No words today. Just deep, deep sadness for the passing of a wonderful soul. Someone who crossed generations with his rap songs — the ultimate Pinoy rapper. An optimist in the midst of his cancer. God-loving. FRANCIS “KIKO” MAGALONA…
Kiko, I thought you finally won over the big C but God had a different purpose for you. Today, we lost a good man in you. We will miss you, Francis. You endeared yourself to my generation as well as to my kids.
I found these YouTube videos of his last interview on StarTalk GMA last Oct. 25, 2008 and his performance at Eat Bulaga with Ely Buendia on the same day (thanks to DCRJPinoyBiscuits03). One of the things Kiko kept saying in both shows was: “I am home” (referring to his return to GMA). But now you are TRULY HOME, Kiko!
Here is a clip of Francis M doing Reach for the Stars (thanks to avidllongoren)
A statue in the Ateneo Grade School grounds that aptly represents Amiel
Today, Amiel Alcantara was laid to rest. I was unable to attend. Last night, my sore throat came back for the second time and my nose was congested. But I am glad that I was able to visit — yesterday.
I was not feeling that well yesterday either. My energy felt sapped. But there was an inner compulsion in me to go and visit Amiel Alcantara’s wake in Ateneo before he was laid to rest and to finally meet the little boy that occupied my thoughts ever since I heard about his accidental death in Ateneo.
Dine and one of my 2 girls who study in Ateneo, were with me. We were actually wondering where Amiel died because I only had the GMA News simulation to imagine where it was. As we approached the entrance to the grade school, just off the gym and Henry Lee Irwin Theatre, we saw a spot blocked off by metal barriers, filled with flowers and surrounded by candles. It was right smack where the kids were being picked up, very close to the gate that led to the Grade School. I began imagining just how many yayas, drivers and kids saw everything happen. It must have been so traumatic, so terrible, especially for the young ones!
The spot where Amiel was hit
As soon as we entered the GS chapel, we knew just how well-loved Amiel was. The place was packed to overflowing. His teachers were there and so were his classmates and school friends. Most of the adults were in black (a sign of deep mourning and regret for a young life lost) while his batchmates were still in their PE uniforms.
We prayed briefly before Amiel’s coffin, then met his dad Pepe — a soft-spoken man. When Dine asked what that day was like for him, he recounted how it was just an ordinary day when he saw his kids off to school. But there was one striking detail about that day, he said. The car bearing his kids had began to move off already when it stopped. The door opened and out came Amiel running back to hug him. He said his thoughts were: What does this kid want from me? You know how kids are — when they want something from you, he told us. But Amiel just wanted to give him a hug since he forgot to do so.
Shortly after, the 6pm Mass began with Fr. Ben Nebres as the main celebrant and 3 other co-celebrant Jesuits. Dine and I were asked to stay in the first pew, just opposite the pew where the Alcantara family was. It was a blessing. We were able to listen intently to Fr. Ben’s homily as well as the sharings of his family and best friend, Vince.
A glimpse of the Alcantara family, including Yaya Tata (in wheelchair) who was injured trying to save the kids
Near us were some of Amiel’s classmates from 4-Manobo. I spoke with them during a lull after Mass and asked them what they remembered doing with Amiel that day that serves as their best memory. Typical of 10-year old boys, one boy chirped up, “RECESS!!!!”
Just some of Amiel's classmatesAmiel's uncleAmiel's auntHis best friend Vince
Their stories showed just how loving Amiel was. Fr. Ben recounted a time when Amiel spent 3 hours looking for a teacher so he could get back a friend’s soccer ball. His aunt, a dentist, recalls how Amiel (described as more mature than his age) called her the day before to set a dental appointment. She had asked him if he would go out since that Monday was a holiday and he responded no because “I like to BE home!” Was this comment a purview of things to come? I don’t know — but what really gave me goose pimples was his aunt’s comment that whenever she would text and type Amiel’s name using predictive texting, what would come out was “ANGEL”. Yes, Amiel, you are now an angel and you are truly HOME!
I briefly hugged Amiel’s mom, Niann. There were just too many visitors coming to her. Too bad because I found out later that evening that she was a childhood friend of my good friend and kumare, Aly.
I’d like to end with this video lovingly prepared to show the boy who loved and was loved. Amiel’s uncle told us that he had wanted to add another thing a classmate had written: “You are now so popular. Even Boy Abunda sent you flowers!”
