Ogie Alcasid reflects on his dad, fatherhood, and his Father’s Day concert

June 17 ------ Father’s Day will no longer be the same for OPM hitmaker Ogie Alcasid, especially after the death of his father almost six years ago.

Ogie couldn’t help but feel emotional as he opened up about the time he lost his father, Herminio Sr., to Covid-19 on September 15, 2020. Such was the situation during the coronavirus pandemic that family members, even people of stature, were prohibited from visiting the sick or even seeing them even before they die, and their family was no exception. “I lost my dad to COVID. I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” said Ogie, whose real name is taken after his father, a lawyer from Batangas, who died at 84 years old.

He said that their only means of communicating with their father at the hospital was through a nurse-caregiver that the singer-songwriter personally hired to take care of their dad and update them while the latter is confined.

The only time they would see their patriarch alive was when the nurse would train his camera on him during video calls with the Alcasid family. While they were initially told his father’s symptoms were just mild, Herminio Sr.’s condition deteriorated, and he would return to the family in an urn. “Ang mahirap, when we lost him, hindi mo siya makikita, you are not even allowed [to visit him in the hospital]. So, that was so hard for all of us, kaming magkakapatid, including my mom. And to this day, I think there’s this part na, ‘Hindi man lang natin siya nakasama sa last moments niya,” Ogie further told the entertainment media during the promotion of his “Daddyokie: A Father’s Day Concert,” on June 19 and 20.

Since his father’s death, the OPM icon said there has not been a day that he has not thought about him. Ogie said he was always reminded of the times his father had been there for him, including that time when he told his parents about his plans to pursue his music career.

Quiet supporter

The multi-awarded singer-songwriter said Herminio Sr. was his silent supporter who he said must have seen something in him, even though his dream was for Ogie to pursue a different, more stable profession. “When I look back, of all the things that my father has done for me, I remember nu’ng nag-i-start ako as a singer, parang siya lang ang naniwala. Kasi gusto nila maging lawyer ako, businessman. E, hilig ko ang kumanta. It was my dad who said, ‘Sige, anak, you go.’ Very quiet, ipinapakita niya yung support niya,” he said.

Their bonding moments? Videoke! “My father was a great dad. Siya yung naging idol ko. Lagi ko nga sinasabi, my number one videoke song is ‘My Way.’ That’s my father’s favorite song,” he said. “Favorite song niya yon. Lagi kong kinakanta yon to dedicate to him… So definitely that would be part of the repertoire [in the Daddyokie concert].”

Being a father

But what kind of father was Ogie to his children? The father of three said that he let his wife Regine Velasquez do most of the disciplining on their son, Nate. As for his two daughters with ex-wife Michelle Eimeren, he said that Sarah and Leila are old enough to know that it’s a bad thing to make him angry. “I think natatakot sila sa akin na baga magalit ako,” he said.

Ogie said that having his children still wanting to talk to him and seek his advice and want to be with him are among the most rewarding things about being a dad. When asked how he wants to be remembered as a father, he said: “For me, mas importante sa akin na maalala ako ng mga anak ko, that ‘dad was a great dad, that he was the best. He was friendly, he was loving, yun lang yon.’ So, if I were to be remembered as a good father, okay na ako don.”

Source: inquirer.net