Ricky Davao’s maturity as director shines in Forever

With Ricky Davao now at the helm of GMA 7’s epic period drama Forever, our thoughts go back to the time when we were with The Manila Times publications, and Ricky Davao with Michael de Mesa became our very first wards when talent management was in its infancy. Ricky was a student at Mapua completing Manage- ment Industrial Engineering, rushing to rehearsals at CCP’s Tanghalang Pilipino. Although he entertained thoughts of priesthood, becoming a doctor, his attraction to acting was something different. He had been seriously bitten by the bug.

“It’s a certain high you get that is priceless,” he was explaining to Jose Cabaltera of FEU. “When in front of an audience, you control their every move. In one instance, they cry, the next they laugh. They listen, they react. I become a different person and experience all these things that as Ricky Davao, I won’t experience,” he muses.

We had found difficulty keeping up with his hectic pace of studies, acting and girls in between. This was in the ’80s and soon enough, he made waves in the play Bongbong at Kris where Ricky was Bong- bong and Tricia Amper Jimenez was Kris, an improbable love story between then President Marcos’ son and his archrival Ninoy Aquino’s daughter Kris.

As a young man, Ricky was tirelessly pursuing various interests in an effort of finding his final muse. One day, he brought us to My Other Office sing-along bar in Malate where he and writers Mario Hernando and Pete Lacaba would sing ’til dawn. This would lead to Ricky’s passion for singing that he has never lost, becoming known for having a minus-one in his pocket ready to give in to requests.Pete soon enough would exercise his writer’s wand, giving birth to Salinawit as he translated popular songs in various languages into Pilipino. As of last count, he was into his 134th song. Last Tuesday,we attended the reunion concert of Salinawit pioneers with Pete as head, Cookie Chua of the band Color it Red, advertis ing guru Reli German, Ricky and piano wizard Ferdie Borja. This was a groupsinging monthly at the Con- spiracy Bar on Visayas Avenue, with their very own Salinawit followers often exercising their own vocal cords at the micro- phone.

What we found disarming in Ricky is that he had brought with him to the gig his entire Forever crew of assistant directors, cinematographers and the stunt director for a night of song, food and letting one’s hair down. Tonight, he wasn’t boss Direk Ricky, he was a friend sharing his private world with them.Ricky got his first taste of directing in 1996 on MMK’s anniversary special of actors directing. If in acting Ricky felt the wonder of becoming a different person with each role, in directing it’s another high, he shares with Jose Cabaltera. “You’re there on the set all the time. You’re the captain of the ship or a painter and the show is your canvas,” Ricky was telling him. Ricky details how he worked until four in the morning the previous night. “We shot 40 sequences,” he beams with a combination of pride and disbelief at his own prolific feat. Many viewers are not aware of the networks’ incredible deadlines where directors are given 24 hours to complete TV episodes. “You drink five to seven cups of coffee a day just to perk up or wake up. But this is the system and I’m doing it because I’m enjoying it,” Ricky continues.

Ricky tells us that GMA offered him the new project before his last series ended. Forever stars the legend- ary Gloria Romero, Heart Evangelista and Geoff Eigenmann in a story of the enduring power of love despite time, distance and death. A period film in the ’50s, sugar heiress Adora (Heart) falls in love with poor farmer Ramon (Geoff) despite her father’s disapproval. She is promised to a rich man’s son (Mark). This forbidden romance ends in Ramon’s death but we all know, and so does Adora that her love will return someday, perhaps in another shape, form, or person.

Ricky describes himself as a visual director, inspired by Japan’s Akihiro Kurosawa. His directorial assignments have ranged from Calvento Files, Star Drama, Wansapanataym, Makapiling Kang Muli, Kokak, Sisid, Grazilda to Coffee Prince and Forever. We have watched some episodes of Forever and find it definitely the work of a mature director. His future is now assured.

Our remaining dream for Ricky is for him to finally direct his long-delayed project Hiblang Abo, the Movie, which its writer, the late Rene Villanueva rewrote for him. He has trained long enough for it. The play, originally written in 1980, tells of the grief, fears and sorrows that haunt four old men living in a Home for the Aged. Ricky’s initial cast of his dad Charlie Davao, Dolphy, Paquito Diaz, are now all gone. Only Eddie Garcia remains. We look forward to auditions soon.

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