Cory

At 5AM today, I learned that former president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino has passed away.  She died at 3:18AM. She battled colon cancer for months, and early today, her body finally gave up the fight. I don’t have time to write a tribute or to enumerate the reasons why I feel her loss even though I didn’t know her personally, but I will say that her death saddens me very much. She was the only Philippine president I actually liked.

She also reminds me of my mom. No, they don’t look alike or have (had) the same life, but the way she was with her children (especially with Kris) is the way my mom is with me.

Goodbye, Madame President. I think that, in the Philippines’ history, you were the only president who actually cared about this country.

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Mga Kababayan Ko: A Farewell to Kiko

Francis Durango Magalona: October 4, 1964 - March 6, 2009

At around 12 noon on March 6, 2009, I was in the hospital, working. My co-workers suddenly flocked in front of the TV in our unit’s waiting area. The hosts of Eat Bulaga! all had solemn faces and were making an announcement. All I heard, though, was Pia Guanio saying “…but the show must go on…” or something to that effect. I asked one of the RRT’s what was happening. “Patay na si Kiko!” (“Kiko’s dead!”) At first, it didn’t register in my mind who Kiko was. And then it hit me.

I don’t think one can be Filipino and not feel even a little sadness over Francis Magalona’s death. And surely, one cannot be a Filipino blogger and not pay tribute to Kiko on her blog. I grew up listening to Francis Magalona’s music. He is one of the few Filipino musicians whose songs I like. Yes, I’m aware that I’m still using the present tense. After all, I still like his music. Some of my favorites are Kaleidoscope World, Cold Summer Nights, and even Mga Kababayan Ko, which is actually already an OPM (Original Pilipino Music) classic. Aside from his music, I also liked his boyish good looks and charm (he was 44 but looked like he was just in his late 20’s or early 30’s), his  apparent love of tattoos, his tattoos (of course!),  and the fact that he seemed very patriotic. He was always promoting OPM, and in his music, one could sense his pride in his – in our – roots. In fact, he was also known as The Man From Manila.

And of course, people of my generation, who could forget Bagets, right?!

I am reading Happy Battle, a blog that he and his wife had set up after he was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in September 2008. In it are chronicles of his chemotherapy sessions, his days in the hospital, and photos of him, his family, and his health care team. His other site is a Free Mind, which was created in 2005. In my opinion, it’s a more personal blog because it contains stories about his life outside his battle with leukemia. It has pictures of him with other Filipino artists, his children and their works, his heroes,  and his artwork. He was, as it turned out, also a photographer, aside from being a musician, actor, host, and an entrepreneur. Check out those two sites. I find them inspiring, and I think you’ll find them inspiring, too.

I will not end this post by saying “Kiko, I will miss you!” I didn’t, after all, know Kiko personally. But I will say that the Philippine entertainment industry has lost a great asset. The music industry has certainly lost one of the few artists it can be proud of. I will say that the country has lost a good kababayan. I will say that I am definitely saddened by the loss, especially considering that I actually thought he was getting better after he appeared in a TV ad with comedian Ramon Bautista.

And finally, I will say Goodbye, Francis M.