IT'S incredibly sad that so many celebrities and musical artists have been passing away in the last few weeks.
I never knew Susan Fernandez personally, but have been one of her silent admirers. She has been dubbed the "voice of protest" back in the day, but I was never part of that circle given my youth. I discovered her rather belatedly when I started hanging out in folk bars. And I have been a fan ever since. The last time I watched her perform was at Bro's Mustache along Sct. Madriñan about 2 yrs. ago.
She passed away this afternoon after a mightly battle with ovarian cancer. Her fans will miss her, but her voice, so angelic and glorious, will surely be a welcome addition to God's heavenly choir above. The video below is rather dizzying, so I suggest you just close your eyes and listen to her sing, Awit ni Canuplin, which is one of my favorite tunes of Susan.
This one moved me to tears, Sangandaan (repost from Chickoy Pura)
Click here.
I know Susan Fernandez as my Women's Studies teacher back in St. Scholastica's College. I learned a lot from her, bringing me the awareness of a woman's dignity and ills of the Philippine Society. She became my inspiration from which I dedicated my undergraduate thesis back then. I even wrote an article about her in the now-defunct Daily Globe.
ReplyDeleteWe lost touch and decades later, I added her in my facebook. I wrote her an email and she replied.
I know she will be missed by her families and friends. She will always be remembered by her songs and music as it expresses the strong ideals she always believed in.