It\u2019s not as if rock music icon Ely Buendia does not have acting credits to his name. He appeared in Tony Reyes\u2019\u00a0Run Barbi Run\u00a0as early as 1995 with other members of the then fast-rising band Eraserheads.<\/p>\n
He had roles (as himself) in Quark Henares\u2019\u00a0Rakenrol, and as Rex in Wincy Ong\u2019s horror flick\u00a0San Lazaro, both in 2011; and as Pepe Smith\u2019s son in\u00a0Singing in Graveyards\u00a0in 2016. He appeared in two of Lav Diaz\u2019s films: as a musician and poet in\u00a0Hiwagang Hapis\u00a0in 2016, and as Django in\u00a0Ang Hupa\u00a0in 2019.<\/p>\n
However, it is the first time where he plays a lead role \u2014 as Doring in this year\u2019s Cinemalaya full-length film entry\u00a0Padamlagan, directed by Ateneo de Naga University faculty member Jenn Romano.<\/p>\n
Period film set in 1972<\/strong><\/h5>\nIt was not an easy film to make. It is a period film, and is about a father\u2019s desperate search for his son soon after the collapse of the Colgante Bridge in Naga City five days prior to the declaration of Martial Law, when Elean \u2014 whom we know as Ely of the Eraserheads \u2014 was but two years old.<\/p>\n
It is, according to Jenn, also about a \u201ccommunity searching for its past.\u201d That\u2019s why the film has such a visual treatment, and has fictional and archival layers, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 33 years old. I had not been born yet when Colgante Bridge collapsed,\u201d Jenn said in Filipino. Interestingly, she noted, hardly any stories about it have trickled down to her generation. And she only found out about it while doing archival research for her graduate studies in film at UP Diliman.<\/p>\n
But Jenn felt the need to keep remembering, and commemorating history, particularly regional or local history, and to untiringly seek the truth.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/11\/PIC_PADAMLAGAN_ELY_BEFORE-SHOOTING-A-SCENE.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024\")
Ely Buendia behind the scene of Padamlagan. Photo from Cinemalaya<\/p>\n
All-Bicolano cast<\/strong><\/h5>\nJenn wanted an all-Bicolano cast.<\/p>\n
Although Ely left Naga in 1977, he is\u00a0\u201cpurong\u201c\u00a0(pure) Bicolano. He was born Ely Eleandre to Bicolano parents Eli Buendia and Lisette Basino (from Caramoan), and was raised in Naga. He lived in the city until he was seven years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaga was a huge part of my childhood,\u201d he shared with\u00a0Rappler. \u201cI remember a lot: the fiestas, the family gatherings, the buildings, and of course, the people and the overall very religious atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt a lot closer to my Bicolano heritage,\u201d Ely said, but hastened to add, \u201cWhich isn\u2019t to say this was a story purely for Bicolanos. Although circumstances of the loss of a loved one might differ, there are universal emotions that I drew from, based on what I experienced personally. I wouldn\u2019t say it was easy, but it was cathartic.\u201d<\/p>\n
People who worked with Ely in this project were all praises for him. Prior to the Cinemalaya awards night, Ely\u2019s acting coach, Manila-based Mindanaoan filmmaker Ryanne Murcia was rooting for a Best Actor award for Ely.<\/p>\n
Coaching Ely Buendia<\/strong><\/h5>\n\u201cEvery acting workshop I conduct is tailor fit to the actor I work with,\u201d Ryanne stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEly is a performer and thus understands performance and the artistry that comes with it. However, it is his first time to play a lead role in a feature film, so the workshop entailed screen acting techniques that equipped him for the camera,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The focus of the workshop, she said, \u201cwas active empathy, the overarching principle of the workshop where we revisit not memories, but emotions brought to us by human experience. In an environment that encourages honesty, we journey through the different layers of emotions, to discover and rediscover one\u2019s truth and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/11\/ELY-BUENDIA-PADAMLAGAN-CINEMALAYA.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024\")
Music icon Ely Buendia takes on his first lead role. Photo from Cinemalaya <\/p>\n
Seasoned actress Sue Prado, who depicted the role of Nora, the sister of Ely\u2019s character in the movie, had nothing but praises for the OPM legend.<\/p>\n
