Farewell, Daboy; Long live, Rudy Fernandez
By BOY VILLASANTA, REYMA BUAN-DEVEZA, and RAMIL DIGAL GULLE
abs-cbnNEWS.com
If you think about it, none of the mourners at the wake and burial of actor Rudy Fernandez were actually mourning the death of Rudy Fernandez. Instead, it was and has always been "Daboy"–as the actor was fondly called by family, friends and colleagues–whom everybody misses, whom they shed tears for Wednesday night at the necrological service.
The knew that Rudy Fernandez, the actor, the one who took on the mantle of movie roles that are now part of Philippine cinematic history–from Baby Ama, to Waway, to Markang Bungo–the personage who now rises into the same mythical pantheon as Fernando Poe, Jr., would live on in the Filipinos’ cultural consciousness.
Ironically, it would be Daboy–the friend, father and peacemaker, the navy reservist, the human being–who would heroically inspire those who loved him and the public, after his two-year battle with cancer was made public.
Indeed, it’s one thing for a movie action hero to fight against armed foes, corrupt police and hoodlums and quite another for someone like Daboy to show courage and even optimism and generosity, in the face of his imminent death.
Friend to the end
What was most striking about Daboy during his battle against periampullary cancer was how he continue to be concerned for others, and wanted to make them happy.
"Walang iiyak" (Don’t anybody cry), had become a request familiar to his wife Lorna Tolentino–Daboy was simply the type of person who preferred to see those around him smiling and laughing.
He would go through great, perhaps even painful, lengths to accomplish this. It’s amazing how much file footage of Daboy in the past two years showed him still smiling, laughing, shaking hands and hugging his fellow actors.
His closest friends, Senators Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada; actors Philip Salvador and Tirso Cruz III all attested to how Daboy would keep on cracking jokes and do his best to appear fit and healthy in public.
Even when he was in pain, Daboy would show up in public and on camera still looking as though everything was all right. According to Lorna, Daboy was concerned that if he looked frail or hurting, it would cause apprehension and sadness among his friends, relatives and the public.
Daboy was given six months to live by doctors; he lasted two years, fighting to the very end.
His manager, the controversial Lolit Solis, shared how even when Daboy was in the hospital, he still managed to joke about the presence of the two loves of his life in his hospital room. It was the day when actress-turned-politician Alma Moreno, Daboy’s ex-wife, dropped by for a visit. Lolit was also there, as well as Lorna.
"One time dumalaw si Alma Moreno. Sabi ni Lorna ‘Labas muna ako’. Sabi [ni Daboy] ‘Paano yan pag iihi ako?
"[Sabi ni Lorna] ‘Ayan naman si Ness [Alma Moreno’s nickname]. O, patulong ka.’
"[Sumagot si Daboy] ‘Ayoko baka pagnasahan pa ako’. ‘Yan, in pain pa ‘yan, ha", recalled Lolit.
(When Alma Moreno dropped by, Lorna excused herself. Daboy said, ‘Hey, what if I need to go to the bathroom?’ Lorna said, ‘Ness is there, ask her to help you.’ Daboy replied, ‘I don’t want to, she might get funny ideas’.)
Tears
Actress Sharon Cuneta cut short her schedule for attending the screenings of her latest film "Caregiver" in Europe, so she could return to the Philippines in time for Daboy’s funeral.
She shed bucketfuls of tears but still managed to crack a few jokes as she eulogized Daboy during the necrological rites the night before the burial.
Sharon said that she was still hopeful about seeing Daboy still alive and well, after she last visited him at the hospital. She said he still looked full of life back then.
“When we had a get-together during his birthday last March 3, he was very strong and looking well,” remembered Sharon .
Even after his birthday celebration, Daboy and Shawie would regularly speak to each other personally or on the phone.
While she was filming "Caregiver" in London, she and Daboy still spoke over the phone frequently.
Sharon said she is thankful for working with Daboy when they were elected as top officials of the Katipunan ng mga Artista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (Philippine Movie Actors’ Guild) in the early 1990s.
At the time, Daboy was president of the Actors Guild while she was vice-president.
“He thought me how to be tough as a leader but at the same time, we bent a little for the interest of our fellow actors,” Sharon said, adding that “he is more than an elder brother to me."
Amid tears, Sharon looked back at Daboy in his coffin and quipped, “He is still so guapo (handsome)” and said “he was complaining about his thin legs while I longed for legs like those."
At end of her speech, Sharon sang a few lines for Rudy from the Rey Valera’s “Kung Kailangan Mo Ako,” the title of their movie for Viva Films some years ago.
