Top 100 Cebuano personalities: Domingo “Minggoy” Lopez

CEBU, Philippines — Some men don’t die…they simply become legends. Domingo “Minggoy” Lopez is among those few men, what with his talent in music.

Known as Cebu’s Music Man, Minggoy, as he was fondly known, became a musical icon because of his compositions that went on to win awards, but most importantly, became anthems to Cebuanos.

Born to a humble family in August 1912, Minggoy hailed from Sitio Kalubihan, San Nicolas, Cebu City and grew up right in the heart of downtown Cebu.

One of 11 children, he inherited his parents’ affinity for music, singing and acting in his first zarzuela at eight years old and eventually becoming a member of a dance troupe.

Such was his passion that he quit school right after his freshman year in high school to pursue his craft.

Minggoy would take part in the group Zarzuela Cebuana, sailing to Manila and even Sandacan, Borneo just to share their music.

Spending his waking hours teaching himself how to sing and play the guitar, Minggoy soon became a triple threat.

At 18 years old, he began writing songs about romance, dedicating a couple of his early compositions “Pagkatam-is” and “Daw Magisi” to his first love.

Despite the lack of formal music training and his inability to read notes, Minggoy managed to compose more than 200 songs with his trusty guitar – telling stories about love, nature, social justice, and the roles of women as catalysts for change.

Among his popular hits are “Rosas Pandan,” “Kamingaw sa Payag,” “Kagahapon ug Karon,” “Krutsay Sakayanon, Bukidnon,” “Pag-utlan sa Gugma” and “Salimuang sa Hubog.”

Minggoy also made songs for radio dramas and stage plays, eventually becoming an accomplished radio, stage and movie personality.

Besides music, he was in love with performing, appearing in many radio dramas, soap operas, and plays, as well as in Visayan movies like “Timbu-mata,” “Dimakaling” and “Aliyana.”

Despite being a beloved father and a celebrated artist, Minggoy worried that his songs would be lost and forgotten when his time came. The death of his wife in 1973 triggered these thoughts.

And so the following year, the musical director immortalized his music, recording his songs on cassette tapes and aptly calling the collection “Panamilit: Kasaysayan sa Kinabuhi ni Minggoy Lopez.”

Seven years would pass, and Minggoy would join his Creator in 1981, dying in his sleep at the age of 69.

Among the Cebuano composers victimized by some recording companies, Minggoy, known to be a generous man who gave his songs to others, died a poor man.

Even after his passing, Minggoy’s family would receive several posthumous awards and recognitions like the Perlas Award for the Valuable Filipino in the field of music given by the Philippines Foundation, Inc. in 1994.

Before his 100th birth anniversary, Minggoy was also given by Garbo sa Sugbo the Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the Governor’s Ball in 2012 for “his legacy of classic Cebuano music and his outstanding contribution to the Cebuano music industry.”