Sue recalled the first scene they shot, when Doring had been looking for his missing son \u2014 to no avail \u2014 and the siblings engage in a confrontation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNaiyak ako pagkatapos ng eksenang \u2018yon! (I cried after that scene),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sue described the Eraserheads vocalist-frontman as \u201csensitive\u201d and \u201cvery observant.\u201d And how she was depending on his cues and reacting to what he was \u201cthrowing\u201d her way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so proud of Ely\u2019s performance\u201d Ryanne said. \u201cHe brought the character of Doring to life with compassion, honesty, and reverence \u2014 a clear indication of his depth, strength, and command as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very difficult and personal journey, especially for Ely. But his generosity of heart, his openness, and humility, enriched the whole process of not only the workshop, but also the filming of\u00a0Padamlagan,\u201d Ryanne added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a joy to work with Ely Buendia,\u201d she said. \u201cI did not expect how candid he [would be] as a person. I wish to see him more in films [in the future].\u201d<\/p>\n
Ely, from the get-go, was really up for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I was offered a supporting role I would still say yes, to be able to contribute to a regional historical drama. It was just too good to pass up,\u201d Ely said.<\/p>\n
His parting shot? \u201cI\u2019m game for\u00a0Padamlagan\u00a02!\u201d<\/p>\n
Leanne as Amihan<\/h5>\n
The Cinemalaya also saw Leanne Mamonong deliver a surprise debut performance in Open Endings, where the Leanne and Naara duo vocalist depicted the role of one of the four queer women in the film.<\/p>\n
Director Nigel Santos admitted that Leanne deliberately wasn\u2019t given a scene singing, and neither did production use any of her songs for the film so that viewers would see her as Mihan (the nickname of her character Amihan) and not as Leanne the musician.<\/p>\n
The film wound up winning the Best Ensemble Performance\u00a0during the Cinemalaya Awards, which Leanne relished with fellow lead stars Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Janella Salvador, and Klea Pineda.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNa-enjoy\u00a0ko s\u2019ya (I enjoyed doing the film). I hope more acting projects come in,\u201d Leanne told Rappler. \u201c[I\u2019d] been praying for this kind of opportunity. [I am] super blessed with this project, [especially with] all the reviews and reactions we got from the public.\u00a0Hindi ko inakala (I didn\u2019t expect it).\u201d<\/p>\n
The family that sings<\/strong><\/h5>\nBorn Rose Caroline Mamonong to American mestiza Rhona Barb, and Rufino \u201cBong\u201d Mamonong III in 1995, and the eldest among three siblings, Leanne spent pretty much of her childhood south of Manila: living in Bacoor, Cavite, and studying at Elizabeth Seton School in Las Pi\u00f1as.<\/p>\n
Her father is a former seminarian and a devotee of St. Anne. And her birthday falls close to the feast day of the saint, thus the name Leanne.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very musically inclined. From an early age, I could sing,\u201d Leanne revealed. And so can her younger siblings Nina and Fonzy.<\/p>\n
Although her father was into sales at Unilab for 33 years, he had \u201calways loved singing; also tried to write music, but never really pursued [it].\u201d Her mom, on the other hand, worked in a bank \u201cbut she can also sing\u201d and would even \u201cjoin open mics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Move to Iloilo<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe family moved to Iloilo City when Leanne was in Grade 3. She transferred to Assumption Iloilo and stayed there until the end of high school.<\/p>\n
Leanne said she was \u201ca shy kid\u201d who \u201cdidn\u2019t really go out there to perform.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI think I got exposed to music and performing when I was in Assumption Iloilo,\u201d she shared. \u201cThey really pushed me. I did responsorial psalm every mass. [I joined] singing contests in and outside the school.\u201d <\/p>\n
The songs she rendered were not only pop, but classical and even\u00a0kundiman (traditional Filipino ballads).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in high school, we [did] theater festivals for English and Filipino:\u201d\u00a0Florante at Laura, Noli Me Tangere,\u00a0and\u00a0El Filibusterismo,\u00a0Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what pushed me to take theater in college,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rappler.com\/tachyon\/2025\/11\/Leanne-Mamonong-music--scaled.jpeg?fit=1024%2C1024\")
Leanne Mamonong performs in a concert. Photo by Paul Fernandez<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved it [in Iloilo. It\u2019s] always been home to me. The years I spent there were the most normal years in my life. [I] loved our little routines: being picked up in school, picking up our mom in the office. I liked going to Assumption. If it weren\u2019t for my teachers there, I wouldn\u2019t be this confident. I wish I could go back, \u2018pag nag-retire (when I retire),\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n
