06/09/2026
๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐น.
The Christmas decorations come out. The malls start playing holiday music. Social media fills up with the same memes.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐.
But behind the jokes about the โ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต๐โ and his annual appearance on our feeds is something worth taking seriously:
๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต.
And perhaps itโs time we seriously ask: ๐๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐?
His nomination has been publicly advocated for, including by the ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ & ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐, which formally nominated him for the honor in 2024. But as of now, his nomination remains pending.
And with Chan now in his 80s, there is a growing sense that recognition for a lifetime of work shouldnโt come only after an artist is gone.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ
The easiest way to talk about Jose Mari Chan is to call him the โKing of Christmas.โ
And sure, nobody is complaining when โ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ข๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐โ starts playing on September 1.
But Chanโs legacy goes far beyond Christmas.
Long before he became the unofficial soundtrack of the holiday season, he was already making songs that became part of the countryโs musical consciousness: โ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐น,โ โ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ,โ โ๐ฃ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐,โ and โ๐ง๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ.โ
His 1989 album ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ became one of the countryโs best-selling albums, followed by ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฎ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ด in 1990.
Thatโs what makes Chanโs career remarkable: ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ฅ
Still, thereโs no denying that ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฎ๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ด changed everything.
Released in 1990, the song became one of the most recognizable Filipino Christmas songs ever recorded. More than three decades later, it returns every holiday season as reliably as parols, Simbang Gabi, and Christmas countdowns.
Different generation, same song.
And that is more than nostalgia.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐.
Chan has also given us โ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐,โ another holiday staple, while his Christmas music has become so synonymous with the season that he is regularly compared to ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐โanother artist whose name has practically become a Christmas institution.
The difference? Chanโs songs arenโt just played in the Philippines. They have become part of how Filipinos, including those living abroad, experience Christmas.
His love songs have also found audiences outside the country, with tracks such as โ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐นโ and โ๐ฃ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐โ gaining popularity in other ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐.
๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
๐
๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐โ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐
Chanโs career stretches back to the late 1960s.
Think about everything that has changed since then: ๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐น, ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐, ๐๐๐, ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฏ๐, ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ฒ, ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐, ๐ง๐ถ๐ธ๐ง๐ผ๐ธ.
And yet his music survived all of it.
๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ซ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐. ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ. ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ญ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ. Even Filipinos who werenโt born when Christmas in Our Hearts was released know exactly what happens when that familiar opening starts playing.
And yes, ๐ต๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ.
Every September, Jose Mari Chanโs face inevitably appears on social media. โHeโs awake.โ โChristmas is coming.โ โItโs his season.โ
But the joke has done something remarkable: ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
The meme keeps the music alive, and the music keeps the meme alive.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ?
Because the award shouldnโt only recognize technical brilliance. It should recognize artists whose body of work has helped shape how Filipinos see, remember, and express themselves.
Chanโs music is filled with themes that feel deeply Filipino: ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ, ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต, ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ.
His songs have been played at family gatherings, dedicated to loved ones, heard during childhood Christmases, and rediscovered years later.
Thatโs the kind of artistic impact thatโs difficult to measure.
You canโt put a number on nostalgia.
You canโt chart a memory.
And you certainly canโt calculate how many generations have grown up with the same songs.
๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ
Jose Mari Chan once laughed when presented with a 2018 tweet asking for him to receive the National Artist Award โbefore itโs too late.โ
Years later, the conversation is still happening.
And perhaps thatโs the part worth thinking about.
Artists deserve to know that their country recognizes their contribution ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐.
National Artist is not supposed to be a consolation prize. It is a celebration of an artistโs contribution to the nation.
Jose Mari Chan has spent decades giving Filipinos musicโsongs about love, change, family, home, and, most famously, Christmas.
So yes, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ.
Not simply because heโs our โ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐๐.โ
Not because September doesnโt feel complete without his face appearing on our timelines.
And not because weโve turned him into one of the countryโs most beloved memes.
But because behind the memes is a ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐.
If the Philippines has an opportunity to tell one of its most enduring musical storytellers, โ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐,โ perhaps we shouldnโt wait until itโs too late.
Some artists make hits.
Some make classics.
And some become part of the soundtrack of an entire country.
๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
