By Eunhice Corpuz 

Music has always been the companion of a lonely one. It consoles one’s heart and soul. Despite the emergence of the digital age, an inscriber of physical media named Mang Greg remained dedicated—until his last song played out.

Burning compact discs (CDs) was a popular practice in the ‘90s to early ‘00s as music albums were often sold in physical copies. It was the trend for music lovers, especially for fans of famous bands, like Queen, ABBA, and Bee Gees. 

However, physical media is now slowly fading due to the rise of digital platforms, which can be easily accessed through the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. 

But for Mang Greg, physical copies of masterpieces in the form of CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records help them live on; it’s the air that resuscitates the soul even if death played its final track on us.

Now playing: Do you know ‘Mang Greg’?

Along the busy streets of Recto, you will find the store of Greg Chua, famously known as ‘Mang Greg,’ a humble shop of records inside Cartimar. He is a respected music enthusiast whose shop is filled with many boxes containing different CD genres, vinyl records, cassettes, and even vintage books.

Last July 2024, Mang Greg was featured in Inquirer.net as his passion for physical records reached the present generation. 

Based on an interview with him by the mainstream media, he established his store out of passion for music and no interest in profit. For the shop owner, as long as the smile on the faces of his customers reaches their ears—it’s worth every peso he could gain. 

“Ang motibo ko dito [sa pagbebenta], gusto ko masaya ang tao. Hindi ‘yung profit ang hinahabol ko. Kasi sa ngayon, hindi ka puwedeng kumita nang malaki, [ang] importante ngayon [ay] pagkain muna (My motive in selling is to make people happy. I’m not after the profit. Because nowadays, you can’t make a lot of money, the important thing right now is food),” Mang Greg said on the interview.  

His business displays how much he loves music and how it influences his life. In the interview, he revealed that one reason he chose to sell music records was because his parents played the radio all the time.  

However, Michael Capuno, one of Mang Greg’s customers, broke the news on Facebook, informing everyone of the shop owner’s passing before New Year’s Day due to health condition issues.

Despite his passing, the shop left a mark on the people who visited and knew him as the man inside Cartimar who sells CDs—it stuck around as a keepsake. 

On repeat: More than a ‘katiwala’ 

Even without Mang Greg, his shop remains and now operating under the management of his trusted caretaker, Ariel Valenterios. 

Valenterios had been with him for over 27 years, from the moment they met at the Capitol Plaza in Avenida to the small shop at Cartimar. He shared that they were not blood-related, yet he is Mang Greg’s trustworthy partner. 

“Ah, ano lang kami [ni Greg], katiwala. Wala kaming relasyon na magkamag-anak, hanggang doon lang, [katiwala]. Kasi [sinabi na rin] ng mga kapatid niya na ‘wag iwanan dahil matanda na siya. [Kaya] sa lahat ng mga gawain ay ginagawa ko na (I’m Greg’s trustee. We’re not related by blood as relatives, but his siblings said that he shouldn’t be left alone because he’s old. That’s why I do all the work for him),” he said in an interview with FEU Advocate.

The trustee revealed that aside from being with Mang Greg at his store, he also lives with him together with his sister. 

“Noong malakas pa siya, nagse-service na ako sa tindahan niya tapos hanggang doon sa bahay niya, magkasama kami. Pati kapatid ko, kasama sa bahay (When he was still strong, I do service at his store until at his house, I’m with him. Even my sister is with us in the house),” Ariel recalled. 

Aside from being the trustee of Mang Greg, Valenterios disclosed that he went from being a busboy to working at a hotel and Chinese restos, then being a guard—still, at the end of the day, he went home to Chua’s house.

“Doon pa rin ako umuuwi sa kanila, sa dati nilang bahay sa San Isidro, Quezon City. Tapos hanggang sa naibenta na ‘yung bahay [noong] 2014 [at hanggang sa] nangupahan, kasama pa rin ako (I still go home to their old house at San Isidro, Quezon City. Even after the house was sold in 2014 and he was renting a home, I stayed with him),” Valenterios reminisced. 

The bond that grew over two decades is a product of different memoirs, things such as running errands together have become a shared memory. Valenterios revealed that one of his treasured memories with Mang Greg is going to SM San Lazaro. 

“Magpapasama siya sa SM San Lazaro kasi gusto niya du’n, kasi may Booksale du’n. Doon siya nagtatagal, bibili siya du’n. Dalawa o tatlong libro lang. Tapos bibigyan niya ako ng pera niyan, bahala na rin ako kung anong bibilhin ko (He would ask me to accompany him at SM San Lazaro because he likes it there, since Booksale is there. He would stay there for a long time and purchase only two or three books. Then, he will give me money, and it’s up to me what to buy),” the trustee recalled. 

When Mang Greg was in the hospital, Ariel was the one taking care of him on his deathbed. Ariel shared that before Chua entered the operating room, he asked a favor from him—that is to cremate his body and leave his beloved shop to his trustee.

“Sabi niya, ‘‘pag ako namatay, pasunog mo ako.’ Sabi ko, ‘paano ‘yung tindahan [mo] doon?’ Sabi niya, ‘ikaw na’ng bahala roon’ (He said, ‘when I die, cremate me.’ I asked about his shop; he answered, ‘it’s up to you’),” Ariel said. 