Although she could have studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, she enrolled in Bachelor of Communications, major in Performing Arts\u00a0 at Assumption College in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, where she also met her future music partner Naara. Cinemalaya\u2019s 2024 Best Actress Gaby Padilla (for\u00a0Kono Basho), who\u2019s also from Iloilo, was two batches ahead of her, and was her roommate.<\/p>\n
Leanne took \u00a0subjects in solfeggio and movement, watched plays at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde; and ballet at Ballet Philippines at CCP and Ballet Manila at the Aliw Theater.<\/p>\n
She also had formal training in acting under mentor and Juilliard School alumna Ana Valdes Lim. Back then, Leanne depicted the roles of Juliet and Hamlet (\u201cThey wanted to try a woman for Hamlet\u201d), among other roles in Shakespearean plays that they mounted.<\/p>\n
To this day, Lim still gives her pieces of advice. \u201cShe\u2019d always be so kind to give me very deep and profound advice; technical ones,\u201d she said. For instance, now that she\u2019s acting for the camera, it\u2019s important that her eyes are seen, and that her forehead is not wrinkled.<\/p>\n
Kissing scene<\/h5>\n
Leanne found it challenging to shoot a crucial beach scene in Open Endings, the sapphic film\u00a0shot in just 10 days in Quezon City, Marikina, and Calatagan, Batangas.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotionally very demanding\u00a0\u2014 I had to appear distraught in the scene. Everything was serious and quiet.\u201d But the song choices of the guests in the adjoining beach resort doing karaoke were novelty songs like \u201cMr. Suave\u201d and \u201cAng Kawawang Cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAng hirap pala. Nakakawala ng\u00a0emotions.\u00a0Umatras ang luha ko (It was tough. That made it emotionally distracting. It was hard to cry),\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s also a kissing scene in the car, where Leanne accidentally stepped on the gas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was really funny! [It was] a challenging day,\u201d Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
She was particularly nervous in the scenes with Jasmine \u201cwhere she was gonna make me maid of honor,\u201d plus another scene with both Jasmine and veteran actress Jackie Lou Blanco, who was once a singer, too, but Leanne didn\u2019t know then.<\/p>\n
Leanne reflects that Open Endings was an appropriate break from the music scene, which she has been a part of for almost a decade.<\/p>\n
She shared that she also grew up listening to Eraserheads\u2019 song\u00a0Magasin, Alapaap\u00a0and\u00a0With a Smile, and remembers having watched Ely \u2014 who is friends with her duo partner Naara \u2014 perform live at a New Year\u2019s countdown at Resorts World.<\/p>\n
In 2018, the duo Leanne and Naara did their own cover for the\u00a0Pop Machine\u00a0tribute album for the Eraserheads. \u201cThey gave us a list of songs,\u201d Leanne recalled. \u201cWe did\u00a0Alapaap. We gained new fans because of it.\u201d <\/p>\n
And it won\u2019t be surprising if Leanne\u2019s film debut gained her more fans, too. \u2013 Rappler.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rappler.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not as if rock music icon Ely Buendia does not have acting credits to his name. He appeared in Tony Reyes\u2019\u00a0Run Barbi Run\u00a0as early as 1995 with other members of the then fast-rising band Eraserheads. He had roles (as himself) in Quark Henares\u2019\u00a0Rakenrol, and as Rex in Wincy Ong\u2019s horror flick\u00a0San Lazaro, both in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2157891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Even-in-acting-Ely-Buendia-and-Leanne-Mamonong-find-the.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2157892,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions\/2157892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2157890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2157890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Ely Buendia behind the scene of Padamlagan. Photo from Cinemalaya<\/p>\nJenn wanted an all-Bicolano cast.<\/p>\n
