King of Talk Boy Abunda shared special memories of his father, Eugenio Abunda Sr., in an intimate interview. Boy recalled that his father urged him to join contests where he could further improve his talent.
“Kahit saan sulok na may declamation contest isinasali ako ni Tatay, ang Nanay ko naman ang coach (When I was younger, wherever there was a declamation contest, my father made me join. My mother was my coach),” Boy said.
Unfortunately, Boy lost his father during his college days.
“Tatay died very young; ang memories ko sa kanya noong konsehal siya sa (when he was a councilor in) Borongan tapos katabi niya ‘yung (which was beside) St. Joseph’s College because he was so hungry to learn hanggang (until) high school lang kasi ang Tatay, nag aaral siya tumatawid ganoon siya ka gutom to learn (he only finished high school and he would cross to the school because he was so hungry for knowledge),” he added
Boy will never forget the importance of learning that his father taught him especially when they walked together for his college enrollment.
“I will never forget the first time he brought me to Ateneo. Naglakad kami mula sa kanto ng Katipunan hanggang sa Gate 2 hanggang doon sa papasok sa Registration Building tapos sabi ko ‘Tatay bakit dito ako mag aaral?’ Tapos sabi nya ‘Kasi dito nag-aral si Rizal.’ Namatay siya before I finished my second year in college so balik na naman ako sa kalsada ng kamaynilaan (We just walked from the corner of Katipunan to Gate 2 until the entrance to the Registration Building and I said, ‘Dad, why am I going to study here? He said, ‘Because Rizal studied here. He passed away before I finished my second year in college so I went back to the streets of Manila),” he said.
Boy Abunda is currently promoting the LGBTQ+ single “Bilang,” which will be a part of a special music compilation project “Say It Clear, Say It Proud.”
