WILSON’S MOTHER – Star’s Ricky Lo suggests a piece on Waray stars, but before doing so, he has something to say about the mother of colleague Wilson Lee Flores, of Kamuning Bakery fame.
Ricky Lo recalls that one of the teachers of his alma mater in Tabaco (Albay), Pei Ching School, was Wilson’s mother.
She was “always prim and proper and beautifully made-up in cheongsam. Parang Chinese actress and dating.”
Although from Samar, Ricky was included on the list of Highspeed’s Bicol stars as he studied in Pei Ching, an “honorary Bicolano” of sorts.
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‘WARAY’ – Now, on with “Waray imports in showbiz,” as suggested by Ricky. He says Waray refers to the provinces of Samar and Leyte, connected by San Juanico Bridge.
Let’s start with former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos of Tacloban. She isn’t really showbiz, but then she is close to many showbiz folk and artists.
Also Waray are Tessie Tomas, Chito Roño, Tom Rodriguez (American father but Waray mother), Lucy Torres-Gomez and Yedda Romualdez (both members of Congress), Michael Cinco (designer), the late Justo C. Justo (who popularized Taglish in his Sun column “Etchos Lang”) in the 60s.
There must be more and readers are welcome to name them.
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MEDIA – And now, the Warays who are from media.
Number One on Ricky’s list is Borongan (Eastern Samar) beauty Aster A. Amoyo. “She posed a la Bakekang, complete with facial pockmarks for the cover of a Vicor album. She used to climb coconut trees in Borongan during her struggling years… unperturbed by the patrolling Japanese soldiers. Hahaha!!!” (Aster and Ricky are the best of friends, really.)
More Warays from media: Bibeth Orteza, MJ Marfori (from the Romualdez clan), Love Añover. Also from Borongan are Dr. Boy Abunda and Tempo’s very own graphic artist, Dante “Danz” A. Lagana.
Aside from being a fine writer, Bibeth O is a good actress and loving wife to director Carlitos Siguion Reyna and mother to Aya and Rafa.
By the way, Tessie Tomas is also a writer, not to say a versatile actress. One of her last movies was the award-winning black comedy “Two Funerals,” written by Eric Ramos and directed by the late Gil Portes. A Cinemalaya entry.
(Next: “Adopted” Warays as city mayors.)