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Remembering Jaclyn Jose: 'Hindi siya artista; taong-tao'

Leah C. Salterio

<div style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;text-align:left"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/Snapinsta.app_296245955_3406058019629497_3542092870959664492_n_1080.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><strong id="isPasted" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"><em style="box-sizing:border-box">Photo from the Instagram page of Jaclyn Jose</em></strong> </span></span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>MANILA -- She was a rare breed of actress. Many wanted to be like Jaclyn Jose (or Mary Jane Santa Ana Guck in real life) and envied her status as a much-respected film and television actress. However, no one came close to her achievements at the time of her death on March 2.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/3/3/actress-jaclyn-jose-has-passed-away-2107">Actress Jaclyn Jose has passed away</a></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose was the first Filipino and Southeast Asian who bagged best actress honors at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 for her award-winning turn as a mom and shabu dealer in Brilliante Mendoza’s “Ma’ Rosa.”</span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>She also amassed a trove of local acting awards throughout her four-decade career, topped by three Urian trophies from the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino for William Pascual’s “Takaw Tukso” (1987), Chito Roño’s “Itanong Mo sa Buwan” (1988) and Emmanuel de la Cruz’s “Sarong Banggi” (2006). </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Her life itself was her greatest obra maestra,” declared daughter Andi Eigenmann who tearfully confirmed her mother’s demise at the age of 60 on the morning of March 2, due to myocardial infarction or heart attack.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/3/4/jaclyn-jose-died-due-to-heart-attack-andi-eigenmann-says-1446">Jaclyn Jose died due to heart attack, Andi Eigenmann says</a></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Eigenmann put to rest all speculations after the sudden death of her mom.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Her undeniable legacy will definitely forever live on through her work, through her children, through her grandchildren and the many lives she’s touched,” added Eigenmann.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Bringing home a much-coveted acting trophy from the Cannes Film Festival was a major career highlight in the life of Jose, who was accompanied by her daughter in the awards ceremony.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><strong>Ricky Lee recalls &#x27;Private Show&#x27;</strong></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose made her big screen debut in William Pascual’s “Chicas” (1984), where she was joined by Rey “PJ” Abellana and Lovely Rivero.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>She bagged the lead role in only her second film, Roño’s “Private Show” (1984).</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>When Roño was looking for a female lead to audition for “Private Show,” written by Ricky Lee, Jose came highly recommended.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“We scheduled an audition then at New Frontier, which is now Kia Theater,” Lee told ABS-CBN News. “There was one artist who was scheduled to be there, but she didn’t make it.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“We mentioned to Chito that Jaclyn was highly recommended by Lino [Brocka] after they did ‘White Slavery’ that was yet to be shown at that time.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Jaclyn was requested to come for the audition of ‘Private Show.’ I remember, pupungas-pungas pa siya when she arrived. Ginising yata siya to go to the audition. She was really young at that time. But she was really good and she got her first lead role in ‘Private Show.’”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>After that, Jose and Lee worked in many other films -- Lino Brocka’s “Macho Dancer” (1988), Joel Lamangan’s “The Flor Contemplacion Story” (1995), “Deathrow” (2000), “Aishite Imasu Mahal Kita 1941” (2004) and “Pacquiao: The Movie” (2006).</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose also starred in Lee’s first play, “Pitik-Bulag sa Buwan ng Pebrero” (2009), directed by Joel Lamangan. It was also Jose’s first theater venture.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“She was really nervous at that time, but she turned out to be very good and natural,” Lee recalled.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose also did director Laurice Guillen’s teleplay, &quot;<em></em>Desaparecidos&quot;<em> </em>(2014), written by Lee.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“I did many films with Jaclyn,” Lee proudly said. “She became my friend through the years with our projects together. She was very simple. Hindi siya artista. Taong-tao. Madali mong makasundo.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><strong>&#x27;Call Me Alma&#x27;</strong></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>When Jose watched her last film with Lee, Mac Alejandre’s “Call Me Alma,” shown at the Cinemalaya Film Festival last year at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), she was in tears while watching.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Taong-tao siya,” Lee said. “She was watching her film at umiiyak pa rin siya at nagre-react siya.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose was elated that “Call Me Alma,” where she played a mother with early onset of Alzheimer’s, made it to Cinemalaya’s 2023 entries. She starred with young actress Azi Acosta.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Huwag niyong kalimutan, nasa PICC tayo ngayon,” Jose said then. “Dito pinalabas lahat ng magagandang pelikula natin noong araw.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Hindi lang pang-Cinemalaya ito, pang international ang ‘Call Me Alma’ dahil isinulat siya ng ating National Artist Ricky Lee.” </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>When Lee became jury chairman of FAMAS in 2017, he got Jose as juror. That was after she won for “Ma’ Rosa” at Cannes.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“She had a keen eye for detail,” Lee noted. “She remembered the details about what she saw in the movie that we discussed. She had a very sharp eye.”