Although Ely left Naga in 1977, he is\u00a0\u201cpurong\u201c\u00a0(pure) Bicolano. He was born Ely Eleandre to Bicolano parents Eli Buendia and Lisette Basino (from Caramoan), and was raised in Naga. He lived in the city until he was seven years old.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaga was a huge part of my childhood,\u201d he shared with\u00a0Rappler. \u201cI remember a lot: the fiestas, the family gatherings, the buildings, and of course, the people and the overall very religious atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt a lot closer to my Bicolano heritage,\u201d Ely said, but hastened to add, \u201cWhich isn\u2019t to say this was a story purely for Bicolanos. Although circumstances of the loss of a loved one might differ, there are universal emotions that I drew from, based on what I experienced personally. I wouldn\u2019t say it was easy, but it was cathartic.\u201d<\/p>\n
People who worked with Ely in this project were all praises for him. Prior to the Cinemalaya awards night, Ely\u2019s acting coach, Manila-based Mindanaoan filmmaker Ryanne Murcia was rooting for a Best Actor award for Ely.<\/p>\n
Coaching Ely Buendia<\/strong><\/h5>\n\u201cEvery acting workshop I conduct is tailor fit to the actor I work with,\u201d Ryanne stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEly is a performer and thus understands performance and the artistry that comes with it. However, it is his first time to play a lead role in a feature film, so the workshop entailed screen acting techniques that equipped him for the camera,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The focus of the workshop, she said, \u201cwas active empathy, the overarching principle of the workshop where we revisit not memories, but emotions brought to us by human experience. In an environment that encourages honesty, we journey through the different layers of emotions, to discover and rediscover one\u2019s truth and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Music icon Ely Buendia takes on his first lead role. Photo from Cinemalaya <\/p>\n
Seasoned actress Sue Prado, who depicted the role of Nora, the sister of Ely\u2019s character in the movie, had nothing but praises for the OPM legend.<\/p>\n
Sue recalled the first scene they shot, when Doring had been looking for his missing son \u2014 to no avail \u2014 and the siblings engage in a confrontation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNaiyak ako pagkatapos ng eksenang \u2018yon! (I cried after that scene),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sue described the Eraserheads vocalist-frontman as \u201csensitive\u201d and \u201cvery observant.\u201d And how she was depending on his cues and reacting to what he was \u201cthrowing\u201d her way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so proud of Ely\u2019s performance\u201d Ryanne said. \u201cHe brought the character of Doring to life with compassion, honesty, and reverence \u2014 a clear indication of his depth, strength, and command as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very difficult and personal journey, especially for Ely. But his generosity of heart, his openness, and humility, enriched the whole process of not only the workshop, but also the filming of\u00a0Padamlagan,\u201d Ryanne added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was such a joy to work with Ely Buendia,\u201d she said. \u201cI did not expect how candid he [would be] as a person. I wish to see him more in films [in the future].\u201d<\/p>\n
Ely, from the get-go, was really up for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I was offered a supporting role I would still say yes, to be able to contribute to a regional historical drama. It was just too good to pass up,\u201d Ely said.<\/p>\n
His parting shot? \u201cI\u2019m game for\u00a0Padamlagan\u00a02!\u201d<\/p>\n
Leanne as Amihan<\/h5>\n
The Cinemalaya also saw Leanne Mamonong deliver a surprise debut performance in Open Endings, where the Leanne and Naara duo vocalist depicted the role of one of the four queer women in the film.<\/p>\n
Director Nigel Santos admitted that Leanne deliberately wasn\u2019t given a scene singing, and neither did production use any of her songs for the film so that viewers would see her as Mihan (the nickname of her character Amihan) and not as Leanne the musician.<\/p>\n
The film wound up winning the Best Ensemble Performance\u00a0during the Cinemalaya Awards, which Leanne relished with fellow lead stars Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Janella Salvador, and Klea Pineda.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNa-enjoy\u00a0ko s\u2019ya (I enjoyed doing the film). I hope more acting projects come in,\u201d Leanne told Rappler. \u201c[I\u2019d] been praying for this kind of opportunity. [I am] super blessed with this project, [especially with] all the reviews and reactions we got from the public.\u00a0Hindi ko inakala (I didn\u2019t expect it).\u201d<\/p>\n
The family that sings<\/strong><\/h5>\nBorn Rose Caroline Mamonong to American mestiza Rhona Barb, and Rufino \u201cBong\u201d Mamonong III in 1995, and the eldest among three siblings, Leanne spent pretty much of her childhood south of Manila: living in Bacoor, Cavite, and studying at Elizabeth Seton School in Las Pi\u00f1as.<\/p>\n
