PRESIDENT Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III will be one of singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid?s groomsmen when he ties the knot with long-time girlfriend Regine Velasquez in December.

The two other groomsmen are Ogie?s best friends Michael V. and Janno Gibbs.

The groom, however, is tight-lipped about the date and venue of the wedding. ?Regine and I have agreed to keep it a secret so that the place wouldn?t get too crowded,? Ogie told Inquirer Entertainment on Monday. ?It?s one time that we?d like to experience a semblance of privacy.?

Songs galore

Ogie and Regine broke the news of their wedding plans in the Sunday noontime show ?Party Pilipinas? last August.

The couple has asked close friends in the business to perform some of the best songs Ogie has written.

Gary Valenciano will sing ?Kailangan Kita? and Lea Salonga, ?Pangarap Ko ang Ibigin Ka.? Ogie said he also wants Jay R and Kyla, his ?Party Pilipinas? co-hosts, to sing ?Hanggang Ngayon? during the ceremony, and Janno and Jaya Ramsey, the Ryan Cayabyab original ?Ikaw Lamang.?

?Martin (Nievera) said he wasn?t sure if he?d be in town on the day, but he?s agreed to sing ?Ikaw ang Aking Pangarap,? which I wrote as the theme of ?Lobo,?? Ogie said. ?I?ve also asked Arthur Manuntag to sing. He?s one of my favorites. Reg and I like old music, like ?You Don?t Know Me,? ?It Had to Be You,? ?All of Me.? Arthur has the best rendition of all these songs.?

Looking forward

When Ogie?s petition for the annulment of his marriage to 1994 Miss Australia Michelle van Eimeren was granted, he announced that he was looking forward to a lifetime with Regine. Ogie?s two daughters by Michelle, Leila and Sarah, live in Australia with their mother.

?Regine and I consider this more than a blessing,? said Ogie, who admitted that there was a time he thought the wedding wouldn?t happen at all. ?[Before the annulment] there was a part of me that said, ?Sige na nga, basta kasama ko lang si Regine.??

Sarah, 7, will be the Bible bearer and Leila, 12, will be one of the bridesmaids, Ogie said. Michelle, who runs a flower shop business in Australia, will take care of the floral arrangements.

Regine will wear a gown by international fashion designer Monique Lhuillier and Ogie?s suit will be by Randy Ortiz.

?I really like to wear a suit, parang mas pogi kasi ako,? Ogie said. ?I have nothing against the barong Tagalog. I know that Regine?s gown is [something special]. If I wore a barong, I?d probably look like her security. We don?t want that to happen. I want to be as elegant as she is. The men in the entourage will also wear suits. Other guests are encouraged to wear pastel colors.

Gotta be fun

?I?m thinking of getting Arnell Ignacio as host (of the post-wedding party), or maybe Allan K and Ai Ai (de las Alas). I want the event to be fun. We?re going to have everything taken by one photographer. My first wedding (with Michelle at the Basilica de San Martin de Tours in Taal, Batangas) was horrific. Everybody was there. We were inexperienced in handling big events.?

The couple has listed down eight pairs of principal sponsors: Michele and Amparito Lhuillier; Manny Pangilinan and Vicki Belo; Felipe Gozon and Lily Monteverde; Vic del Rosario and Wilma Galvante; Toni Tuviera and Sharon Cuneta; Ronnie and Yda Henares; Freddie Santos and Chris Villanueva; and Jose Marie Chan and Anna Puno.

?This wedding is so blessed because a lot of people want to be part of it. I?m talking about people who want to give things to us for free, which I don?t mind,? said Ogie.

?These are people we?ve encountered in the past whom we had good relationships with. Ang sarap ng feeling. I guess they all want to wish us well, knowing what we went through to get where we are now.?

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph