Even if iconic folk singer Freddie Aquilar has gone to the afterlife, his memories linger in the hearts and minds of Filipinos and foreigners who love his music.
I came to know Freddie in the late 70s when I was writing for fanzine Modern Romances and True Confessions Magazine.
It was the late newshen Ched P. Gonzales who brought me to Freddie’s house in New Manila.
His wife was Josephine Quiepo.
Josephine was so attentive to the love and career of Freddie.
Their house was located near the thickly populated block of the posh village. Clustered at the back of his house were shanties and informal settlers.
Although the Aguilar house was old, it was quite spacious and sturdy.
After my first written article on him, I frequented his home usually for interviews or pleasantries.
I would always be invited to his occasions, birthdays, album launches, press conferences etc.
While I was doing field report, interviewing on cam, writing, doing Voice-Over (VO) and segment producing for the “Star News” portion of ABS-CBN’s primetime news show, “TV Patrol,” I would always seek the sound bites of Freddie whenever he had figured in news stories or controversies or simply his comments on issue especially in the local music industry.
Even when Freddie had a new “love” of his life, I would always be around wherever he was.
I’ve been in Ka Freddie’s Bar in Malate or in Tagaytay City and practically all his music bars in Metro Manila.
But there was a time our friendship was challenged and tested when one night I went to his bar. At the time, he was talking about his nephew Jason Ibler (his sister Marilyn Aguilar’s son), who was implicated in some misdemeanors and jailed. Freddie’s statements were crisp and newsy so I immediately wrote about it for ABS-CBN Interactive.
When the article came out, he called and castigated me about writing it.
I told him he didn’t warn me about writing it and as an entertainment journalist, it was my duty to come out with the story for the benefit of the public.
That incident cut off our communication for a long time until he was the one who called and invited me to a presscon in his bar for his new project.
The tragic end of Freddie would create a void in the local Tin Pan Alley but his music will definitely fill up the space.
As a known composer, singer and producer, Aguilar became more popular with his original cuts like “Madgalena,” “Estudyante Blues,” “Minamahal Kita,” “Ipaglalaban Ko,” “Kumusta Ka,” “Pulubi,” “Himig,” “Sa Kuko ng Agila.” “Anak ng Mahirap,” “Bayan Ko,” “Magbago ka,” “Problema,” “Alaala,” “Sa Kabukiran,” “Buhay nga naman ng Tao,” “Bulag, Pipi at Bingi,” “Huwag,” “Mga Bata sa Negros,” “Pinoy,” “Sigarilyo,” “Sa Paskong Darating,” “Pasko ang Damdamin,” “Ina” and many more.
Ka Freddie died of multiple organ failure at the Philippine Heart Center last May 27, 2025 but being a Muslim, he was buried within twenty-four hours after his death.
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