DALAWANG mukha ng kamatayan—one a hoax; the other, real—ang tumambad sa amin the past days.
Araw ng Linggo, we got a frantic call from a co-worker in Radyo 5, si Archie Zapanta, pilit na inaalam kung may katotohanan ang tinanggap niya ring PM on FB tungkol kay Cristy Fermin.
Asked how bad the news was, masama raw but we knew why Archie felt the need not to explain it further.
Ipadadala na lang daw niya ang same PM na ‘yon to our FB account. More or less with an idea what it was ay agad naming tinawagan si Tita Cristy, but her phone just kept on ringing.
Naisip naming tawagan si Japs Gersin who, at that moment, was blankly staring at his computer, hindi makapagtipa dahil balisa rin but he assured that Tita Cristy was just downstairs at nagpapakain ng kanyang mga alagang aso.
Ergo, isang malaking hoax lang ang ikinalat ng isang nagngangalang Abigail dela Pena, believed to be a cowardly troll hiding under a fictitious name.
Sa halip na sayangin ni Tita Cristy ang airtime sa programang “Cristy Ferminute” the next day, she dismissed the canard as nothing worth her while.
Martes ng hapon, kauumpisa pa lang halos ng “CFM” when Tita Cristy’s attention was snatched by Col. Jude Estrada’s call. Nabalitaan niya kasing pumanaw na si Tita Donna Villa.
Una ring naiulat ‘yon sa Twitter ng isang radio station, but the details were sketchy. Ni hindi binanggit what Tita Donna died of, basta sumakabilang-buhay na.
In silence, we thought it could be another practical joke—tulad ng nauna naming kuwento—ng mga taong bukod sa walang magawa sa buhay have nothing but the most evil of intentions para sa kanilang kapwa.
Kinailangan pang tawagan ni Tita Cristy si Tita Nene Mercado, parang pamilya na kung ituring ng mag-asawang direk Carlo J. Caparas at Tita Donna, to check on the veracity of the report. Mismong si Tita Nene rin pala’y walang kaalam-alam such a report was floating around.
Pero hindi pa natatapos ang “CFM” nang makumpirmang totoo nga ang balita: former actress-film producer Donna Villa passed away. Pero ang sanhing napag-alaman namin ay due to cancer, which type was still undetermined.
Ilang sandali pa, Tita Donna’s cause of death was all over news: lung cancer. Maging ang petsa kung kailan at saan siya na-confine due to difficulty in breathing until she was brought to another hospital (kung saan na siya inabutan) ay naiulat na.
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Miyerkoles ng hapon nang buksan sa publiko ang pagsilip sa mga labi ni Tita Donna sa Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels and Columbary sa Araneta Ave., Quezon City. Kahapon, Biyernes, when her remains were flown to Cebu, ang home province ng most loved film producer.Yes, the entire showbiz mourns the untimely death of Tita Donna. Hindi lang mga artista—nakatrabaho man o hindi—ang nagluluksa sa kanyang mga pamamaalam. Maging ang mga manggagawa ng pelikula’t telebisyon, maging sa aming hanay ng mga manunulat all feel that a great part of us ay kasamang naglaho sa mundong ito.
Marami kasing masasayang anekdota at alaala ang iniwan ni Tita Donna, panahon pa ‘yon ng Mariposa Publications when—during the presscons of their Golden Lions Films, set visits at hanggang sa huli nilang proyekto sa TV5—she made sure na ang mga kaibigan nila ni direk Carlo were on the list.
Huwag sanang ikasama ng loob ng ibang film producer diyan, there was more to Tita Donna’s (and direk Carlo J’s) seeking the support of every member of the entertainment media.
Kapwa sila nagtanim ng malasakit at pagmamahal sa aming hanay, at nais naming ibalik din ‘yon sa patuloy naming pag-alala that perhaps, local showbiz will never be the same again with Tita Donna’s absence.
Mahal na mahal po kayo ng buong showbiz, Tita Donna. We will all miss you.