Them were the days

The venue for the bienvenida dinner hosted by Liberty Ilagan for Canada-based Balikbayan Baby K. Jimenez was conducive to traipsing down Memory Lane (a “trip” that’s becoming quite frequent these days as friends from way back when reunite after years of being miles apart).

The restaurant is appropriately named Pamana (roughly translated “legacy” in English, located on Mother Ignacia St., Quezon City, just across from the side of the ABS-CBN Studios) because it’s replete with showbiz memories immortalized in old pictures that light up not just the walls but also the ceiling (look up and you will tear up with a feeling of nostalgia), all of them taken from the precious family album of the Ilagan clan that included National Artist Gerry de Leon and his brothers Tito Arevalo (musical director), Conrado Conde (director) and Angel Esmeralda (husband of pre-war actress Corazon Noble and father of Jay Ilagan).

Handwritten on parts of the walls were lyrics of songs, one titled Nabasag Ang Banga, that served as the backdrop for the salu-salo.

Owned by Liberty’s daughter Happy Ongpauco, Pamana serves the most delicious lutong-bahay such as the Leyte Humba, Bagnet sa Pinakbet, Sisig Na Bangus and Lumpia Ubod which were some of the burp-inducing items Liberty ordered for friends that also included Susan Roces, Barbara Perez and her husband Robert Arevalo, Ronaldo Valdez and his wife Baby Ilagan, Tessie Villarama, Pempe Rodrigo, and Tempo’s Nestor Cuartero and Ronald Constantino.

Some people probably didn’t know that Liberty is the daughter of Manong Gerry, that Ronaldo’s wife is Liberty’s sister, that Robert (Tito’s son) is Liberty’s first cousin. They all live at the Ilagan compound in Mandaluyong City, so close to each other that, according to Liberty, “when Ronaldo cheered for Pacquiao while watching Pacquiao’s fights on TV, he sounded as if he was just in our own sala.”

Them were the days, my friend! Stars whose movies Baby Boomers have grown up on. The dinner was spiced up with recollection of sweet memories of the days when they were younger and full of dreams, then talking about future prospects and not, unlike these days, about maintenance medicine for…ouch, ouch!!! -— high blood pressure, high blood sugar and all other things high (including prices, hehehe!!!).

Liberty, Susan and Barbara were Sampaguitans and even if Ronaldo was not, he did work with them -— with Susan in several movies starting with Pepe en Pilar, his first-starring picture; with Liberty in Clandestine (directed by the late Ruben Abalos who was Liberty’s ardent suitor) and Paligayahin Mo Ako (by Amado Cortez); Susan and Liberty starred in a few Sampaguita feel-good movies such as Lover Boy (with Romeo Vasquez) and Joey, Eddie & Lito (with Jose Mari and Eddie Gutierrez, Liberty’s and Susan’s perennial leading men, respectively; and Lito Legaspi, father of Brando, Zoren and Kier).

A UST Journalism graduate when her picture was spotted by a Sampaguita talent scout at the Tropicana Studio in Malabon (now City), Barbara was dubbed as “Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines” and, because of her gamin looks, was usually cast in “fragile” roles (wheelchair-bound), promoted to stardom in Ate Barbara.

“I did a few movies with Susan,” recalled Barbara. “One of the most memorable was Dugo Sa Aking Mga Kamay with Bobby Vasquez. With Liberty, I did Kalabog en Bosyo (with Dolphy and Panchito) and Kaming Mga Talyada (with Christine Jorgensen, the world’s first transsexual).”

“Jorgensen was a former enlisted man (in the US Army),” shared Susan.

“My only regret,” confessed Liberty, “is that I never got the chance to be directed by my dad. Nag-produce nga ako ng ilang pelikula but I never asked my dad to direct me in any of them. Ninerbyos kasi ako, eh.”

Susan was lucky enough to have worked with Manong Gerry. Unfortunately, the project was discontinued when Manong Gerry died. It was called Juan dela Cruz, an unfinished obra starring Fernando Poe Jr. in the titular role. The master copy of the film is preserved at FPJ’s well-maintained library in his house in Antipolo City, lovingly stored for posterity. The Poes haven’t allowed anybody to watch what may be considered a national treasure.

When the name Lolita Rodriguez (another iconic Sampaguitan) cropped up, Ronaldo proudly said that he starred in a drama with her, called Dugo ang Kulay ng Pagibig, directed by Efren Reyes who also starred in it. Now retired, Lolita, when last heard from, was based in Hemet, California with her husband. Last seen in Lucia in 1992, directed by Mel Chionglo, Lolita has been politely turning down offers. She was the last of the original drama greats in the same league as Charito Solis and Rita Gomez who have gone ahead.

As always in Balik-Samahan (to borrow a term coined by Pempe’s group for their regular get-together), the reunion was capped by endless picture-taking with everybody flashing their best smile as if they were together only yesterday…parang kahapon lamang!

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