Filipino Musician Freddie Aguilar Passes Away at 72
In a tragic turn of events, Atty. George Briones, the general counsel of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, has come out to confirm the death of iconic Filipino musician Freddie Aguilar. The 'Anak' singer, who, alongside his exploits in the music industry, served as the national executive vice president of PFP, passed away at the age of 72 on Tuesday, May 27.
Freddie Aguilar breathed his last at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, with reports suggesting that a fatal cardiac arrest resulted in the singer's death.
Aguilar is survived by his wife, Jovie, and his children from his first marriage. Jovie, who tied the knot with Aguilar in 2013, shared a heartfelt account with the singer's fans, shedding light on the toll that Aguilar's deteriorating health had taken on his family. In her Facebook message, Jovie wrote (translated), 'It's touching to hear [people asking] how I'm doing in the midst of Freddie's situation. I can't reply to you all individually, but don't worry, I'm fine, always finding courage in the face of fear. Our priority now is Freddie's condition, I'm sorry I can't give you any detailed info because this is for family and close friends only.' (via GMA Network)
Prior to his unfortunate death, Freddie Aguilar enjoyed a prolonged and illustrious career in music. He played a significant role in taking Original Pilipino Music (OPM) in front of a global audience, thereby assisting generations of up-and-coming Filipino artists to realize their dreams. The legendary Filipino musician released several hit singles during his active years, including the likes of 'Minamahal Kita,' 'Kumusta Ka,' 'Pulubi,' and 'Magdalena.'
However, Aguilar's 1978 release, 'Anak,' has proven to be the crown jewel of his career, with the song becoming the best-selling Philippine record of all time.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
The post Filipino Musician Freddie Aguilar Passes Away at 72 appeared first on Mandatory.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Mega Sardines Named World's First Seafood 'Superfood' by MWA
Philippine brand redefines global standards in nutrition and wellness MANILA, Philippines, June 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mega Sardines, a flagship brand of Mega Prime Foods Inc., has officially been recognized by the U.S.-based Medical Wellness Association (MWA) as the world's first seafood Superfood, marking a historic milestone in health, nutrition, and Filipino innovation. The distinction follows a rigorous evaluation of Mega's unique sourcing and production practices, along with its exceptional nutrient profile. A 2023 report from Harvard University shed light on the health benefits of 'eating down the seafood chain,' emphasizing sardines for their high protein, omega-3 fats, and virtually zero carbohydrates. These nutritional attributes make sardines an ideal food for combating today's rising metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Sardines also boast dense levels of vitamin B12, D, calcium, selenium, iron, and CoQ10—all while posing minimal mercury risk due to their small size in the food chain. The Medical Wellness Association, a global network of over 6,000 health and medical professionals, further investigated whether all sardines are equal. Their answer was resounding: one brand stood out—Mega Sardines. Unlike many companies that lease fleets and risk long delays, Mega controls its entire fishing and canning process. Through full vertical integration, Mega ensures a 'catch to can in under 12 hours' standard—preserving freshness, taste, and nutritional value. This innovation, paired with a commitment to quality and safety, led the MWA to designate Mega Sardines as a 'Superfood'—the first time in its 30+ year history that the organization has awarded such a title to a seafood product. 'Mega Sardines can play a vital role in helping consumers around the world battle metabolic and cardiovascular disease,' said Dr. Christopher Breuleux, President and Founder of the MWA. 'It is truly a gift from nature processed with care. Mega's speed and hygiene in handling ensure consumers get the healthiest product possible. This is a Superfood people should eat more of.' Mega Prime Foods Inc. was founded by visionary entrepreneur William Tiu Lim, whose mission has always been to make nutrition affordable and accessible to Filipino families. Over five decades later, that mission now resonates globally. Holding the Superfood certificate, Lim remarked: 'Mega Sardines is no longer just a fishing company—it's a global wellness brand. Our goal is to elevate the health of consumers worldwide. This is our legacy.' About Mega Prime Foods Inc. Mega Prime Foods Inc. is one of the Philippines' largest and most trusted food manufacturing companies, producing high-quality canned goods and innovative food products. The company is known for its sustainability practices, commitment to food safety, and purpose-driven innovation that supports wellness for all. CONTACT: Media Contact Katapult Digital Email: info@ in to access your portfolio
Eater
2 days ago
- Eater
Abacá Puts a California Spin On Traditional Filipino Cuisine
Just a block away from Fisherman's Wharf, chef Francis Ang is creating modern Filipino food in San Francisco's Kimpton Alton Hotel. He hopes to pay homage to traditional recipes while using California ingredients — plus plenty of pork. 'Pork in the Philippines is a very big protein, there's a lot of different variations of pork,' Ang explains. 'We have our lumpia, we have our sisig.' A day of prep starts with Ang grilling and breaking down softly cooked pig's heads, braising the bones for broth. He uses every part of the head, even putting aside the brain for the sisig fried rice. He preps the fried rice for service by stir-frying pork, chicken livers, distilled vinegar from the Philippines, calamansi juice, and soy sauce, which is cooked with rice right before being served. Ang looks for specific marbling in pork shoulder that is chopped up and ground into filling for lumpia. Handmade, round wrappers are filled with piped filling, inspired by Ang's background as a pastry chef. The frozen prepped lumpia is double-fried and served in a lettuce wrap for each order. Fertilized duck eggs are prepped for a balut dish from Abacá's secret menu, with fried duck fetus served with a duck bone broth and crispy duck central mission of the Bay Area restaurant is making Filipino food more approachable and introducing diners to the food Ang grew up with. 'A lot of times people say 'I love coming here, now I'm going to visit the Philippines,'' he says. 'I think that makes us proud.' Watch the latest episode of Experts to see Ang expertly breaking down different cuts of pork to assemble modern Filipino dishes. See More: California The Experts Video
