When a member of the LGBTQ+ community from Misamis Oriental passed away, her friends did not miss any details on her last wish. They did not allow sad songs to take over during the burial ceremony.
Her fellow group members also conducted an impromptu miss gay pageant during her wake. Apparently, it was Michelle’s idea to conduct a lively ceremony before resting in paradise.
“Sa burol niya, kaya ganun ang music dahil request niya talaga ‘yun, na dapat sa libing niya walang iiyak at dapat masaya lang. Nung lamay niya, may ginawa kaming on the spot na Miss Gay Pageant. Ginawa namin ‘yun dahil suki si Michelle sa mga miss gay pageant,” cousin Rain Deocares Gabe told The Philippine STAR.
“Kami din ‘yung nag decorate ng lamay niya mga LGBT member. Kami din ang nag make up sa kanya sa loob ng kabaong. Nagbigay kami ng mga tribute para sa kanya. Mga kantang inalay namin at mga mesahe ng mga malalapit na kaibigan,” she added.
The group also designed her wake with bright colored balloons as if there was a party.
Her favorite songs Bad Romance and Paro Paro G were played during the funeral procession.
Rain said that Michelle was the sunshine of their group because of her bubbly attitude.
“Si Mark James or Michelle ay isang palatawa at namumuno talaga sa pagiging joker at kwela. ‘Yung bang kapag wala siya sa gropo ay kulang talaga dahil siya talaga ang nagbibigay buhay sa group,” she described her cousin.
One day, Michelle experienced difficulty in breathing and collapsed. Her neighbors tried to revive her but she was pronounced dead when they arrived at the hospital.
Michelle died on June 23, 2022 due to her existing hypertension. She was 32 years old.
Michelle, a jolly individual as described by her friends, wanted nothing but happiness during her burial.
“Pero syempre di naman pwedeng hindi kami maiiyak kasi nalulungkot kami sa biglaang pagka wala niya. Pero ginawa namin ang gusto niya. Pinatugtog namin ang paboritong tugtog niya,” Rain shared.
“Kami din mismo ang bumuhat ng kabaong niya papasok sa sasakyan. Lahat ‘yun request niya nung nabubuhay pa siya. Kasi kapag kaming magkakaibigan pinag uusapan namin kung ano ang gagawin namin sa mga lamay at burol namin kapag kami ay namatay. Di lang namon akalain na magkakatotoo talaga ang sa kanya,” she recalled.
The online community commended Michelle’s friends for listening to her last wish. The uploaded video on social media has already garnered more than 480,000 views on TikTok!
“Masaya ka pero tumutolo luha mo,” a netizen commented
“You will see how they love their friend!” another netizen said.
Rain said that she was thankful to the whole LGBTQ+ community in their municipality for granting and respecting her cousin’s wish.
