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).