Her father is a former seminarian and a devotee of St. Anne. And her birthday falls close to the feast day of the saint, thus the name Leanne.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very musically inclined. From an early age, I could sing,\u201d Leanne revealed. And so can her younger siblings Nina and Fonzy.<\/p>\n
Although her father was into sales at Unilab for 33 years, he had \u201calways loved singing; also tried to write music, but never really pursued [it].\u201d Her mom, on the other hand, worked in a bank \u201cbut she can also sing\u201d and would even \u201cjoin open mics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Move to Iloilo<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe family moved to Iloilo City when Leanne was in Grade 3. She transferred to Assumption Iloilo and stayed there until the end of high school.<\/p>\n
Leanne said she was \u201ca shy kid\u201d who \u201cdidn\u2019t really go out there to perform.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI think I got exposed to music and performing when I was in Assumption Iloilo,\u201d she shared. \u201cThey really pushed me. I did responsorial psalm every mass. [I joined] singing contests in and outside the school.\u201d <\/p>\n
The songs she rendered were not only pop, but classical and even\u00a0kundiman (traditional Filipino ballads).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in high school, we [did] theater festivals for English and Filipino:\u201d\u00a0Florante at Laura, Noli Me Tangere,\u00a0and\u00a0El Filibusterismo,\u00a0Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what pushed me to take theater in college,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n
Leanne Mamonong performs in a concert. Photo by Paul Fernandez<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved it [in Iloilo. It\u2019s] always been home to me. The years I spent there were the most normal years in my life. [I] loved our little routines: being picked up in school, picking up our mom in the office. I liked going to Assumption. If it weren\u2019t for my teachers there, I wouldn\u2019t be this confident. I wish I could go back, \u2018pag nag-retire (when I retire),\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n
Although she could have studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, she enrolled in Bachelor of Communications, major in Performing Arts\u00a0 at Assumption College in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, where she also met her future music partner Naara. Cinemalaya\u2019s 2024 Best Actress Gaby Padilla (for\u00a0Kono Basho), who\u2019s also from Iloilo, was two batches ahead of her, and was her roommate.<\/p>\n
Leanne took \u00a0subjects in solfeggio and movement, watched plays at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde; and ballet at Ballet Philippines at CCP and Ballet Manila at the Aliw Theater.<\/p>\n
She also had formal training in acting under mentor and Juilliard School alumna Ana Valdes Lim. Back then, Leanne depicted the roles of Juliet and Hamlet (\u201cThey wanted to try a woman for Hamlet\u201d), among other roles in Shakespearean plays that they mounted.<\/p>\n
To this day, Lim still gives her pieces of advice. \u201cShe\u2019d always be so kind to give me very deep and profound advice; technical ones,\u201d she said. For instance, now that she\u2019s acting for the camera, it\u2019s important that her eyes are seen, and that her forehead is not wrinkled.<\/p>\n
Kissing scene<\/h5>\n
Leanne found it challenging to shoot a crucial beach scene in Open Endings, the sapphic film\u00a0shot in just 10 days in Quezon City, Marikina, and Calatagan, Batangas.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotionally very demanding\u00a0\u2014 I had to appear distraught in the scene. Everything was serious and quiet.\u201d But the song choices of the guests in the adjoining beach resort doing karaoke were novelty songs like \u201cMr. Suave\u201d and \u201cAng Kawawang Cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAng hirap pala. Nakakawala ng\u00a0emotions.\u00a0Umatras ang luha ko (It was tough. That made it emotionally distracting. It was hard to cry),\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s also a kissing scene in the car, where Leanne accidentally stepped on the gas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was really funny! [It was] a challenging day,\u201d Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
She was particularly nervous in the scenes with Jasmine \u201cwhere she was gonna make me maid of honor,\u201d plus another scene with both Jasmine and veteran actress Jackie Lou Blanco, who was once a singer, too, but Leanne didn\u2019t know then.<\/p>\n
