They say that deaths come in threes.
Is this true?
At the moment, there are three incidents of deaths in local show business.
The first one that happened almost a month ago was the passing of the well-liked character actress Vangie Labalan.
Vangie's demise shocked the whole showbiz landia.
It's because everyone knew she was a health buff and a regular ballroom dancer who sweated it out on the dance floor to stabilize her heart and mental condition.
Vangie saw to it that her body and soul were kept harmoniously together in style and in substance.
But it was indeed her fate.
Labalan died not in the Philippines but abroad.
Vangie was in Australia when she breathed her last.
Show people were shocked to hear the bad news although they couldn't do anything about it until they accepted the sad fact.
Vangie's remains are now in the Philippines.
As of this writing, though, the announcement of her funeral wake isn't released by her family yet.
Sometime ago last week, movie scribes Linda Cabuhayan and Errol (apologies for not remembering his family name) paid their last respects to actress May Villarica, May Panlilio Sazon in real life.
After Linda and Errol's final viewing of the late May Villarica, the latter reported their memorial visits at the Heritage Park and Crematorium in Taguig City to veteran entertainment news hen Alice Vergara who told this columnist that the grandma of actress and TV hostess Mariel Rodriguez had died.
Alice, obviously, has no idea that May was the grandmother of Mariel.
"Ano? Magkaibigan kami ni May Villarica. Hindi ko alam na namatay na pala siya (What? She and I were friends. I didn't know she already died).
"Hindi rin nilinaw nina Linda na lola pala ni.Mariel si May. Dapat 'yon ay ipinaliwanag nila (They didn't clear it out ghat May was Mariel grandmother. They should have explained that).
"Hanggang ngayon, hindi kinaklaro sa akin nina Linda na kay May Villarica pala sila nakipaglamay. Malay ko ba (Until now, they haven't explained the whole story about May and Mariel. So, they attended May's funeral wake which was not mentioned in their narrative)," gushed Vergara.
Had Alice known it, she could drop by Heritage Park anytime.
"Nakakainis sila (They pissed me off)," lamented Vergara.
No worries, Alice!
You might go and pay Villarica last respects.
Pronto!
Vergara has learned recently that one of Sampaguita Pictures' Stars '66 Pepito Rodriguez has also kicked the bucket.
Pepito, the perennial love team of Rosemarie Sonora, died in a still undisclosed hospital.
Some of Rodriguez's films were "Mga Feyna Engkantada," "Mga Batang Bakasyunista," "Juanita Banana," among other popular hits.
Pepito was the younger brother of fellow Star '66 Ramil Rodriguez who had also passed on a few years ago.
The younger Rodriguez's remains lie as well at Heritage Park so Alice can shoot two birds with one stone going to far-off Taguig to honor as well, her friend May.
By the way, the most loyal mourners and well-wishers over May were Mariel and Robin.
It's reported that Villarica was always the caregiver of Rodriguez and Padilla's kids.
Deaths come in-threes might not apply to the three recent tragedies because the death of Vangie was far and between.
Our sympathies to the Labalans, to the Sazons and to the Rodriguezes.
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