Actor Mel Francisco who died of cardiac arrest last week was a close associate in the biz.
Our closeness started when we used to visit his place in Tandang Sora with fellow reporters Art Tapalla, Obette Serrano, Roland Lerum, Alice Vergara, Lhar Santiago and the late Gil E. Villasana, among others.
We were also close to sisters Margie and Nina Sara, the youngest, both singers and actresses and their mom, Antonina, shortly named Mama Ning who was a heavy beer drinker, sharing the brew with the movie press.
At the time, Margie was living-in with Mel and they already have three kids.
My closest moment with Francisco, though, was when I religiously covered the rape case of Nina against lesbians who violated her. From print to broadcast (I was doing “Star News” of “TV Patrol” when a romance between Mel and Nina was looming) I got them on air and column inches.
Nina incidentally fell in love with Mel as he was taking care of her for comfort. It was a big a scandalous story that boosted “TV Patrol”’s ratings in the late nineties.
“Ikaw talaga, Boy, reporter ka talaga (You, Boy, you’re indeed a reporter),” commented Nina when I exposed her story on air.
Nina said Mel’s remains were in Laguna. “Ang guwapo pa rin ni Mel kahit patay na (Mel is still good-looking in death) at 78 years old,” quipped Nina.
Meanwhile, according to Alice, Mel’s remains were still in a freezer in the funeral parlor until his sibling comes home to arrange for his wake.
Rest in peace, Mel!