Friends, relatives start arriving for Daboy interment

MANILA, Philippines - Friends and relatives have started arriving at a chapel of The Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City for the interment of the late actor Rudy Fernandez on Thursday afternoon, GMA's Flash Report said. GMA News' Nelson Canlas said among those who arrived were actor Robin Padilla and his children. The report said a Mass will be held at 1 p.m. before the remains of Fernandez will be brought to a tomb, the location of which was personally chosen by the late actor. The report said the security measures being implemented at the memorial park is tight as the burial will be exclusive to the Fernandez family, their relatives and close friends. Fernandez is survived by his three sons, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, with former partner Alma Moreno; and two sons Ralph and Renz, with actress Lorna Tolentino. Fernandez, 56, succumbed to cancer early Saturday morning, ending a battle with periampullary cancer for more two years. The cancer metastasized in his liver last year. To treat the cancer, Fernandez underwent chemotherapy sessions, radio-frequency-ablation treatment on the liver and even radiation. He also underwent a Rexin-G therapy. Daboy, as how Fernandez was fondly called by friends in the movie industry, was born on March 3, 1952, the son of film director Gregorio Fernandez. He started his active film career in 1970 while he was still a student at the University of Santo Tomas. Based on a profile posted on Wikipedia, Fernandez signed a contract with Sampaguita Pictures in 1970 and first featured in a movie "For Your Mama" (1970), then paired with Connie Angeles in "Sweet Matutina" (1976). Fernandez made his breakthrough as an action star with "Bitayin si Baby Ama" (1976). His viability as an action star was further enhanced with the box-office success of "Ang Leon, Ang Tigre at ang Alamid" (1979). Beginning with "Baby Ama," a biopic of a well-known Filipino criminal, Fernandez has specialized portraying true-to-life characters. One of his notable action films was "Markang Bungo" (Skull Mark) in 1992 , based on a true story where he portrayed the well-known Baguio City police officer Bobby Ortega. It was in this film that Fernandez' most popular Tagalog line, "Trabaho lang ito, walang personalan (It's work only, nothing personal)" was first heard. In 1995, the sequel "Iligpit si Bobby Ortega, Markang Bungo 2" (Execute Bobby Ortega, Skull Mark 2) was released. Aside from portraying a real police officer, he was cast in the lead roles for the biopics of Filipino politicians Vincent Crisologo and Panfilo Ping Lacson. Fernandez portrayed the life of Crisologo in a 1991 movie "Bingbong: The Vincent Crisologo Story". In an interview with GMA News when he went to the wake, Crisologo said that even after the movie, the friendship between him and Fernandez continued. In the film "Lagalag: The Eddie Fernandez Story," Rudy starred as Eddie Fernandez, a Filipino actor during the 1970s and the father of Pops Fernandez. Fernandez also starred in the GMA Network sitcom "Da Boy, en Da Girl," opposite Rosanna Roces. He also played a supporting role in other TV series in GMA like "Twin Hearts" and "Atlantika." He was also the host of the docu-drama "Kasangga." Fernandez won two FAMAS Best Actor awards for the action films "Batuigas...Pasukuin si Waway" in 1984 and "Victor Corpus" in 1988. He received the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) 2008 Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th Star Awards for Movies. Also, he received the Film Academy of the Philippines FPJ Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, he ran for Quezon City under former President Joseph Estrada's Puwersa ng Masa but lost to Feliciano Belmonte Jr. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV