The Fantastic Life of Jonathan Bangoy

The poster of the concert to help JB

Bangoy had just visited me in the office. Like any regular day he had signed in as a regular employee and was amiably chatting with everyone.

Except that he was not with J Romero anymore. But in his mind, he still thinks he is.

A sad and awkward feeling fills the air. We were worried but elated to see him healthy and remembering us. He was a great guy, fun to be with, he was flamboyant and he was a gifted writer. We were there to cheer him from his rise as a young OJT at J Romero, to him being rehired here as a copywriter and his winning the Young Kidlat to Cannes with Gigay. But all that enthusiasm changed after he had an unfortunate stroke after the competition, during his mid 20s. And after the birth of his second child.

JB makes it to PDI

But fate would tease him after waking him up after weeks of being in a coma. Suddenly he wasn’t the same old JB. His memory of the present seemed frozen in time. He had to struggle with short-term memory loss like Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates. He became a man-child, but his fiery enthusiasm remained the same.  

After months of therapy, he returned to J Romero. My friend Abby called him the perfect writer because you can give him JO’s and make him revise copy again and again, since he can’t remember anyway. But still great talent took over, but still he is coping to search for answer, trying to remember everything, until he just stopped working. Or so we think.

 I was one of the few lucky ones he still remembered, but he remembers me as the Chris Ong during his OJT days. It was great that he was improving as the years passed. Occasionally he would drop by J Romero and still asked for a job, sometimes he would visit Shu to want his old job back. Sometimes I would find him in the pantry or seated at his cubicle and we would just let him be. It was the least we can do.

There was one time he had visited me in long sleeves and to ask if I could give him information about McCann and he wanted to apply as a creative director. I could see the determination in his eyes as he struggled to correct his slurring. “Who do I look for?” “Raul Castro,” I said he’s the ECD.” ”You wait, pare, they’ll hire me soon.”

It was the last time he ever talked about it.  Then months after he would just send YM’s randomly. I sense the change in his character his fiery enthusiasm remained the same.

JB makes it Adobo with Gigay Q.

On the morning of September 15, JB passed away in his sleep.

He was 33. He had lived a great life. An awesome life.

Not many will have the chance to experience what he had gone through.

Winning the Young Kidlat. Featured in Adobo. Going to Cannes.

JB always told us to be bigger than the moment, This IS his moment.

And that fiery enthusiasm always remained the same.