Comedian and actor Michael V, also known as Bitoy, paid tribute to his late friend Francis Magalona on the 16th anniversary of the rapper’s death by sharing a behind-the-scenes video of his “Three Stars and a Sun” tattoo, a design inspired by Francis M.
In the video posted on his social media, Bitoy shared the emotional journey of getting the tattoo, which holds deep significance to him. “Sixteen years ago, just three days after Kiko passed away, I did something I hadn’t planned on doing,” Bitoy reflected.
While he expressed no objections to tattoos, Bitoy humorously confessed to the pain of the process. “I have nothing against tattoos, but I didn’t realize how painful it would be,” he said, adding a lighthearted message in the caption: “Sometimes, it’s better to endure pain you know the source of, rather than a sudden, unknown pain.”
The tattoo serves as a permanent tribute to Francis M, whose legacy, according to Bitoy, will continue to live on through his music. “Francis M will live through his music. Every time you listen to his songs, his memory will last a lifetime,” Bitoy wrote, before adding, “3•6•9•12,” a nod to his late friend.
Bitoy also tagged the tattoo artist who originally inked Francis M. His daughter, Saab Magalona, commented on the post, saying, “We love you, Tito Bitoy.”
Bitoy first shared the story behind the tattoo in 2016. When Francis M revealed he had leukemia, Bitoy promised himself that if anything happened to him, he would get a “Three Stars and a Sun” tattoo. When Francis passed away on March 6, 2009, Bitoy hesitated to fulfill the promise, unsure of who had originally done the tattoo for Francis. However, fate intervened when Bitoy attended Francis’s wake and met the tattoo artist, Pido Respicio, who had tattooed the design on Francis.
“I went to Kiko’s wake that night at Christ The King and was approached by a man who introduced himself as Pido Respicio, the tattoo artist who had inked Francis. He told me he had done the ‘Three Stars and a Sun’ tattoo,” Bitoy recalled.
The following day, Pido tattooed Bitoy with the same design at the recording studio of their previous show, Eat Bulaga. “The tattoo somehow helped transfer some of the pain inside out,” Bitoy shared, reflecting on the emotional release it provided.
In addition to Bitoy’s tribute, SpongeCola’s frontman Yael Yuzon also shared a heartfelt memory of Francis M. Posting a throwback photo, Yael recalled meeting the rapper on a flight from San Francisco to Manila. “I still remember the smell of coffee and newspapers when this shot was taken,” Yael reminisced.
Years later, Francis M played a key role in SpongeCola’s career. “Thirteen years after this picture, I would meet him again on the set of the The Mongols music video for ‘Bakit Nga Ba.’ When he learned I had a band, he asked if we could shoot our music video with his new camera, just because he felt like it,” Yael shared.
Francis M went on to direct SpongeCola’s first official music video for “KLSP.” “Such a badass, humble guy. Humble yet badass. I learned a lot from him. I still say ‘Frenk’ instead of ‘Frank.’ #FrancisMForever,” Yael added.
On March 6, to honor Francis M’s memory, his wife Pia and their children visited his grave and held a private mass.
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