Rodel Naval

Rodel Naval (February 16, 1953 – June 11, 1995) was a Filipino actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best remembered for such songs as "Lumayo Ka Man" and "Muli".

Rodel Naval was born in Manila, Philippines. In 1975, he began his entertainment career as an actor. In 1979, he moved to Toronto, Canada, to further his musical and acting career. He was the last child in a family of seven to emigrate to Canada. After a year in Canada, Naval moved to Los Angeles, California, performing at such venues as the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, the Scottish Rite Temple, and the Ambassador Hotel.

In 1990, Naval returned to the Philippines and released the single, "Lumayo Ka Man" ("Even If You Go Away"), a Tagalog adaptation of the song, "Single Again", originally released in 1989 by Japanese singer, Mariya Takeuchi. Within two months, "Lumayo Ka Man" turned triple platinum. In late 1992, he released the album entitled Once Again with songs performed both in English and Tagalog.

In 1993, Naval became ill and returned to Canada for medical diagnosis. While there, he joined the musical production, Miss Saigon, performing the role of assistant commissar. He became increasingly ill but continued to perform musically, giving two concerts in April 1994, one in Toronto and the other in Los Angeles.

On June 11, 1995, Rodel Naval died in Toronto, Canada, at the age of 42. It was initially reported that he had suffered from pneumocystis pneumonia, but his family confirmed a year later on a Filipino television show hosted by Inday Badiday that his death was the result of complications related to AIDS. In an interview before his death, Naval spoke about his struggle with AIDS, "Maybe there is a purpose to all of this, and if I can help others because of what happened to me, let it be so."

In 1997, Rodel Naval Care Outreach (RoNaCo) was founded by two of Naval's sisters to help the poverty-stricken areas of Manila affected by HIV.