Do you know that despite his Batangueño lineage, polymath Victor Diaz Laurel, better known as Victor Laurel or Cocoy Laurel, had Visayan roots?
This is precisely because, while his dad, Salvador H. Laurel, the late former Philippine Vice President during the Cory Aquino presidency was from Batangas, Victor's mom, Celia Diaz-Laurel hailed from Talisay City in Negros Occidental.
Actor, singer, visual artist, writer, orator, mentor and environmentalist Victor is indeed a Visayan.
And many Visayans are weeping and saddened by the demise of their pride kababayan.
Cocoy died of cardiac arrest on June 14, 2025 contrary to reports that he breathed his last because of cancer.
His family, through the official Facebook page of the late Celia D. Laurel being administered by her immediate family, announced the actor's passing two days after he was pronounced dead.
After he was cremated, his remains were at the Heritage Park and Crematorium in Taguig City.
At the funeral wake, he was honored by his clan, friends and colleagues from theater, TV and film.
High society was around during the entire wake from June 16, 17 to 18, 2025.
On June 19, 2025, his inurnment was done at the Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park in Makati City.
Present during the first day of Cocoy's wake were National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab, Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, Erlinda Rapadas T., Art Tapalla, Trixie Dauz, Dennis Marasigan, Iwi Laurel, Franco Laurel, Mary Ann Gomez, Ronnie Henares, Jamie Wilson and his wife Gold Soon, Raul Montes, among others.
According to Jamie, his sister Monique Wilson is in town from London. "She said she would pay her last respects to Cocoy tomorrow," he informed.
Meanwhile, singer and actress Nicole Laurel Asencio, daughter of Iwi, according to Mary Ann went to Japan a day before her uncle was brought to the memorial wake.
"She was able to say goodbye to her uncle, anyway," volunteered Jamie.
Gomez said Nicole had to fly back to Japan for her residency.
Wilson was sad in the demise of Victor whom he considered his mentor.
"I was seven years old when I appeared with Tito Victor in the stage play 'Pippin.' He was a model actor on professionalism and artistry," said Jamie who has been married to Gokd for fifteen years but they are still childless.
Jamie and Gold's children are their stage fellows.
At the moment, Gold, who dedicates her theatering to Cocoy, has just formed her theater group named Theater Meron to show classical pieces, some of them Rolando S. Tinio's Teatro Pilipino adaptations in Filipino like "Ang Tatay Kong Kalbo," a Tagalog of Romanian playwright Eugene Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano."
These stage undertakings are in honor of Victor Laurel and other venerable Philippine theater stalwarts.
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