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Tidbits from Ricky Lo, the Philippine Star columnist

Even long before he was diagnosed to be suffering from leukemia (the most aggressive type) in August last year, Francis Magalona knew that he would die young.

“Yes, he told me that during our early years,” confessed Francis’ widow Pia Arroyo who is revealing more hitherto unknown facts about Francis in this afternoon’s edition of Startalk (GMA, 2:30 to 5 p.m.). “We were newly married then and I told him to stop saying that, that we should stay happy and look forward to enjoying life with our children.”

In hindsight, Pia, who has remained “a pillar of strength” up to this very minute, said that she now realized why Francis was in a hurry to accomplish so many things, which he did. In his 44 years, Francis the Master Rapper recorded albums of nationalistic songs (Mga Kababayan, Kaleidoscope World, etc.) that cemented his reputation as, if I may coin a new title for him, the Pambansang Boses.

“And that, I think, is the best legacy he left not only for us his family but for all Filipinos,” added Pia who, together with her eight children, were in Malacañang a few days ago to receive a posthumous Presidential Medal of Merit Award.

Last Sunday which marked the ninth day after Francis’ death and the baptism of daughter Clara, 8, Maxene noticed a brown butterfly hovering around the family during a Mass.

“I knew it was Papa,” said Maxene, eyes welling with tears. “Sarado ang doors at windows, so how could a butterfly enter and stay that long? It just disappeared without anybody noticing it.”

In October, the month when her dad would have turned 45 (Oct. 4), Maxene will graduate from Ateneo with a degree in Social Sciences and she plans to write a thesis about her father.

“It was only after he died did I learn a lot more about Papa,” said Maxene.

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