By RONALD CONSTANTINO
STILL ACTIVE – Gloria Romero and Eddie Garcia may well be called “Living Treasures” of showbiz. At 80-plus, they are still active. Tita Glo topbills GMA’s “Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko,” while Tito Eddie just won a best actor award from Cinemalaya for “ML.” He’s also a mainstay of “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” on ABS-CBN.
They were Sampaguita contemporaries in the ‘50s, with Tita Glo as the studio movie queen and Tito Eddie as top “contravida”…later lead actor and top director.
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LIMITED TO – Who are the other “Living Treasures”? These names – limited to Octogenarians – come to mind:
Anita Linda, Lilia Dizon, Delia Razon, Robert Arevalo, Tony Mabesa, Barbara Perez, Ramon Revilla, Tony Ferrer, Rosa Rosal, Armida Siguion Reyna, Joseph Estrada, Mona Lisa, Caridad Sanchez, Gloria Sevilla, Naty Santiago, Daisy Romualdez, Mila del Sol, US-based Marlene Dauden, Celia Flor, Rudy Francisco (father of RS Francisco of “M Butterfly” and “Boy Intsik” fame).
Also durable on the list are entertainment historian Dr. Lynn Pareja, former First lady Imelda Marcos (in a way showbiz), Bien Lumbera (Manunuri stalwart, aside from being National Artist and Magsaysay Awardee), Eddie Ilarde, and Mother Lily Monteverde.
(Actually, Mother Lily turned only 79 last Aug. 19. But Chinese generally don’t celebrate the 79th year and instead jump to 80.) Some kind of superstitious belief.
Not to forget Nikki and Angie of Wing Duo.
Turning Octogenarians next year are Eddie Mesa, Celia Rodriguez, Romy Vitug, and Danny Dolor.
