Jaehwa Bernardo

Filipino US Navy veteran Gerardo Soriano with his family. Photo courtesy of Chris Soriano

Article (news)

A concert, movie, military ceremony: Son honors pa through series of surprises

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773640850207image1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Filipino US Navy veteran Gerardo Soriano with his family. Photos courtesy of Chris Soriano</div>From being given the best seat in the house at an Eagles concert in Las Vegas, a personal copy of &quot;Marty’s Supreme&quot; movie, and even honoring his life as a US Navy veteran through a ceremony, Gerardo Soriano experienced series of surprises -- each becoming a tribute to a life that has touched many. After a lifetime devoted to service and family, Gerardo Soriano was diagnosed with advanced Stage 4 sarcoma, an advanced type of cancer that develops in the bone and connective tissues. Instead of letting the illness define his remaining days, his son, independent filmmaker Chris Soriano, chose to celebrate his father’s life while he was still here to experience it.In an interview, Chris Soriano said that rather than trying to extend the clock, he chose instead to preserve and cherish whatever time he had left with his father through a series of surprises. “When the doctors told me he only had days if not weeks to live, I just had to find a way to honor him and I just said, if I can’t extend the clock then I’ll just try to preserve as much time that I have and that’s when the ideas began”, Chris narrated in the interview.The idea first came from a simple moment: his father’s wish to watch a movie: &quot;Marty’s Supreme,&quot; a 2025 American sports-comedy drama set in the 1950s that follows the story of tennis player Marty Mauser. Chris shared that his father had been eager to see the film, as it reminded him of his own love for table tennis during his years of service in the Navy.But due to his father’s condition, they were unable to go to the cinema. However, that did not stop Chris from giving his father the chance to see the film. Determined to make it happen, he reached out to A24 Film LLC, the distributor of &quot;Marty’s Supreme.&quot; To his surprise, the company responded and offered to help bring the movie experience directly to his father’s home. A24 then provided a personal copy of &quot;Marty’s Supreme&quot; for his father to enjoy. After that moment, Chris was inspired to continue surprising his father as a way of honoring his life. He shared that if he could not extend his father’s life, he at least hoped to make each day a little better for his father.“I need to do something, if I can’t extend the clock of life, then, that’s when I said, I’m gonna do things he never got to experience, and for my dad, if I can’t give him life then how can I make his next day more brighter and it began with the idea of these surprises.”  The surprises were carefully planned to reflect the life his father had lived and the experiences Chris wanted him to enjoy while they were still together.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773641031289image1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Gerardo Soriano and Chris Soriano, along with other family members, with the USS Midway Navy crew.</div><div>HONORING THE LIFE OF A VETERAN</div>Through the help of Chris’ wife, Hillary Soriano, they began planning a series of surprises. But when it came time to honor the life of Gerardo Soriano and his 20 years of service in the U.S. Navy, they knew they would need additional help.With the support of high-ranking officials from the U.S. Navy and the crew of the USS Midway (CV-41), they were able to organize a special ceremony recognizing his father’s years of military service.Chris shared that his father had never received such recognition after retiring from the Navy. After leaving the service, he said his father immediately returned to work, playfully mentioning his father’s hard working ethic. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773641059509image2.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633"/>Gerardo Santos receiving a US Navy medal for dedicating 20 years of his life in service of the US Navy.</div><div>PAYING TRIBUTE TO A LIFELONG EAGLES FAN</div>Chris wanted to also celebrate his father’s love for music, especially his devotion as an Eagles fan. He shared that during his father’s cancer treatments in the hospital, songs from the Eagles became a source of comfort. Every time his father went through a session, listening to the music helped him cope. It was, in Chris’s words, his father’s way of finding life and strength even in the hardest moments.“My dad was listening to the Eagles when he was in his cancer treatment, and as he was listening to it, he was listening to &#x27;Hotel California&#x27; and &#x27;Take It Easy,&#x27; and every time he would go through his cancer treatments, it gave him life” After learning that the band was performing in Las Vegas, Chris reached out and the band warmly welcomed both of them. The Eagles offered Chris and his father the best seats in the house: a front-row experience of his father’s favorite band.On top of that, the Bellagio, a luxury hotel in Las Vegas, generously provided hotel accommodations, giving Chris and his father a room free of charge, ensuring their experience was even more memorable. More than being surprises themselves, Chris saw these moments as a chance to truly connect with his father on a deeper emotional level. Through each carefully planned gesture, he hoped to voice the things he had never said before — most importantly, to let his father hear the words that mattered most: “I love you.”“Throughout my life, I never really just told my dad “&#x27; love you.&#x27; When I was a kid I would say that, but when I got older, I just never did so if I can just send a message to my dad, I would tell him, I love you through these surprises” Chris recounted one emotional moment at the Eagles concert. Watching his father’s eyes light up, seeing him smile and even shed tears was a moment that Chris described as timeless.“He was smiling and then when I looked over, he was crying and that’s when time stopped and I couldn’t hear the music anymore and everything kinda muffled around, and I think I just had that moment with my dad. You know I was like - you know, I just wanted to tell him that I love him.” he recalled When Chris shared his story online, it resonated with netizens, who were touched by the love, dedication, and emotional connection between father and son. Many of whom expressed how the story reminded them of their own families and the moments they might have taken for granted.The series of surprises represent a celebration of love, not only for his father, but also as a way to feel his father’s love in return. Reflecting on the experience, Chris shared a heartfelt reminder: we should never think it’s too late to create meaningful moments. Life is short, and we must take the time to be with the people we love.“In the little time that we have, maybe we can create something that matters. Don’t ever think that it’s too late or that it’s over to do what you always wanted to do…We’ve gotta spend time with the people we love,” he said.

Facing his father’s final days, filmmaker Chris Soriano chose not to chase more time, but to fill it with meaning—through a series of heartfelt surprises that became his way of saying “I love you.”

Facing his father’s final days, filmmaker Chris Soriano chose not to chase more time, but to fill it with meaning—through a series of heartfelt surprises that became his way of saying “I love you.”

A concert, movie, military ceremony: A son honors his father in his final days

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A concert, movie, military ceremony: A son honors his father in his final days

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Eli L. Dela Cruz

Published Mar 17, 2026 12:46 PM PHT

Read More:

Gerardo Soriano

Chris Soriano

family

Eagles

Marty's Supreme

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