Ferdinand "Freddie" Pascual Aguilar (; February 5, 1953 – May 27, 2025), also known by his Muslim name Abdul Farid, was a Filipino musician regarded as one of the pillars and icons of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). He was best known for his international hit "Anak" (1978), which became the best-selling Philippine music record of all time, selling 33 million copies worldwide. His rendition of "Bayan Ko" became the anthem of the opposition against the regime of Ferdinand Marcos during the 1986 People Power Revolution. He was heavily associated with Pinoy rock.

Early life

Aguilar was born on February 5, 1953, in Santo Tomas, Isabela. He began composing his own songs at age 14. Aguilar studied electrical engineering at De Guzman Institute of Technology but did not finish the degree program. Instead he pursued music, became a street musician, and then a folk club and bar musician. At the age of 18, Aguilar parted ways with his family and quit college; he started performing on stage at age 20.

International acclaim

Aguilar's "Anak" not only broke the Philippine record charts in 1979, but it also hit the no. 1 spot in Japan and achieved considerable popularity in other countries as Angola, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and parts of Western Europe. Billboard reported that the song was the number two world hit of the 1980s. According to Billboard, Aguilar was the second best-selling recording artist of 1981 in Europe. As of 2006, it was unsurpassed as the highest-selling record in Philippine music history.

Political activism

Even before Aguilar's rendition of "Bayan Ko," Aguilar created and performed songs targeted at social injustices. His album Magdalena included the title track about a girl forced into prostitution due to poverty, and "Mindanao", about the Christian-Muslim clashes in that island. After the album, Aguilar also sang about the injustices suffered by the powerless, poverty, and the arrogance of superpowers in a song titled "U.S.A., Russia" Some of the songs that caused him to be banned from mainstream media include: "Kata-rungan" () speaking for the unjustly accused, "Pangako" () a leader's unfulfilled pledges to an abandoned people, and "Luzviminda", a portmanteau for the country's three major island groups—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—calling on Filipinos to wake up to the reality of oppression. One of the songs he was most remembered for during that time was his interpretation of "Bayan Ko" (), in which he added a verse to the original piece.

"Bayan Ko" (My Country)

In 1978, Aguilar first recorded "Bayan Ko" in a patriotic effort to, in his words, "jolt back those who were starting to forget who we really are." The song was originally composed in 1928 by Constancio de Guzman, with lyrics by poet Jose Corazon de Jesus, during a time of struggle for Philippine independence from US occupation. It emerged once again during the Marcos regime as the unofficial anthem of the emergent "people" of the "People Power", the new democratic nation opposed to authoritarianism that was widely credited with the deposing of Ferdinand Marcos. During the performance, Freddie Aguilar did not feel scared anymore and felt strong and confident. Aguilar still lived in the Philippines, and continued to perform. He moved to his own place dubbed "Ka Freddie's". He always had a strong following in the Philippines and among many Filipinos living overseas. Aguilar advocated for the creation of a new department called the "Department of Culture and Arts." During the campaign and subsequent inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Aguilar performed "Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago", which was one of Duterte's campaign jingles to the tune of "Ipaglalaban Ko". Aguilar was President Duterte's favorite singer. Aguilar ran for senator in 2019. Though running as an independent candidate, his candidacy was endorsed by President Duterte. However, he lost, placing 30th out of 12 seats up for election. In his later years, Aguilar served as National Executive Vice President of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

Artistry

Aguilar is a key figure of Pinoy rock. He has cited British and American folk-rock stars like Cat Stevens and James Taylor as musical influences.

Personal life

thumb|upright=0.7|Aguilar with his sister Marlene, circa 2002

Romantic relationships and children

Aguilar has been with four women throughout his life. Aguilar married Marilyn Angelo in Olongapo. However this marriage was void since the priest did not have an appropriate license. After his voided union with Angelo, Aguilar married Josephine Queipo in London but later separated in 1997. The marriage lasted for 22 years until Aguilar divorced Queipo. Four of them are with Queipo. This includes Maegan who became a rock singer in the 1990s.

On October 17, 2013, Aguilar openly admitted, in spite of controversy that followed, that he was in a relationship with a 16-year-old girl, Jovie Gatdula Albao (Muslim name: Sittie Mariam), with plans to marry and even have children, as Albao insisted she was willing to have a baby.

On November 22, 2013, Aguilar, under Islamic rites, married Albao in Buluan, Maguindanao. Aguilar had converted to Islam six months prior to these reports, so that he could wed his then 16-year-old girlfriend under the Muslim Family Code of the Philippines.

