How a song inspired by Eala and written from a hospital bedside became a viral hit
By Gary Manalus
A few weeks ago, I was going through one of the hardest stretches of my life.
A close family member needed me, and I couldn’t get to them. My flight got canceled, more than once. I spent a night stranded in a random hotel with no idea when I’d actually make it there. When I finally did, I realized how small my travel problems were compared to what my family was facing.
I spent the next week at their bedside, trying to find some kind of light to hold onto, something to keep us both going. That’s where Alex Eala came in.
We started talking about her. Her run through tennis, her run through everything. Her work ethic, her dedication, her charisma, the way she carries herself. As Filipinos, we were just proud, watching her climb.
Then came the D.C. Open. Rained out on Sunday. And on Monday, she came back and took the title, no fear, all determination. Watching that from a hospital room gave us something we badly needed that week: hope.
So I caught #EalaMania, and wrote a song. I called it “LABAN (A Fight Song for Alex Eala),” “laban” being the Tagalog word for fight. I wrote it for Alex, for my family, and for my community, all at once.
My family member is recovering now. And somewhere in the middle of that scare, this song turned into something much bigger than the reason I wrote it.
In the three weeks since it came out, the song and the content around it have crossed one million combined views. I’ve watched “laban” become a word Filipino fans everywhere are rallying behind for Alex, on signs, on hats, in comment after comment. I didn’t start that. It was already alive in our community. I just got to add a verse to it.
And the Filipino community didn’t stop at listening. My son, Teo Salter-Manalus, 6 years old, was the first to be inspired, making his own “LABAN, Alex!” poster. Jon Edward Manongdo started designing “Alex, LABAN” posters and cheer cards, which RL Samson at Design District Studios helped bring to life.
Together, we produced and gave away over 1,000 posters and cheer cards over three days at the US Open. Lorraine Marasigan donated hand fans reading “LABAN, Alex!” and “NY Loves Alex!,” and even made an Alex Eala doll, to bring even more joy to the community forming around this song. Singers began adding their own voices to LABAN too: Madison Lauren, Camila Lorén Burns, Sophia and Zara Manongdo, and Alysa Perez. Madison, an 11-year-old Star Search Juniors Music Champion, is set to release an official studio recording of LABAN later this year.
A song I wrote from a hospital bedside has made its way to Arthur Ashe Stadium and beyond, carried by a community that decided to make it theirs too.
I wrote this because Alex’s fight gave me something to hold onto during one of the hardest weeks of my life. If it does that for even one other person watching her play, that’s enough for me.
Thank you, Alex. Love on.
Gary Manalus wrote and produced the song. Vocals were generated by Suno AI. Go to garymanalusmusic.com for links to the music.
