Whatever happened to Boy Alano?

Sixty-eight years ago, Sampaguita Pictures was razed to the ground more than 13 years after it was founded by Judge Jose O. Vera and his wife, Mrs. Dolores Honrado Vera (fondly known as Mommy Vera), with Bituing Marikit (starring Elsa Oria and Rogelio dela Rosa) as its maiden venture. Two years later, the studio rose from the ashes, thanks to its post-fire tearjerker, Roberta (based on a Mars Ravelo komiks story and directed by Olive La Torre) which raked in a lot of money at the tills. (The studio was helmed by the Vera daughter Azucena “Nene” Vera and her husband, Dr. Jose R. Perez, known as the original Starmaker, with the Vera-Perez daughter Marichu “Manay Ichu” Maceda [see related story on Page D3] taking over.)

Roberta launched the careers of child actors Tessie Agana (then touted as The Shirley Temple of the Philippines) and Boy Alano. They starred in a few more Sampaguita movies and then went their separate ways. Years later, Tessie migrated to the US and started a family with her doctor-husband.

And whatever happened to Boy?

Well, he appeared in more Sampaguita movies (usually with the late German Moreno in a comic tandem) and went freelancing after Sampaguita folded up. Not much has been heard about Boy until a few days ago when Julius Babao “re-discovered” him for a two-episode feature on his Kapamilya show Mission Possible. Titled Once There Was a Boy, the story proved to be as weepy as Roberta, a true-life tearjerker of our times.

How did Julius track down Boy?

Boy with daughter Jocelyn and niece Cecille and grandchildren with Mission Possible host Julius Babao (leftmost)

“We came to know about Mang Boy Alano from an FB post by Charlie Madrigal,” related Julius. “Mr. Madrigal, a friend of Mang Boy, was trying to get the attention of Ms. Susan Roces because Mang Boy wanted to reach out to her for help. He used to be one of Fernando Poe Jr.’s sidekicks.”

Boy told Julius that he wanted to resume his rudely-interrupted showbiz career even if, according to Julius, “he is no longer the same Boy Alano that people came to admire and love many years ago. He is now 77. Mang Boy said he wanted to spend his remaining years working in showbiz. He told me, ‘Malungkot po ako; lagi ko pong pinagdarasal kay Lord, handa na po ako. Ayoko na’.”

Like some showbiz denizens (a comedienne lives under a bridge while a sexy starlet roams around a market high on drugs), Boy was neither able to save money nor invest in properties during his glory days.

“He has nothing,” Julius found out. “He relies on the help of relatives and friends to survive.”

Mission Possible showed that Boy used to live in a vacant lot in Sampaloc, Manila. There are no walls, just a roof to cover him from the sun and rain. No floor, just concrete rubbles and soil. Thankfully, Charlie posted Boy’s photos on FB.

Boy admitted to Julius that he was kicked out of his home by his live-in partner.

“Mang Boy admitted being an alcoholic,” continued Julius. “Apparently, his partner has had enough. But Mang Boy has a different story to tell. Since it’s a private matter, he would just like to keep it to himself for now. Mang Boy’s niece Cecille was kind enough to accommodate him in her home in Calamba, Laguna, where he has his own room. He sleeps on a foldable bed, breathes fresh air and has a good view of the provincial landscape.”

In order to go back to his one true love, show business, Boy must face his demons. He has agreed to be treated for alcoholism and has committed himself to staying at Big Hearts, an assisted home for people like him.

Added Julius, “Hopefully, the smile that was lost from the face of the man that made millions of Filipinos happy will one day come back.”

GMA reacts to Basilan governor’s complaints against Atom’s show

Last Saturday, Funfare published Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman Salliman’s complaints about “errors” in Atom Araullo’s I-Witness story about female circumcision among Muslims. Here’s GMA’s official statement on the issue:

GOV. JIM HATAMAN SALLIMAN

Basilan Province

Dear Sir,

Greetings from I-Witness!

We received reports citing your negative reactions on the show’s Panday episode.

It is unfortunate that you found the documentary unfavorable, thus, we would like to take this opportunity to explain our side.

Late last year, we came across the study of Dr. Sitti Amilasan on the practice of female circumcision of Yakans in Basilan. It was the first time our group heard of such practice. We decided to do further research on the story and held pocket production meetings to discuss the topic.

Prior to the production of Panday, we already understood the sensitivity of the story. For this reason, we went through a thorough process of consulting various groups regarding the story. In fact, we spent several months doing our research. We consulted the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines, we contacted Dr. Sitti Amilasan, the author of the study that served as basis of our documentary, coordinated with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and even the local government.

When we reached Basilan, we met Ka Embong, the Panday in the documentary who identifies with the Yakan but is also half Tausug. Ka Embong is also a Kah Dayang, a teacher who acts as a health worker. There was a significant discussion about their role in the documentary, that the Kah Dayangs are first responders in the community during emergency cases, bringing patients to hospitals. Even Ka Embong acknowledges this. We reported an organized structure not present in all communities.

The documentary also acknowledged the developments in Basilan and recognized the efforts of the government to augment health services through medical missions such as the one documented by the team in Barangay Baluno in Isabela, Basilan. As much as we want to visit other areas in Basilan, we were advised by the Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as our contacts, that it was risky to move to other places due to a recent beheading incident of three men by an unknown group. We had no way to confirm this but we heeded their advice.

We were surprised when issues like the spelling of Panday and the attire of Ka Embong came out. Dr. Sitti Amilasan, a Yakan herself confirmed that both spellings — Panday and Pandey — are acceptable. This was also confirmed to us by the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines when we consulted them. According to both, there is no required attire in performing the ritual of female circumcision.

I-Witness takes to heart the stories that we do and the people we interview with sensitivity and respect. This goes for all our documentaries. We have no intention to disrespect and malign the province and its people. The documentary only sought to present the role of a Panday amidst her community. In the future, we will consider coming back to Basilan to do more stories about the province and its beautiful people. We hope that you will welcome us and our team.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely yours,

Joy Madrigal

Senior Program Manager, I-Witness

 (E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)