My hands were a bit shaky while holding my camera so I will replace this once Amiel’s family posts the original video. Meanwhile, take a look at the life of a blue angel…
Rest in the arms of our Lord, Amiel. You are now a totally whole, healed person in your eternal Home. Watch over your loved ones who will continue to miss you. Ask our Father to grant them peace, comfort and healing knowing you are safe with Him.
UPDATE (March 16, 2009)
Dr. Martin Moreno, Amiel’s uncle, sent me a text today with good news. Yaya Tata will be discharged tomorrow, March 17, before noon, after a successful debridement operation, saving her left leg from amputation. Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful news!
Today (Feb. 26) I read an update on what really happened to Amiel from the blogs of Cathy and Noemi, both co-founders of The Compassionate Friends (Philippines) — a grief support group for those who lose a child . Cathy and Noemi are parents who had to deal with their sons’ sudden deaths. The Philippine Daily Inquirer also has accounts HERE and HERE. GMANews carries a 3D simulation HERE.
The details in Cathy’s blog sent shivers up my spine. Here is part of Cathy’s account:
My husband and I have just returned from his wake and I am shocked, stunned and restless over the circumstances surrounding his death. The Alcantara’s actually almost lost three children, and not just one.
Amiel, his 65-year old Yaya Tata (who has been with the family for 40 plus years), his 7 year old sister, and 13 year old brother Javi, together with the driver, were already so close to their car when the CRV driven by Teresa Torres, careened from behind and hit Amiel. Yaya Tata was able to push the youngest one and the elder boy out of the way but was too far to get to Amiel. Yaya Tata had herself suffered injuries and fractures and is set to have surgery next week. The most heart-wrenching thing about the whole thing is that it was the Alcantara’s driver and 13 year old Javi who had to extricate Amiel from beneath the van. The impact was so strong that three other vehicles were damaged in the process before the vehicle finally came to a stop. How does a 13 year old young boy cope with the image of seeing his younger brother that way?
It was the driver who took Amiel to the New Era hospital and they were en route to the hospital in another Ateneo parent’s car when Amiel died in his arms. Amiel’s father, Pepe Alcantara, former chair of the UP Student Council in the 1980s, and his mother, Niann, were no longer able to see their youngest son alive. It is a tragedy of such great proportions.
The CRV that careened through the parking lot was around 25 meters away from where the kids were standing. Apparently, for some reasons that remain yet unclear, the driver had stepped heavily on the accelerator because a screeching sound, akin to those that you hear at drag races, was heard by several witnesses before the car sped and hit Amiel.
Our youngest son who will turn 15 in a few days came to me a few weeks back and asked me: “Mom, next year is it possible for yaya not to fetch me anymore? I am big enough to walk home by myself.” Wanting him to learn independence, I had nodded my head and made a note of this for next year. But now, I can’t help but fear not only for him but for our older son who also walks home. No matter how careful they will be in crossing the streets, a careless driver could cause them harm. All parents, I think, are haunted by this possibility.
As the Alcantara family continue to deal now and in the future with this irreplaceable loss, I can only pray for them to find comfort in Our Lord and His Mother (she, who also saw her only son die).
Will I allow my sons to continue walking to school? Maybe. Most likely. But I will likely also step up my prayers over them. One great book I find very comforting during times like this is The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. Try to get hold of a copy and use it to cover your children with prayers throughout their lives. We can only shelter our kids so much. The rest is up to Him.
I was not about to blog about this as I still have a heavy heart. But I realize that LIFE has its happy and sad moments and both, combined, make up our human-ness.
My girls, who study in Ateneo, gave me a heads-up last night on the tragic car accident that claimed the life of a Gr. 4 10-year old boy inside the school grounds. His name was Julian Carlo Miguel (Amiel) Alcantara.
My friend Cathy has most of the details in her blog. As details unfold, it appears Amiel and his yaya stepped out of their car to get some food in the school canteen. Meanwhile, a 30-ish Mom in her van had taken over the driver’s seat while her driver went to get her son. Amiel and yaya were going back to their car when the Mom moved the van. Accounts differ as to whether the van was in front, behind or alongside Amiel. But it looks like the mom stepped on the gas instead of the brakes. Amiel is crushed between two cars and has to be retrieved, bloodied, from underneath. He does not survive. Amiel’s 7th grade older brother was in the car, witness to it all.
Tragic. Depressing. A huge loss for the Alcantara family that no words can describe. A horrific nightmare for the Mom involved.
No one wished for this to happen. I grieved for Amiel last night and shed some tears while reading news that came in trickles. No child would ever imagine that they could be anything but safe inside their school. I grieved too for the young Mom. She has to live with this thought for the rest of her life. I cannot imagine what must be going through her head today.
