Posted by It was past midnight and I was in bed but could not sleep. The room was cold even after I cranked up the heater to its highest setting. Outside, the wind was howling and light snow was falling. I was in the call-room of the hospital for I was working that night. Even though we have a bed in the call-room, sleep is not the same when I am in the hospital. Many times we are so busy anyway with new admissions or with our ICU patients, that we have no time to lay in that bed.
But that night was unusually quiet. I only had 1 admission so far for the night. I was “doomscrolling” on my phone when a reel of Leah Salonga singing “Hahanapin Ko” played.
Suddenly I stopped scrolling. I even played it a couple of times. I was transfixed in listening to a song that I have not heard for decades, and yet I still know every words of the song as if it was just yesterday. The message still resonates to me.
That classic OPM (original pinoy music) was written in 1980 by the great singer and composer Jose Mari Chan, and was sung originally by Anthony Castello. It tells about a deep yearning for something or someone that is missing. Somehow it has become the anthem of the OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) and a tribute to their resilience as they have to endure lonely times of being away from home and their loved ones.
As I was listening to the song, a certain wave of nostalgia enveloped me in that lonely room, as a heavy string tugged on my heart for the homeland I left behind.
30 years of living away from the Philippines, and yet the pangs of homesickness would still hit me at unexpected moment.
Here’s the song “Hahanapin Ko” as performed by Leah Salonga:
Reminiscing…a powerful play to think of life well lived.😘
Wow! First time i saw that video. And im supposed to be here!
I also saw a video of Leah Salonga sang that song with orchestra in Australia. It was also moving.
I had goosebumps listening to Lea’s song. You described its impact to Filipinos away from the homeland well,, Doc.
Salamat. Nakaka-miss talaga ang mga OPM na aking kinalakihan.
What a performance. The music sure hits differently now that I am far from the homeland. Napaluha naman ako dito. Recently, I have found myself watching vlogs from the Philippines, especially those of non-Filipinos who have just discovered her beauty. and they give me a new appreciation for who we are as well.
Thank you for the comment. I find myself watching clips of Filipino comedy TV show, like Pepito Manoloto, which I’m not sure I’ll watch if I’m still in the Philippines, just to satiate the pangs of homesickness. Anything to keep me tethered to motherland.