He revealed that he once asked Mang Greg why he still insisted on selling his products despite not seeming to earn. But the owner only replied that he was having fun and that he tends to get bored when he is at home. 

Another reason was because Mang Greg did not have a family of his own. So, being at the shop with different people—a prospective customer whom he can exchange stories with—made his stay fulfilling and enjoyable.

Nowadays, the shop that was built inside the Cartimar Mall will stand as a testament and memorial to Mang Greg’s passion. Inside his humble shop are 3,000 physical CDs, together with several vinyl records and vintage books that all hold a story of their own. 

Amid the floating uncertainties, like low income and fear that the collectors may have completed their physical copies of CDs.

“Sana nga, magpatuloy pa rin ito. Kasi minsan wala rin namang pera, ‘di ba? Kasi aasa lang tayo sa mga nangangailangan, eh. Halimbawa, naghahanap pa sila kung ano’ng gusto nila, pero paano kung kumpleto na sila? (Hopefully, it will continue. Because sometimes there is no income, right? We could only rely on those in need. For example, they are still looking for what they want, but what if they completed their collectibles?),” he shared. 

Thus, Ariel remained hopeful to keep and firm on continuing to run the shop as a memento for his good friend, Mang Greg. 

“Pero sana po, continuous pa rin ‘to. Gusto kong ituloy kasi naaalala ko si Greg dito,” he added. 

As the days passed, Valenterios hoped that the collectors who once bought from Mang Greg and interested people in collecting physical copies would still buy at the shop. For him, collecting is not limited and the search for that special remembrance is not yet over. 

“Hangga’t nandiyan sila [collectors], nandito rin ito [shop], hindi mawawala. Hindi mawawala hangga’t kaya ko (As long as they are there, this will remain here; it will not disappear. For as long as I can),” he said.

From being Mang Greg’s trustee to managing his shop, Valenterios has channeled the passion seeped into the shop’s walls to pursue and continue the legacy of its previous owner.

Re-play: Recto Records 

The influence of passion did not only linger along the streets of Recto, but it also reached the heart of a Communication major in Digital Cinema student at Far Eastern University (FEU) named Jego Rafael Santos.

Santos is the director behind the documentary and an entry for TAM Dokyu Fest entitled ‘Recto Records.’ This documentary won as the Audience Choice last May 2024. 

He shared that this output became an outlet to fulfill a passion project with the added bonus of a grade. 

“‘Recto Records’ was a final output for our Documentary Production class last year. But to me, it was a passion project disguised as a requirement,” Santos said. 

The Communication student revealed that the idea of highlighting physical copies, such as CDs and DVDs [Digital Video Disc], is what inspired him to make this documentary. He is a fan of pop culture and was a collector of CDs in his childhood. 

“The idea of featuring CDs and DVDs is inspired by my passion [for] pop culture. I am a huge fan of music, and I also used to collect CDs as a kid,” he shared. 

Yet this passion has since stopped when the market began pulling out physical copy stores inside malls and the supply had to match its decreasing demand.

“The decline of physical media in [the] market personally affected my passion for music and the arts, at bubog ko ‘yun ever since,” Santos admitted. 

Thus, this led him to bump into a viral post about Mang Greg and thought of paying his shop a visit. After browsing his store, the Communication student started to ponder about making a film story out of it.  

“And I just thought it would be cool if I featured Mang Greg and his store since sa kaniya na rin ako bumibili (I also buy from him) in recent years,” Santos said.

The main inspiration behind this documentary was Mang Greg himself. The dedication he poured into his shop and selling physical media at an old age is what makes the film inspiring and the reason why Jego chose it as a subject for the documentary. 

“The documentary somehow tells us that despite of the rise of digital streaming, mayroon tayong Mang Greg na walang sawang nagbebenta ng physical media at an old age. Also, I’d like to think that his record store represents his passion [for] music, that it’s what he lived for and made him alive for years,” the director remarked. 

He also shared that if Mang Greg’s life would be a CD; it would be the owner’s favorite song entitled “Que Sera Sera” by Doris Day. Santos expressed that Chua would love to hear this in heaven.

The graduating student asserted that he’ll keep on coming back to Chua’s store and supporting their shared interest, even after he graduates.

“I’m almost graduating, and I share my success with him. I am forever grateful for you, Mang Greg. Babalik-balikan ko pa rin ang store mo at papatuloy ko ang suporta sa passion natin (I will still return to your store and continue to support our passion),” Santos affirmed. 

Truly, the influence of another is like an infection that lingers in one’s system. The physical copies that Mang Greg offers are instruments that connect the notes of his loved ones. 

Even if the present songs inside a CD are not the greatest hits, Mang Greg’s devotion to keeping them nurtured relationships that last longer than a lifetime. 

Death does not limit one's passion. Mang Greg’s legacy will continue to get played, shuffled in everyone’s heart, because he was a living testament that the love for one thing can create an impact on anyone, leading to lifelong bonds. Indeed, long live the love for physical media.

(Photo courtesy of Jego Rafael; Layout by Ysh Aureus/FEU Advocate)