Boots Anson Roa's Pete dies of stomach cancer

Last May, during the 50th anniversary show ng Tide, huling nag-public appearance si Pete Roa, better half of actress Boots Anson-Roa. At 4:32 p.m. Thursday, August 9, he passed away. Matagal nang pabalik-balik sa Intensive Care Unit ng Capitol Medical Center si Pete, popular TV host of the ‘60s show Dance O' Rama of then Channel 5. Bukod sa stomach cancer, he was also suffering from glaucoma and diabetes. Last year, there were complications of emphysema and pneumonia. As a replacement sa co-host ni Pete noon sa Dance O' Rama na si Baby O'Brien, ipinalit si Boots Anson, then a popular campus figure and daughter to veteran actor Oscar Moreno. A TV romance bloomed and they eloped and got married in 1964. They are blessed with four children: Leah, Joey, Chiqui, and Ben. Moving to ABS-CBN, Pete filed several achievements on his own away from his famous wife's showbiz career. Pete directed the first television broadcast ng kauna-unahang bisita ng premier Russian dance company, the first zarzuela aired on television, the first children's show Romper Room, at ang first motorbike grand prix aired on TV. He was also the first director of the quintesential seventies talk show Two for the Road starring the late Elvira Manahan and respected columnist Nestor Torre, who also took over the directing job later at ang isa sa kauna-unahang noontime variety show, ang Stop, Look, And Listen. In 1981, bumisita ang buong pamilya Roa sa United States where they eventually stayed and settled in Washington D.C. in 1982, when Boots was appointed as the Press Attaché and Cultural Officer of the Philippine Embassy and as Commissioner of the Commission on Population. They returned in 1993 where Boots resumed her acting career. Pete's remains will lie in state sa Arlington sa Araneta Avenue. - Philippine Entertainment Portal