A BITTERSWEET STORY OF DULCE
July 15, 2025
A Cebuana Timeless Diva
Dulce, often hailed as the "Asia’s Timeless Diva," has been a pillar in the Philippine music industry since the 1970s. With a voice that could silence a room and rend hearts with power and emotion, Dulce rose from humble beginnings in Cebu to win local, national, and international singing contests, including 'Tawag ng Tanghalan', the prestigious Metropop Festival and international competitions like the Asian Singing Competition in Hong Kong. She became a staple in concerts, musical theater, and televised singing competitions, influencing generations of Filipino singers.
But behind the public adoration lay a woman with a deeply personal story, one marked by resilience, faith, and most recently, pain not from the stage but from the polarized society she never expected would turn on her and a heartbreak.
Humble Beginnings in Cebu
Dulce, born Maria Teresa Magdalena Abellare Llamedo Cruzata on July 22, 1961, in Villa Bulsita, Barangay Bulacao, Pardo, Cebu City, grew up in a humble rural community in Cebu. Her early years were marked by deep poverty, like many poor children in the provinces during the 1960s and 70s, she experienced hunger, walked barefoot over long distances to get to school, and helped with household chores, all while quietly holding onto dreams of a better life.
From a very young age, Dulce showed signs of a rare gift, her extraordinary voice. She began singing at the tender age of two. One day, she saw a singing contest happening just across the street. Despite being too young to join, she insisted on singing. The organizers initially refused her entry due to her age, but her persistence wore them down. They eventually allowed her to perform, not as a contestant, but just to appease her. That moment would become a glimpse into her future.
The first song she sang was a Cebuano piece titled “Gimingaw Ako” (“I Am Missing Someone”). She dedicated it to her father, a construction worker who was rarely home due to the nature of his job. It was a heartfelt tribute from a little girl who longed for her father's presence.
From then on, Dulce began singing in every possible venue - amateur contests, traveling carnivals, market squares, radio shows, and even early television programs. She realized there was a way to survive through singing. In many interviews, she would recall how she often sang in exchange for food or a few coins to help her family.
But behind her rising voice was a hidden pain. Dulce suffered physical abuse at the hands of her own mother. For reasons she couldn’t understand at the time, she would be beaten severely, sometimes to the point of bleeding. There were moments when she would run away and climb on top of a tree just to escape her mother’s wrath. The pain was not just physical but emotional, leaving scars that stayed with her for years.
Later, her mother confessed the truth: during those years, she believed she had been under a dark influence. After becoming a Christian, her mother admitted that she had once made a pact with the devil, and that her behavior towards Dulce may have been influenced by that spiritual darkness.
A Voice Too Powerful for a Supporting Role
Dulce in the early 1990s, already a household name in the Philippines for her powerful voice, went to audition for the Broadway production of Miss Saigon in Manila. It was for a supporting role, an audition for Gigi, the bold and tragic bar girl who sings “The Movie in My Mind.”
Her audition piece? Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time”, a song that seemed to mirror her life: full of struggle, strength, and the longing to finally be seen on a world stage.
When she sang, silence fell across the room. Even Miss Saigon’s legendary composer, Claude-Michel Schonberg, was visibly moved. With teary eyes, he told her, “You know what? I haven’t heard a great singer who sings like that since Barbra Streisand.” He added they would tell Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of Miss Saigon, about her.
Dulce thought that was the end of it. But then came a surprise call: they wanted her to fly to New York. Cameron Mackintosh himself wanted to see her.
In New York, she joined a group of top-tier Filipino talents, including Regine Velasquez and Jamie Rivera. Each was given only ten minutes to audition. Dulce was first. She was asked to sing “The Movie in My Mind.”
As her voice filled the room, everyone in the panel fell quiet, watching, listening. And when she finished, they rose in a standing ovation, applauding not just politely, but with genuine awe. Then someone in the panel requested: “Can you sing ‘One Moment in Time'?" She did. And once more, she brought the house down.
