Kahapon ikrinemeyt ang mga labi ni Mila Ocampo sa Parañaque City, after having lived for 67 years only to be beaten by emphysema.
Nakakaaliw ang interview sa anak niyang si Snooky Serna, by whom Tita Mila is survived, along with another child and four grandchildren. Hindi siyempre maiwasan ni Snooky na magbalik-tanaw sa kung anong uring ina ito.
Known for her bold frankness, Mila spoke her mind. Sey ni Snooky : ‘‘My mom was supporter but she could also be my worst critic. Ang naa-appreciate ko sa kanya, totoo siya. She never and could never pull my leg.’’ Pero ito ang punchline ni Snooky : ‘‘And hopefully now that she’s in heaven, mom, huwag mo naman i-pull ang leg ko in a different perspective!’’
Just recently rin daw, Snooky realized an astonishing revelation, nangyari ’yon sa pinuntahan niyang regression-reincarnation seminar that satisfied her hunger for things far and beyond.
Sey niya : ‘‘Some people may think that this is a bit off and weird. Ang naging soulmate ko pala in one of my lifetimes is my mom. Nakakaaliw isipin that the Mommy Mila as I fondly call is my soulmate.’’
Sa namagitang attachment daw nilang mag-ina, it’s difficult to put up a brave front. Dagdag pa ni Snooky : ‘‘Ayokong magtapang-tapangan. Hindi ako si Maricel Soriano na matapang na babae.. Masama ang loob ko sa pagpanaw ni Mom because I lost a best friend, I lost my twin sister.’’
All this time, ang hindi malilimutang aral ni Snooky mula sa kanyang ina ay pananampalataya sa Panginoon. ‘‘My mom taught me about faith, about survival, about laughing at problems and about humbling oneself. ’Yung mabuhay nang walang inggit, never mind if other people are ahead of you in terms of popularity and fortune, basta maging happy ka lang sa ibinigay sa ’yo ng Diyos.’’
Sa ngayon, Snooky’s heart goes out to Tita Mila’s grandchildren na ayon sa kanya ay sobrang apektado. ‘‘When I see the four of them, naiiyak ako because I know they’re trying to be resilient. But I want to give my mom the credit for rubbing it off on them na ’yung mga anak namin, eh matapang.’’
* * *
Shall we see less of Lucy Torres-Gomez on TV’5 Shall We Dance? pag nagsimula na ang pangangampanya ng kanyang mister na si Richard Gomez in Ormoc, Leyte? Bagama’t inaayos pa ng aktor ang isinampang petition ng dating barangay chairman doon seeking his disqualification sa congressional race, hindi naman daw yun makakaapekto sa hosting job ni Lucy.
Ever since naman, Richard and Lucy have been supportive of each other’s careers, kaya walang dahilan para mapabayaan ng huli ang kanyang showbiz commitments.