Dolphy's prayer

He first brought tears to my eyes in Facifica Falayfay  he made me and my sister Mae laugh so hard with his antics as a gay hairdresser the tears just rolled.

Then there was John ‘en Marsha, which we even dissected in one of my history classes in high school for how it mirrored Philippine society at the time. He was John Puruntong, a happy-go-lucky padre de familia who never worried about tomorrow even if he and his family lived in a one-room shack. He served his family laughter on the dining table more than three times a day, and though poor, they were happy (well, there was a rich mother-in-law as a buffer for hard times, literally and figuratively).

So in a way, whether we’re 65 or 16, Dolphy has been around since the day we were born. With over 60 years in show business and over 150 movies, he is a household word. And he has lasted because he has effortlessly mastered the art of making people laugh, serving them laughter in generous doses that relieved them of their aches and pains, of their tears and fears.

And he doesn’t know how to act! He just is, living his roles and breathing life into them. He is a natural, you could almost imagine that he is really Mang John sparring with his intrusive mother-in-law (Dely Atay-Atayan).

Or the working “mother,” the gay hairdresser Dioscoro Derecho or Coring, in Ang Tatay kong Nanay, struggling to balance home and career and the realities of life. Here he played Tatay and Nanay to his adoptive son Niño Muhlach.

He is so identified with dulling our pain and taking the blues away from our everyday lives that he even once endorsed a painkiller called Dolfenal. And his endorsement for the brand went something like: “Basta isipin n’yo lang, Dolphy… Dolfenal!”

In real life, this clown is all too human. He had family problems. After he left his partner (Alma Moreno) to elope with the love of his life (Zsa Zsa Padilla, then married), he was shunned by both advertisers and many fans. Who could imagine that Facifica Falayfay could break hearts and make women cry real tears of sadness?

One of his sons was sent to prison. Another son almost lost his life to a devastating vehicular accident, but survived.

That is the appeal of Dolphy. His life, as well as his roles, runs the gamut of emotions. People could identify with him onscreen, and off-screen (except not all could boast of 17 children and the string of beautiful girlfriends).

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Dolphy was one of PeopleAsia magazine’s People of the Year in 2007, along with Vilma Santos, Sen. Loren Legarda, Rep. Gina de Venecia and Fr. James Reuter, S.J., among others.

According to his biographer Bibeth Orteza (As Told to Bibeth Orteza), Dolphy was truly happy and honored with the award.

In an interview in 2007 with writer Gabby Libarios for PeopleAsia, Dolphy said his most memorable roles were his “gay” roles, because that’s how he got noticed by the public and the movie producers.

His favorite movies are those, “that make you laugh, and at some point, make you cry. More importantly, I like movies that leave you with lessons.”

At the time of the interview, Dolphy also just recovered from pneumonia. He was taking a breather from showbiz and spending more time with his children.

“Honestly, I feel sorry I didn’t spend much time with my kids when they were growing up. I was doing shows in Japan and Hong Kong most of the time. I didn’t have time for my family back then because I really wanted to earn more.”

At that time, he also expressed regret that he wasn’t able to make a movie with Fernando Poe Jr. “Before Ronnie passed away, he told me that we should make a movie together. Unfortunately, the good Lord took my friend. It would have been a good movie.”

Dolphy is a man of deep faith. “Most of my prayers are for the people I love,” he told PeopleAsia. “I pray, of course, for good health, a more peaceful and quiet life.”

His second fervent prayer is made more poignant now as he valiantly struggles for his life at the Makati Medical Center: “I also ask God to give me more time (on earth) so I can take care of my family longer.”

“Before I go, I want my kids to have a more stable life already. I also pray that if He’s going to take me, He won’t let me suffer pain.”

Clowns can smile through their tears, but this comedian wants his life’s performance to be punctuated  whenever that would be, in God’s own time  with a smile.

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