Pinoy Rock Star Arnel Pineda smashes guitar at Hard Rock Cafe Manila

Hard Rock Café Manila celebrates its grand opening with Pinoy Rock Star Arnel Pineda ,The Bistro Group executives, guests and  media last April 30 at Hard Rock Cafe S'Maison, Conrad.

The last time I saw Arnel was 2 years ago from an advocacy event. He never changed a bit, physique wise, but this time he is rockin and wowed the crowd belting songs from Imagine Dragons and Queen. It was an epic night as guests sang and dance with him. I love that he opened up the show with Imagine Dragons's Demons. I was  hoping that he would do a number with Hard Rock Cafe resident band Ice Bucket during the opening. 

Word has it that Hard Rock Café Manila is fast becoming the destination of choice for fans of music, live entertainment, good food and a whole lotta fun since its return to the Philippines late last year.  The buzz became even louder when it held its grand opening party on at S’Maison, graced by a huge throng of guests.

Since 1971 when it was founded at a Rolls Royce dealership in London by two young Americans, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, the launch of every Hard Rock Café anywhere in the world is much-awaited.  Even more so now when famous rock stars and a slew of exhilarating activities accompany each opening gig.

The April 30 opening event at S’Maison was no different. It featured Pinoy rock star, Arnel Pineda as the guest performer with talented local band, Ice Bucket, providing additional hype and excitement.

Pineda joined Hard Rock International’s Anibal Fernandez, Vice-President of Franchise Operations and Steve Yang, Area Vice-President of Development and Operations for Asia Pacific and The Bistro Group’s William Stelton, Chairman and CEO; and Jean Paul Manuud, President and COO at the symbolic guitar smash, the traditional way to open Hard Rock Cafés worldwide.

The Journey of Arnel Pineda- Back to Hard Rock Café

“I was enamored with music at a very young age. Everything started with kundiman, then evolved to Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, and eventually classic rock music,” Pineda recalled. In 1982, Pineda started as the lead singer of his very first band Ijos performing regularly in Taft; he was only 15 then. 

Four years later, some members of Ijos formed another group and called themselves Amo, a band that has conquered Rock Wars and band explosion competitions. When they disbanded, another band called New Age, was formed.  They played at Grammy’s in Hongkong but Pineda returned to the Philippines because of an illness that endangered his voice. Six months later, he was back in Hong Kong performing once again with New Age. Pineda was then recording his self-titled solo album with slow ballads and upbeat Latin music combined, several of which were written and composed by Pineda himself.

“By that time, I had also formed another band called 9mm which started playing at Hard Rock Café Makati,” Pineda recounted. “Our slot was on a Sunday and people didn’t usually go out on that day, so that was a challenge.” He sang  tracks by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, U2, Deep Purple, White Snakes, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams among others. Soon, even when scheduled during off-peak days, their band started drawing in  crowds  at Hard Rock Café Makati.

He also had another band, the Zoo with videos surfacing on youtube showing Pineda doing impressive covers of Journey, Survivor, Aerosmith, Air Supply, Eagles and more. This prompted Jouney’s Neal Schon to ask him to audition. On December 5, 2007, Pineda was officially announced as Journey’s new lead singer. And the rest is rock music history.

“To be playing at Hard Rock Cafe Manila again brings back a lot of memories and for me, it feels like a second homecoming,” Pineda said.

“I’m excited! This is one of the few places where I can be myself and lose myself in my music—and people love me for it. It’s like a happy ‘full circle’ for me,” he said.

The journey of Arnel Pineda is definitely not over yet but at Hard Rock Cafe Manila, he is home.

Hard Rock Café Manila is at the 2nd Level of S Maison at Conrad Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. Contact us at +639162524119 or (02) 9909809 and follow us on our social media accounts and be up-to-date with the latest: (Facebook – Hard Rock Café Manila; Instagram - @hardrockcafemanila.

Hard Rock celebrates the grand opening with Journey's Lead Vocalist Arnel Pineda

Hard Rock is celebrating the grand opening of its Cafe in Manila by bringing the brand’s one-of-kind blend of music, entertainment, iconic merchandise and authentic, American fare to the region! The 223-square-foot, state-of-the-art cafe is hosting its grand opening party on Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. with a smash – a guitar smash.

The event will be a rock star affair with Arnel Pineda, Journey’s lead vocalist, joining Anibal Fernandez, vice president of franchise operations and development for Hard Rock International, Steve Yang, area vice president of development and operations for Asia Pacific at Hard Rock International and John Paul Manuud, The Bistro Group’s chief operating officer to set the stage for this epic celebration.

“We are excited to reopen our doors in Manila with a bang by hosting a guitar smashing event,” said Anibal Fernandez, vice president of franchise operations & development for Hard Rock International. “Hard Rock Cafe Manila will provide a best-in-class entertainment and dining experience for guests, which fans will be able to experience firsthand at our grand opening event.” 

