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PEP received information last August 13 that rapper-songwriter Francis Magalona has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs the help of blood donors.
Get your daily dose of hot gossip in this all-new addition to iGMA! Whether it's capping off yesterday's entertainment headlines or dishing a celebrity's recent issue, iGMA still has it covered! Be on the lookout for multiple updates within the day--you wouldn't want to be the last to know, would ya? So keep checking this space for what's hot and new in the entertainment world. Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) received information last August 13 that rapper-songwriter Francis Magalona has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs the help of blood donors. Pupil band manager and Francis's good friend Day Cabuhat told PEP in a phone interview that any blood type and platelets will be accepted. [Subject to medical requirements, of course.] "Donations may be made at the lower ground level of The Medical City in the name of Francis Magalona," relayed Day. The Medical City is located along Ortigas Avenue in Pasig City. Friends and relatives organized a blood donation drive to help the popular singer's cause. They're also asking friends from the media to spread the word regarding Francis's condition to encourage people to turn up and donate blood. In Eat Bulaga today, August 14, before beginning with the portion of ‘Taktak Mo or Tatakbo’, a somber Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon hushed the crowd. Vic began, “Mga kaibigan, bago po tayo magtaktakan, nais po namin bigyan daan ang isang mahalagang announcement at meron po kaming gustong iparating sa inyo. Kahapon po ay lumabas sa mga balita tungkol sa kalagayan ni Francis Magalona. At ito po ang gusto niyang ipaabot sa inyong lahat through a text message na pinadala niya: “Sa lahat ng mga Dabarkads ko dito sa Eat Bulaga, miss ko na kayong lahat. Araw-araw magkakasama tayo at kayo’y naging second family ko na. Pati na rin lahat ng mga viewers sa mga bahay at sa studio. Ngayon, meron akong isang pagsubok na dapat pagdaanan at ang hiling ko lang ay ang inyong pang-unawa at suporta. I have been diagnosed with leukemia and I am preparing for my treatment. Sa tulong ng Panginoon, kakayanin ko po ito. Abangan nyo ang aking pagbabalik. ‘Di ko lang kayo “miss”… LOVE ko kayong lahat.” “Yan po ang message ni Kiko, Francis Magalona. At kami rin po dito sa Eat Bulaga, at ng pamilya ni Francis, we need your prayers para sa mabilis niyang paggaling.” While showing messages from the audience members and the show’s cast and crew, Vic ended the the message with a salute: “Kiko, [alam kong] nanunuod ka ngayon. Pagaling ka kaagad.” MASTER RAPPER. He is the son of the late matinee idol of the '50s Pancho Magalona and actress Tita Duran. Francis created his own mark in the entertainment industry as a rapper-performer when he released his debut album, Yo! back in 1990. The record popularized the nationalistic rap hit song "Mga Kababayan," which in effect introduced Pinoy-style rap to the mainstream music industry. The ‘90s band explosion failed to deter Francis's popularity and significance in the music scene, as proven by the number of hit albums and good singles he churned out since Yo! He even collaborated with other artists and most of the time experimented with various sounds and genres to keep abreast of music trends. Some of his memorable songs include "Mga Praning," "Meron Akong Ano," "Man From Manila," "Cold Summer Nights," "Bahay Yugyugan," "Ito ang Gusto Ko," "Girl Be Mine," and "Kaleidoscope World." Aside from singing and writing songs, Francis also plunged into hosting. He served first as a VJ for both MTV Philippines and Channel V before joining the country's longest running noontime show Eat Bulaga! as one of the regulars. Francis was also tapped as one of the judges, along with music maestro Ryan Cayabyab and Pilita Corrales, for Philippine Idol's maiden season in 2006, which aired on ABC-5. He also ventured into photography and music-video directing, megging videos for artists such as Sponge Cola, Join the Club, Gloc 9, Shamrock, Join The Club, Pikaso, Death Threat, and Pupil. Francis is married to Pia Arroyo and they have eight children: Unna, Nicolo, Francis Jr., Isabella, Elmo, Arkin, Clara and young actress Maxene Magalona. -- PEP with iGMA Send your well-wishes to Francis M through Fanatxt! Just key in FRANCIS [space] [your message] and send to 4627! (Each Fanatxt message costs PhP2.50 for GLOBE, SMART, and TALK 'N TEXT, and PhP2.00 for Sun subscribers. This service is exclusive to the Philippines only.)