People
Meet Bong Infante, Rockwell's Mr. Piano Man
“I belong here. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be."
by Pam Pastor
Published on Aug 10, 2025
(SPOT.ph) His hands dance across the keys, body moving where the rhythm takes him. As he hits the final chord with a flourish, applause and cheers break out from the audience. He smiles an acknowledging smile, fingers still hovering over the piano, poised to start another tune.
It feels like a concert but we’re not in a concert hall. No velvet curtains or rows of cushy seats around here, just an old Yamaha in the middle of a bustling area lined on both sides with restaurants. We’re at the basement floor of the Power Plant Mall in Makati’s Rockwell neighborhood. There's strong competiton here for a musician: the clinking of utensils, tables being bussed, and the constant chatter of people— yet there’s nowhere else Bong Infante would rather be.
“I love it. I belong here. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be,” says the 76-year-old musician who has been playing the piano at the mall since 2001. “My intention is to play for the masses. At the mall, everyone can enjoy your music. You see senior citizens here, you see children. Even babies start dancing when I play.”
It feels like a concert but we’re not in a concert hall. No velvet curtains or rows of cushy seats around here, just an old Yamaha in the middle of a bustling area lined on both sides with restaurants. We’re at the basement floor of the Power Plant Mall in Makati’s Rockwell neighborhood. There's strong competiton here for a musician: the clinking of utensils, tables being bussed, and the constant chatter of people— yet there’s nowhere else Bong Infante would rather be.
“I love it. I belong here. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be,” says the 76-year-old musician who has been playing the piano at the mall since 2001. “My intention is to play for the masses. At the mall, everyone can enjoy your music. You see senior citizens here, you see children. Even babies start dancing when I play.”
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Bong Infante photographed by Paul Sugano at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City. Cover design by Warrren Espejo.
We witness this one Sunday in July: how people flock toward the piano as soon as Infante starts playing. He has a following—regulars who go to the mall specifically for his performances. But even those who don’t still find themselves drawn to the sound of his playing anyway. Families, couples on dates, they slow down, stop, and smile, enchanted by Infante’s mastery of his chosen instrument.
“The music of Bong is very therapeutic,” says Mike, a Power Plant Mall regular. “When Bong plays, iba yung dating ng piano eh, nayayanig yung buong Rockwell, napapasayaw, napapakanta (it’s something else, he shakes the place up and makes people dance and sing). He captures people of all ages.”
At one point, as Infante plays, an elderly man in a wheelchair and a toddler in a stroller flanks him on either side. The old man nods his head and taps his fingers to the beat while the toddler watches in rapt attention. Parents like bringing their babies near the piano as Infante plays so the little ones can enjoy the music and, perhaps in hopes that his musical prowess would rub off on them.
“The music of Bong is very therapeutic,” says Mike, a Power Plant Mall regular. “When Bong plays, iba yung dating ng piano eh, nayayanig yung buong Rockwell, napapasayaw, napapakanta (it’s something else, he shakes the place up and makes people dance and sing). He captures people of all ages.”
At one point, as Infante plays, an elderly man in a wheelchair and a toddler in a stroller flanks him on either side. The old man nods his head and taps his fingers to the beat while the toddler watches in rapt attention. Parents like bringing their babies near the piano as Infante plays so the little ones can enjoy the music and, perhaps in hopes that his musical prowess would rub off on them.
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Infante started playing at Rockwell's Power Plant Mall in 2001 but he's also played in other malls, from Robinson's Magnolia to Glorietta, and even in train stations and VIP functions. Photograph by Paul Sugano.
From Dancing Mom to Dancing Fingers
Vidalito Infante started playing the piano at the age of six. Encouraged by their parents—mom was a dressmaker while dad was a lawyer—the young Bong and his three siblings all took lessons but he was the only one who stuck with it. "Ako yung nagpursigi. (I was the one who persevered.) I really studied the piano seriously,” he tells SPOT.ph.
"My mom loved to dance, so there was always music inside the house," he told VeraFiles in 2012. "I was exposed to that. I would really dance with my mother. But before I learned to play the piano, I studied how to read the notes first. That really helped me develop my talent."
He recalls how his first piano teacher Lourdes Nicolas would go to their house in Sampaloc, Manila to give him lessons. Another teacher, Ruben Hilario—who Infante says had been the conductor of San Beda Chorale—would help him continue his growth as a pianist when he enrolled at the old Laperal Music Academy in Sampaloc, Manila.
As a kid, Infante loved playing classical pieces like Vittorio Monti's “Csárdás” and Chopin's “Fantaisie-Impromptu.” “You know why I'm consistent?" he asks. "You should always go back to pieces you’ve played. If you don’t, you’ll forget them and you won’t be able to play them anymore.”
As a kid, Infante loved playing classical pieces like Vittorio Monti's “Csárdás” and Chopin's “Fantaisie-Impromptu.” “You know why I'm consistent?" he asks. "You should always go back to pieces you’ve played. If you don’t, you’ll forget them and you won’t be able to play them anymore.”