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
French Laundry alums debut one of the Bay Area's most exciting new restaurants
When Jade Cunningham left her native Philippines for Napa Valley in 2018, she had never heard of Michelin Guide or the French Laundry. She thought her future husband, Mathew Cunningham, was 'working at a laundromat.' But just a few years later, Jade Cunningham scored a job in the kitchen at the famous three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and now, the couple is opening their own spot: Carabao, Napa's first Filipino restaurant. Carabao (145 Gasser Dr., Suite C), named after the Philippines' national animal, a water buffalo, opens June 20. The intimate and tropical space will serve classic Filipino dishes with a modern twist. The traditional peanut stew known as kare kare will be paired with a braised oxtail croquette; tacos are filled with crispy pork sisig and topped with a quail egg; and the sweet spaghetti sauce will be a Bolognese made from Wagyu hot dogs. It's surprising Napa Valley didn't have a Filipino restaurant until now. According to government data, the Philippines ranks as the second most common birthplace for foreign-born residents in Napa County, behind Mexico. Moreover, Napa County's fastest-growing immigrant population is Filipinos in American Canyon, the city south of Napa. But Carabao's significance goes beyond Wine Country. It's also one of the only modern Filipino restaurants in the Bay Area from a chef with a fine dining background, joining San Francisco's Abaca. And it comes at a time when Filipino food is gaining more recognition across the country, with Chicago's Kasama becoming the first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star in 2022. Cunningham's first gig in the U.S., however, was far from the world of fine dining. At 16, while earning a degree in hotel and restaurant management, she spent a summer in Ohio, cooking burgers and hot dogs at Cincinnati's ballpark. 'I got culture shock. I had never used a microwave before,' she recalled, noting that much of the food at the grocery store required one. She would try to cook meals that reminded her of home, but struggled to find the right ingredients. After graduating from university, Cunningham dreamed of working on cruise ships. She needed experience, so she returned to the U.S. in 2018, this time landing in Napa to work at the Meritage Resort. California immediately challenged her first impression of American cuisine. 'I learned that there are different colors of cauliflower, broccoli and bell peppers,' she said. 'I was so amazed at that.' After she met Mathew and learned that he did not, in fact, work at a laundromat, she was offered a stage at the French Laundry, a sort of unpaid internship that lasted a few days. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cunningham volunteered in the French Laundry garden. Once the restaurant started hiring again, she joined the team as a commis, a junior chef, and spent most of her time peeling tomatoes. She quickly moved up the ranks, eventually working at every station in the kitchen, including canapé, where the oysters and pearls dish is constructed. At the end of 2022, Cunningham and Mathew launched Carabao as a Filipino popup when a French Laundry alum lent them his food truck, Butter's Burgers (now set up at Armistice Brewing), for the night. She and Mathew 'texted everyone we knew,' she said, and set up in a church parking lot in downtown Napa. They sold out in one hour. About a year later, the pair started hosting regular Carabao popups on the weekends at Napa's Winston's Cafe. For a few months, Cunningham worked seven days a week, until she eventually left the French Laundry to pursue a brick-and-mortar. She and Mathew found a partner, Eric Gonzales, a follower of their popups whose grandmother opened Vallejo's first Filipino restaurant in 1980. Carabao's menu will feature dishes like pork and vegetable lumpia ($7-$11); bistek ($72), a sirloin steak served with onions prepared five different ways; and the Santa Fe salad-inspired Summer Ensalada ($17), drizzled with Cunningham's homemade 7,641 Thousand Island dressing, named after the number of islands in the Philippines. Some dishes are a play on popular items from Filipino fast food chain Jollibee, like the Aloha smashburger ($24), which comes slathered with pineapple marmalade in place of tomato, and the sweet spaghetti ($23) that Jollibee crowns with sliced hot dogs. 'Back home, we used tender, juicy hot dogs,' Cunngingham said. 'We're trying to get the best quality we can get, so (at Carabao) we're using Snake River Farm Wagyu hot dogs.' Dessert includes puto kutsina ($8), steamed rice cakes served with fresh grated coconut and topped with dulce de leche, and halo-halo ($15), the classic shaved ice offered here with inventive toppings, like candied hibiscus and caramelized plantain. Soon, Carabao will launch a more casual lunch menu featuring chicken adobo ($21) and lugaw ($10), a Filipino comfort favorite of gingery rice porridge with toppings, like boiled egg, tofu and tripe. 'It was the first dish I learned how to cook,' said Cunningham. 'When you're sick, you're craving lugaw.' Cunningham also plans to eventually transition a small bar in front of the open kitchen into a counter that exclusively serves a tasting menu. The restaurant, located outside of downtown Napa and near the city's Cinemark movie theater, feels like a tiny, tropical paradise. The walls are painted green and pink — Cunningham's favorite colors — and traditional Filipino farmer hats called salakot hang from the ceiling. There are several hand-painted murals, including ones depicting the Philippines' carabao and tiny Maya birds. The space seats roughly 50 people, with one large table reserved for group celebrations. 'Most Filipinos go out and bring their whole family,' Cunningham said, noting that hers is especially large. Her mother has 10 siblings, and her father has 11. 'Food is always at the center of our traditions.' Carabao. Opens June 20. 145 Gasser Dr., Suite C., Napa.
