‘Thank you for your music’: A short tribute to Tiongco Brothers’ Emil

Just a few weeks after celebrating his 85th birthday last July15, Emil Tiongco, the lead vocalist of the internationally acclaimed Tiongco Brothers in the early ‘60s and ‘70s, died of lingering illness on July 31. This leaves Arthur Tiongco, now 80 years old, as the only surviving member of the Tiongco Brothers, since their oldest brother Jun Tiongco passed away last April 11, 2021.

My wife, Mila, and I were honored to be one of the guests of Emil when he celebrated his birthday last July 15 at a mall in Sta, Rosa City. He was in a wheel chair and oftentimes assisted by his son, Edward, a former councilor of Sta. Rosa City.

The younger generation may not know or remember the Tiongco Brothers, but, for sure, once they hear their vocal styling of harmonious blending of voices, they would realize and understand why they were labelled as the singing pride of Sta. Rosa City, Laguna and dubbed as the Four Aces (a group of popular American singers in the ‘50s) of the Philippines.

The Tiongco Brothers were the first Filipino entertainers to perform at the colossal $100M Sydney Opera in Australia; first Filipino group to perform at ARAMCO, the biggest oil company in Saudi Arabia; and the only foreign entertainers who won the hearts of the Australian people for giving free shows for the benefit of one of their worthy projects.

The Tiongco Brothers were the first Filipino entertainers to perform at the colossal $100M Sydney Opera in Australia; first Filipino group to perform at ARAMCO, the biggest oil company in Saudi Arabia; and the only foreign entertainers who won the hearts of the Australian people for giving free shows for the benefit of one of their worthy projects.

I will never forget how, in my youthful days in the ‘60s, I would run and climb the fence of our neighbor in Quezon City just to have a glimpse of their performance in the very famous noontime show at that time, Student Canteen, where the Tiongco Brothers were regular performers.

I never thought that one day I would meet them personally. This time as the election lawyer of Emil when he ran for member of Laguna Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the 1995 election. They even guested and sang in my former radio show, The Law of the Heart is Love, on DWBR. They also performed in a special dinner-show which I organized for senior citizens at the Sofitel Hotel in May 2014.

As the only surviving member of the Tiongco Brothers, Arthur could rest assured that the unforgettable memories we have had with his siblings will forever be etched on the musical mind of all music loving Filipinos.

In a word, the revered and highly admired group, Tiongco Brothers may be gone… but, for sure, they will never be forgotten.

Goodbye, Emil…and thank you for your music.