The party will be kicked off by a motorcade steered by the Harley Davidson Group Manila. After Pineda’s performance, The Ice Bucket Band, a weekly mainstay at Hard Rock Cafe Manila, will take center stage with their outstanding renditions of songs by Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Styx and many more of the greatest rock idols of all time.

Guests of Hard Rock Cafe Manila can enjoy fresh, high-quality items from Hard Rock’s menu, including a selection of fan-favorite Legendary Burgers™, each featuring unique toppings, savory sauces and rich, melted cheeses. Hard Rock’s Smokehouse offerings utilize the very best Hickory wood chips to slowly cook its ribs, chicken and pork to juicy, tender perfection. In addition to its food, Hard Rock Cafe’s extensive, award-winning drinks menu includes Hurricanes, Margaritas, signature favorites and Alternative Rock (alcohol-free) beverages, all available in Hard Rock’s souvenir, collectible glassware.

The Manila Cafe’s Rock Shop® offers music-inspired items, as well as collectible Hard Rock Cafe merchandise. Fans can acquire exclusive Manila-specific merchandise and much-coveted signature pins at this retail location.

Since it was established in 1971, Hard Rock has been committed to a wide variety of philanthropic causes and activities around the world. In every Hard Rock city, the staff makes it a priority to become a valuable community partner and Hard Rock Cafe Manila looks forward to continuing this tradition.

For those looking to join the party, limited seats for the public will be available on a first-come first-serve basis at Hard Rock Cafe Manila. To purchase Hard Rock Cafe merchandise, visit the online Rock Shop at www.shop.hardrock.com. For additional information on the Hard Rock Cafe brand, please visit www.hardrockcafe.com.

GSK launches the Search for Winners Against Asthma 2015

GSK recently launched The Search for Winners Against Asthma last February 5, 2015 at Makati Shangri-la. The event was hosted by Samantha Purvor with Guest Ambassador Ms. Kim Chiu and doctor panelists from GSK led by Dr. Nep Ordonez, Dr. Carmela Kasala, Dr. Badette Arcilla and Dr. Ma. Bella Siasoco.

Kim Chiu with Dr. Nep Ordonez and Dr. Carmela Kasala

Do you know someone who have asthma, and what triggers the disease? Asthma has been associated with shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing because of some allergies to pollen, dust, perfume or your pets. The key is to breath normally, moves around and work freely.  If you know someone who suffers from the disease and yet lives a normal life, then its time to vote for them online.


Its anyone you know, your parents, siblings, friends, classmates or neighbors. If they are winning against asthma and accomplished in their respective fields. Its time for them to be recognized.


 The Search for Winners Against Asthma 2015 campaign aims to choose and recognize 10 young asthmatic achievers from different walks of life.

The advocacy likewise introduces Olympic figure skater Michael Christian Martinez as the new face of the campaign. Martinez, an asthmatic, began experiencing asthmatic bronchitis when he was just two months old.


He recalls being in the hospital frequently and says the cold rink actually helped improve his health. “Year after year my health keeps improving, so my mother fully supported me to continue skating saying it's better to spend the money on skating than in the hospital.”

The program is a nationwide search for young asthmatic achievers aged 30 years and younger who are outstanding in their respective fields despite having asthma and inspire asthma sufferers that they, too, can win against asthma.


The rationale for the target age group is driven by the fact that asthma is one of the most important chronic disease during childhood causing substantial morbidity 1.  Uncontrolled asthma is associated with a reduced lung function, impaired performance in physical exercise, and impaired quality of
life.  More severe asthma leads to more frequent school absenteeism which may negatively affect
an individual’s level of education and, possibly, choice of career.  People within this age group are in the process of developing the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to achieve
their goals in life and asthma should not deter them from realizing their full potential. Thus it is
necessary at this early stage to raise their awareness on asthma and how they can win against it.

The Search for Winners Against Asthma will run from February until May 2015 and will be touring different schools and drugstore outlets to spread the advocacy and invite more people to join the campaign.

The deadline for submission of entries is on March 31, 2015.  All entries will be screened during the first week of April. As we celebrate World Asthma Day on May 5, the top 20 finalists will be announced and will be immediately followed by online voting.  The top 10 Winners Against Asthma will be announced and awarded by the 3rd week of May 2015.

This advocacy campaign is supported by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP), Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP), Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (PSAAI), Huawei and Folded & Hung.


To prove that the disease should not be a deterrent from living one’s life to the fullest, real asthma patients were invited to provide testimonies of their experiences and how won against the illness. Celebrity asthmatics, Kim Chiu and Arnel Pineda became the featured ambassadors for the first wave of the campaign. Joining the 2015 campaign is Michael Christian Martinez, the Olympic figure skater.

For more information please visit http://www.facebook.com/winagainstasthma