My Nephew, Mico a.k.a. It's Showtime's Hashtag Franco

My nephew, Mico(hashtag_Franco), when he was only two years old(1993)

August 2015, Abreeza Mall, Davao City

Mico at the center (front)

Starbucks, SM Lanang Premier, Davao City

August 2015

September 2011

Mico at 20

August 2015,Paradise Island, Samal, Davao City

Processing this is a hard thing to do.  Honestly, this has not yet sinked in, but I know if I don't let him go...well, let's just say I don't want him roaming around in limbo.  I would rather for him to go straight into the Lord's arms of love.

If I could grieve for a friend(a popular actress/singer/dancer of Spanish descent) whom I met when she was only nine and died at forty-one without being close to her, but because she was forever nice and warm has brought me to tears, what more for a nephew whom I treated like a son?

When I was little I even cried for a dead baby lizard, and for a pet pig when an older cousin decided to roast it for MY birthday.  I shed a deluge of tears when our dogs and lovebirds died.  Pet fish who cross the great blue yonder break my heart...what more for a human being whom I dearly love? 

The last time I felt like this was five(5) years ago, when my baby brother, RJ, died.  RJ, though a brother, was also like my child.  My heart feels like it is being wrung a million times until the last ounce of blood has been...

😢😢😢😢😢

An earlier social media post of mine(updated a little):

To those asking, especially those who sent direct messages, here's my reply: Franco Miguel Hernandez Lumanlan is like the first grandchild of my mom and dad. Although my Kuya Lito is the son of my mom's baby sister, I call him Kuya because I grew up with him. He stayed with us at CGEA and in the village. When kuya married ate Marissa, she was like my first real sister-in-law(so I have two sisters-in-law) When Mico or hashtag Franco was born, we were all filled with joy. He was such a delight because he was such a polite little boy. At barely two-years-old he would say, "Excuse me!" before passing older people, which amazed strangers. When my dad retired and we gave up our home in N Village, they left the village two years before Nini was born(not even sure of the details). 

By the way, he's the godson of my brother Karl, but my CBFF, Annette and I were proxies for unavailable godmothers, so...

 

Although I never thought of stealing him away from my Kuya and Ate, he was like a real son to me. He still is. The pain is really hard, but death really comes like a thief in the night.

 

Death does not stop claiming people during special occasions. His little sister just celebrated her birthday, FYI.

 

Thank you all for your love and prayers for all he left behind. Please pray extra for Ate Marissa, Kuya Lito, Nini, Tita Zeny, Raffy, Car, his cousins who lived with him, his dogs, and his current girlfriend, Nam, who was with him during the accident. Pray extra too for Mama Cynch, his parents' siblings and their spouses and his first cousins. Please also pray extra for my mom. She is still very devastated right now. Sorry to those people who have been texting her. She really couldn't reply. If I was hysterical when I learned about it from a cousin(a guy), even more OA than his mommy lola Cynthia(not that Mama Cynch is OA, ha?  The point is she was not hysterical like me), my mom is wrecked. God bless you all. May his soul rest in peace.#thiefinthenight #gonetoosoon #francohernandez #ripFranco

Yes, to reiterate, Franco Miguel Hernandez Lumanlan is the eldest grandchild of my mom's baby sister and the eldest child of my first cousin, whom my parents consider as their eldest child.  Ergo, he is also like the first grandchild of my parents.  My "adopted" daughter, though older,  came into my life much, much later.  She was already in college then.  I only introduced her to the "public" as my daughter in 2003 during my brother PG's wake.

All of us were excited when my "sister"-in-law got pregnant for the first time. When he was born we were all ecstatic.

He spent his formative years with us...

Like what I said before, it still hasn't sunk in.  Although agile and athletic, I am very sickly and even if I'm almost fifty, I thought I was going die when I was ten years old.   He's a healthy young man.  His girlfriend whom I learned to love, Nam, is broken.  I understand this quite well.  One of the people I loved earlier in life died of leukaemia.  It's different, but to lose a loved one at a young age...(We are here for you, Nam, sweetheart.)  

His ex-girlfriend is also torn.  Some of the fans, supporters rather, are mean to her---please let her be----I have been an ex-girlfriend too of a dead man, and I couldn't even publicly grieve for him---that's why I understand.  Please don't add colour to it.  When you love someone greatly in the past, even if you have moved on, that person will always hold a special place in your heart.

We are the ones in limbo right now.

Death really comes like a thief in the night.  We do not know the time and hour.  It does not choose an age or date, because even if it's someone close's birthday or it's a special occasion like Christmas or Mother's Day(PG died on Mother's Day), death comes to take our loved ones away.

Posting on FB has been an outlet.  I am balanced, but mom and I had to beg off attending the 60th birthday of a "big sis" of mine to be held somewhere in Alabang.  Our knees are weak and we might just rub off the joy of that special occasion.   I know they are having fun right now. Sigh...(I originally wrote this on the 12th of November then updated it later)

I learned about his passing on from a cousin(a guy) who asked me if it was a hoax.  If we were watching ABS-CBN last night, maybe I wouldn't have been too shocked.  I would still be frazzled, but not hysterical.  His parents even found out through Twitter. Oh me, oh my.  Then they saw the news.

I tried to be calm at first, but when his grandma, my mom's baby sister, confirmed it, mom and I were wailing.  I don't know if the whole village heard us, but we were really wailing soooooo loud.

Mom and I were bonding...we weren't fighting and we were both not feeling well.  I just had an asthma attack in church and she had a slight fever.  I wasn't even looking at my phone, but something compelled me to check my FB inbox and that's when my cousin asked me if it were true and he said he hoped not.  We were watching #CelebrityBluff (GMA 7) so we were quite out of the loop when it was reported on ABS-CBN. 

Mom is distraught.

Shucks.  I couldn't go on anymore.  I am just grateful many people loved him truly.

(From his mom's wall---I kind of updated (Nov. 13)it a bit due to earlier events)

Hi Everyone, Franco's body will arrive Manila midnight of Nov. 13 and will be brought to Arlington Chapel B & C in Araneta Avenue.

Family, Relatives, Followers & Friends are welcome to pay him a visit on these dates:
Nov 14 to 16.

Cremation is scheduled on Nov. 17, Fri, time- TBA.

Thank you.

#HashtagFranco
#Franco
#RIPFranco

If you are a follower/fan, our only request is for you guys to respect the grieving family...please behave so his parents won't regret allowing you to pay him a visit. We admire people too and we too grieve for the people we admire, even on the sidelines.

Oh, before I forget, to those who posted the disturbing photographs, please delete them.  :-(  Please have some respect.  

Thank you.  May God bless us all!

A couple of my nephew's TV ads Oh, and I haven't met Benj Manalo yet, but I want to thank him for loving my nephew like a real baby brother. Mico's best friend Basic Hip hop as taught by Mico