The incident was another awakening to the shortness of life and how it can be snuffed out of our loved ones any day, any time. I was imagining that if it could happen in Ateneo, it could very well happen in my boys’ school or any school for that matter. They walk to and from school daily, cross streets, and have to contend with the traffic that comes through our street since we live close to 2 schools. My girls in Ateneo also cross Katipunan almost daily to eat at restaurants there. They are just as vulnerable to vehicular accidents and it is only by the grace and protection of God that I see them come home safely each day.
I still believe that nothing happens by accident but in a situation like this, I cannot help but ponder what was the purpose of the whole situation. All I can do is trust that Amiel’s death HAD a purpose and he did not die in vain. But for now, as a mother, I grieve with both families. I pray that as today, Ash Wednesday, starts the Lenten Season, that they both somehow find our God’s comforting Love and Peace.
And for those of us who have children who leave our homes each day for school or work, say a prayer of protection over them every night as you put them to bed, embrace them tightly, and tell them how much you love them. Don’t wait for another tomorrow. Tomorrow may not be there…
For those interested in wake details for Amiel, I am reposting this from Wawam:
His body lies in state at the Chapel of the Holy Guardian Angels, Ateneo de Manila Grade School.
Wake masses will be held at 7:30 PM from Wednesday, February 25, 2009 to Friday, February 27, 2009.
The remains of Amiel will be cremated at the Arlington Crematorium, Araneta Avenue, Quezon City at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 28, 2009. There will be a mass at 11:00 AM at the AGS Chapel before the body is brought to Arlington for cremation.
Last Feb. 19 (Thursday), Ipanema launched its GB Seeds Collection of fashion-savvy flip flops. Gisele Bundchen, a famous Brazilian fashion icon and dubbed by Forbes Magazine as “The World’s Top-Earning Model”, is the inspiration behind this line of flip flops.
C2 and I were lucky to be part of the well-organized event held at Le Souffle at the Fort.
Ipanema has been around for a while but this new line of flip flops has some great features:
* all the soles have a forest-inspired print
* the straps have a metal spiral button gracing the front sandal strap symbolizing “the seed of life” (this reminds the wearer to do his part and share in the campaign towards a lush Philippines by helping to spread the word)
* made in Brazil, we were told by Mr. Francisco Patxi Elizalde, Managing Director of ELRO Commercial and Industrial Corporation (exclusive distributors of Ipanema) that these flip flops are made entirely of recycled plastic.
The tables were simple but tastefully arranged. A unique touch was the incorporation of the flip flops into the decor.
The food served us was a full-blown feast — from appetizers to main dishes to several dessert selections. Le Souffle’s menu was definitely something to relish.
After the sumptuous feast, we were treated to a dance performance by members of the Philippine Ballet Theatre who were all wearing the Ipanema flip flops.
I sat entranced during the entire show. First, the fact that it was a dance presentation appealed to me because I was, once upon a time, a ballet student on toeshoes. But what really caught me by surprise was the fact that the dancers wore flip flops that looked very pliable, soft and almost like ballet sandals. When the dancers pointed their toes, the soles folded easily for a great en pointe. They twirled, leapt, sashayed across the catwalk in them. We learned that these were the same sandals they wore during their rehearsals.
See how the flip flop follows when she does her en pointe? Whew!!!
Ballet shoes get the most punishing workout so if their Ipanema flip flops survived without breaking a strap or worse, getting the soles split in the middle, that definitely spells DURABILITY. I’m a convert!
ELRO Managing Director Francisco Patxi Elizalde with the Philippine Ballet Theatre
Here is a video of one of their dances:
The organizers also raffled off bags that were designed with gardening tools but lo and behold! Inside each of those bags was — a pair of Ipanema GB Seeds flip flops! AND I WON ONE! A second pair for the night…Here are pics of the 2 pairs I took home.
The advocacy of ELRO Commercial and Industrial Corporation to contribute to environmental consciousness does not end here. In partnership with the Haribon Foundation, the environment conservation organization, they are organizing a Walkathon to benefit the Philippine rainforests. The walkathon, called Walk the Green Mile, is slated for March 21, 2009, with the assembly point in front of Le Souffle, The Fort, Taguig.
You can help Haribon with its “ROAD to 2020″ (Rainforestation Organizations and ADvocates) campaign to plant and grow native trees in 1 million hectares of our local rainforests until year 2020. Purchasing a pair of Ipanema flip-flops allows you not only to join the walkathon but part of the proceeds from your purchase will go to Haribon’s program.
