The inspiring tale of Nonoy Zuñiga

I wanted to start this piece with a quote from Zeno. After all, Zeno is his namesake. But Zeno quotes are too zen, too stoic. See. That is why they are called zen, after Zeno. They are more about avoiding situations that bring about misfortune rather than finding promising opportunities in them. And that is not what Nonoy Zuñiga’s story is about.

So, I settled for an unlikely source, who I found out said it best. Would you believe Alexander Graham Bell! Yes, the same guy who invented the telephone said this: “When one door closes, a window opens.” There is a better, more popular version that is not credited to anybody, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.”

In Nonoy’s case the door closed with a loud, explosive bang on Oct. 4, 1980. Nonoy, whose real name is Zeno, was the lead singer of the Family Birth Control Band. They were performing at the Siete Pecados bar of the Philippine Plaza Hotel in Parañaque. Nonoy went to use the men’s room before a set. He saw a package in a corner. And that was it. The next thing he remembers is being down on the floor, bloodied, in pain and missing a leg.

His window stayed open a bit. Losing a leg is not a death sentence. He was studying to be a doctor like his father. He could still sing. The band was willing to wait for him to recover and learn how to use an artificial limb and a cane. His deep baritone could still do those Lou Rawls covers to perfection. But forget dancing or big steps during shows. Maybe also forget success as a solo performer. Within a few months though, the window opened wider and Nonoy got to see the brightest stars he had ever seen.

1981 was declared the Year of the Disabled. To help draw attention to the needs of disabled Filipinos, a song composed by Franklin Kleiner titled Ako ay Ikaw Rin was named its theme. Nonoy was asked to perform it as a guest during the final night of the annual Metro Manila Pop Music Festival.

Nonoy initially hesitated. He had already decided to give up music and concentrate instead on his studies to become a doctor at the University of Santo Tomas. He did not want people watching to take pity on him because he was without a leg. It was a good thing he changed his mind because it was his performance of Ako ay Ikaw Rin that night that Willy Cruz, then president of Jem Recording offered him a recording contract.

Jem was a small but fast-rising label. Its artists roster included the Apo Hiking Society, Mike Hanopol and the big-selling Hajji Alejandro, who rose to fame because of adaptations like Panakip Butas and Tag-araw and originals like Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, May Minamahal and Nakapagtataka. Willy was Hajji’s producer and sometimes also composer. Rumors at the time had it that Hajji was leaving Jem. Willy was in the market for a replacement and Nonoy emerged at the right time.

Nonoy’s first album as a solo artist was titled Ikaw ay Ikaw Rin. It was both a critical and commercial success. A Platinum seller, it was named Best Album of the Year at both the Awit Awards and at the Cecile Awards. Three cuts stood out, all of them compositions by Willy, Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka and Never, Ever Say Goodbye. It was on these that Nonoy built a career that has lasted over 40 years.

Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened to Nonoy had the bombing never happened? A band singer all his life? If he had  turned down the Metropop stint, would he have been happy and fulfilled as a doctor? If Hajji had stayed with Jem, would he have recorded Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka and Never Ever Say Goodbye?

What-ifs litter the tale of Nonoy but one thing is a fact, everything, even adversity, happens for a reason. A door closed but a window that looks out into a beautiful future opened. That thought is more than enough to get anybody through their worst.