IMELDA ILANAN

photocredit: Video48
IMELDA ILANAN is the mother of Maricel Laxa, an actress and a known TV celebrity.
The father of Maricel Laxa is Tony Ferrer who is married to Alice Crisostomo.

From Sol Vanzi.

Imelda, now based in Shanghai, China, is in town to help her son, Misha, get a student visa.

"Mahirap kasing mag-apply ng student visa sa China if you are a resident of another country. E, hanggang ngayon even if we’ve been living in China for sometime, pawang mga holder pa kami ng Philippine visas," related Imelda.

Misha, now 20, is her only child with husband Ben Avanceña, now president of Johnson and Johnson in China, Taiwan and Korea.

Misha studies at the St. Louis University in Madrid, Spain, taking up a course in international communications. He would have wanted to take up theaters art in a university in London. "He took his entrance exams in both universities. Kaso, mas nauna siyang nakatanggap ng sagot from the university in Madrid," Imelda said.

Imelda will, likewise, take the opportunity to apply for a visa to Switzerland. Ben, according to her, is going there for a business conference and he wants her to accompany him.

"Unlike in the past when Misha was still studying in a school in China, ayaw na ni Ben na naiiwanan ako sa bahay namin sa China," said Imelda.

Like all residents of China, Imelda is excited about the coming Olympics, which will be held in Beijing. Johnson and Johnson happens to be a major sponsor. They were promised access to the event.

"It was Ben kasi who signed the contract for Johnson and Johnson," she reveled.

Ben Avanceña’s mother is Zenaida "Nini" Quezon-Avanceña, who is the daughter of the late Philippine President Manuel Quezon.

***

From Imelda, we also learned that her daughter, Maricel Laxa, now Mrs. Anthony Pangilinan, will soon finish her doctorate in Family and Child Development from the University of the Philippines.

Aside from writing a weekly column on family and child care in the Philippine Star, Maricel still occasionally appears on TV. She has several TV commercials. Two of her four kids also have their own product endorsements. One endorses a paracetamol and the other, a healthy drink for children.

Maricel’s husband, Anthony, is the younger brother of Senator Kiko Pangilinan..

December 19, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

FORMER actress Imelda Ilanan tried to turn down offers to do a film with Fernando Poe Jr. twice in the '70s, but the king of Philippine movies was "so persistent that I couldn't say no."

Imelda, one of the most beautiful faces in the late '60s, said FPJ used to visit her almost every day until she agreed to do the movie with him.

"He told me, 'you're the perfect actress for that role. I want you to do it and no one else.' How could you say no to someone like him?" said Imelda, in the home of her daughter, actress Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, in Quezon City.

Imelda said she did not want to do "Asedillo" in 1971 with FPJ because she had been four months pregnant with her second child, Melvin.

"I didn't want to commit to it because I knew we would be shooting on location and that I would have to travel far," Imelda explained. "Ayaw niyang pumayag. He said having a pregnant leading lady would bring him

good luck." (He would not take no for an answer.)

"Asedillo," directed by Celso Ad Castillo and now considered one of

local cinema's best movies, became a box-office hit in 1971. It also brought FPJ his second best actor award from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas) that same year.FPJ's first Famas best actor

award was for his performance in "Mga Alabok sa Lupa."

Topless scene

Imelda, who played Poe's third wife in "Asedillo," continued to shoot the movie until she was in her ninth month of pregnancy.

Imelda said she did not want to be part of the other movie, "Bontoc," also with FPJ as her leading man and directed by the late Pablo Santiago, because "I didn't want to go bold."

According to Imelda, she had to shoot two "difficult" scenes in "Bontoc." One scene required her to go topless while running on a beach, while the other required her to fight off a rapist.

Imelda said she was supposed to play FPJ's mother in the movie, which she did not like. "How could I play a mother to him?" she said. "I was just 27 when we did that movie, and Ronnie [FPJ's nickname] was way older than I. But Ronnie said I would only be part of the flashback

scenes.

"I'll never forget when he told me, 'if you're an actor, you could do anything,'" Imelda said. "He and Direk Pablo did well in convincing me [to do the movie]. Ronnie said we would buy a long wig to cover my breast while I'm doing the scene on the beach. Direk Pablo promised that

none of my private parts would be exposed during the rape scene.

No regrets

"I believed them, and the movie turned out well," she added. "I'm glad I did that movie. No regrets."

Imelda's first movie was "Geron Busabos, Batang Quiapo" in 1964, with FPJ's best friend, former President Joseph Estrada, in the title role.

Estrada produced the film, written by Augusto Buenaventura and directed by Chat Gallardo, under his JE Productions.

"I played my first lead role in that movie and Ronnie was our guest

star," Imelda recalled.

Imelda also worked with FPJ in "Dos Por Dos" and "Bato sa Buhangin." They were last seen together in "Mabuting Kaibigan, Masamang Kaaway" in 1991.

"Ronnie was a very generous man," she said. "He took care of his co-stars very well. Once, I asked for lechon de leche and he immediately sent one to the set. But he also made sure that the crew members were provided with the best food. Pantay-pantay ang treatment niya."

For eight years now, Imelda has been living in Singapore with her husband, Ben Avanceña, and her youngest child, Misha. The former actress arrived in Manila on Dec. 12, the day FPJ was rushed to the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City, where the actor died on Dec. 14 just one

minute after midnight.

Imelda said she received a text message from her daughter Maricel's sister-in-law, Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, informing her of FPJ's condition.

"Angeli was asking that I pray for Ronnie's recovery," Imelda recalled. "I got nervous, but I didn't think it was that serious. I knew Ronnie to be a strong man. I thought he would eventually get better.

FPJ's neurologist, Dr. Abdias Aquino, said FPJ suffered a "severe brain attack" or stroke.

"When I heard of his death, I got depressed," Imelda added. "Ronnie was a true friend to many."