Charice on slain dad: ‘I loved him, I will still love him’

MANILA, Philippines – “I loved him and I will still love him. He’s still my Dad after all,” international Filipino pop star Charice posted on her official Twitter account on Tuesday – upon learning of the death of her father, Ricky Pempengco, who was stabbed to death close to midnight on Monday in San Pedro Laguna.

The 19-year-old singing sensation – whose widely viewed videos on YouTube brought her to the attention of American TV hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom gave Charice crucial worldwide exposure – has canceled her scheduled concerts with mentor David Foster on Nov. 2 and 3 at the Grand Theatre on Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, apparently to attend her father’s wake.

“I am very sorry to all my fans from Singapore. I am not going to be there to be part of (the) David Foster and Friends concert. I have to go back to the Philippines as soon as possible to be with my family. I hope you all understand. I love you all and I will see you next year,” said Charice in another post on Twitter.

Charice has been estranged from her dad since she was three years old, when her parents separated. The split-up, her mother Raquel admitted, was brought about by violent fights allegedly due to Charice’s father’s nasty behavior caused by drug abuse.

“Do I miss him? I don’t know,” she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview on June 21, 2009. “Parang nag-iisip ako ng dahilan kung paano ko siya mami-miss, kasi wala siya sa buhay namin ng maraming taon … Masaya po ako sa buhay namin ngayon ng mommy ko. (I’m trying to find a reason to miss him, but he’s been away a long time … I’m happy with my life, with my mom).”

In the same interview Charice — the elder of two siblings — revealed that she had no idea what her father looked like: “Simula nang mawala siya, wala na talagang communication. Yung mga kapatid niya minsan nagte-text kay mommy. Pero siya, wala talaga. Hindi ko na nga alam kung ano itsura niya, o kung naiisip niya pa ba ako (He never tried to communicate. His siblings sometimes sent text messages to mom, but not him. I don’t know what he looks like, or if he even thinks of me).”

In another post on Twitter on Tuesday (Nov. 1), Charice seemed agitated at some private messages from her father’s siblings.  She lashed out and accused them of being the ones responsible for keeping her away from her dad: “Para sa mga kapatid ng daddy ko, wala kayong karapatang sabihin o hulaan ang nararamdaman ko. Sino kayo para sabihing masaya ako sa pagkawala ng SARILI KONG AMA? Kapatid lang kayo at ako ay ANAK ([EDITORS’ NOTE: Translation is ours.]  To my dad’s siblings:  you don’t have the right to speak for me on what I feel.  Who are you to say that I’m happy with the loss of MY FATHER? You’re just his siblings and I am his DAUGHTER.)

“Kung natatandaan nyo, KAYO MISMO ANG NAGSABI SA AMIN NA IWASAN ANG DADDY KO. Sinabi nyo pa na wag gamitin ang apelyido nya. Hindi pinagbawal ni mommy na dalawin ang daddy namin pero HINDI NYO KAMI PINAYAGAN. Wala kayong respeto sa PAMILYA NYA para sabihin nyo yan ngayon! Imbis na ayusin nyo, sinisira nyo pa! (Please remember, YOU WERE THE ONES WHO TOLD US TO AVOID MY DAD.  You even told us not to use his surname.  My mommy never stopped us from visiting our dad but YOU DID NOT ALLOW US TO SEE HIM.  You did not show the respect for his family that would have earned you the right to say things about us! Instead of helping clear up things, you’re destroying things further.)

“Alam ko na nagalit ako sa kanya! Pero hindi ko sinabing itinatakwil ko sya! Matagal akong naging tahimik sa mga eskandalong ginagawa nyo. Pero ngayon, di ko na kaya pati sa pagkamatay nya GANYAN PA RIN KAYO. Hindi ako takot. Lalo na sa mga taong walang respeto. (I admit I got mad at him.  But I never disowned him! I have kept quiet about all the scandals you’ve stirred.  But now, I can’t take it anymore; even in his death, YOU HAVE NOT CHANGED.  I’m not scared.  Especially of people who do not have respect for others.)

But in her last tweett before informing her fans that she was canceling her Singapore gigs, Charice was reflective, digging deep into her memories of her dad:

“Last night, may kasama ako pero sabi ko kamukha nya daddy ko. Di ko alam na nagpaparamdam na pala sya. Gusto ko lang malaman nyo, na we had a really great relationship bago nangyari lahat ng gulo. Sinabi niya sa akin nung ako’y bata pa na hindi actually alam ni mommy, gusto nya akong maging sundalo kasi sabi niya matapang daw ako.” (Last night, I was with somebody and I thought that person looked like my dad.  Little did I know it was a sign, an omen.  I just want you all to know that we had a really great relationship before all the quarrels.  He told me when I was a kid — and my mom did not know this — that he wanted me to be a soldier because, he said, I was brave.)

Originally posted at 10:16 am | Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011