in the country to repair children’s cleft lips and cleft palates.
“You have the ability to communicate to the whole world through music, and how you can change people’s lives with [your] story.”
His wife, Kathleen Magee, added, “Now it’s your time, this is your dream. Take it to the world. Change the world. Your heart is there.”
Now Chad’s singing and inspiring story have brought her to places and have given her the opportunity to sing alongside renowned singers. Crediting Adele, Sarah Geronimo and Leah Salonga as her musical influencers, she added that as an ambassador of Operation Smile, a part of the proceeds from the sales of her album is going to the organization.
In 2013 Chad joined TV5’s Kanta Pilipinas and sang Rivermaya’s “Himala” in the championships that proved to be her winning piece. She said that Rico Blanco, who was a former member of the band and the host of the show, thanked her for a heartfelt rendition, saying, “Chad, you took that song to a place na ’di ko pa naririnig kahit sa panaginip ko.”
“It’s really overwhelming,” she said about this phase in her journey through life. “From a simple lady na may disability before na ngayon nagkakaroon ako ng opportunities in my career, with an album…it feels surreal.”