8. You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.

It’s a cliche, we know. It’s the same feeling we got when #ChickenSad happened four years ago. When Delle left, we said there will never be another Delamar. We were right, but we took the remaining Chico and Gino (and Bea, followed by Rica) for granted, assuming those guys weren’t ever going away. Then Bea never came back, and ended up on Magic 89.9. Then Rica came in. Then suddenly, Gino just up and left, and we now look at Chico warily every morning, wondering when his inevitable departure would come.

It hasn’t been one week, but the void Gino left is there for all to see. And now, anything we say seems too little, too late.

7. He was one of us.

Gino may not have had two decades under his belt the way Chico and Delle did, but he was there for much of the ride with us. In a lot of ways, he was the audience surrogate: the guy who (presumably) grew up listening to Chico and Delle, ending up trading barbs with them and flirting with Chico (but not Delamar).

Seeing him leave feels like seeing us the day some of us end up outgrowing listening to the radio every morning just to catch The Morning Rush. It’s already happened for a lot of us. Inevitably, it will happen to the rest of us someday. Sniff.

6. Your dreams can go bigger than what anyone imagines.

With initial plans of making a career out of streaming video games, Gino’s geekery knows no bounds, and steps far beyond the geekiness he revels in while on air. It’s not an easy endeavor, and we all know how fickle it is, but sometimes, living the dream means walking away from another. And that takes a lot of courage.

5. There’s a reason why radio still isn’t dead.

You would think that with TV, the internet, video games, and so many other distractions, there simply won’t be room for radio anymore, but from the masa 90.7 to the higher end of RX or Magic, it’s clear that this medium is far from gone. Gino’s departure stinging a lot of us only reinforced the fact that those of us who learned to love radio still love it after all this time not just because of the music, but because of the virtual symbiosis created between the radio personality and the listener – something a Spotify playlist can never accomplish.

4. We need to appreciate the things we take for granted.

If we realized after Gino left how we’ve taken the show for granted, or any other thing of even greater importance in our lives, then maybe it should be a cue for us to make these people feel more appreciated. Whether it’s as simple as telling Chico that we’re glad he’s still around, or reaching out to a long-estranged friend because it just seemed like the right thing to do, Gino’s departure really gives us a moment for pause.

3. We realize that we can never say never.

Who thought that out of the three of Chico, Delle, and Gino, that the last man standing would be Chico? From that, to Delamar guesting on Mo Twister’s show, to maybe Gino ending up with Delle again someday, to maybe a podcast featuring the original Kikay Barkada, can we ever say none of this can ever possibly happen? We can’t. Not now, not ever.

2. We never really say goodbye.

Two years after Delamar left RX, and we still hear from her all the time, both on radio and elsewhere (like here on 8List!). Gino may no longer be a part of the Morning Rush, but he will always be a part of us, and in that, we know we will keep track of whatever he ends up doing next.

1. That if life goes on for them, so it should for us.

No matter what life-changing event may happen, life goes on, and that’s a good thing. Your worst day is an excuse to look forward to the next one, and your best day is a great chance to make a few more. Nobody said it was easy, but it’s all worth it.

How do you feel about Gino’s departure? Tell us below!