Religion

Aguilar was born into a Catholic family. Already a famous musician, he joined the Born Again Christian community until the late 2000s, and was a self-described "Born-Again Catholic". He spoke about his conversion at the 14th Dubai Ramadan Forum in June 2015 in Dubai which also featured preacher Sheikh Nadhir Oquindo. The fire destroyed most of Aguilar's valuables estimated at , including his art collection, awards, musical instruments, records, and other personal memorabilia. Aguilar was at his restobar, Ka Freddie's, along Tomas Morato Avenue, during the fire. There were no casualties in the fire.

Death

Aguilar died from multiple organ failure at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, on May 27, 2025, at the age of 72. In accordance with Islamic rites, he was buried that same day at Manila Islamic Cemetery (a part of Manila South Cemetery).

Discography

Studio albums

{|class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

!abbr="Label"| Record label

|-

| 1978

| Anak

| Vicor Music/Sunshine

  • Anak
  • Kasaysayan
  • Buhay Nga Naman Ng Tao
  • Pagibig
  • Alaala
  • Pulubi
  • Katamaran
  • Anak Ng Mahirap
  • Ikaw Ba'y Pilipino
  • Naglaho
  • Anak (Reprise)

|-

| 1979

| Freddie Aguilar

| PDU

  • A1 ||Ina|| 3:25
  • A2 ||La Vittima Son Io ||3:12
  • A3 |Ad Occhi Chiusu || 3:30
  • A4 || Goddess || 5:00
  • B1 || Un Bambino || 3:35
  • B2 ||It's No Shame || 4:12
  • B3 ||Alaala|| 4:15
  • B4 ||Katamarano|| 3:24

|-

| 1980

| Diyosa

| Ugat Tunog ng Lahi/Vicor Music

|-

| 1980

| Freddie Aguilar (US release)

| RCA Records

|-

| 1983

| Magdalena

| G. Records International

|-

| 1987

| Freddie Aguilar – Anak – Double "Best Of" Album

| Panarecord International

|-

| 1987

| EDSA

| Ivory Music

|-

| 1988

| Sariling Atin

| Alpha Music

|-

| 1989

| Hala Bira

| Alpha Music

|-

| 1990

| Heart of Asia

| OctoArts International

|-

| 1991

| Freddie Aguilar

| AMP

|-

| 1992

| D'Concorde Recording

|}

Compilation albums

{|class="wikitable"

! Year

! Title

!abbr="Label"| Record label

|-

| 1992

| Fifteen Years of Freddie Aguilar: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

| Aguilar Music

|-

| 1995

| The Best of Freddie Aguilar

| Alpha Music

|-

| 1997

| Freddie Aguilar ...Live! Global Tour

| Aguilar Music, Vicor Music

|-

|}

Singles

In chronological order:

  • 1976 "Alaala"
  • 1978 "Anak"
  • 1978 "Bayan Ko"
  • 1980 "Pulubi"
  • 1980 "Bulag, Pipi at Bingi"
  • 1981 "Ang Buhay Nga Naman Ng Tao"
  • 1983 "Magdalena"
  • 1983 "Mindanao"
  • 1984 "Pinoy"
  • 1985 "Mga Bata Sa Negros"
  • 1985 "Ipaglalaban Ko"
  • 1986 "Katarungan"
  • 1987 "'Di Ka Nag-iisa"
  • 1988 "Estudyante Blues"
  • 1989 "Luzviminda"
  • 1989 "Pangako"
  • 1992 "Kumusta Ka"
  • 1993 "Minamahal Kita"
  • 1994 "Pasko ang Damdamin"
  • 1994 "Sa Paskong Darating"
  • 1994 "Himig Pasko"
  • 1994 "Diwa Ng Pasko"
  • 1994 "Pasko Na Naman Kaibigan"
  • 1994 "Mga Pilipino Kong Mahal"
  • 1994 "Ang Bansa Kong Maligaya"

Awards

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Award-giving body !! Category !! Nominated work !! Results

|-

| 1992 || Ampex Corporation || Ampex Golden Reel Award || "Kumusta Ka" ||

|-

| 1993 || 6th Awit Awards || Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino || ||

|-

| 1994 || NU Rock Awards || Rock Achievement Award || ||

|-

| 2001 || Pinoy Musika Awards || Special Citation || "Anak" ||

|}

Electoral history

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"

|+ Electoral history of Freddie Aguilar

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Year

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Office

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Party

! colspan="4" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Votes received

! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Result

|-

! style="background:#eaecf0;" |Total

! style="background:#eaecf0;" | %

! style="background:#eaecf0;" |.

! style="background:#eaecf0;" |Swing

|-

!2019

| Senator of the Philippines

| style="background:;" |

| Independent

|2,580,230

|5.46%

|30th

|

|

|}

See also

  • Philippine folk music
  • People Power Revolution

References

  • Recordings on WhiteAlien website of Freddie live at Ka Freddie's