Sometimes you think you are not capable of getting starstruck, then you meet Gabby Concepcion and you fangirl for a moment.

There was nothing quotidian about the day I met Gabby Concepcion, actor and 80s heartthrob.

The day started early, at 2am. I went to Villamor Air Base to take a ride to General Santos City (en route to Maguindanao) to attend Datu Abdullah Sangki’s Kagalawan Festival.

It was my first time to take a non-commercial plane and kids these days would say, it was lit! The seats were huge and comfortable like soft cocoons that hugged me to sleep, but the incessant noise from the motors of the plane made it impossible to doze off more than 15 minutes.

At 8am, I found myself inside a cool coaster parked near General Santos International Airport waiting for Gabby Concepcion to arrive. I asked the person-in-charge if she meant Gabby Concepcion the actor. She said yes. I nodded nonchalantly and decided to take a nap.

An hour later, Mr. Concepcion, a man, and a woman, together with the person-in-charge boarded the coaster. He was wearing a dark gray shirt over a pair of denims. A fatigue cap hid his locks and yellow glasses obscured his eyes. Yet his voice was cheerful when he warmly greeted the driver, my companion and me. His dazzling smile momentarily woke me up from my slumber, and I had the transitory urge to take a selfie (or usie, according to urban dictionary) with Mr. Concepcion and I do not take selfies. I have two or three in existence due to necessity. But proper decorum won and I just smiled, waved back at him, and remained in my seat near the driver and slept for two more hours.

When we arrived at our destination, Maguindanao, we found out that only the five of us had not eaten brunch yet. There was a spread of five or six simple dishes on the table, plus plates of rambutan and lanzones. My companion and I took one side of the long table and Mr. Concepcion and his small group sat opposite us. He started eating the fruits while he talked to us about the flight, the drive, and just other things. I was fortunate to have the wits to answer him in complete sentences without blabbering. He talked about a dog, an electric fan, his last visit to Maguindanao, his flight to Samar (? or another province in the Visayas), and the food on the table, complimented the women who served us, asked us questions, and was just a good and likeable guy in general.

At the end of our almost 60-minute breakfast, my companion and I nudged each other to ask him to have our photos taken with him. I started my question with, Mr. Concepcion, …” He laughed and said, “Gabby na lang” (Just call me Gabby) and he answered in the affirmative without any hesitation. He said, “let’s take a selfie”. I answered, “I do not know how to take one”. Instead of laughing, he took the phone from my hand and snapped the selfie. He even counted 1, 2, and 3. Afterwards, he said,“ please tag me on social media”. I did not have the heart to tell him that I do not have Instagram or Twitter account.

After he left the room, the women outside the dining area asked to pose with him and he gamely did so. The hullabaloo died down only when he went upstairs to get some much needed snooze.

I just had enough time to freshen up and occupy one of the rooms in the first floor when they called us to go to the venue of Kagalawan Festival.

Gabby (yes, he said “just Gabby”) appeared refreshed, in a different shirt but just as dark as the first one, cap and sunglasses in place. Once again, he hypnotized us with his toothpaste commercial-worthy pearls.

The conversation inside the coaster was brief and we separated when we arrived at the venue. My companion and I went near the stage where I took photos of the program while Gabby went to the backstage.

I was busy with my duties and I only noticed Gabby when he graced the stage to have photos with the guests. Later on, he was formally introduced to the crowd. The uproar was not as thunderous as the one given to the dancers (I do not know who they were but they seemed famous among the teens) but it was more than decent.

After a couple of bites for lunch, I decided to leave the venue. Lo and behold, we ended in the coaster with the artists, among them Gabby. He was quiet the whole ride, but he was his chummy self when we arrived at our destination.

He was mobbed by more women and I saw the happiness in their faces when they were in the same place as he was. After the crowd dispersed, I approached him. He held his arms wide open and said, “let’s have a photo together”. I laughed and said, “I am sweaty” (‘di ba ako pa ang maarte?) but smiled for the photo. I extended my hand and told him it was a pleasure meeting him. He said thank you before he moved to another group of adoring fans.

I do not get starstruck by actors (athletes, yes), but Gabby Concepcion was just charm in a very lovely packaging. And he smelled good to boot.