Maxene And Saab Remember Their 'Pop' Francis Magalona On His 13th Death Anniversary

Sisters Maxene and Saab Magalona took to Instagram to commemorate the 13th anniversary of their father and iconic rapper Francis Magalona. They lovingly call him "Pop."

Maxene shared a black-and-white photo of her with Francis, who's also known as FrancisM. The musician-actor succumbed to leukemia on March 6, 2019.

The actress said in her caption, using the French language, "La fille à Papa. Tu me manques, Pop!" Meaning in English: Daddy's girl. I miss you.

She went on paying tribute to her Pop: "You may have been gone physically for 13 years but your spirit is alive in the hearts and souls of the Filipinos, now and forever. Especially in mine. I love you!" She ended her post with the hashtag, #FrancisMForever.

Maxene's younger sister Saab, on the other hand, shared a short video of her 2-year-old son Vito putting flowers on Francis's grave. Vito is the younger of Saab and her husband Jim Bacarro's two sons, next to 4-year-old Pancho, who had a twin, Luna.

Saab wrote in her caption, "Today is the 13th death anniversary of my dad."

"Pancho was taking a nap and this one," she added, referring to Vito, "wasn’t sleepy at all so I decided to go on a one-on-one date with him to offer flowers to his Lolo Pop."

She went on with her story, "We also gave flowers to his Ate Luna who he’s only visiting for the 2nd time. His last time here was when he was 6 months old in March 2020.

"We prayed for them and walked around the cemetery until his cheeks turned pink. You’re always in our hearts, our angels." She ended her post with the hashtag #FrancisMForever. (Read here on what Saab learned from her father.)

Strengthening dad and daughter relationships

There many benefits to having an involved and hands-on father, according to studies. These include:

• Girls who have a stable relationship with their dads are more likely to be mentally fit.
• Girls who have a good bond with their dads are more likely have fulfilling relationships.
• Dads help shape their daughters develop a positive self-image.

Here's what dads can do to be more involved in their daughters' lives:

• Be an ally
• Discuss, not dictate rules
• Let her take the lead
• Show her how she should be treated

Read here how a dad of 3 girls tells his daughters to be strong.

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