YOU have to have passion for what you do. If you want to have fun on what may be an ordinary day for you, like, say, December 15 (my birthday by the way!), then go have fun. Don’t spend it with half the fun you want to have. That’s passion. And that’s what Franco Hernandez was all about.
In life, where everything is often fleeting, you have to be daring. You have to learn how to challenge your comfort zone. There’s a thin line between committing a mistake and making a brilliant move, and it’s on that line where passion sits. People like Franco navigated that line with zest.
That’s why I felt so sad, even devastated upon learning of Franco’s untimely death last week in a freak boating accident. He was on vacation with friends. It was his co-Hashtags member Ryle Santiago who informed me via iMessage, and it took me a few minutes of reading his message over and over again before I was able to reply. Franco and I had been texting each other recently about the launch of the Hashtags mobile show, and even saw each other only days before his passing.
The last time I saw him, it was an uneventful day. I accompanied some colleagues to the main studio of ABS-CBN, where some members of the Hashtags were doing their live segments on It’s Showtime. When Franco saw me, he gave me a hug and planted a sweet kiss on my cheek. We exchanged pleasantries and he asked me how I was. Doing fine, I told him, asking also how he was. He said he was doing well, which I knew was the perfunctory answer, so I followed up whether he was enjoying his stint with the Hashtags. His face lit up and said, he was having the time of his life. “No regrets leaving your day job even if you were earning well there?” I asked. He answered, “None at all. I was already restless then because while I was earning very good money, I wasn’t doing what I really wanted to do, which is to dance and to entertain. Kaya ang swerte ko talaga nakasama na ako dito sa Hashtags.” He continued on about how he was having so much fun and how opportunities were starting to open for him. And that dance was his passion, and it’s what drove him to do better.
It is very sad that Franco is no longer with us. But I choose to remember the happy times with him. I choose to remember his smile that could light up an entire room, his laugh that was just so innocent and infectious. Those dance moves that were just off the charts. His willingness to learn. Most important, I will remember Franco for his passion to just go for what he wanted, all in.
Rest in peace, Franco! You have touched so many lives with your passion and love, that’s why it’s fitting to love you back. Go on and dance with the angels.
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Pusong Ligaw on ABS-CBN is continuing to engage audiences every afternoon. What is the latest on the soap? Well, it’s opened a new chapter that tackles Caloy (Joem Bascon) and Potpot (Diego Loyzaga), and how their paths keep crossing with the women they truly love.
Caloy becomes part of the new business venture of Tessa (Beauty Gonzales), which allows them to see each other more often, their connection rekindling. With their time together, the two grow closer, and Caloy inevitably compares his current relationship with the cold Marga (Bianca King) to the very loving Tessa. I actually don’t know what Marga eats for breakfast but she sure sprinkled it with katangahan for allowing Caloy to work with Tessa, knowing they had an affair in the past that was one for the books. Bulag-bulagan ka lang, teh?
Meanwhile, Potpot has just returned from overseas where he was able to achieve some success, but he discovers the woman he loves, Vida (Sofia Andres), is cozying up with his rival Rafa (Enzo Pineda). Eh ano ba ini-expect mo, Potpot, after leaving Vida to go abroad ’no? Pareho ba ang kinain ninyo ni Marga for breakfast? Bulag-bulagan ka lang din?
Of course the questions being posed in this chapter of Pusong Ligaw are: Will Potpot just let go of Vida, and will Caloy leave Marga for Tessa? My bets are that Potpot and Vida, and Caloy and Tessa will end up with each other. But my question is: Can Potpot just end up with Caloy na lang?
Anyway, you can find out if my hunches play out by tuning in Pusong Ligaw every afternoon after It’s Showtime on ABS-CBN. If you can’t get enough of Pusong Ligaw, you can even follow @starcreatives on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more news about the show.