Cartoonist Alcala dies of heart attack

BACOLOD CITY – Lauro "Larry" Alcala, the dean of Philippine cartoonists, is dead at the age of 75.

The creator of popular cartoon characters Kalabog en Bosyo, Siopawman and Asyong Aksaya died of a heart attack at 8 p.m. Monday at his home in the upscale Villa Valderrama subdivision here, where he had lived with his family since 1996.

"His cartoons can be characterized as light reading," a former student, The STAR’s editorial cartoonist Rene Aranda said, adding Alcala’s drawings hardly had any violence and depicted a distinctly Philippine culture.

"He was like everybody’s favorite uncle," Aranda said.

Generations of Filipino cartoonists, from Nonoy Marcelo and Roxlee to Ronni Santiago and Tonton Young, looked up to Alcala as a mentor. Several of his comic strip characters, like Kalabog en Bosyo and Asyong Aksaya, were made into movies.

Alcala pushed for the recognition of local cartoonists as real artists, in step with foreign countries where cartoonists were considered legitimate craftsmen and not mere doodlers.

He is best remembered as being a jolly person with a throaty laughter, Aranda said, noting that Alcala was like his own comic strip character.

"He lived his life the way he drew his cartoons," Aranda said.

Surviving Alcala are his wife, Guadalupe, and children, Lauro Jr. and Menchu, Lamberto "Toti", and Drs. Lizette and Vic Guanzon, grandchildren Ana Iris, Angela Ingrid, Anjelica Ida, Andrea Isabel, and Antoni Ivy, siblings and their spouses Joventino and Ody, Vic and Cristy, Aurora and Leod Amatong, and Elena and Rudy Obial, nephews, nieces and cousins.

Alcala’s remains were taken to the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels here so his friends in Bacolod and the rest of Negros Occidental could mourn with his family.

His body will be later flown to Manila and will be taken to the University of the Philippines Catholic chapel in Diliman, Quezon City, where it will lie in state.

Alcala was a retired professor at the UP College of Fine Arts and served as chairman of its Visual Arts Department.

After retiring from UP, Alcala moved to Bacolod City where his brother, Jose Vicente, had been living. The move to the province was also due to his recurrent asthma.

Alcala will be buried at the Loyola Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

His son, Lauro, said Alcala had just been released from the Riverside Medical Center here, where he was confined for a week for severe difficulty in breathing.

Four hours after arriving home, Alcala complained of chest pains but his family was not able to bring him back to the hospital which is a few kilometers from their home, Lauro added.

Known for his funny and satirical cartoons, Alcala created more than 500 cartoon characters, 30 comic strips, painted two murals, and published 15,000 comics in his 50-year career.

Born in Daraga, Albay on Aug. 18, 1926, Alcala drew the popular weekly comic strip Slice of Life for The STAR until his death, along with Siopawman., as well as the favorite trio of Bim, Bam, Bung in Funny Komiks, and Lolo Brigido in Pambata Magazine.

Alcala was nominated last year for the National Artist Award.

Founder of the Samahan ng Kartunista ng Pilipinas (SKP), Alcala worked to give Filipino cartoonists wider exposure, observing that Pinoy comics often took a backseat to syndicated foreign strips, which cost less to publish than the local comics. – Antonieta Lopez