Who said Fashion is at its best when it is diverse? The whole world indeed seems like a runway and each person is like a fashionista. As I go to press, the PIDC is in the process of presenting its GALA event with both professional mannequins from Manila and the topnotch names here in Toronto who are more identified as community leaders who are making their catwalk debut. What a beautiful act of charity, benevolence, generosity – their glitzy manner to give back to the Fil-Canadian barangays. This happens after the huge success of Ms PIDC Ambassador tilt won by Ms Maria Sherry Lacson Tan. Actually all these celebrations lead to the grand Mabuhay Fiesta 2022 scheduled on stage at Nathan Square the weekend of August 13th and 14th. Thanks to the partnership of Renee Salud and PIDC Prexy Agnes Pasaporte-Miranda. Do we need to introduce Renee? Renee has been referred to as the Philippines’ Fashion Ambassador because of the decades-long service he has devoted to the ramp culture.
“Honestly, I prefer to be called an advocate of Philippine fashion. As an advocate, my goal is to bring Philippine fashion to the world stage – to create more jobs for our people. It will also prove to the whole world that Filipino designers are at par with the world’s best,” said Renee.
And when and where did I first meet Renee? Decades ago when he spotted Melanie Marquez (daughter of our good friend Direk Temyong Marquez who’s identified with many Nora Aunor box office hits) and groomed Melanie who became Ms International (she’s the youngest winner of Miss International in history at the age of 15 when she competed in 1979.) But of course this is a different story and lengthy and I intend to write about this later.
CHARO After the FAMAS
So, I asked Dear Charo about her sentiments – that finally, after 46 years, she was given the FAMAS statuette for the movie Kun Maupay Man It Panahon (Whether the Weather is Fine), in Visayan-language. She won for the same at the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival derby. Charo made history by winning Asia’s Best Actress in her first film ITIM in 1976.
Charo: Winning the Famas Best Actress award is a “feel good” moment for me. It is a validation of the hard work I put in essaying the character of Ramona in the film Kung Maupay…. on top of having to learn how to deliver the lines in Waray.
Bk: Did you wonder why it took so long to get that recognition from FAMAS? Amazing to note that the bigger award came first – in the entire Asia and the FAMAS award just now.
Charo: Timing? I dont know how to describe it. Things happen, when they happen. It is serendipity.
Bk: How do you choose the projects you do – must they always be serious/dramatic?
Charo: dont overanalyze things when i choose my projects. It can be any genre for as long as I am drawn to the character.
Bk: Exactly what are your sentiments after this new victory?
Charo: Every success/victory is a blessing. It brings me so much joy and fulfillment. It doesnt matter what role I am in. I give my best in everything I do. I’m not only able to make use of my talent. I’m even happy that I’m able to work with very talented, motivated people.
Bk: Did you expect to win?
Charo: No, never had any expectations.
Bk: Describe Charo after your victory
Charo: I am the same Charo…wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, storyteller.
My Cherie Amour
We all wept and were saddened by Cherie Gil’s tragic exit. A life snuffed out at 59 yrs and everyone wondered why.
It took the Eigenmanns a few days to come out with an offcial statement:
Cherie was diagnosed with a rare form of endometrial cancer in October of last year after deciding to relocate to New York City to be closer to her children. She then underwent treatment at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York. It was her request that her diagnosis be kept private, and as a family we supported her in this decision. Cherie fought bravely against her illness, with grace and strength. Despite her struggles she always managed to exude courage and never lost her trademark sass, wit, and infectious humor, or her larger-than-life personality. She spent her last days surrounded by family and loved ones…
While we are deeply saddened by our loss and still mourning her passing, we are incredibly moved by the outpouring of love and support for her and our family; evidence of just how many lives Cherie touched.
Brings me back to my good ole late teeenage days – maybe in 1966 when we were just starting to write. At that time, we got a call from Cherie’s parents – the famous handsome pair of Eddie Mesa (the elvis presley of the philippines) and Rosemarie Gil (was introduced as Sta Rita de Casia by Premiere Prods), asking us to have dinner with them at their home. I recall seeing their 3 beautiful kids – Michael de Mesa, Mark Gil (who died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2014) and the youngest Cherie. I did not imagine that one day this clan of the Eigenmanns would dominate the industry with their presence as the largest family of talented screen performers.
Let’s hear what their friends say.
Lloyd Samartino: Problem Child in 1980 was Cherie’s launching film & I was chosen to be her leading man. We had an interesting experience on that film directed by Elwood Perez. I was blown away by Cherie’s guts in executing her spoiled brat role and our love scenes too. We also had her mom Rosemarie Gil playing her mother in the film which added to the reality of their scenes. If anything, that film cemented our lifelong friendship & my admiration for the actress in her. She went on to bigger and better things in her career and we worked on several soaps. Cherie is an actress of the first calibre, a rebel, an intellectual. I always enjoy those types of people. This cancer diagnosis caught all of us by surprise & I will always miss her sharp tongue & wit. There’s no one like her in my generation. Soar with God now Cherie!