Peacemaker
Drama and action star Phillip Salvador was teary-eyed as he traced the days of his friendship with Daboy–they started their respective career almost at the same time.
“Hindi ko makakalimutan si Rudy sa tanang buhay ko. (I will remember Rudy for the rest of my life),” said Philip.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada was very emotional as he spoke about Daboy. He said Daboy was instrumental in restoring his friendship with Bong Revilla.
That rift between Jinggoy and Bong happened when the latter defected to the opposition during the uprising that toppled Jinggoy’s father, then President Joseph Estrada.
However, with Daboy as go-between, Jinggoy and Bong eventually patched things up.
Jinggoy said that when he and his father were both confined in a hospital for treatment–this was during the trial where both father and son were accused of plunder–Daboy would visit them frequently, bearing gifts.
“Dinadalhan kami ng mga pagkain n’yan, siopao, red wine. Tapos, dinalhan pa niya kami ng boxing gloves. He said those were help us ventilate the anger, depression and frustration,” Jinggoy recalled.
Jinggoy also spoke of Rudy’s penchant for good grooming. “Kahit nakapambahay lang kami, siya best-dressed. Vanedoso siya. (Even if we were in our ordinary clothes, he was best dressed. He was vane),”
Jinggoy said that with Daboy’s passing, he lost the only friend in the world with whom he could share his secrets.
“Lahat ng mga sekreto ko na hindi mo masabi sa kanya, nasasabi ko kay Rudy even the things in the Senate. (All my secrets that I can’t even tell my wife, I could share with Rudy),” he said.
Jinggoy then quipped that he couldn’t share those secrets with Bong and Phillip, since he didn’t trust them enough. The audience laughed at the revelation.
Jinggoy, who is known for being afraid of ghosts, also had this message for Daboy during the eulogy.
“Kaya Daboy, pag may kailangan ka, kung may gusto ka pang sabihin sa akin, mag-text ka lang o kaya ay kina Bong at Ipe mo sabihin. Kahit magpakita ka sa akin pero sa umaga lang," he said.
(Therefore, Daboy, if you need something, if you want to say anything, just text me or you tell it to Bong and Ipe first. You could also visit me but I request that you do it in the morning)
Bong, Phillip and Jinggoy finished their tribute to Daboy by singing a modified version of “Doon Lang,” the pop classic originally recorded by Nonoy Zuñiga, composed by Willy Cruz.
Tirso Cruz III adapted the lyrics of the original song to express their sentiments about Daboy, saying how their friendship would continue even beyond death.
Role-model
Daboy and Lorna’s youngest son, Renz Marion, read a prepared speech in Filipino. He spoke about how he would share meals with his parents inside their bedroom in total silence–but explained that it was a silence filled so much love and affection, no words were necessary.
Renz said that those moments of quiet and closeness were just as filled with love and joy as more boisterous moments together. He said that he has enough memories of his father to last a lifetime. He promised to take care of his mother.
Daboy and Lorna’s eldest son, Raphael, delivered an impromptu eulogy that was filled with genuine emotion.
"Hindi ko mayayakap ang mga salita (I’ll find no warmth and solace in words)," he said, noting how inadequate words were at the moment, and that not all the words in the world will bring back his father.
Finally Raphael thanked his father for raising him and loving him, and for being, simply, his father.
Manager Lolit Solis thanked Daboy for being patient with her, back when she wasn’t on speaking terms with Lorna. Lolit revealed in her eulogy that she used to hate Lorna.
Lolit explained that this was because when Lorna and Daboy fell in love, she (Lolit) was still rooting for Alma Moreno. She said that she would harrass and spread malicious gossip about any other woman who was involved with Daboy.
Lorna became a target for Lolit because Daboy had fallen in love with the former after he split up with Alma Moreno. Daboy had a son with Alma, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez.
Lolit said that because of Daboy, she and Lorna became friends and she even became godmother to Raphael.
When Mark had his turn at the podium, he said that he wanted to emulate his father.
“Gusto ko siyang gayahin dahil siya ang modelo ng perpeksyon…” (I would want to be like him because he was the model of perfection…)” said Mark.
Mark said that even when he committed mistakes in the past, his father readily accepted his limitations.
“Gusto kong maging mahusay pang artista na tulad ng Papa ko. (I want to be an excellent actor like my Papa),” he said.
Finally, it was Lorna’s turn to speak. She asked for guidance from Daboy in continuing to raise their sons.
