Cherished moments with the Queen of Visayan Songs

It was September 7th, a Saturday, and JRG Halad Museum co-founder Mam Nena Gullas drove to Lindogon, Simala a day early instead of joining the droves of pilgrims who would flock to the famous Birhen sa Simala the next day in celebration of the Virgin Mary’s birthday.

She had planned to call a dear friend over the phone on her way back to the city. But a text message bearing tragic news beat her to it. At noon of Sept. 7th, veteran singer Susan Fuentes, hailed as the Queen of Visayan Songs, succumbed to complications from colon cancer at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City. The mother of two was 58.

Mam Nena narrates that some of her fondest childhood memories included listening to Susan’s songs over the radio. “I am very familiar with her songs because when I was little, my parents would always play her songs,” she says, adding that her favorite Susan Fuentes tune is “Nahisulat sa Hangin.”

Born in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, Susan was a product of provincial amateur singing contests who eventually rose to fame in the ’70s with a string of hit albums. Some of the ditties she popularized include “Matud Nila,” “Usahay,” “Gimingaw Ako” and “Miss Kita Kung Christmas.”

It was in 2009 that Mam Nena and JRG Halad Museum founder and The FREEMAN chairman Jose “Dodong” R. Gullas began their search for the veteran singer who had gone obscure after years of reigning the Visayas and Mindanao charts.

“The HALAD Museum was recognizing Visayan artists and composers, so we thought of looking for Susan because she is one of the great Visayan artists. We had a hard time searching for her since she had been out of the limelight for a long time. She was no longer singing. When we asked her about it, she said she no longer had the time to perform because she was devoting her time to the Lord. It was actually Dulce and Pilita Corrales who helped us locate her,” Mam Nena recalls.

“We were not aware when we finally met up with her that she had a medical ailment. In fact, she never mentioned it the first time we saw each other. We gave her the recognition December of 2012, and she was very delighted and honored upon finding out about it. She was so touched to be remembered, because nobody had been contacting her, ” she added.

Reports indicate that no member of Susan’s family was by her side when she passed away as she had long been estranged from her two children.

Mam Nena says that one reason Susan agreed to a FREEMAN sit-down interview back in 2010 was because she hoped any of her offspring would read the article and possibly reach out to her.

While Sir Dodong and his wife Mam Nena don’t wish to theorize on the what-could-have-been’s between her children as it is a personal family affair, they both share the sentiment that her life holds numerous lessons that people, especially those estranged from their folks, can learn from.

Sir Dodong states, “In our life, no matter how famous you are, we should always remember the Lord. She was a woman searching for her children. Parents may have shortcomings, but come what may, they should be venerated. We feel very fortunate to have met her and contribute in our little way to making her remaining days a bit better.”

Mam Nena agrees, recalling Susan’s moments when she desperately longed for her children. “I’m not judging because we don’t know their life. But as a mother myself, I think whatever mistakes parents make in the past, parents should be honored and loved by their children no matter what. I witnessed for myself how she broke down in tears, expressing her desire to see her children so she could ask for forgiveness. She made mistakes, but whatever these were, we have no right to judge because we don’t know what really happened.”

Further, she hopes that Susan’s passing away will not mean the death of musical contributions. “It’s very painful to see the young generation singing and memorizing Western songs, some which can’t even be considered real music. It’s just noise actually, it’s not music anymore. It’s sad that we don’t appreciate and feel proud of our own. It’s very lamentable that sometimes, it’s the foreigners who appreciate our own music. I witnessed that when I was in Sydney. Others label our Visayan songs as baduy. Listen to these songs, and you will find out that these come from the heart. Such a waste if songs such as Susan’s will be forgotten!”

*Tomorrow afternoon, The JRG Halad Museum will stage “Paghinumdum,” a by-invitation only musical tribute to Cebu’s Maestro Mil Villareal and Queen of Visayan Songs, Susan Fuentes. (FREEMAN)