Hazel Orencio: When we went to Berlin for Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, all nine of us were there – Piolo, John Lloyd, Tito Bernie, Cherie, Angel, Tita Susan Africa, Joel Saracho, Alessandra De Rossi and me. It was so much fun, and just like in a Lav Diaz set, it felt like we were all equal. We had a blast, and we were treated very well by the festival. We were actually their favorite because we were like a family. Cherie, is the group’s fashionista. Alex and Tito Bernie would always tease her. But when all of us saw Meryl Streep on stage and even after the party, she’s not Cherie Gil the fashionista anymore; she’s Cherie Gil The Fan Girl. I’ve never seen her that happy before. Her face, her expressions, everything in her is lighting up. I don’t even remember if she even touched her food; she drank wine for sure and when she got drunk, she took a photo with Clive Owen. I would say she was the giddiest among us.
Joel Torre: Cherie was Family to me. She would say I am an Adopted Eigenmann and I told her she was an adopted Ilongga with the Ilonggo Mafia. She is one of my Beloved Co Actors. W e shared a lot of screen time together as well as Happy Times.
Dexter Dorria: There isn’t much I can share about Cherie in the form of memories since we were never close. Maybe because she’s so much younger than me. We never got to share secrets or stories. While I was the ma-chika kind, she was one to hie over in a corner and keep to herself. I remember Cherie in Problem Child, though. It was her first starring role and she somehow tried to live up to the title of her movie. She was 17, if I’m not mistaken and was going through a tumultuous love affair with another hothead, Rollie Quizon and she was giving the production a difficult time! Hehehe. So Cherie!
With the principal photography wrapped away, it was time to shoot her ad. They had a beautiful concept: Cherie on the lap of her father, being spanked with a slipper. They tried scheduling her for a photo shoot several times but where oh where was Cherie?
Some say she had eloped with Rollie. Others thought they saw her in Baguio, bundled in the arms of somebody else! Her Mom Rosemarie was out of her wits looking for her supposedly. Finally, Problem Child was opening in a few weeks time and they needed a decent layout.
Someone had the brilliant idea of going ahead with the spanking scene but to show only the butt and the legs, no face. She had to be in short-shorts, naturally.
But whom to get? Mother Lily said, Dexter Doria yan. Cherie and I had the same height and long, slim legs. They called me up, picked me up in the middle of the night and brought me to Valencia I think, where the photographer was already waiting.
But wait, who would model as the Papa? There was no one in sight! Mother Lily woke Father Remy up and asked him, in his pajamas (which was just perfect) to put me against his lap and pretend to give me a good whacking! No faces were shown, of course!
The result was spectacular and the movie went on to become a big blockbuster. The rest is history…She became the big star that she has been for the past 42 years!
GR Rodis: I managed her singing career for a short time after her Champoy tv prog. I tease her son Jay that his Mom and I parted ways because of him. She was pregnant with him when we were doing a two week gig in Indonesia with Marco Sison and the 8th of Sept band. She was so cranky being difficult because she was pregnant but none of us knew. Maybe she didn’t even know at the time so I resigned her management but soon reconnected as friends. I even stayed with her when she was married to Rony Rogoff and lived in New York. She was ultra talented and matured into a generous warm human being who will be missed.
Charo Santos: Cherie was a beautiful, authentic person. And she did everything with class!
Maritess Gutierrez (only child of Juancho Gutierrez and Gloria Romero): It is tough to talk about her now without shedding a tear. We practically grew up together, I am a year older and went to the same school – St Paul’s. Our mothers usually had movies and tv appearances together and sometimes both Cherie and I would hang out at the studio – the most important reason was we needed to ask money from our Moms. Cherie was always the good friend of our entire barkada – never became a swellhead even after her popularity peaked. I remember one time when she disappeared for a month – I was worried. Guess what I discovered? She stayed at an inn at Sonia’s Garden, a story which was shared to me by one of the waiters when I dined there.
“Dito po tumira si Cherie when she was going to do a play, she could not be disturbed – she made sure na she studied her role perfectly.”
Yes, she was so dedicated to her profession. At the time when I was raising a child in the U.S., Cherie was already married to Rony Rogoff. She called and invited me to stay with them. She even asked her aide to take care of my son and my dog while she entertained me. What a generous friend. I love her.”