After the audition, she assumed it was over. Something unexpected happened. Cameron Mackintosh himself pursued her backstage, followed by several others from the panel. They surrounded her, expressing their admiration, praising her artistry, her presence, her voice.
And then Cameron told her something she would never forget:
“You deserve your own musical. You can’t be in Miss Saigon, not because you’re not good enough, but because your voice is too powerful. If we cast you in a supporting role, the audience might wonder why you aren’t the star. They might even complain that we wasted a voice like yours.”
It was a moment both triumphant and bittersweet. She had come to claim a part, but her gift was too large to fit the role.
Dulce didn’t get to Broadway, but she left an impression that few ever do. She wasn't rejected; she was revered.
Married Life: Love, Struggles, and Redemption
Dulce’s journey through love and marriage has been anything but ordinary. Her first romantic chapter took an unexpected turn in 1981, when she entered into a marriage of convenience with an American man, simply to extend her stay in the United States. A few years later, in 1985, she married again in Manila, this time to singer-actor Danny Cruz. However, since her first marriage was still legally binding, her union with Danny was considered invalid.
Despite this legal complication, Dulce and Danny built a family together and had three children. But the marriage quickly became troubled. Dulce later described their relationship as "bitter," revealing that Danny once denied her visitation rights to their children. She bravely shared her painful experience as a battered wife, which was depicted in the dramatic TV special Tinig, painting a raw and emotional portrait of a woman living through domestic turmoil.
Her path to healing began in 1997, when she experienced a profound spiritual awakening. “That was the start of my salvation,” she recalled in interviews. Dulce turned to her Christian faith, not only praying for personal strength but also for the restoration of her broken family. With time and spiritual growth, the bitterness between her and Danny began to soften. Eventually, they reached a place of peace. Danny, who later became active in ministry. According to Dulce, they’re able to speak civilly today, a hard-earned reconciliation after years of pain.
After securing an annulment of her first marriage, Dulce was finally able to move forward. Not long after, she met Bernard, a Filipino security agency owner based in Germany, ten years her junior. Their relationship began around the time of her separation from Danny. What started as a spiritual partnership eventually became a legal union. They were married in April 2010, and together they had two daughters, symbolizing a new chapter rooted in peace, love, and shared faith.
In earlier interviews, Dulce described Bernard as patient, respectful, and deeply supportive, not just of her, but of her past and her children from her previous marriage. He was often present, even waiting in the car during her visits with her older children. It seemed she had finally found the calm after the storm.
A Test of Faith: Political Backlash and Another Heartbreak
However, even the calmest chapters can be interrupted by unexpected storms. In 2022, Dulce publicly voiced her support for then-presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. While many celebrities remained neutral or backed progressive candidates, Dulce chose to speak her truth, anchored in her Christian values and belief in the candidate's promise of national unity.
But the backlash was swift and brutal. Some fans unfollowed her, colleagues distanced themselves, and online trolls branded her as a "paid influencer" or a "historical revisionist." Yet the harshest blow came from within her own home, her children. In heartfelt interviews and emotional social media posts, Dulce revealed that some of her children began to withdraw from her. The silence and distance from them were more painful than any public criticism. For a mother whose life revolves around faith and family, this was a deeply personal wound.
Then came another heartbreak. In a recent interview, Dulce confirmed that her marriage with Bernard ended two years ago. She disclosed that the breakup stemmed from Bernard’s alleged involvement in an illegal activity while working in government. Though she didn’t go into detail, Dulce made it clear that this breach of integrity was something she could not ignore. Despite the pain, she stood by her principles and ended the relationship.
Final Thoughts
Dulce’s story isn’t just that of a famous singer, it’s the story of someone many of us can relate to. She came from nothing, worked hard, endured pain from people she loved, made mistakes, stood by her beliefs, and kept going even when the world turned its back on her. Like many of us, she only wanted to be heard, understood, and loved. She reminds us that life isn’t always fair, and people will judge us for our choices, but what truly matters is staying true to who we are. In the end, her powerful and beautiful voice, continues to inspire us. Because behind every song she sings is the story of a woman who survived, forgave, and continue to keep an unwavering faith despite setbacks.
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