Ka Freddie: Upclose and personal

(First of Two Parts)

Art patron and book publisher Marlene Aguilar-Pollard remembers an incident during a trip to Belgium a few years ago. She just got out of bed and was about to step into the shower when she heard Anak being played on the local radio. For a moment there, she thought she was actually still asleep and was just dreaming (she blamed it on jetlag). And then she asked herself: "Am I really in Belgium – and not in the Philippines?"

After a quick double-check of her whereabouts (and her sanity), she realized that, yes, she was in Belgium and that was the record of her brother Freddie Aguilar playing on the radio.

Although she had always been aware of the legendary success of her Kuya Freddie’s Anak, that incident in Belgium was still quite an experience for her.

From Belgium, we move back to the Philippines and I’m now face-to-face with the legend himself, Freddie Aguilar, at the fabulous ASEAN-inspired home of Marlene Aguilar-Pollard.

It’s been a long time since I last interviewed Freddie Aguilar (when he appeared in Showbiz Lingo once, we failed to get anything scandalous of him). And for all those print and TV interviews I’ve done on him, I was never able to touch on the beginnings of this man whose music still soars and is now compiled in a newly-released album called The Best of Freddie Aguilar – Live! But thanks to sister Marlene, I now have the chance to finally trace the roots of the man behind (and in front – he’s the face of it, after all) of the legendary song Anak.

The Aguilars are actually Ilocanos. Their father, Gregorio, was a native of Batac, Ilocos Norte, while their mother, the former Salud Pascual, is from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The buy-and-sell business of Gregorio Aguilar, however, brought the entire family to Isabela where they invested on properties.

It was here where the eldest was born, Ferdinand or Freddie. Four more children followed him – all successful today: Zoraida, now a US-based chemist; Marlene, Tonyboy, a master chef, and Maritess, who runs her own travel agency.

From being a prosperous businessman (he was into hog and poultry at this point), Gregorio Aguilar suddenly found himself making a career shift in Isabela when he was designated chief of police. This was how it happened: Gregorio, a hunter on the side, found himself running to the rescue of a rich Chinese merchant being robbed by a band of thieves.

Although his shotgun only had three bullets, he managed to kill the leader and scared off the rest of that bandits.

A grateful town rewarded him with the post of chief of police – even if he had no police training and was unable to finish his law studies. Gregorio Aguilar held on to this position for quite some time – until an unfortunate incident changed the family fortunes almost overnight.

While hunting for wild boar in Tuguegarao, he was suddenly attacked by the animal and was badly wounded. For him to get the best medical attention, he had to be brought to Manila and this meant uprooting the entire family in Isabela.

Initially, they lived with relatives in Balic-Balic, until they found a house in Sta. Mesa that they could rent. With Gregorio staying for long durations in the hospital, every piece of property was either sold or pawned until nothing was left.

When he got a little better, Gregorio shifted to another one of his many skills – as tailor/master cutter – in order to provide for the growing needs of his family.

Freddie was about to enter the age of puberty at this point of their family life. Although they were hard up now (when they had their hog and poultry business in Isabela, the whole town was invited to their birthday parties), they were a happy bunch of kids. Gregorio also took pride in eldest son’s (Freddie) singing talent, which manifested itself early in life (sometime around age five). In Isabela, young Freddie once joined a radio singing contest (his piece: Tatlong Baraha by Fred Panopio) and ended up second place.

Freddie never thought he’d pursue singing as a profession. In the beginning, he wanted to be a police – like his father. "Matikas kasi ang tindig ng pulis," he now says.

Eventually, this dream wore off and one day when he was about 16, a Chinese-Filipino friend who knew he had the singing ability invited him to serve as front act to Fred Panopio at a bar in Sta. Mesa. He was paid P10 for that night, but since he had invited his barkada to watch him and paid for their beer at P1 a bottle – "abonado pa ako," laughs Freddie.

That one-night singing stint emboldened him to sing more and finally earn a living from it. No, his father was not really starving him and his siblings, but like most teenagers at this age, he was starting to rebel. Just to annoy his father, he started growing his hair long at 14. When his father said he was "mukhang unggoy" with his long hair, he even grew it longer to its present length.

Although Gregorio was proud of Freddie’s singing talent, he also wanted his eldest to concentrate on his studies. (Freddie was then enrolled in electronics at Guzman Tech.) But the rebellious Freddie thought he knew better. He would go from bar to bar to audition, but was rejected with each try.

Lucky for him, another friend came to his rescue. This friend’s mother owned a small joint in Mayhaligue called Con-Alma’s and he was paid P20 a night to sing there. He stayed on the job for several months.

Purchasing buy-one-take-one clothes in a stall off the old Cinerama one day, he bumped into a friend who encouraged him to audition at the Cola House in front of the National Library in T.M. Kalaw. He did and was a hit with the crowd. The club owner promptly took him in.

His star was finally rising – and so was his price at P25 a night. (To be concluded)