Their stories are mostly all the same: They start out bright-eyed and hopeful. But all those hopes and dreams come crashing down in the end.
Let me share with you below what has become of three leading ladies from different generations – the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The circumstances of their lives are no different from each other today.
MINDA MORENA
Minda Morena who? For this film reviewer and researcher who is familiar even with 1920s actress Maria Tronqued (the mother of National Artist for Architecture Francisco Manosa), I was surprised that there was still one movie star name I wasn’t familiar with.
But there she was – seated with other guest stars out to promote an action movie in my then 1990s talk show, Showbiz Lingo. Her name: Minda Morena. She was very fair, had really fine facial features and still quite slim for someone who was already in her 50s then.
As I was to find out later, she was making a comeback after a 30-year absence.˜ In time, I saw her in tertiary roles in some local movies in the late 1990s all the way to the new millennium.
Her heyday was in the early 1960s. She made a string of films and the most notable were Dugo ng Sugatan, Itinakwil Man Kita, and Tatlong Big Shot. Oh, she was also cast in a couple of Hollywood B movies: Blood Thirst and The Ravagers.
She left the entertainment scene in the 1970s when bomba films became the trend. Unless you were an established movie queen, the option then was to join the bandwagon or quit. Apparently, she opted to leave.
Her comeback wasn’t particularly spectacular. But in spite of the fact that her projects were few and far between, at least, she was in touch with her old friends from show business.
Not so long ago, I found out that she had been confined at the Quezon City General Hospital for quite some time. A severe case of emphysema – I was told by Pempe Rodrigo, the sister-in-law of Boots Anson-Roa Rodrigo. It was Pempe’s doctor brother who arranged for Minda’s confinement in that public hospital.
No, she doesn’t have family to take care of her. Then, to my surprise, I found out that she had been married to the great sports commentator Joe Cantada.
Sadly, the union didn’t work out and they decided to separate ways. They never had children.
Then, around 2002, I met a woman named Maribel Cantada. She was a wonderful lady who ran her own travel agency. Maribel was an anti-smoking advocate and she invited me to join their group, which was headed by Aurora Pijuan.
According to Maribel, she decided to join this organization because her husband, Joe Cantada, used to smoke three packs a day and eventually succumbed to lung cancer in 1992. It would seem like Smokin’ Joe (that was his moniker) had found a second chance at love with Maribel.
Maribel obviously was so devoted to him – she was crushed with the death of Joe. She then vowed to fight against the health hazards brought about by cigarette smoking – which was why she became part of our anti-smoking group.
But let’s go back to Minda. In those times I saw her, I never saw her smoke. Could second-hand smoke been the cause of her current battle with emphysema? That may be difficult to trace now. All I know is that she badly needs help.
For the longest time, it was actress Liberty Ilagan who was helping her financially. They became friends when they both appeared in the 1968 film Brownout, which was produced by Liberty. Unfortunately, Liberty died in March 2020 – on the eve of the coronavirus lockdown in the Philippines. Minda had been on her own ever since.
SUSAN HENSON
She made a splash when she entered the movies in the 1970s. A Pampango beauty, she was immediately put on the cover of Expressweek Magazine – with an accompanying story written by Ricky Lo.
As a child, her complexion was pinkish and this was the reason why her nickname was Pinky. As an actress of the 1970s, her face was among the loveliest during that era. She made quite a number of films that time: Diwang Kayumanggi, Prinsesang Mandirigma and several other action flicks where she played leading lady.
And then, the world caved in on her: Her sibling whom she entrusted with her finances took off with all her earnings. Susan got so depressed to the point that she was unable to work. And then she just vanished from the scene.
In 2018, I joined for the first time a gathering of showbiz members who consider themselves part of Balik-Samahan, an informal group of veteran actors (Susan Roces, Gloria Romero, Pepito Rodriguez, Ricky Davao, etc.) Early in the night, a woman approached me and introduced herself as Susan Henson. She was pleased that I recognized her from the movies.
Susan by then was staying with a group of nuns in Parañaque. To make a few bucks, she sold peanuts by the pint. During our gatherings, she would bring peanuts with her and she always made a sale. No, she didn’t have to push hard for her goods. Those peanuts – big, crunchy and not too salty – sold themselves.
I hanker for those peanuts as I write this piece. Unfortunately, Susan had to stop vending peanuts because she is also in the hospital – battling cancer.
DEBORAH SUN
She was introduced by Regal Films in a movie called Beach House in the dying months of 1979. The daughter of Leroy Salvador, she impressed moviegoers in that picture primarily because of her voice and diction. But as it was to be revealed later, she was dubbed by Tina Monzon Palma.
To this day, I don’t understand why she had to be dubbed by somebody else when her voice is husky and sexy – quite distinctive even. You know it is Deborah Sun when she speaks.
The peak of her career was in the 1980s. She looked different from other local actresses. Although undeniably mestiza, she was dusky. And whenever she traveled with other Filipino actresses abroad, she was always the head-turner because of her exotic looks.
Deborah in time developed into a competent actress. Unfortunately, by then, the mistakes of her past had caught up with her and she didn’t have much of a career anymore. Today, she is ill and could hardly work.
Show business is truly a very unstable profession. These are very challenging times for people in entertainment. A lot of industry members are in dire need of help – beginning with these three former leading ladies who all went into the movies dreaming of a bright future, but ended up in truly nightmarish situations.
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The Butcher | Three former leading ladies in distress
Source: Pinoy Ako News
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