In the late ’80s, an aunt of mine who stayed with us loved listening to Filipino Pop ballads. She always made sure that the radio dial was on her favorite FM station, Mellow Touch (DWLL 94.7). Because I grew up in the ’70s with a regular diet of music, courtesy of our family’s well-used turntable in our house and the jukebox in the restaurant that my family used to own, I enjoyed listening too with the favorite songs of that aunt of mine. One of the Filipino balladeers my aunt was really into during those days was Marco Sison. According to her, she really liked Sison because he had an amiable and charming personality and a soft and gentle voice. I remember my aunt’s excitement every time Sison was on TV or his songs would play on the radio. She would rush to put the volume higher, and she would begin to sing along to the son0067. To this day, I always associate Sison’s songs to that aunt of mine. Her most favorite song by Sison, which consequently became a favorite of mine too, was “Si Aida, si Lorna, o si Fe.”
Born in July 1957, Sison hailed from Tagbilaran, Bohol. His career took off after winning in a singing contest on Student Canteen, a Philippine noontime variety show popular in the late ’70s through the ’80s. He released a number of studio albums which produced songs like “I’ll Face Tomorrow,” “Ibigay Mo sa Akin ang Bukas,” “Isusumbong Kita sa Diyos,” “Awit Ka ng Puso,” “Miss Manikin,” “Kung Alam Ko Lang,” “Maghihintay na Lamang,” “May Iba Ka Na Ba?,” “Kahit na Minsan Pa,” and “Sabik na Puso.”
