[1] Saturno was born in Iloilo City on April 1, 1954, to a carpenter and a housewife who struggled together with his nine siblings with poverty[2] which inspired him to write songs.
He trained at the Philippine Air Force after high school[2] and eventually did odd jobs including working as a photocopy machine operator.
In 1983, "Be My Lady" was interpreted by Pedrito Montaire and became a finalist at the Metropop; this song was his first major big hit when it was recorded by Martin Nievera and was released under Vicor Music.
[5] His songs "Be My Lady", "Sana Kahit Minsan", "Mula sa Puso" and "'Till My Heartaches End" became hits in the Philippines.
[citation needed] In 2024, Saturno composed the theme song for the Philippines' participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics titled "Isangdaan Taong Laban para sa Bayan" (transl.