Freddie Aguilar may have lost his house in North Fairview that was gutted by a fire last Tuesday but the legendary folk singer is still thankful for a “miracle” that took place amidst the calamity.
“Sa aking mga Kababayan, Kaibigan at mga kapatid! Natupok ang bahay ko pero may himala na nangyari. Ang kuwarto na tinutulugan namin ay di natupok ng apoy at ni abo ay walang dumapo sa bed namin ng misis kong si Jovie, ganun din sa kuwarto ng anak kong si Jeriko Jamil, ganun din ang kuwarto ng anak kong si Jonan. Pero ang buong bahay ay halos naging abo! Ang kuwarto namin ng mga anak ko ay may Qur’an. Yan ang dahilan kaya di napasok ng apoy ang mga kuwarto namin pero ang buong kabahayan ay sunog na sunog lahat bukod sa tatlong kuwarto na may Qur’an,” Aguilar posted on Facebook Thursday.
(“To my fellow Filipinos, friends and brothers and sisters! My house was razed by a fire but a miracle happened. The bedroom where we sleep was not touched by a fire and not even ashes reached the bed that I shared with my wife Jovie. Same thing happened in the room of my son Jeriko Jamil as well as the room of my son Jonan. But the whole house was reduced to ashes except for the three rooms that had the Qu’ran.”)
The Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam, the religion that the artist also referred to by fans as Ka Freddie converted to in 2013, in order to marry the former Jovie Gatdula Albao, then only a minor at 16 years old.
In a report by News5’s Ivy Gale Bernardo, the Quezon City-Bureau of Fire Protection agency revealed in its investigation that the fire started at the ground floor’s Music Room. Fire Inspector Rosendo Cabillan, the chief arson investigator assigned to the case, said the fire might have been caused by either an electric overload or a water leak.
While he was thankful that all eight members of his family — including wife Jovie who is currently pregnant — were able to escape unhurt by the fire that gutted about 70 percent of his house, Ka Freddie lamented the valuable property lost in the fire which he considers as priceless.
These include his collection of guitars, hats, awards, paintings and even vinyl, unopened pressings of his classic recordings including his signature song, “Anak.”
The QC-Bureau of Fire Protection has not released the official value of property damaged by the fire but Ka Freddie estimated it to be between 13 to 15 million pesos not counting his antique furniture.