Leanne reflects that Open Endings was an appropriate break from the music scene, which she has been a part of for almost a decade.<\/p>\n
She shared that she also grew up listening to Eraserheads\u2019 song\u00a0Magasin, Alapaap\u00a0and\u00a0With a Smile, and remembers having watched Ely \u2014 who is friends with her duo partner Naara \u2014 perform live at a New Year\u2019s countdown at Resorts World.<\/p>\n
In 2018, the duo Leanne and Naara did their own cover for the\u00a0Pop Machine\u00a0tribute album for the Eraserheads. \u201cThey gave us a list of songs,\u201d Leanne recalled. \u201cWe did\u00a0Alapaap. We gained new fans because of it.\u201d <\/p>\n
And it won\u2019t be surprising if Leanne\u2019s film debut gained her more fans, too. \u2013 Rappler.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rappler.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not as if rock music icon Ely Buendia does not have acting credits to his name. He appeared in Tony Reyes\u2019\u00a0Run Barbi Run\u00a0as early as 1995 with other members of the then fast-rising band Eraserheads. He had roles (as himself) in Quark Henares\u2019\u00a0Rakenrol, and as Rex in Wincy Ong\u2019s horror flick\u00a0San Lazaro, both in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2157891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Even-in-acting-Ely-Buendia-and-Leanne-Mamonong-find-the.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2157892,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions\/2157892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2157890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2157890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Music icon Ely Buendia takes on his first lead role. Photo from Cinemalaya <\/p>\nBorn Rose Caroline Mamonong to American mestiza Rhona Barb, and Rufino \u201cBong\u201d Mamonong III in 1995, and the eldest among three siblings, Leanne spent pretty much of her childhood south of Manila: living in Bacoor, Cavite, and studying at Elizabeth Seton School in Las Pi\u00f1as.<\/p>\n
Her father is a former seminarian and a devotee of St. Anne. And her birthday falls close to the feast day of the saint, thus the name Leanne.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very musically inclined. From an early age, I could sing,\u201d Leanne revealed. And so can her younger siblings Nina and Fonzy.<\/p>\n
Although her father was into sales at Unilab for 33 years, he had \u201calways loved singing; also tried to write music, but never really pursued [it].\u201d Her mom, on the other hand, worked in a bank \u201cbut she can also sing\u201d and would even \u201cjoin open mics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Move to Iloilo<\/strong><\/h5>\nThe family moved to Iloilo City when Leanne was in Grade 3. She transferred to Assumption Iloilo and stayed there until the end of high school.<\/p>\n
Leanne said she was \u201ca shy kid\u201d who \u201cdidn\u2019t really go out there to perform.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI think I got exposed to music and performing when I was in Assumption Iloilo,\u201d she shared. \u201cThey really pushed me. I did responsorial psalm every mass. [I joined] singing contests in and outside the school.\u201d <\/p>\n
The songs she rendered were not only pop, but classical and even\u00a0kundiman (traditional Filipino ballads).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in high school, we [did] theater festivals for English and Filipino:\u201d\u00a0Florante at Laura, Noli Me Tangere,\u00a0and\u00a0El Filibusterismo,\u00a0Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what pushed me to take theater in college,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n
Leanne Mamonong performs in a concert. Photo by Paul Fernandez<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved it [in Iloilo. It\u2019s] always been home to me. The years I spent there were the most normal years in my life. [I] loved our little routines: being picked up in school, picking up our mom in the office. I liked going to Assumption. If it weren\u2019t for my teachers there, I wouldn\u2019t be this confident. I wish I could go back, \u2018pag nag-retire (when I retire),\u201d she said wistfully.<\/p>\n
Although she could have studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, she enrolled in Bachelor of Communications, major in Performing Arts\u00a0 at Assumption College in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, where she also met her future music partner Naara. Cinemalaya\u2019s 2024 Best Actress Gaby Padilla (for\u00a0Kono Basho), who\u2019s also from Iloilo, was two batches ahead of her, and was her roommate.<\/p>\n
