Veteran director and comic strip creator Carlo J. Caparas has passed away, his family confirmed through social media Saturday night. He was 80.
His cause of death has yet to be revealed.
To honor her father, Peach Caparas penned a poem titled “Sa Bawat Tipa ng Makinilya.”
“Halos umaga na, sa libliban ng Ugong isang makinilya, pilitang binabasag ang katahimikan roon (It’s almost morning, in the wilderness of Ugong, a typewriter is trying to break the silence),” the first lines read.
“Isang mananalaysay ng kwento ng buhay, nilalabanan ang antok, nagsusunog ng kilay. Sa kanyang taglay na brilyo mga obra maestrang nobela kanyang nabuo (A life storyteller, fighting sleepiness, and burning eyebrows. With his brilliance, he created novel masterpieces).”
“Panday, Pieta, Elias Paniki, Bakekang, Totoy Bato ang ilan lamang sa mga ito (are just some of them),” it added.
The poem recalled how Carlo Caparas made a name in the comics industry that he became part of the culture, “naging yaman ng lahi” and that his works even reached the cinema.
“’Pack up na direk.’ Oras na ng uwian. Hayaang kasaysayan ang humusga sa iyong mga obra (Pack up, director. It’s time to go home. Let history judge your works),” Peach wrote.
She ended it with “Salamat Direk Carlo J. sa mga dibuho at istorya. Mga istoryang nabuo sa bawat tipa ng iyong makinilya. Dad, you will forever be loved, cherished and honored by all of us (Thank you direk Carlo J. for your drawings and stories. Stories created with every stroke of your typewriter. Dad, you will forever be loved, cherished and honored by all of us).”
The wake will commence on 27 May from 12 noon to midnight at the Golden Haven Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, Villar Sipag, C5 Extension Road, Barangay Manuyo Dos, Las Piñas. Chapel is Conservatorio II.
Carlo J. Caparas started his writing career in the ‘70s with his first novel, Citadel. He went on to create his first movie, Contessa, in 1973. This was followed by the komiks series Totoy Bato, Bakekang, Ang Huling Lalaki sa Baluarte, Mong (as director and writer), as well as the popular Ang Panday. The fantasy series later on starred the late Fernando Poe Jr.
His last film was Kamandag ng Droga, which tackled the bloody drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
