Once Upon a Life before the Internet

By Vincent R. Pozon

I saw an old video of a high school lad making a speech at the United Nations. The lad was later to become a man of stature. But other than the video, nothing could be found, googling could not produce many photographs of the man the entire country got to know. You would expect a Wikipedia page devoted to him. But there are none. Maybe because all this happened before the digital revolution.

There was another mention of his name, as a credit, and with it a memory born in another time. The memory came wrapped in a song, with words that spoke of pain.

I knew the man in pain, and I refer to the lyricist, Roman Cruz, Jr. He was head of Philippine Airlines, an advertising client of Pacifica Publicity Bureau, where I worked. My boss and mentor, Antonio P. Zorrilla, was his confidante. If I remember correctly, Zorro helped Jun Cruz put the song out.

The song, of course, is about love. National Artist Ryan Cayabyab provided the music that tugs, Gary Valenciano the knowing voice. The subject of the song? Ricardo Lo provided an answer in his Philippine Star article "The Craziest Thing They Did for Love": "I met Cory Quirino, and she did mention that that song was written for her."

The man may have vanished from the communal memory that is the internet, the decades may have ravaged the facts, but we know one thing for certain: once upon a life, Roman Cruz, Jr. loved immensely, enough to want to distinguish it with a song that will outlast him.

Once upon a life
We said we'd separate for a while
You would live a different life
And I a different style

We broke the bond that made us one
And when that foolish deed was done
I lost you, you lost me
And we asked what we had won

Once upon a life
There was no you, there was no me
For you and I were one
As we were really meant to be

Once upon a life
We sought tomorrow, that's today
And we are one again
And that's the way we'll always stay

We broke the bond that made us one
And when that foolish deed was done
I lost you, you lost me
And we asked what we had won

Once upon a life
There was no you, there was no me
For you and I were one
As we were really meant to be

Once upon a life
We sought tomorrow, that's today
And we are one again
And that's the way we'll always stay
And we are one again
And that's the way we'll always stay.