Leanne took \u00a0subjects in solfeggio and movement, watched plays at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Tanghalang Pilipino, De La Salle-College of St. Benilde; and ballet at Ballet Philippines at CCP and Ballet Manila at the Aliw Theater.<\/p>\n
She also had formal training in acting under mentor and Juilliard School alumna Ana Valdes Lim. Back then, Leanne depicted the roles of Juliet and Hamlet (\u201cThey wanted to try a woman for Hamlet\u201d), among other roles in Shakespearean plays that they mounted.<\/p>\n
To this day, Lim still gives her pieces of advice. \u201cShe\u2019d always be so kind to give me very deep and profound advice; technical ones,\u201d she said. For instance, now that she\u2019s acting for the camera, it\u2019s important that her eyes are seen, and that her forehead is not wrinkled.<\/p>\n
Kissing scene<\/h5>\n
Leanne found it challenging to shoot a crucial beach scene in Open Endings, the sapphic film\u00a0shot in just 10 days in Quezon City, Marikina, and Calatagan, Batangas.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotionally very demanding\u00a0\u2014 I had to appear distraught in the scene. Everything was serious and quiet.\u201d But the song choices of the guests in the adjoining beach resort doing karaoke were novelty songs like \u201cMr. Suave\u201d and \u201cAng Kawawang Cowboy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAng hirap pala. Nakakawala ng\u00a0emotions.\u00a0Umatras ang luha ko (It was tough. That made it emotionally distracting. It was hard to cry),\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s also a kissing scene in the car, where Leanne accidentally stepped on the gas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was really funny! [It was] a challenging day,\u201d Leanne recalled.<\/p>\n
She was particularly nervous in the scenes with Jasmine \u201cwhere she was gonna make me maid of honor,\u201d plus another scene with both Jasmine and veteran actress Jackie Lou Blanco, who was once a singer, too, but Leanne didn\u2019t know then.<\/p>\n
Leanne reflects that Open Endings was an appropriate break from the music scene, which she has been a part of for almost a decade.<\/p>\n
She shared that she also grew up listening to Eraserheads\u2019 song\u00a0Magasin, Alapaap\u00a0and\u00a0With a Smile, and remembers having watched Ely \u2014 who is friends with her duo partner Naara \u2014 perform live at a New Year\u2019s countdown at Resorts World.<\/p>\n
In 2018, the duo Leanne and Naara did their own cover for the\u00a0Pop Machine\u00a0tribute album for the Eraserheads. \u201cThey gave us a list of songs,\u201d Leanne recalled. \u201cWe did\u00a0Alapaap. We gained new fans because of it.\u201d <\/p>\n
And it won\u2019t be surprising if Leanne\u2019s film debut gained her more fans, too. \u2013 Rappler.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rappler.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not as if rock music icon Ely Buendia does not have acting credits to his name. He appeared in Tony Reyes\u2019\u00a0Run Barbi Run\u00a0as early as 1995 with other members of the then fast-rising band Eraserheads. He had roles (as himself) in Quark Henares\u2019\u00a0Rakenrol, and as Rex in Wincy Ong\u2019s horror flick\u00a0San Lazaro, both in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2157891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Even-in-acting-Ely-Buendia-and-Leanne-Mamonong-find-the.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2157892,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions\/2157892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2157890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2157890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Leanne Mamonong performs in a concert. Photo by Paul Fernandez<\/p>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rappler.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s not as if rock music icon Ely Buendia does not have acting credits to his name. He appeared in Tony Reyes\u2019\u00a0Run Barbi Run\u00a0as early as 1995 with other members of the then fast-rising band Eraserheads. He had roles (as himself) in Quark Henares\u2019\u00a0Rakenrol, and as Rex in Wincy Ong\u2019s horror flick\u00a0San Lazaro, both in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2157891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2157890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Even-in-acting-Ely-Buendia-and-Leanne-Mamonong-find-the.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157890"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2157892,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2157890\/revisions\/2157892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2157891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2157890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2157890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}