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In grade school and high school at Arellano University, he became known as the kid who played the piano. “I was the school pianist. Whenever there were performances, they’d always ask me to play.”
He recalls accompanying his music teacher as she sang "Júrame.” “Her name was Mrs. Melissa Isidro and that was her favorite song to sing.”
Infante also played church music, something he still does today. He calls it “sacred music.”
He's spent his lifetime playing the piano, learning different genres—classical, pop, kundiman, Latin, ballroom music—from different teachers. “I’m very thankful to them for teaching me,” he says.
Infante never lost interest in music. In fact, he didn’t go to college anymore because he already knew what he wanted to do with his life: play the piano. “From the beginning, it was my bread and butter.”
Infante is proof you can make a living from music, he says. He’s performed at parties, hotels, hospitals, weddings, different events, you name it.
He recalls accompanying his music teacher as she sang "Júrame.” “Her name was Mrs. Melissa Isidro and that was her favorite song to sing.”
Infante also played church music, something he still does today. He calls it “sacred music.”
He's spent his lifetime playing the piano, learning different genres—classical, pop, kundiman, Latin, ballroom music—from different teachers. “I’m very thankful to them for teaching me,” he says.
Infante never lost interest in music. In fact, he didn’t go to college anymore because he already knew what he wanted to do with his life: play the piano. “From the beginning, it was my bread and butter.”
Infante is proof you can make a living from music, he says. He’s performed at parties, hotels, hospitals, weddings, different events, you name it.
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These hands started taking piano lessons at six, and playing professionally in 1970. "It's always been my bread and butter," Infante tells SPOT of playing the piano. Photograph by Paul Sugano.
When The World Stopped, He Didn't
He and guitarist Bernard Calma formed Soulful Mood String Ensemble, and in 2001, they started playing at Power Plant Mall. It was a regular gig that came to a halt close to two decades later when the pandemic hit. “That was the only time I stopped,” Infante recalls.
But he didn't really stop. Perhaps knowing that playing the piano was Infante's sole career, a family friend and student posed the idea to the old man of sharing his performances online, which helped with his medicine and everyday expenses. Infante would go live on Facebook, and play anything from the standards to OPM to kundiman. His fans, some of which recognized him from his mall gigs, would send help and encourage friends and their own online communities to watch Mang Bong. At one point, reported GoodNews Pilipinas in 2021, one of his live shows on Facebook clocked in 8,000 comments and 21,000 shares.
But as soon as the pandemic restrictions eased, Infante was back at the mall, playing the songs that so many mall-goers love. “Of course, I did it while wearing a mask,” says Infante, who was already in his 70s at the time.
Over the years, the man has had the chance to perform in different malls but, he says, Rockwell is his favorite.
On Saturdays, you’ll find him playing the piano here from 12 to 2 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. On Sundays, he’s here from 2 p.m. onwards, alternating with Calma. And what does he play? “Everything!” Infante says with a smile.
But as soon as the pandemic restrictions eased, Infante was back at the mall, playing the songs that so many mall-goers love. “Of course, I did it while wearing a mask,” says Infante, who was already in his 70s at the time.
Over the years, the man has had the chance to perform in different malls but, he says, Rockwell is his favorite.
On Saturdays, you’ll find him playing the piano here from 12 to 2 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. On Sundays, he’s here from 2 p.m. onwards, alternating with Calma. And what does he play? “Everything!” Infante says with a smile.
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"When you look at how his fingers touch the bars of the piano, you know it's passion," a fan was once quoted as saying. Photograph by Paul Sugano.
The standards are always part of his repertoire. “Mas gusto ko yung mga lumang kanta (I like old songs more), the ones my parents made me listen to,” he says. “I also like pop, Latin, religious music.”
He takes requests too. “They like the all-time favorites. The seniors, they usually ask for songs like ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ ‘Smile,’ ‘Mona Lisa.’ In the evening, when there are a lot of kids, I play pop,” he says.
Infante’s style is playful. He creates his own arrangements including some fun and surprising medleys. This Sunday, his diverse set list includes classical and Latin pieces, a disco medley, songs like “Young-At-Heart,” “L-O-V-E,” “Granada,” “YMCA,” and even the “Voltes V” theme.
He takes requests too. “They like the all-time favorites. The seniors, they usually ask for songs like ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ ‘Smile,’ ‘Mona Lisa.’ In the evening, when there are a lot of kids, I play pop,” he says.
Infante’s style is playful. He creates his own arrangements including some fun and surprising medleys. This Sunday, his diverse set list includes classical and Latin pieces, a disco medley, songs like “Young-At-Heart,” “L-O-V-E,” “Granada,” “YMCA,” and even the “Voltes V” theme.