“Pakitapik sila. May mga bagay na hindi nila sinasabi sa akin dahil babae ako at mas may bonding kayo. Mahirap kung mag-isa lang ako pero alam ko Babe, nand’yan ka at gagabayan mo ako," said Lorna, her voice trembling a little.
Lorna recalled the golden moments of their marriage and the life they shared together. She never stopped looking at Daboy while she spoke.
Finally, she told him: “Please wait for me. I know we will be together."
(For more about Lorna’s story about her final moments with Daboy, click on this story and this transcript of her interview on The Buzz.)
Some of the stars present during the eulogy were Ruffa Gutierrez, couple Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres, Tirso Cruz III, Christopher de Leon, Sandy Andolong, movie writer Ethel Ramos, Smokey Manaloto, Alfred Vargas, Edgar Mortiz and wife Milette Santos, Paolo Contis, Ogie Alcasid, Senator Francis Pangilinan, Quezon Province Governor Raffy Nantes and many more.
Burial
Daboy was buried around 3:00 in the afternoon Thursday at the Heritage Park in Taguig.
Fr. Sonny Ramirez celebrated the final mass before the burial.
After the mass, Daboy’s golden-brown casket was brought out of the chapel, placed on a horse-drawn carriage and delivered to his final resting place.
Before 3 p.m., the Fernandez family took a final glimpse of the actor. The casket was opened and Lorna, already in tears, kissed her husband one last time.
The Philippine flag was draped over his coffin before it was interred. Daboy was a reservist in the Philippine Navy.
The actor’s best friends, Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and actor Philip Salvador, couldn’t hold back their tears.
Daboy’s former sweetheart, actress-politician Alma Moreno, was also present along with her’s and Daboy’s son, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez.
Former Philippine president and actor Joseph Estrada was also present at the burial. Estrada, who knew Daboy since the latter was a five-year-old kid, said that Daboy’s death was a great loss to Philippine cinema.
In an official statement, the former president said he is "deeply saddened by the loss of another true friend". Estrada also said, "This is a great loss to the movie industry. This is especially sad for us because he was not only a fellow actor but a true friend of the family, especially to my son Jinggoy."
Estrada said that it is fitting that Daboy was buried on June 12, Philippine Independence Day because he is certainly a hero for those close to him.
Also present at the interment were Kris Aquino, Robin Padilla, Tirso Cruz III, directors-actors Edgar Mortiz and Johnny Delgado; the Gutierrez family; Boots Anson Roa; Beaver Lopez; Lani Mercado; Laurice Guillen; Fanny Serrano; Ricky Davao; Jestoni Alarcon; Amy Austria; Ernie Garcia and Gabby Concepcion.
Mourners were dressed in white or pastel colors instead of black as requested by Daboy’s family.
Fernandez or Rodolfo Fernandez in real life passed away on Saturday, June 7, after a two-year struggle against periampullary cancer. He passed away in the presence of his wife Lorna and his family and friends at their home in White Plains, Quezon City due to periampullary cancer.
Dubbed as the Philippines Cinema’s Prince of Action, Fernandez made almost 100 films. He began his acting career at the age of three, starring in the movie "Luksang Tagumpay" which was directed by his father, Gregorio Fernandez, a physician and film director.
His career bloomed when he starred in action films based on real life characters, both anti-heroes and heroes, including "Bitayin si Baby Ama" (1976); "Batuigas: Pasukuin si Waway" (1984; for which he won Best Actor from the FAP and the FAMAS) and "Victor Corpuz" (1988; for which he won Best Actor, FAMAS) and "Markang Bungo."
Daboy’s legacy
Among the many provisions that Daboy made sure to arrange before his death was the continuation of his legacy as an actor for posterity.
To this end, he bequeathed the rights to his films to ABS-CBN to ensure that later generations would be able to watch his films.
It was fortunate that on December 18, Fernandez was able to sign a contract with ABS-CBN, giving the network the rights to air his films.
Daboy was accompanied by Lorna Tolentino at the signing which was witnessed by ABS-CBN executives, including the network’s president Charo Santos-Concio and Malou Santos.
At the time, Daboy appeared fit and healthy and was all smiles as he signed the contract spoke to ABS-CBN officials.
Daboy’s films will be aired on a weekly basis only on Kapamilya network. A report said that Daboy’s films will be aired at the end of the run of the Fernando Poe Jr. Cinema Collection.
After his burial, family and friends watched as white birds were released into the sky. It seems a fitting last image of the love and goodwill from them, rising to accompany Daboy to heaven.
For the Filipino movie audience however, they remain fortunate that Daboy’s legacy includes memorable characters and classics in the Filipino action film genre.
