"Walang Iwanan!"
Following the all-too sudden passing of Mercy Sunot, lead singer of the iconic OPM band Aegis, there was talk that former "The Voice Kids" winner Lyca Gairanod will be joining the group as her replacement.
But this denied outright by the band during a media conference for their "Halik sa Ulan'' concert at Viva Cafe in Cubao, Quezon City.
"Wala pong ipapalit kay Mercy, siguro mga guest (vocalist) lang po ang pwede, pero si Mercy po forever po siya sa Aegis. Wala pong mawawala na Mercy sa Aegis. (No one will replace Mercy, maybe we can only entertain guests, but Mercy stays forever with Aegis. Mercy will always be part of Aegis)," said band member Juliet Sunot, Mercy's sister.
It was Nov. 18 last year when Aegis officially announced Mercy's death.
Apparently, she lost her battle against Stage 4 breast cancer and lung cancer at the Stanford Hospital and Clinics in San Francisco, California.
Mercy's sisters Juliet and Ken Sunot expressed how difficult it was for them to adjust without their lead vocalist.
"Mas lalo po kaming na pressure kasi nasanay na kami na laging nandyan si Ate [Mercy] and ngayon po first time namin na magcoconcert na wala siya, kakayanin naman po namin para sa kanya. (We are under even more pressure because we are used to having Ate [Mercy] with us and now, as we embark on our first concert without her, we will try our best to make do without her)," Ken said.
"Mahirap po talaga sa amin, kasi sanay na kami magkasasama kaming pito ngayon anim na lang kami, nung before po talaga malungkot kasi wala si Mercy nandun po siya sa US nagpapagaling, naiiyak na lang po kami pero gusto namin ituloy ito kasi pangarap po ito ni Mercy. (It's really hard for us because we're used to being together, the seven of us now, there's only six of us, even then when she was in the US recovering, it was already sad for us, because Mercy wasn't there, It's agonizing but we want to continue with this because it's Mercy's dream)," Juliet added.
Juliet related how they had a hard time performing in a recent gig due to sadness. Thankfully, the fans were there to push them.
Juliet and Ken shared some of the things they miss the most about their sister.
"Makulit po talaga siya, tapos kung magdamit po siya hindi katulad namin, gusto niya po talaga ilabas kung sino siya, isa pa po sa mamimiss namin is yung tawa niya kasi wagas po talaga siya tumawa, tapos magpagmahal po siyang kapatid," Juliet said.
(She's naughty, even the way she dresses it's different, she really wants to show her individuality, another thing we'll miss is her laughter because she does it heartily, and she is a loving sister)
Valentine's Day concert
Despite the loss, the remaining members are pushing on with "Halik sa Ulan: A Valentine Special" on February 1-2.
"Iba talaga nung kumpleto kami. Pero kailangan lang namin na mas lalo pang galingan. Gusto man naming na bumalik siya pero wala, talagang umalis na siya. Kailangan lang namin ipagpatuloy yung nasimulan namin," Juliet said.
(It's really different when we're complete. But we need to step up our game. Much as we want her [Mercy] to come back, she's already gone. We just need to finish what we started.)
Aside from their classic hits like, "Halik", "Sayang na Sayang" and "Luha", the band also revealed that they will release a new song at the concert as a tribute to Mercy.
Part of the proceeds from these shows will go to Mercy's family.
Directed by Frank Mamaril, the show also includes performances from Morissette, Jona, Julie Anne San Jose, and Ogie Alcasid.