Why Ricky is among the best on my list

My list of top-rate actors in Philippine cinema is long. (My list of the finest actresses in local movies is even longer.) And most definitely, Ricky Davao ranks among the best in my book.

He is in the Top 10 on my list of favorite actors – Top 5 even if I don’t include pre-and post-World War II actors like Rudy Concepcion, Leopoldo Salcedo, Pancho Magalona, etc.

Ricky is also one of the most versatile talents in the entertainment industry. Believe it or not, he started out as a dancer for the record company Vicor. He sings, too, although, of course, he can never hope to be a Gary Valenciano or Martin Nievera. But he is a passionate karaoke singer – this much I can say.

His biggest accomplishment, of course, is on the big screen – as a film actor (one of the few in this field who can swing from lead to support with great ease). In this field, he has displayed his versatility, too, by appearing in various film genres. He has done sex films (Lino Brocka’s White Slavery), action (Alyas Boy Life, Takas sa Impierno and Berdugo ng Munti) and comedy (Mga Paru-parong Buking, Okidoki Doc, the Movie, etc.).

Undeniably, he excels in drama where he won several awards from the various award-giving bodies. (He has been named as one of the best actors of the decade by the PMPC Star Awards.)

Personally, Ricky Davao first impressed me when he appeared as the lackey of Edu Manzano in Carlos Siguion-Reyna’s Misis Mo, Misis Ko for which he received an Urian acting nomination. In 1995, he finally won his first Urian (Best Supporting Actor) for Marilou Diaz Abaya’s Ipaglaban Mo where he played Chin-Chin Gutierrez’ suitor-rapist. Four years later, he finally became Urian Best Actor for playing an abusive cop in Gil Portes’ Saranggola, a film that was also highly acclaimed in film festivals abroad.

Later, he also turned in excellent acting pieces in Minsan May Isang Puso (where he played a bakery owner angry with the world) and American Adobo (as a closet homosexual secretly in love with his barkada, played by Christopher de Leon).

Behind the camera, he has also displayed his talent as a director for television: Okatokat and Munting Paraiso, two ABS-CBN shows where he also doubled as an actor. One Maalaala Mo Kaya episode (Tubao) that he directed won the Golden Dove awards.

As a person, he ranks high on my scorecard because he is one of the nicest, most accommodating people in show business. (Even his wife, Jacquilou Blanco, also a fine actress, is best described as muy graciosa.) During awards presentations, Ricky Davao is one of the easiest to invite (his manager, Bibsy Carballo, to begin with, is very easy to deal with). And when he is there as a nominee – win or lose – he is always very gracious.

Ricky attends even private parties of friends and during these gatherings, he will never say anything nasty about anybody . When the conversation turns rather gossipy, he will never contribute anything to it and will just smile and keep quiet in his seat.

When we were together in the old Film Ratings Board, I remember him to be one of the most pleasant members (the others were equally nice too). That time, he was trying to lose weight and he would bring his own lunch of mostly boring vegetable salad and I would always chide him about missing out on the good things in life – like food, sinful food. But he lost weight somehow.

The other day, he sent me a text message inviting me to his new play, the psychological mystery Speaking in Tongues, an Australian award-winning drama presented by Tanghalang Pilipino at the CCP’s Tanghalang Huseng Batute at 8 p.m., every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (with 3 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday) until July 25.

Oh yes, being a stage actor is one of his many facets that I forgot to mention. Maybe because of the 50 plays he has done, I’ve only seen two (it’s always a chore for me to travel to CCP where most of his plays are staged): Felipe de las Casas where in one crying scene he gave his all – to the point that his mucous fell while delivering his monologue and in the musical Larawan where he was a singing Tony Javier (to Celeste Legaspi’s Candida and Zsa Zsa Padilla’s Paula).

Too bad, I missed his two plays where he won Aliw Best Stage Actor: Bongbong at Kris (1986) and Insiang (2003) where he played the brutish Dado.

But ’I’ll try to catch Speaking in Tongues and find out if he’ll go up even higher on my list of the top actors in the Philippines.

My bet is that he will.