How Kuya Germs kept youth away from drugs

The showbiz world woke up to sad news early Friday morning on January with the passing of Master Showman and Starbuilder German Moreno or more popularly known by his nickname Kuya Germs. He was 82.

He was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital after complaining of back pain. When news went around that he was rushed to the hospital (he suffered a stroke last year), his friends and many stars whom he had helped through the years took to social media to solicit prayers for his recovery. In her Facebook post then, Glydel Mercado requested for prayers because Kuya Germs was in a coma.

In a statement that was sent to GMA News Online, his nephew John Nite confirmed that Kuya Germs transpired at 3:30 a.m. due to cardiac arrest, a year after he suffered a stroke.

“He passed on in the company of his family and friends. He lived a full life, touched so many hearts through the years, and helped make dreams come true for most of the biggest stars in the Philippine entertainment industry,” said John Nite.

“We are deeply saddened by his passing but we are comforted by the thought that his legacy will live on.”

Kuya Germs is considered one of the pillars of Philippine showbiz. Many of today’s biggest stars started in his programs like “GMA Supershow” and “That’s Entertainment.” Sharon Cuneta, Jackie Lou Blanco, Dawn Zulueta, Lani Mercado, Gretchen Barretto, and Maricel Laxa were only some of the female stars who honed their hosting skills at “GMA Supershow.”

The teen program “That’s Entertainment,” which lasted 10 years on air saw the rise of budding stars like Lea Salonga, Francis Magalona, Lotlot de Leon, Ramon Christopher, Manilyn Reynes, Janno Gibbs, Sheryl Cruz, Romnick Sarmenta, Billy Crawford, Piolo Pascual, Rufa Mae Quinto, Chuckie Dreyfus, Isabel Granada, and Ruffa Gutierrez just to name a few.

He took many aspiring young stars under his care. When “That’s Entertainment” went off the air, this did not stop Kuya Germs in giving breaks to other showbiz hopefuls. Even in his late night show “Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman,” he opened its doors to young people who wanted to become stars like Jake Vargas, Ken Chan, among others. In our last interview with him two years ago, Kuya Germs said he was giving chances to these showbiz aspirants to keep them away from bad vices like drugs.

In the tribute article on Kuya Germs which we wrote for Noel Ferrer’s book “Sisikat Din Ako,” Kuya Germs said and we quote, “I just want to help the youth get away from vices by giving them a break on TV. I am happy that a lot of parents and teenagers look up to me and believe that I can help them achieve their dreams.”

We would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the family of Kuya Germs. Rest in peace, Kuya Germs. You will be missed. No one can take your revered place in showbiz. You are incomparable. Thank you for being part of our lives.

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When we were asked to attend the presscon of Gen. Dionisio Santiago, we thought the invite was for a forthcoming movie on his life. But we were mistaken. The former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Chief is running for senator as an independent candidate and would like the issue on the drug problem as his advocacy if ever he makes it to the Senate.

When he was PDEA Chief, Gen. Santiago said his campaign against illegal drugs was very successful. The percentage of illegal drugs finding its way to the country went down. “But now I believe the drug problem is again on the rise and if I get elected as senator, I vow to continue my fight against illegal drugs,” said Gen. Santiago.

According to him, there are many prominent personalities involved in drugs – either as pusher or user. He mentioned a few names that were on their watch list before but of course we can’t mention them in this column. Some of these personalities are still active in their careers.

“In showbiz, nakakalungkot na nasisira talaga ang career ng mga nalululong sa droga. Nawawala sila. Nakakalungkot kasi role model sila ng kanilang mga fans kaya kung ano ang ginagawa nila, yung ibang fans nila ay ginagaya sila,” he said.

He said putting a drug addict in a rehab facility is no guarantee that he will be cured. “It is better if it is voluntary rehabilitation. The desire to be cured from his drug addiction should come from the person itself. If he is not that serious in kicking his drug habit, no amount of treatment can cure him. There should be a firm resolve that he wants to kick the habit for him to be rehabilitated.”

“A drug addict will always be a drug addict. If the effect of the drugs gets into his brain, there is no way he can be cured. So it is best that a drug addict kicks the habit early. If you are living with a person who is an addict, he or she will be your problem if you don’t get him treated.”

Gen. Santiago believes that anything bad that happens to a person can be prevented if we, as a family, take good care of each other.

“Sometimes the reason why a child turns into drugs is because the parents don’t have time for him. So he goes into drugs so that he will be given attention. As parents, we should be aware of the needs of our children, but not just their material needs. Maybe they just need someone to talk too because they have a certain problem. Constant communication with our children is also important,” he added.

Although he is an independent candidate, he is endorsing the candidacy of Davao Mayor Rudy Duterte for the presidency. “We can work well together because we have the same platform which is peace and order. We need to strengthen our peace and order because this is what our country needs.”