GOODBYE BROTHER YOYOY

Brother Yoyoy Villame has passed away around 2 pm today at the Las Piñas Medical Center. His doctor pronounced him dead due to cardio-pulmonary arrest. My condolences to his family.

Many Filipinos will best remember Yoyoy as The Novelty King. Among members of the Church of God International, however, he will be remembered as a fellow brethren and journeyer who was there to lend what he can for the church's cause.

In one of the thanksgiving gatherings after his baptism in the church, brother Yoyoy cheered us all with his antics and us made us smile, laugh, sing along and call out for more...!

He then shared his personal favorite, a song that I never knew existed until I heard him sing it. It was a sepcial song, one that spoke out against unbiblical Roman Catholic beliefs and practices. He said the song became so controversial (I think in the 70's) that it almost cost him his career. It earned him a lot of pressure from the Catholic hiearchy at the time who asked him to no less than cease and desist from performing it in public and distributing its record. Imagine a song of Yoyoy that actually enraged people nothwithstanding his sound biblical basis.

At the time, he gave in to pressure. During that special Saturday in Apalit, however, brother Yoyoy vowed he would never again give in to pressures by anyone other than God's.

Much to his delight, the newly baptized brother Yoyoy discovered that, at long last, he has found his audience inside the Church of God (a.k.a Ang Dating Daan). We then cheered him on to sing out his heart's convictions. He, of course, obliged and let it all out and I, quite naturally, found myself in tears of joy, rejoicing not much over the singer nor his song but over God's wonderful works....

The last time I saw brod Yoyoy was during the BATAS Party-list Miting de Avance at the Quirino Grandstand. (Thanks to ROVIC Photography for capturing that special moment.) Yes he was there with us under the heat of the sun cheering us to carry on the good fight be it in the studios of UNTV 37, in the church locales, or even, God willing, in the halls of congress.

It's sad to see a brother die yet we do give thanks to God for His Son has counquered Death!