A tribute to FrancisM

Last Saturday marked the first death anniversary of Francis Magalona and in Startalk, we had with us — live — some of the loved ones he left behind: Wife Pia Magalona and two of their children, Maxene and Saab.

Below, allow me to recall the events that may have led to the end, but has yet to be concluded — what with the pending release of the album In Love and in War, his collaboration with Ely Buendia. Francis may be gone, but he will be in our hearts forever and here is my tribute to this music great.

Francis was an uncrowned showbiz royalty, the second to the youngest son of movie greats Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, who — as a love team — made a long string of hit movies for Sampaguita Pictures.

Francis’ initial foray into the world of entertainment was as a matinee idol in the second installment of Maryo J. de los Reyes’ Bagets for Viva Films in 1985. He carved his niche in showbiz, however, when he became a master rapper/composer and eventually was acknowledged as a young music icon promoting and espousing pro-Pinoy messages in his songs, particularly with his phenomenal hit, Mga Kababayan Ko.

His was a checkered life and career and found stability only when he joined the Eat, Bulaga! family. Always brimming with energy, he was given the task of turning over for a smooth transition the concluding portion of Eat, Bulaga!’s Saturday edition to its post-programmer, the showbiz-oriented talk show Startalk, in a segment known in TV jargon as “seamless.”

From the top of his lungs, he’d cry out: “Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao, seamless na!” The Startalk hosts would pick it up from there and the mainstays of both shows exchange on-air banter for a couple of minutes, punctuated with a lot of friendly jeers and ribbing — private jokes, even.

Being multi-talented, his role wasn’t limited to the seamless portion. He was also asked to perform musical numbers, made to deliver spiels, interview guests and do comedy on occasion. He was an asset to the show and a dream talent for the production people because of his unflagging enthusiasm and dedication to Eat, Bulaga!’s daily grind.

It was at work, in fact, when he first noticed signs of his deteriorating health. They were on an Eat, Bulaga! US tour in July of 2008 when he began having afternoon fevers and constant headaches.

Back in Manila, his condition didn’t improve one bit, but ever the pro, Francis continued reporting for work every day on the set of Eat, Bulaga! — unmindful of the fact that he wasn’t well and was actually very ill. When he went to the Medical City Hospital for a check-up, he wasn’t allowed by his doctors to go home anymore after he was diagnosed to be suffering from acute myelogenous leukemia — the worst type.

Red Cross governor Rosa Rosal, who saw through Francis’ needs to the very end, knew it was just a matter of time, but kept those medical findings private. On Aug. 8, 2008, Vic Sotto made a public announcement on Eat, Bulaga! regarding Francis’ state of health.

It was actually a text message from Francis himself that Vic read on the air: “I have been diagnosed with leukemia and I am preparing for my treatment. Sa tulong ng Panginoon, kakayanin ko po ito. Abangan n’yo ang aking pagbabalik. Di ko lang kayo miss, love ko kayong lahat.”

While Francis continuously underwent treatment, show of support poured in, not only from family and friends, but from the public as well. Blood drives were conducted and benefit shows were staged to help defray the cost of his medical expenses. There was also TAPE, Inc., producer of Eat, Bulaga!, that threw in its support all the way. Invaluable, of course, was the constant assurance of love, affection and comfort he received from the show’s Dabarkads.

To everyone’s joy and relief, after almost three months of treatment, Francis eventually went on a remission and he used this period in his life catching up on his musical works and had an artistic collaboration with another music genius, Ely Buendia, who that time was also still recovering from a bypass operation after he collapsed in the middle of the jampacked Eraserheads reunion concert (Ely’s mother had died only days prior to the show).

 On Oct. 25, 2008, Francis felt strong enough to make a one-time Eat, Bulaga! comeback that was highlighted with a duet with Ely. That was a bit of music history on TV. At the end of the program, he even managed to deliver — with as much fervor as he did during healthier days — the “seamless na!” line that connects Eat, Bulaga! to Startalk. In a matter of minutes, he was also the live guest of the showbiz talk show where he assured the public that he was doing fine. He was, at that point.

But as Pia later explained, cancer is very tricky. After a remission, a patient goes into a major relapse and that was what happened to Francis who went on to play rap music with the angels in heaven on March 6, 2009. He was 44.

Francis may have excelled in a type of music — rap — that has its roots in American sub-culture, but from the beginning, he had always infused into his works a deep sense of patriotism, nationalism and the Filipino pride.

Elevated to the Hall of Fame in the first annual Philippine hip-hop awards in 2005 and a recipient of MTV Pilipinas’ Generations Award the following year, Francis was also given the Presidential medal of merit for his music in ceremonies held in Malacañang months after he passed away.

On the eve of his first death anniversary, it was but fitting that his and Ely’s work, Higante, was voted Favorite Collaboration during the 2010 Myx Music Awards.

In life and even in the after life, his contributions to Philippine entertainment continue to get recognized. Such was the talent lent to us by FrancisM.