Claire de la Fuente is a Filipino singer in the 70's who achieved celebrity with the

jukebox hit "Sayang". She was dubbed "the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines"

as her voice has a striking resemblance to that of the late singer. Her first album in

1977 was then the Philippines' biggest-ever seller. She went on to make 7 more

albums. Besides "Sayang", she is also known for hits like "Minsan-Minsan" and

"Nakaw Na Pag-ibig".

She was awarded the title "Queen of Tagalog Songs", alongside Rico J. Puno as her

counterpart. She was also named "Jukebox Queen", together with Imelda Papin and

Eva Eugenio. She was also dubbed as "Asia's Sweetest Voice" and won praises

from legendary musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

Today, she is a successful business woman. She is the president of the Integrated

Metropolitan Bus Operators Association (IMBOA) and is considered as "the most

powerful figure in the Public Transportation Industry".

She also founded the philippine-made cosmetics company "The Skin Shop" which

specializes in skin whitening and other special creams. She created the now-famous

Perfect Skin Hair Grower Tonic which is known to be one of the most effective hair

growers in the world; having a long list of Filipino personalities and celebrities as

customers.

She recently opened two restaurants, namely, "Gracielo's Grill" (Located at

Tiendesitas, Libis) & "Claire Dela Fuente Grill and Seafood" (Located at Seaside

Paluto, Macapagal Blvd.)

[edit] Biography

Claire was 15 when she bagged the grand prize in the first singing contest she

joined singing The Carpenters' "Love Me For What I Am." By that time, the

Accounting freshman at the University of the East knew she loved singing and was

aware that she sounded like Karen Carpenter after a high school classmate had

pointed it out.

Composer George Canseco, the head judge in the contest, gave the singer her first

break by having her sing the jingle in a Hope cigarette commercial that became

popular for its "imported" sound.

De la Fuente left show business in her mid-20s after reaping its financial rewards.

She was married by that time, having tied the knot at 19 to a man 10 years her

senior. In 1993, she set up the King of Kings Transport, which had to fold up a few

years later. It wasn't the lucrative business she had hoped it would be.

Three years later, de la Fuente was elected president of Imboa, whose members

make up 70 percent of all bus operators in Metro Manila. In 2003, dela Fuente made

headlines when she spearheaded a boycott of the color-coding scheme that the

MMDA had imposed for a week on all public utility vehicles as part of a traffic

experiment. The move put her at odds with the equally headstrong MMDA Chair

Bayani Fernando.[1]

In recent years, she founded the philippine-made cosmetics company "The Skin

Shop" which specializes in skin whitening and other special creams. She created

the now-famous Perfect Skin Hair Grower Tonic which is known to be one of the

most effective hair growers in the Philippines; having a long list of Filipino

personalities and celebrities as customers. "The Skin Shop" garnered various

awards from different award-giving bodies for its products, especially its famous hair

grower.

Having a flair for cooking, she recently opened two popular restaurants: "Gracielo's

Grill" (Located at Tiendesitas, Libis) & "Claire Dela Fuente Grill and Seafood"

(Located at Seaside Paluto, Macapagal Blvd.). She is quickly becoming a prominent

name in the restaurant business. Gracielo's boasts of its special pork barbecue,

while Claire Dela Fuente Grill and Seafood has Chili Garlic Shrimp as one of its

specialties.

In 2006, her husband of more than 28 years, Moises (Boy) de Guzman, died of

complications due to liver cancer. He left behind Claire together with their two sons,

Gregorio (Gigo) and Gracielo (Mickey).