FUNERAL ON MONDAY
MANILA, MARCH 17, 2012 (PHILSTAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo -
(PHOTO-Luis in Pinagbuklod ng Langit where he plays Pres. Ferdinand Marcos
with (from left) Gina Alajar as Irene Marcos, Vilma Santos as Imee Marcos,
Gloria Romero as First Lady Imelda Marcos and Jonjie Aranda as Bongbong Marcos)
What echoes in the mind of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos is the sound of the
bakya (clogs) that Luis Gonzales loved to wear to the set.
"He was the first actor na na-encounter ko," related Vilma. "I was starstruck
in front of him. He would come to the set at six o'clock in the morning na
naka-bakya. That's what I remember about him."
That was the time when the term "bakya crowd" was coined by iconic director
Lamberto Avellana who observed that fans that watched local movies were mostly
in clogs since there were no rubber slippers yet.
Vilma was talking about Trudis Liit, the '60s Sampaguita tearjerker in which
she played the title role, with Luis playing her father, now US-based Lolita
Rodriguez her mother and Bella Flores as the kontrabida.
Luis, whose real surname is Mercado, died of complications of pneumonia at
11:30 Thursday night, March 15, at the Makati Medical Center where he was
confined for the last time (he had been in and out of the hospital). As in the
case of movie greats, Luis' age is confidential and maybe not even his wife Vina
Concepcion, who belongs to the clan that owns Concepcion Industries, and their
three children can be forced to reveal it.
[PHOTO - Also as Marcos and Gloria as Imelda in Iginuhit ng Tadhana,
the other Marcos bioflick]
After Trudis Liit, Vilma would star with Luis years later when she was
already a teenager, in Iginuhit ng Tadhana and in Pinagbuklod ng Langit,
produced by Sampaguita Pictures, believed to have helped Ferdinand Marcos win
when he ran for President and then for reelection. In both movies, Luis plays
Marcos, with Gloria Romero as First Lady Imelda Marcos and Vilma as Imee Marcos
(now Ilocos Norte Governor). In the second, Gina Alajar plays as Irene Marcos
(Mrs. Greggy Araneta), Now-Sen. Bongbong Marcos plays himself in the first movie
(it was Jonjie Aranda, ex-husband of Sen. Loren Legarda, who plays Bongbong in
the second).
"I shot Palimos ng Pagibig (a Viva drama, with Edu Manzano and Dina Bonnevie)
at Luis' house," added Vilma. "I remember him as sobrang kalog, palabiro. Ang
tawag namin kay Tito Luis palengke kasi nga Mercado ang real surname niya. I was
nine years old then and he always reminded me to just enjoy everything. We were
always shooting dramatic scenes at parati akong iyak nang iyak, but after every
take, tawa na kami nang tawa because Tito Luis would start cracking jokes."
It's also Luis' being fun that Gloria fondly remembers. Gloria had been
paired in several movies with Ric Rodrigo and Ramon Revilla but it was her
team-up with Luis that really clicked with the public. Luis was also paired with
other Sampaguita actresses like Rita Gomez and Lolita Rodriguez. He played not
just romantic roles but also "character" ones, such as in Dayukdok and
Condenado.
[PHOTO - Luis (leftmost) at a Malacañang event with (from left) Susan
Roces, First Lady Imelda and Pres. Marcos, Nida Blanca, Romy Jalosjos and
Fernando Poe Jr.]
"Luis was introduced in a movie that I did with Rogelio de la Rosa," recalled
Gloria who would go on to star in more than 30 movies with Luis, highlighted by
the two Marcos bioflicks. "Ay naku, palabiro talaga 'yan, kalog na kalog. One
time after a shooting, I was waiting for a ride home when a Cadillac stopped in
front of me. It was Luis driving. Aba, impressed ako siempre! That was the first
and last time I saw that Cadillac. Luis would tell me later that he just
borrowed it from a friend and he showed it to me para bumilib ako sa kanya."
Asked if Luis ever courted her, Gloria said no. "We just became good
friends."
The last time Gloria saw Luis was two years ago at the wake of Charlie Davao
(Ricky's father who played kontrabida in Sampaguita movies).
"Sabi ko sa kanya, 'Luis, halika mag-comeback ka na para may ka-partner na
ako uli'," said Gloria who is active up to this day. "He said even if he wanted
to, he could not kasi daw may gout siya."
It was not the gout but the pneumonia that did Luis in. He suffered from
blocked arteries but he couldn't undergo a bypass due to advanced age and poor
health.
When she visited Luis at the Makati Med two days before he died, Luz Valdez
tried to cheer him up even when he was attached to a ventilator and was being
fed intravenously. He was nearly comatose.
"The nurse told me to talk to him and touch his hand to see if he was
listening," said Luz who, as a newcomer, partnered with Luis in the TV show Sa
Kabukiran on the old ABS-CBN for 12 years and later on Basta Ikaw Mahal on GMA 7
for nine years. "When I whispered to him, he would press my hand naman. I told
him to pray along with me. I reminded him to follow 'the light' and at the end
of it he would be welcomed by Mama Mary. I said, 'Luis, ipagdasal mo rin ako,
ha.' After I let go of his hand, I saw a tear fell from his left eye."
[PHOTO - With Vilma Santos (left) and Connie Angeles in Trudis Liit.
Inset: Luz Valdez, Luis' leading lady in the TV shows Sa Kabukiran and Basta
Ikaw, Mahal]
Like Vilma and Gloria, Luz loved Luis for his being kalog and palabiro.
"When you're with him," said Luis, "there's no dull moment. Mabait siya,
hindi mayabang, a good person at mapagbigay. He was already a star and I was
only starting, pero he would let me have my own eksena."
Up There, I guess Luis will be in a great company with the likes of Nida
Blanca and Nestor de Villa (with whom Luis and Gloria did a movie); fellow
Sampaguitans Oscar Moreno, Rita Gomez, Carmen Rosales, Ric Rodrigo, Rogelio dela
Rosa and many others; and directors with whom he had worked (Tony Cayado,
Armando Garces and Rosa Mia among them).
"I'm sure ang saya-saya nila d'un," said Luz.
(Luis' remains were cremated yesterday. The wake is at the Santuario de
San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City. Interment will be on Monday, March 19,
at 2 p.m. after the Mass.)
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
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