</span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span><strong>Celebrities pay tribute</strong></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>At the time of her death, Jose was playing prison warden Dolores Espinas in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” where she started appearing since September 2023.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Lead actor Coco Martin who was also Jose’s co-star in Mendoza’s Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry in 2022, “Apag,” posted a picture with Jose on the set of “Apag.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“Isa pang mahalaga sa buhay ko, nawala ka pa,” Martin wrote in a Facebook post.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“The untimely passing of veteran actress Jaclyn Jose is a tragic loss to the entertainment industry, as she has made a remarkable imprint for her unique and world-class talent,” Senator Jinggoy Estrada said in a statement on Monday.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“</span><span style="color:#222222;background:white">Nakaukit sa kasaysayan ng pelikulang Pilipino ang mga parangal at pagkilala sa natatanging galing at talento niya at mahirap itong matumbasan,” Estrada said.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="color:#222222;background:white">Estrada filed Senate Resolution No. 942 expressing profound sympathy and sincere condolences on the death of Jose, noting that when she won in Cannes, she </span><span style="color:#222222;background:white">bested other celebrated stars namely, Charlize Theron (‘The Last Face’), Marion Cotillard (‘From the Land of the Moon’) and Isabelle Huppert (‘Elle’).</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="color:#222222;background:white">“Her remarkable Cannes’ nod paved the way for the filing of Senate Bill No. 1032 or the proposed World-Class Filmmakers’ Incentives Act, which seeks to promote the production of world-class Filipino films by granting tax perks,” Estrada said.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="color:#222222;background:white">“She brought life to her roles, making them feel real and relatable, transcending borders, and touching the hearts of those who watched. Her loss is a tragic one and will be felt deeply by the entire entertainment industry,” Estrada added.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><strong>Two children</strong></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose’s two children – Andi Eigenmann and Gwen Garimond Guck – were not with her at the time of her death. Eigenmann was in Siargao, where she is based with her family, while Gwen was in the US, where he is studying.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Eigenmann was Jose’s daughter with late actor Mark Gil (Eigenmann in real life). She resides in Siargao with her husband, Philmar Alipayo. They have two children, while Eigenmann’s eldest child, is her daughter with Jake Ejercito. </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose’s second, Gwen Guck, was her son with 90’s bandmember, Kenneth Ilagan, formerly of True Faith. Music rubbed off with Gwen, who released an album with his band Suspiria Pink, under Ely Buendia’s record label Offshore</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>In 2022, Jose essayed the role of a killer mom, a real challenge for her, in director Bobby Bonifacio, Jr.’s dark, psychological and sexy thriller, “Tahan,” written by Quinn Carillo. </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“It was really difficult,” Jose said then about her role. “I got to take out innards of the guys I kill. Then I throw them away. But my director helped me a lot in every detail of this project.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Being a killer mom was totally shocking and unbelievable for Jose. “I never thought a mother could do everything I did in this film,” she asserted. </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>The multi-awarded actress found it hard to say “no” when “Tahan” was offered to her. As the domineering mother Nora, Jose didn’t give qualms about tragically throwing her daughter into prostitution. Nora went on a killing spree to save her daughter from the latter’s abusive clients.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“You can’t say no to a good project,” Jose insisted. “I believe in the project. Sobrang mysterious. When I talked to new stars, I always tell them, I was once there. I will never terrorize the newcomers.</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“The young stars are the next generation who can continue in this industry. We need to make their job easy so they can do well in showbiz. We should be nice to them. They are the future of this industry. They will continue the work. So, let’s not intimidate them.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span><span></span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose agreed that “Tahan” was a mother’s longing for her children. “If you are a mother, you will not stop crying,” she explained. “You can’t stop a mother when she cries. </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><br/></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>“When a mother m</span><span>isses her children, you just have to control and keep on loving. A mother cannot stop. She is consistently on the look-out. Even when she’s sleeping, you cannot stop a mom when she cries.”</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> Jose’s other memorable films that undoubtedly left a mark with the public include Pepe Marcos’ “Gabi Na, Kumander” (1986), Roño’s “Olongapo… The Great American Dream” (1987), Ishmael Bernal’s “Working Girls, 2” (1987), Lupita Aquino Kahiwahara’s “Hati Tayo sa Magdamag” (1988).</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>Jose also proved her innate acting flair in Romy Suzara’s “Cedie” (1996), Lamangan’s “Felix Manalo” (2015), Victor Villanueva’s comedy, “Patay na si Jesus” (2016), Roman Perez, Jr.’s “The Housemaid” (2021) and Louie Ignacio’s “Broken Blooms” (2022).</span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span> </span></div><div style="margin:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span>She has three more upcoming projects that are yet to be released. Joey Romero’s film, “Sigaw sa Magdamaga,” with Monsour del Rosario and Zoren Legasi, plus a series now in the can, “Sellblock,” with Jericho Rosales.</span></div>

<p>Jaclyn Jose was a rare breed of actress and no one came close to her achievements at the time of her death on March 2.</p>

Jaclyn Jose was a rare breed of actress and no one came close to her achievements at the time of her death on March 2.