Back in September of 2018, the
world of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) mourned the passing of a member of a
long-running band that was one of the pioneers of its earlier predecessor genre,
the “Manila Sound.” Said band was Hotdog, whose hit songs include “Manila”
which was heard at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony late last
year. The member who passed away was co-founder and original lead guitarist
Rene Garcia, then aged 65. His death was announced to the public by his brother
and band-mate Dennis. Tragically, just over a year later Dennis himself has also
passed on.
According to The Manila Bulletin, Hotdog bass guitarist Dennis Garcia died on
Saturday night, January 18, at the age of 69 years old. His passing came at
about one year and close to four months since that of his brother Rene. An announcement
was posted on his official Facebook page, updated by Dennis’ youngest daughter
Isa Garcia, though she did not elaborate on the cause of her father’s death. “Our
grief at his sudden passing is infinite and now so is he,” Isa had written. “Thank
you for being with us through this difficult time.”
It has been argued that Hotdog
will most likely be the performer and the sound a Filipino might quickly recall
if they were to think about locally-recorded popular music from the 1970s.
Their hits such as “Bongga Ka ‘Day,” “Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko,” “Annie
Batungbakal” and more, continue to enjoy regular airplay on radio particularly
during retro-music hours. The death of two of its original founders is a severe
blow to OPM fans and a reminder of the passing of time. Isa followed up the
Facebook post with a tweet on her own page with a photo tribute to her father
Dennis.
She also wrote on her Instagram page
a lengthier account commenting on the close relationship between her and her
dad. “People say that I look like my mom but my heart and my mind, for better
and for worse, operate a lot like my dad,” remarked Isa Garcia adding, “I say I
can’t change it but perhaps the truth is that I really don’t want to…I want the
little things to remind me, for the rest of my life, of the privilege it has
been to be Dennis Garcia’s daughter.”
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