Assembly point: parking lot near Le Souffle, The Fort, Taguig (The Fort Strip, beside Embassy)
What awaits participants on this day:
* The first 30 persons to finish the walkathon get a free pair of Ipanema GB Seeds flip-flops of their choice
* The first 300 people to join and register on March 21 get a limited Ipanema Gisele Bundchen baller ID
* The first 100 people to register at the venue get a limited Walk the Green Mile shirt
* 10% off on Ipanema GB Seeds slippers at the Ipanema booth
* Up to 3 pairs of Ipanema GB Seeds flip flops signed by Gisele will be raffled off to participants who buy during the event
If you are interested in joining the walkathon, get in touch with Ms. Maricel Mabalot of ELRO Corporation at 753-3647 to 48 local 103 or email cel.mabalot@elrocom.com.
Many, many thanks to m2comms people (Shyla and Cecille, among others) for such a wonderful event (and cause) and of course, to Aileen who initiated the invite.
My dearest friend from Philly, Kathleen, posted this on her Facebook.
How intriguing! I have my own personal bucket list — but a Filipino version? Anyway, it seemed like fun to go down the list and check those I had done already and plan for those I haven’t. Why not do the same and send me the link to your post!
Just place an X by all the things you’ve done and remove the X from the ones you have not.
(x) Walked in the flood
(x) Ate balot (and penoy) – and yes, never again for balot!!!!
(x) Ate kambing (goat), ( ) aso (dog) or () bayawak (giant lizard) – just dog (and only by accident — at a canao festival in Baguio. I only found out after our dog back home growled at me and refused to approach.)
() Ate adidas (chicken feet), helmet (chicken head) or isaw (chicken intestine)
(x) Rode a tricycle
(x) Rode a karitela
( ) Rode a trolley by the houses along the riles (railroad)
(x) Been to the Rice Terraces – went with officemates as part of our Camera Club event
(x) Shot the Rapids at Pagsanjan
( ) Gone to the Lanzones Festival
(x) Ate with your fingers on banana leaves
(x) Ate Taho
(x) Ate aratiles
(x) Attended Simbang Gabi ( Midnight Mass ) – but never finished the whole set
(x) Played Patintero
(x) Played Tumbang Preso
(x) Played Piko
(x) Played Sungka – I have my own sungka and shells!
() Played with Spiders (Gagamba derby)
() Climbed a coconut tree
(x) Danced the Tinikling – at school in Philadelphia, with friend Vince Perez, during United Nations Day
() Got on a jeepney where you had to stand
(x) Got on a jeepney
() Caught fish in the canal during a rainy day
( ) Participated in Ati-Atihan
(x) Eaten fish head
( ) Got drunk from lambanog (coconut wine)
(x) Attended a Prosesyon (Procession of the Stations of the Cross) during Holy Week
() visited an inmate at Bilibid prison
(x) Gone to Baguio – many, many times
(x) Gone to the Sagada – went with officemates as part of our Camera Club event
( ) Gone to Palawan (have been to Mindoro).
(x) Gone to the the Visayas – am from there and continue to visit up to now
(x ) Gone to Mindanao – lived there as a child
(x) Lived in any other part of the Philippines – Luzon now
(x) Cut class – who doesn’t anyway? 🙂
(x) Told manananggal, aswang stories during a brownout or rainy night
(x) Slept under a mosquito net
(x) Slept on a banig (mat)
(x) Polished the floor with coco husk (bunot)
(x) Tasted durian – I LOVE THIS FRUIT!
(x) Ate pandesal filled with condensed milk
(x) Dunked pandesal into hot coffee
(x) Rode a kalabaw – once, as a child, in Guimaras Island
() Took a bath under a “poso” or by the “ilog” (in the ilog!)
(x) Used a pumice stone when taking a bath
(x) Tumulay sa kawayan
() Kept vigil at the Cemetery for Nov. 1st
() Had their first date in Luneta
(x) Have gone inside Malacanang – field trip
(x) Gone shopping at Divisoria
(x) Has serenaded or has been serenaded (harana)
( ) Gone to Camiguin Islands
() Gone shopping in Quiapo
(x) Eaten champorado with chokolate and tuyo
(x) Eaten dirty ice cream – sorbetero ice cream is LOVE!
(x) Greeted your grandparents or elders by kissing their hand or having them touch your forehead
(x) Seen Taal Volcano – not just seen it; we were able to climb up to its crater!
(x) Watched the sunset by Manila Bay
