ACTRESS Maxene Magalona is remembering her late father Francis Magalona on what would have been the rap icon’s 59th birthday.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Oct. 4, the actress shared some of the life lessons she learned from her late father, who passed away on March 6, 2009 after battling cancer.
“1. Treat everyone equally with respect. He didn’t discriminate against others and spoke to the people around him respectfully no matter what background they come from. He even said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO or the janitor of a company — we all shit the same.’
“2. Don’t judge other people’s life choices. He always used to say, ‘Walang basagan ng trip’ (loosely translated: b****, don’t kill my vibe).
“3. Being a celebrity doesn’t make you more important than others. He said to me, ‘Our work is just our means of living. It doesn’t mean that just because we appear on television, it makes us better or higher than others.’
“4. Work on becoming an instrument of peace. He was named after St. Francis of Assisi who was one of the most well-known peacemakers in history with a prayer that goes, ‘Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.’ My Pop used his platform to advocate for peace and even wrote a song ‘Peace on Earth.’”
Maxene said it was through her father that she learned to value and cherish her family regardless of their shortcomings.
Moreover, it was Francis M who encouraged her to work hard for her dreams.
“Papa was a true artist,” said Maxene. “He wasn’t just a musician — he was also an actor, a breakdancer, TV host, photographer, music video director, painter, and pizza baker! He even shot photos for the Camera Club of The Philippines while battling cancer. His life truly was one big Happy Battle.”
Francis was 44 when he died of leukemia in 2009. (PUSH)
