Not every popular OPM Christmas song weaves a love story. However, Gary Valenciano’s “Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” started that way.
This sentimental Yuletide ballad that has been crooned by Filipinos for more than three decades, has an interesting romantic story.
Back in 1986, when Valenciano had just joined WEA Records, the company immediately planned to release a Christmas album for him. “Take Me Out of the Dark,” a song Valenciano penned that year, was readily included in the line-up of tracks.
Yet, Valenciano’s wife and manager, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, insisted that her husband include a Christmas song that her Sigma Delta Phi sorority sisters at the University of the Philippines (UP) would render during caroling nights.
The song was written by someone who was also from UP (Francis Dandan) and his professor (Aurelio Estanislao).
“I told Angeli, ‘No one knows the song’!” Valenciano told ABS-CBN News. “But Angeli insisted that it had to be part of my Christmas album. She kept on singing the chorus to me and bits and pieces of the song.
“Then, Louie Ocampo told me he knew the song, so we asked him to arrange it and it became such a huge hit. The rest is history.”
Dandan collaborated with UP professor, baritone Aurelio Estanislao, who wrote the lyrics of “Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” before the song landed on Valenciano’s lap.
“The story’s background is supposedly about a young member of the UP Concert Chorus, Fred Gutierrez, whose love of his life, Melba, was leaving for the USA before Christmas in the late ‘70s,” Valenciano added. “But she passed away."
“Meantime, Francis’ story is tragic as he took his life in 2001 due to undisclosed reasons and that was so sad for us.”
Through the years, “Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” has become one of the most iconic Christmas ballads ever recorded and Valenciano cannot be any happier about that fact. The popular song has undoubtedly become Valenciano’s signature anthem during Christmas. It was the carrier track of his first holiday album, “From Gary, Merry Christmas.”
“Having a song that hits is one thing, but having been given a chance to record a song that eventually becomes a classic is different feeling,” Valenciano said. “Somehow, it takes longer for it to sink in.
“Most of the time, it really tugs at my heart when I hear ‘Pasko Na, Sinta Ko’ being played after all these years. What a blessing to have been given this song. I count it an honor to have been the first to record the song, but we were very sad that we couldn’t do more for Francis Dandan as we were unaware of his mental condition.”
At about the same time Valenciano and Ocampo were trying to record the song then, they found out that young singer, Keno, wanted to do the same thing. “But we beat Keno to it,” Valenciano said. “And his manager then, Arsi Baltazar, and Angeli had such a fun time arguing about what happened.”
“Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” has been in the roster of Christmas songs every Yuletide season. It has become a sentimental favorite by many. It always warms Valenciano’s heart when people come up to him to say how they have embraced the song.
“I’ve had many who have come up to me either just laying their hand over their chest, like to signify how much they’ve been affected by my song, as others have that look on their faces like they want to cry,” Valenciano disclosed.
“Both of those actions are done in a light and almost joking kind of way. It is easy to tell though that the song is something. That they relate to quite well.
“Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” was not the first original Christmas song recorded for the album, “From Gary, Merry Christmas.” Valenciano also did another Tagalog Christmas ditty, “Himig ng Pasko,” by Levi Celerio and other well-known traditional Christmas classics like “Joy To the World,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silent Night," and "O Holy Night.”
“Pasko Na, Sinta Ko’ may not have been the first, but the album would never have been complete without it,” Valenciano said. “Of course, there is the ‘Hele ni Inay,’ composed by Roy and Lissa del Valle.
“I composed ‘Once Again It’s Christmas’ for Kiana 20 years ago, which won for her Best Christmas Recording and Best Performance by a Child Recording Artist at the Awit Awards of 2000 when she was only seven.”
Through the years, “Pasko Na, Sinta Ko” has been re-imagined and rendered onstage several other artists, like Martin Nievera, Sharon Cuneta, Tim Pavino and even the Philippine Madrigal Singers.
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