SAYAW LA, BANOG.

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Teacher. Artist. Generous friend.
Rocker in his time and place.

Bong Obong, my favorite uncle left too early.
Forty-six. Left without warning.
Everyone who knew him devastated by the loss.

I would like to think that he lived his years to the fullest. Music, friendship and family were his purpose. Even though he had no wife and children of his own, and actually because of it, he treated his nephews and nieces as sons and daughters. One clear memory I have of him is when he made kites for us when we were kids - a symbol, to me, of letting your dreams take flight.

As an artist, he was a personal influence. His silkscreen printing was a wonder to behold. He introduced me to 'Yano' and turned me into a Gary Granada fan.

As a musician, he was a visionary. He wrote songs that sounded different than the rest during his time. Songs that had impact and are as significant now as they were at the time of release. He briefly shined in the 1990s - the golden age of Calbayog Arts - and even continued to make challenging music in the 2000s. Through all this, Tito Bongbong was underrated, a wild card and an artist who's reluctant of fame.

"Sayaw la, Banog". His most popular song plays inside my head over and over. Realizing that, behind its environmental message, it could also be a personal cry - an unconscious autobiographical composition. What if he is the hawk that dances and soars in the sky? Not being able to return to where he belongs because everything there has been destroyed. It's a sad interpretation but it could be key to understanding what he might have went through.

Although he had many friends and some confidantes, I was not one of the people who deeply knew him as he and I rarely had the chance to see each other. But Tito Bongbong was a beloved man, known for his humility & simplicity, and dearly respected by many. I may not know what his worries were or what he tried to forget & drown in alcohol day by day, night after night; but I'd like to think that through drinking, he was able to keep his sanity since it was also a way to have friends around and have someone to talk to.

Despite his problems, he did good as a person. Despite his talents, he kept a low profile. In spite of a relatively short life, he made a mark in many people's lives. Looking back at what he had accomplished as a man, with the legacy he created, I know that he is happy now.

One of the things my uncle has proven is this line: "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."

Farewell, Tito Bongbong. Mimingawon gud kami sa imo.

SAYAW LA, BANOG! PALUPARA AN IMO TABANOG!

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[Banog Image by Iam Axiom]
Source: http://iamaxiom.deviantart.com/art/BANOG-Great-Philippine-Eagle-144512222