MEDIUM RARE
Born into the business, it was her destiny to grow, develop, and prosper it in all capacities but one, that of movie star. Yet she was a star in her own right, fighting behind the scenes and the cameras to give Tinsel Town Philippines a glossy new shine.
“Manay Ichu” Vera-Perez Maceda’s passing leaves the firmament of the celestials in several shades of dim. Shepherding producers, directors, actors and creatives was never an easy job, but then she had a template to guide her, the one left behind by her father, “Doc” Pinggot Perez, the father-figure starmaker of his time. Their Sampaguita Studios was as close to Fantasy Island as it could get, cradling a galaxy ruled by Gloria Romero, Susan Roces, Amalia Fuentes, Rita Gomez, Romeo Vasquez, Juancho Gutierrez, Ramon Revilla.
But when TV and Hollywood’s publicity machine exploded on the scene, Tagalog movies slowly lost their grip. The studios broke up one by one, their talents twisting in the wind. Someone had to step forward and halt the fall. With friends and rivals in the industry, Manay Ichu went into overdrive, she moved and she shook ‘em, to unify and organize. Foundations and festivals were sprung to cover as many sectors as needed, all with a common goal: Save the industry. Consolidate forces and resources. Bring back the luster of the screen. Create movies, upgrade and elevate, noisily demand government action.
Manay’s last battle was not against the ailment that ultimately claimed her life; her last battle was waged to keep the Metro Manila Film Festival from being snatched by a possibly starstruck entity, ironically one that Manay had helped create years ago. Rest in peace, Ichu, you won. If the stars are out tonight, one of them has to be yours, with your name writ large.
Ethel Soliven Timbol was a star of another kind. As lifestyle editor of this newspaper for decades, she was known to scold favor seekers pleading for space for a picture or article. Gossip spread by the p.r. girls was that with only three newspapers in town, Ethel was queen. She did not deny it. While she stayed with the Bulletin until her retirement some years ago, her rival had vacated the scene long before then.###