10th Dec 2023

Black Brother’s hit ‘Come Back Again’ comes true with the recent visit of Vivian Lucero to Vanuatu

The Philippine community in Vanuatu, currently consisting of 360 Filipinos represented by the Honorary Consul General Bong Serrano, recently welcomed back famous former members of the community, Ms. Vivian Lucero, her husband Mr. Cecilio Lucero and their son Mr. Crocqhenry Lucero. They were accompanied by Ms. Lucero’s brother, Mr. Raffy Sabarre, and their family.

Being very active in supporting the Philippine community and organizing all sorts of social events in Vanuatu ranging from sponsored annual basketball tournaments to the Philippines Independence Day celebrations, the Honorary Consul General was delighted to welcome Ms. Lucero and her family members to Port Vila and to discover a crucial piece of the history of the Philippine community in Vanuatu.

Vivian Lucero came to Vanuatu for the first time in 1982 at the age of 22 to perform at the Intercontinental Hotel in Port Vila as contracted singer of a Philippine band. She stayed on and continued her singing career at Le Lagon, first in duet with her brother Raffy and later with the Vanuatu ensemble ‘Tim Kalmet’. She is however best known in Vanuatu and beyond for her performance of the Bislama song 'Come Back Again' with the famous Black Brothers from West Papua who were playing their music across Vanuatu’s islands in the 1980s.

Home in Newcastle, Australia, Ms. Lucero still live performs her Bislama hit in Australia, now with her brother as the duo “Talk of the Town duo”. In 1989, they won the Best Duo Award at a competition in Newcastle. Not surprisingly, Vivian Lucero’s son, Crocqhenry Lucero, is also a singer like his mother, who he says inspired him. He has his own band “The CRocQ” and performs with his mother as well.

What many do not know however is that Crocqhenry Lucero is the first Filipino ever born in Vanuatu. Named after the former ‘Henry Crocq’ piano bar at the Le Lagon Hotel in Port Vila where his mother once performed, Crocqhenry feels a deep connection with Vanuatu and was overjoyed to visit his place of birth.

The Philippine Honorary Consulate in Port Vila was able to get a copy of Crocqhenry Lucero’s birth certificate and is very proud to confirm that he is indeed the first Vanuatu-born Filipino in Vanuatu.