Sinariwa ng aktres na si Maxene Magalona ang alaala ng kaniyang amang si Francis Magalona o kilala bilang “Francis M.” sa ika-59 na kaarawan nito.

Ibinahagi ni Maxene sa kaniyang Instagram account ang black and white na larawan ng kaniyang ama at ang mga natutuhan niya mula rito.

“Honoring the Man from Manila on his birthday by sharing some of the most important life lessons that I learned from him,” saad ni Maxene sa caption ng kaniyang post.

“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.’ 😅

Empleyadong lasing, patay matapos sapakin ng ginising na katrabaho

Empleyadong lasing, patay matapos sapakin ng ginising na katrabaho

“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 called ‘Peace on Earth’.

“5. Love your family to the best of your ability. Admittedly, he was not perfect as he would unconsciously project his own traumas on to us when he was much younger which was understandable given that he had us at the age of 21 😳 Despite his shortcomings as a father, I could always feel that his love for us was very deep and genuine. He was my role model for love.

“6. Never let anything or anyone stop you from making your dreams come true. Papa was a true artist. 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.

“7. Never trade your authenticity for approval. He was always his genuine and authentic self—simple, real, down to earth and kind despite his iconic status. He expressed his soul fearlessly and did not give a rat’s ass about what people thought of him 😎

“8. Let go and let God. This was one of the things he said to me when I was asking him for advice 🙏🏼

Sa isang hiwalay na post, ibinahagi rin ni Maxene ang isang video clip mula sa isang educational TV show kung saan itinampok ang kaniyang ama bilang isang musikero habang kinakapanayam niya ito.

Pumanaw si Francis M. noong Marso 6, 2009 sa edad na 44 matapos ang ilang buwang pakikipaglaban sa sakit na leukemia.