Erik Santos moved his fans through a night filled with music, nostalgia, and heartfelt emotions.
Read: Erik Santos nagbahagi ng pinagdaanan sa pag-aalaga sa kanyang mga magulang
Celebrating his 20th year in showbiz through the MilEStone concert on October 6, 2023, Friday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Erik made sure to recognize the two most special people who shaped his life into the magical journey it is today.
Taking it to the stage before performing his next song, the Pop Ballad Royalty momentarily paused the concert to address his parents: "Napakahirap mag-celebrate na alam kong hindi ko na kayo makakasama pa kailanman.
All choked up, he expressed, "Pero pinili kong ituloy ang concert na ito dahil alam kong ito ang gusto ninyo.
"To honor and share the gift that God has given me."
Read: Erik Santos, lubos pa rin ang pangungulila sa mga pumanaw na magulang
With tears in his eyes, he vowed, "Tay, nay, I promise to take care of myself and continue to be strong for our family.
"I promise to continue our legacy of love, humility, and gratitude.
"Kung ano ako ngayon dahil po yon sa inyong dalawa.
"Wala man kayong dalawa sa harapan ko ngayon, I promise that you will have the best seats in my heart forever.
"Mahal na mahal ko kayong dalawa. Salamat."
FINAL MOMENTS
In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last September 2023, Erik shared the heart-wrenching details of his last moments with his parents who battled lung cancer.
"Yung mga last days and minutes with them kasi hindi na sila makakapagsalita," Erik recounted.
"They were in BiPAP [bilevel positive airway pressure]. Parang machine po yun na downgrade before siya ma-intubate.
"Parang ganon. So, hindi na po namin siya makausap."
He related, "For my mom, talagang we would really play praise and worship [songs].
"We would really pray, sama-sama po kaming pamilya, nakapalibot po sa kanya before siya malagutan ng hininga."
Read: Erik Santos’s father dies 9 months after his mother passed away
Relatively, Erik continued, "Yung sa tatay ko naman, ganon din po, same scenario.
"Sa tatay ko, I was able to sing a song for him. So, siguro mga five minutes before he passed on, nakakanta pa ako ng isang awitin na paborito niya na palagi na kinakanta ko sa concert."
Despite the profound sadness of those moments, the 40-year-old singer found solace in knowing that he had expressed his feelings and gratitude to his parents before they passed away.
"Nasabi ko po yung mga dapat ko sabihin sa kanila," he said, assuring he had no regrets as a son.
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