Kapuso Network pays tribute to Dolphy, the 'consummate artist'

GMA Network presented to the Quizon family on Saturday a posthumous plaque of recognition citing the legendary career of Dolphy.    In his speech, GMA Network, Inc. chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon said, “There will never be another Dolphy.”   He said even though Dolphy was not a talent of the network, they still “embrace him as an authentic entertainment icon [who] belongs to all the people.”   Gozon said Dolphy joined the “ranks of exemplary Filipinos” whose works “transcend their time.”   The award Gozon presented cited Dolphy’s “unrivaled wholesome entertainment [as a] consummate artist both in comedy and drama,” as well as his “genuine concerns for co-workers.”   “Ang pakikiramay at pagdadalamhati sampu ng pasasalamat na pinamamalas ngayon di lamang ng mga taong nakapila sa labas, ng mga taong nandito sa loob, kundi ng buong sambayanang Pilipino, ay isang natatanging pagpapahalagang higit pa sa anumang award na nararapat ibigay kay Dolphy,” said Gozon.

Actor-director Eric Quizon, spokesman of ther Quizon family, thanked the network in return, saying that the award “strengthens” his father’s legacy.   He also related how Dolphy “almost” became a Kapuso, when GMA executives offered him a show after his contract with another network ended.   “It was a gesture that was unforgettable and I think my dad really appreciates that,” Quizon said. “He felt so down that time, and you were there, offering something to him.”   Although this plan never came into fruition, Quizon said the gesture was very much appreciated and he thanked the network.   “Muntik na, muntik na siyang maging Kapuso,” he said. ‘Naulila din tayo’   In his homily before the tribute program, Fr. Eric Santos talked about the unexplainable grief that he and other Filipinos felt upon Dolphy’s demise.   He said that it must mean a lot for the poor to come to Heritage Park and fall in line for hours just for a glimpse of the Comedy King.   “This is far from Tondo, far from the squatters’ place, pero pumupunta sila dito. This is what these people are doing --- they are compelled by duty to come to Mang Dolphy to pay their last respect to this man na hindi natin kaano-ano pero kaano-ano natin. There is this unseen umbilical cord that connects us to this man,” the priest said.   “Dolphy is the real kapuso --- karugtong siya ng ating damdamin,” he added.   While there is “something irreplaceable na nawala sa atin,” Santos urged the Comedy King’s family, friends, and fans to “celebrate” their lives the same way that Dolphy did.   “In the Philippines, ito na lang ang puwede nating maipagmalaki --- dukha tayo pero masaya. He brought that joy to us,” he said. “Dolphy’s death will be most meaningful if we can make a heaven with what we have here and now.”   ‘Riles’ family   Meanwhile, Dolphy’s co-stars in the sitcom “Home Along Da Riles” expressed their gratitude for treating them like his real family.   Former child actress Maybelline dela Cruz, now a councilor in Pangasinan, shed tears while recalling how “he made us all feel that we were Quizons” on and off the set of the hit television show.   “I’m so blessed to have worked with him, to have known him,” she said. “’yung relationship namin hindi natapos sa taping. Alam ni Tita Nova (Villa) kung ilang beses ako ipinaglaban ni Tito Dolphy sa show. Hindi kami puwedeng basta basta’ng alisin.”   She said that Dolphy’s fatherly love extended when the show ended. “Hindi ako magiging Kapuso kung hindi dahil sa kaniya. Hanggang pagpasok ko ng politics, tumulong pa rin si Tito Dolph,” she added.   Nova Villa, who played as a loving Azon to Dolphy’s Kevin Cosme, shared how close they were at the set of Home along da Riles.   “For 15 years I was the wife sa studio, sa taping ni Kevin. I have to feel na talagang asawa ako so that maging effective ito sa pinapanood ng mga tao, maramdaman nila ang totoong pamilya. Kaya kapag araw ng taping hindi ako si Nova Villa. Ako si Azon, ang asawa ni Kevin,” said Villa.   She thanked Dolphy for choosing her as his love interest in “Home Along,” for being a gentleman towards her, and for the many acts of kindness that he had shown everyone on set.   “Hindi ka nagbago sa amin,” she said tearfully. “Marespeto, gentleman --- laging nakaalalay sa akin… Nakikipagkuwentuhan sa mga sunog-baga, sa mahihirap, kahit na [dapat] magpahinga siya kasi nga may hika. Mas gusto niyang aliwin ang mga tao.”   “Salamat sa pag-alala mo sa amin, your being sensitive to the needs of others,” she added as she ended her speech. “Kevin, kailanman hindi ka mamamatay, hindi ka mawawala sa aming isipan… Tito Dolphs --- papang, kuya --- happy trip.”   ‘He treated us like stars’   Meanwhile, choreographer Gelene Eugenio thanked the Comedy King for believing in her talent when she was new to the industry.   Eugenio first worked with Dolphy for a tv special he was doing under director Al Quinn and RPN-9, where the Comedy King praised her for having a good ear in music.   She said Dolphy “treated us not like back-up dancers; he treated us like stars.”   Their relationship as dancer-choreographer led to their being friends, Eugenio said, adding that late last year, Dolphy entrusted to her care Vandolph, his son by actress Alma Moreno.   “Have a safe trip and I promise you --- I will not fail --- I will be Vandolph’s guardian in showbiz,” she said. “Have a nice trip.”   Also part of the tribute were singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid, who sang “Kung Mawawala Ka,” and his wife Regine Velasquez, who did a rendition of the Charlie Chaplin classic “Smile”; and one of Dolphy’s close friends in show business, German Moreno. — with Gianfranco C. Geronimo/ELR, GMA News