Push Admin

Throwback: The impressive performances of the famous singing transgender trio Miss Tres on PGT Season 4

Article (news)

Mary Ann Bardinas

<p>Avid viewers of the long-running reality talent show “Pilipinas Got Talent” can perhaps recall the singing group Miss Tres, comprised by talented transgender women Angel “Miss Uno” Sangalang, Mariko “Miss Dos” Ledesma, and Mia “Miss Tres” Narciso, who never failed to astound us with their performances during their remarkable stint in Season 4 of the long-running reality show.</p><p>And more than a decade after their unforgettable debut, Mariko shocked their supporters when she confirmed through a social media post on August 18 that Angel had passed away. This elicited an outpouring of sympathy and sorrow from both peers and fans whose lives had been touched by Angel.</p><p>As we remember her inspiring and colorful life, as well as the significant influence and distinct contributions of Miss Tres not just in the entertainment industry but also to society, especially to the LGBT community, let’s revisit their notable performances in “PGT Season 4,” where everything started for them.</p><p>The old adage “looks can be deceiving” aptly befits Miss Tres. At first glance, it was easy for its gorgeous members to capture the attention of spectators and make anyone’s head turn because of their striking splendor. But as soon as they started singing, they totally blew everyone’s minds with their strong and masculine voices that were concealed underneath their graceful and feminine façades.</p><p>Just on their very first time that they graced the PGT stage, they immediately caught the eyes of the other contestants and the three distinguished judges, especially Angel, who was called “pretty” by Queen of All Media Kris Aquino. Little did they know that the trio actually possessed strong vocals until seeing their mind-blowing and memorable rendition of the classic Tom Jones’ hit, “Sexbomb,” which convinced them to give their three big “Yes!”</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_ViKRLu5sgw?si=kJMVCPhI_XSn4obe" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>Following their victorious debut, Angel and the two ladies were able to fulfill their promise of blowing everyone away with their next performances on the show. They once again pleased the judges with their version of Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” in the quarterfinals, which won the unanimous votes of the judges and made them rule the first quarterfinals.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3fC5Y6GjNVM?si=N0Db2vza5wqNhoh9" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>They advanced to the semifinals, through which they continued to astound us with their compelling stage presence while performing Michael Buble’s “Sway.”</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyLZiotzWZE?si=_RAjhDE8UL_xzxdK" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>Despite falling short in their bid to make it to the grand finals and becoming the grand champion on PGT Season 4, Miss Tres still succeeded in further raising awareness about transgender people and showing the world what they can do. Angel said in their pre-performance interview, “Mayroon tayong tsansa na patunayan na kahit transgender ka, na ngayon ay pinapatunayan ng Miss Tres, kaya namin, kaya n’yo rin.”</p><p>A couple of years later, the trio was invited to participate in “Asia’s Got Talent” in 2016, which further established their status in the entertainment scene. Unfortunately, the group suffered a great loss that same year after member Mia Narciso succumbed to lung cancer. The remaining members went on to separate paths, with Mariko pursuing her ambition of bringing Miss Tres to the stage of “Britain’s Got Talent” by introducing two new members, while Angel became a solo entertainer who continued to perform in various shows and events.</p><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" referrerPolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9zX91TmbsiQ?si=ngN6vP52-_5Eh-mP" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><p>In 2018, we got to know Angel better through an episode of the magazine show “Rated K.” Born Conrado Sangalang, her singing journey started when she joined a church choir at the age of 10, wherein she was able to develop and hone her vocal prowess. After keeping herself inside the closet for a long time, she eventually mustered the courage to reveal who she really was in her adult years,despite the objections of her family. In due course, she obtained the acceptance of her dad that she had yearned for before he passed away.</p><p>Moreover, she was also able to fulfill her promise to his death bed to not forsake their family by working as a sing-along master at a comedy bar. At the same time, she had the opportunity to make her dream of transforming into a woman come true by undergoing hormone therapy.</p><p>Angel’s cause of death remains undisclosed as of this writing. Rest in power, Angel!</p>