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Pianista of the Masses
Remember Infante's viral moment in 2012, when he spotted a Wilhelm piano in a music store at the LRT2 Cubao station and took it as an invitation to start playing? From a small crowd of onlookers, his audience grew to around 300 and the piyanista ended up playing a good two hours—the crowd just won't let him go. "His energy is incomparable," an audience member is quoted in this VeraFiles story. "When you look at how his fingers touch the bars of the piano, you know it's passion. He's gifted! Ang galing!"
At Rockwell, on some days, pianists young and old join him for spontaneous duets—magical moments that often end up being shared online. Singers drop by as well to sing as he plays, among them sopranos Zarina Cornelia and Kathy Hipolito.
Around Christmas 2022, Sharon Cuneta surprised Infante as he was playing her song “Ikaw.” To his delight, the Megastar started singing along and, when the song was over, gave him a big hug and said, “Lagi niyo daw po tinutugtog ang mga kanta ko dito. (I heard that you always play my songs here.) Thank you po.”
They performed another song together for the big crowd that had gathered—“Kahit Maputi Na ang Buhok Ko.”
Most recently, videos of Infante having a four-hands duet with 86-year-old concert pianist Zenas Reyes-Lozada went viral. The two played several songs including “Quando, Quando, Quando” and “La Vie En Rose.” Recalls Infante, “Biro mo, ka-duet ko kapwa ko senior. ‘Di ko makakalimutan yun. Ang sarap. (Imagine, I did a duet with a fellow senior? I’ll never forget that. It felt so good.)”
He relishes these impromptu moments. “Ay naku, sinabi mo pa, lalo akong nag-e-enjoy pag ganun. (They make me enjoy it even more.)"
They performed another song together for the big crowd that had gathered—“Kahit Maputi Na ang Buhok Ko.”
Most recently, videos of Infante having a four-hands duet with 86-year-old concert pianist Zenas Reyes-Lozada went viral. The two played several songs including “Quando, Quando, Quando” and “La Vie En Rose.” Recalls Infante, “Biro mo, ka-duet ko kapwa ko senior. ‘Di ko makakalimutan yun. Ang sarap. (Imagine, I did a duet with a fellow senior? I’ll never forget that. It felt so good.)”
He relishes these impromptu moments. “Ay naku, sinabi mo pa, lalo akong nag-e-enjoy pag ganun. (They make me enjoy it even more.)"
His audience clearly enjoys being there, too—and they show him in a variety of ways: clapping, dancing, reaching out to shake his hand, filling his bucket with tips, and promising they’d return the following week. “It makes me so happy. That’s why I’ll never get sick of it. I’ve always loved playing. It's always been my passion. Even now that I've gotten older, I'm still here.”
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Just another Sunday at Rockwell, engaging with fans and friends. "At the mall, everyone can enjoy your music. You see senior citizens here, you see children. Even babies start dancing when I play.” Photograph by Paul Sugano.
We return to Power Plant Mall for our interview on a Tuesday—a day when Infante wasn’t scheduled to play. A group spots him going down the escalator. Excited, they try to get his attention. “We were just talking about you!” one lady exclaims. “We can’t wait to watch you again.”
Infante smiles and waves. At this mall, he’s really a star. But that’s not what he loves the most about playing. “Bigay kasi ni Lord sa akin yun eh. Kapag bigay ni Lord sa'yo, huwag mong tatanggihan. (God gave this gift to me. If He gives you a gift, you do not refuse it.) Ìf you do, you will lose it.”
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Infante looks at his talent and career as a gift: "Kapag bigay ni Lord sa'yo, huwag mong tatanggihan." Photograph by Paul Sugano.
His advice for aspiring pianists? “If you're interested in playing the piano, study and study and don't stop.”
But to parents, he says, “Find out first if your child is interested in playing the piano. If they’re not, don't force it.”
While Infante spends weekends playing, weekdays are for rest and taking care of himself. “I have medicines for high blood and sugar. I do hand exercises. And after playing the piano, I don't wash my hands right away.”
Taking care of his precious hands is important because he wants to be able to play for as long as he can. “I will not stop playing the piano as long as I live. Maybe, when I reach the age of 90, maybe that's when I'll retire. It depends on the Lord. If he keeps giving me strength to play, I will still play for Him.”
But to parents, he says, “Find out first if your child is interested in playing the piano. If they’re not, don't force it.”
While Infante spends weekends playing, weekdays are for rest and taking care of himself. “I have medicines for high blood and sugar. I do hand exercises. And after playing the piano, I don't wash my hands right away.”
Taking care of his precious hands is important because he wants to be able to play for as long as he can. “I will not stop playing the piano as long as I live. Maybe, when I reach the age of 90, maybe that's when I'll retire. It depends on the Lord. If he keeps giving me strength to play, I will still play for Him.”
All photographs by Paul Sugano.
Pam Pastor just said goodbye to her newspaper life after 27 years. Today she is juggling different writing projects and a bar she has opened with cousins and friends.
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