I recently got a chance to guest host on Myx, the music channel.

I know.

It was a blessing I never really expected to receive, but I was definitely glad I did. To prepare for my guest stint, they had me pick 5 of my favorite music videos to play. As I began choosing, I realized that my taste in music is, well, pretty uneven at best. I mostly play acoustic songs when I listen to music, my favorite singers being Dia Frampton, Norah Jones, and Ed Sheeran, but if I were to be truly revelatory, I needed to show people that I also count Aerosmith and Francis M. in my top 5.

So how does a guy who has Dia Frampton on almost every playlist be a tremendous Francis M. fan? I’m not ready to explain that, but when I heard there was a musical called, “Three Stars and a Sun,” I knew I had to watch it.

PETA’s latest musical featuring the songs of Francis Magalona is definitely a treat for any Francis M. fan. The moment I heard the words, “Mga Kababayan Ko,” the goosebumps began (never really stopped) and I realized how much I miss Francis M. and his poetry. I sat up as Yaya struggles to remember her child Sol as she softly sings lines from “Kaleidoscope World” and I am completely bewildered at how “Kabataan Para sa Kinabukasan” can become so sinister when placed in a different context.

The thing with Francis M.’s songs is that whatever the topic, be it about brownouts, the youth or even dog stew, it pushes you. It pushes you to move and when most of his songs are about the betterment of life and this country we live in, it also reminds. It reminded me, in such a timely manner too, that in this season where almost 100 million people are desperately seeking to elect a savior and 5 people try their best to convince everyone they are that savior, that saving this country is never the work of one; that’s why there was hardly a singular main character. Kiko once again slaps us on the back of the head to remind us that we are all responsible for this country. It is never about us vs them, baliktaran ng mundo, or who to blame. If we are ever to see our country rise, then nationalism, peace and freedom aren’t just buzzwords to throw around on facebook to get likes. They are goals we do everything humanly possible to achieve. They are attitudes we truly live by and hold ourselves accountable with.

So yeah. You should go watch Three Stars and a Sun. Go and get your fill of Francis M.’s immortal lyrics set in new and interesting arrangements. Go and watch another set of great performances from PETA’s great line up of actors. Go and get reminded that the problems and issues that were prevalent when Francis M. wrote these classics years ago are still prevalent today. Get your goosebumps, your reminder and your slap in the head.

How does a guy who has Dia Frampton on almost every playlist be a tremendous Francis M. fan? I’m still not ready to explain, but here’s what I am ready for.

I’m ready to defend the Three Stars and a Sun. And I don’t just mean the awesome musical.