Anna Ylagan (daughter of Robert Arevalo and Barbara Perez): Way before the world knew her as Ms. Cherie Gil, she was simply Cherie, our childhood playmate, our Godsister. Our mom, Barbara, was her ’Ninang’. My sister Gina and I spent countless days with Cherie in each other’s houses playing either in her bedroom or in ours while our mothers played ‘mahjong’. She even dressed me in her walking doll’s clothes one time to my Mom’s horror. Yes, once upon a time I was THAT small. Mind you, before I wore the dress, Cherie even ‘ironed’ it with her toy ironing board. She stopped me and said, “Wait, I’ll plancha it first!” Hahaha! I’m not sure if we still have that one book from the ‘First Book’ Encyclopedia series that she drew on in one of those mahjong afternoons at our place. She got so scared when I said I’d tell my ‘OC’ Mom on her that she ruined the book by drawing on it that she hurriedly attempted to erase it. We had that ‘half-erased’ drawing of an encircled set of chairs on that book till we all grew up. We always went to each other’s birthday parties. She choreographed our “Winter Wonderland” Christmas dance which I dreaded being part of.
She was already a performer way before she officially entered show business. I still vividly remember her very poignant and riveting monologue in school of “Guilty or not Guilty” that left everyone in awe you could literally hear a pin drop. Speaking of school, for a time, we carpooled to St. Paul together in their car driven by their driver, Sonny. I remember Ralph (Mark) teasing Cherie non stop in the car saying over and over, “Waaa Cherie made wee wee!” while pointing to the sweat her thigh left on the leather seat. He didn’t stop till he made her cry. Boys!
On another occasion, Michael, by his mere presence, made Gina cry (unintentionally, as everyone and everything made her cry during those days). That was in our house and Gina just bawled upon seeing Michael as if she saw an alien. Then, on a whim, Cherie and I pushed Michael into our kiddie pool and made him cry (Sorry, Mike. I always thought your crying sounded like the fading in drone of an airplane approaching. On a separate occasion, Ralph shoved a pillow case over my head during a wild pillow fight in their house. Though it didn’t make me cry, it made me want to get back at him and whack his head off with the pillow I was holding – which I started doing until my Mom shouted “STOP IIIIIIIIT!!!”. Cherie and I shared so many secrets, too. Even though we were almost the same age, she was always more ‘grown up’ than I was and she taught me one too many new things about… life. I will never forget how she’d react when people would often make that annoying mistake of calling her ‘Cherry’ (as in “Uy, si Cherry Gil!”). She’d slowly turn her head and with that ‘if looks could kill’ Lavinia Arguelles stare she’d slowly reply with, “It’s… Cherie’.” But on her softer, heartwarming side (which she had lots of), I still remember how she beamed with so much love and excitement when they were blessed with their new baby sister, Marnie (Marie Elaine Narciso).
And now… reality bites. Fare thee well, dear Cherie. Even back then, you were already bigger than life. Everybody is writing their own story about you. How loved you are! You have left quite a mark in your short but colorful life. Go with God in the place He prepared for you in His beautiful mansion up there. What a wonderful reunion you must be having with Ralph. T ight hugs, Tita Rose, Tito Eddie, Michael, Marnie and the Eigenmann and Rogoff children. May the Good Lord comfort you and bestow His wisdom upon you to see you through this very difficult time.
Barbara Perez: Cherie, as a child had always been a presence in my home like one of my girls. I would always hear her giggling with the girls in the other room. And during schooldays they would carpool. They grew up together to be bright young women each in their own rrespected fields. Everytime cherie would be asked to speak before a show she would always mention that I am her ninang most specially if i am in the audience. I wanted to say more but this is so hurting. I cannot anymore. Sometimes you wish these girls didn’t have to grow up so that they would be spared from hurting and getting sick!
Gina Alajar (Gina is the ex-wife of Cherie’s brother Michael de M): Anyway, treasured memory of her is when she acted in O Nanay, a drama that I directed where she was the main contrabida against Ms Nora Aunor… Such a versatile actress! Kapag meron akong binigay na idea sa kanya, magiisip sya ng kaunti, yun pala nagiisip sya kung paano nya gagawin. She had taray moments sa production but i don’t mind it as long as she is delivering… sabi ko nga, “ kahit magtaray si Cherie for whatever reason, may karapatan sya kasi pagharap nya sa canera, brilliante ang ibibigay nya sa kanyang audience…” She’s a gem.
We had a very good working good working relationship that after Onanay, she had to act in a segment sa Starstruck na kaeksena nya ang mga contestant… Medyo nagkaroon ng problem and hindi ko madidirect ang segment but she said “kung hindi ako ang director, hindi na lang nya gagawin…” that was the sweetest gesture she did for me and my whole team.
Then pandemic came and she had an offer to do Legal Wives but it meant locked-in tapings She called me and asked me kung ok ba ang locked in taping. I assured her that everything is fine and she has nothing to worry about kaya ginawa nya ang project. These are small things to last a lifetime…”
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See you in 2 weeks. enjoy the last days of August!