The world of entertainment, both the ‘tin pan alley’ (for musicians) and the ‘silver screen’ (for movie icons), is a discipline that has drawn few personalities from Davao region. If there are many local singers who have left their legacy in recording annals, the number of actors who made an imprint in cinema has also swelled in the past decades.
In the territory of hiring of actresses as leading ladies and main stars, producers preferred women with mestiza features, while auburn-skin aspirants almost always ended up getting the roles of housemaid, bit player, background assistants, etc. It was cruel and discriminatory, but movie financiers thought a beautiful face would be the key to commercial success.
From Davao region, only Lourdes Medel, a native of Caburan, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Oriental, really made it to the big league at a time when the build-up of movie stars was the monopoly of few cinema production houses in Manila. She was the daughter of Spanish expatriate who had permanently settled in Davao where he married a local maiden.
It was Artemio Marquez, father of international beauty queen Melanie, who discovered Lourdes, nicknamed Lulu, during a shoot for a movie under Premiere Productions. She was introduced in the 1958 movie Wala Kang Paki, co-starred by Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa. The following year, she took the lead role in Linda Mora, playing the role of a Muslim princess.
As fate had it, Lulu was later paired with Bernard Bonnin, father-in-law of Aga Muhlach, who was then LVN’s top action star and with whom she later bore a lovechild. Aside from the popular Palos series with Bonnin as lead actor, Lulu starred in movies such as Casa Grande, Ang Mga Lawin, Palos Kontra Gagamba, El Filibusterismo, and Kardong Kaliwa, to name a few. After marrying hubby Jaime Llora, Lulu accepted only few assignments, two of them the Salamisim and Alex Big Shot, her last movie before deciding to migrate to Australia with her family.
Of course, the Davao entertainment roster also includes William ‘Yam’ Laranas, movie director (‘The Echo’) and cinematographer; actors Justin Simoy (‘Puso ng Pasko’), Marco Alcaraz (‘Pitik Bulag’), Maricar Fernandez (‘U Belt’), Kristine Jaca (‘Tatarin’), Mirla Criste (‘Lost Dog’), Piero Vergara (‘Princess and I’), Jasmine (‘Wan-deuk-i’), Rob Sy (‘Amaya’), and Sharmaine Arnaiz (‘Milagros’); actress-singer Malu Barry (nee Marilou Baring) of ‘Minsan Pa’; columnist-actress Juliana Palermo (‘Panaghóy sa Subâ’), and adult porno star Mimi Miyagi (born Melody Damayo) in Sex Trek II: The Search for Sperm.
In the past two decades the roster of Davao talents has expanded to include television-film actress Erich Gonzales (‘Pinta Kasi’), Cassandra Ponti of Tagum City (‘Banal’), television actress Aileen Q. Iwamoto (‘My Monster Mom’), Ryan Ramos (‘Oras na Para Lumaban’), and actor-television agri-host Ruben Gonzaga who popularized the Budotz Dance.
Behind the silver screen, some Dabawenyos have made a name in American cinema. For instance, Eric S. Calderon is producer of the Japanese-American television film anime titled Afro Samurai: Resurrection (US); Ian S. Tan is with the editorial department of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (US); and John Butiu is a visual effects designer involved in the making of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
A key personality that promoted Davao films was Briccio G. Santos {‘Manikang Papel’), son of the former Davao City mayor and former head of the Film Development Center of the Philippines (FDCP). He sired the first Davao Film Festival in the seventies and built the iconic Cinematheque Davao, which exhibits documentaries and short films shot by local talents. Movie directors such as Palanca playwright Arnel Mardoquio, Charliebeb Gohetia, and Sherad Sanchez have also made a name abroad for their in-depth films.
The rise of independent movie-making in Davao, starting 2003, meanwhile, has earned the region the title as the ‘Hollywood of Mindanao.’ Dax Canedo and Drei Boquiren, both from Davao, started the Guerilla Filmmaking Workshop, an activity for budding local filmmakers, which has snowballed into what is now the Mindanao Film Festival.
Meanwhile, in the realm of recording, Davao contributed a good number of Marcos-era artists whose songs (in 45 and 33 LP vinyl records) became jukebox hits. Romeo Quiñones, a native of Mati, ruled the airwaves with his tribal O Kay Budi (Inday, Come Home) and Al Comendador of Maa, Davao City, who popularized the Visayan song Pangandoy.
Perhaps the most popular Visayan song to come from Davao is Usahay. It was written and composed by the late police Col. Gregorio R. Labja, a former band leader of the defunct International Harvardian University (IHU) who went on to become regional director for Administration at PNP Camp Catitipan, Davao City. Though born in Sibonga, Cebu, his family permanently settled in Pantukan, Compostela Valley Province.
And who would not know of Datu Bago awardee Joey Ayala of Bagong Lumad, who introduced in the global stage the exotic sounds of tribal instruments and drums from Davao region?
Among the singing ladies from the region who were popular during their heyday were Geraldine, Pauline Sevilla, Ruth Vergara (composer of the Visayan song Buta and member of the group Passionata), and Verni Gonzalez (of the Dalawa Kaming Api fame), to name a few. In later years, names like Davao City’s Juris Fernandez (of the MYMP duo), guitarist-songwriter Cynthia Alexander, and KZ (Kristine Zhenie) Tandingan of Digos City gained national accolades.
Then there was Jay Durias (of South Border), Jinky Vidal and Carlo Tapia (of Freestyle) and Champ Lui-Po (of Hale). Equally visible and active is Ronulfo ‘Popong’ Landero, a local guitarist and roots reggae musician. When talking about bands, names like South Border, Wadab (Dabaw spelled in reverse), Passionata, Thea, and Brownman Revival, among others, come to mind.
