Remembering Lolit

Lolit Solis was forgiven for all her misdeeds — and those were a lot. But more importantly — for all her faults — she was still loved by members of the entertainment industry.

The public may not have understood her ways, but in showbiz, she was well-liked — except maybe for actors she may have crossed at some point. But, generally, Lolit was tolerated for being Lolit.

Lolit was actually a female Robin Hood: She stole from the rich to give to the poor. This was the reason why the disadvantaged regarded her with affection.

She hobnobbed with the rich. No, make that nouveau riche. The new money sought the pleasure of her company because Lolit was fun to have around. When she laughed, she sounded like a gaggle of geese in search of mates.

Those with newly-acquired wealth were generous with her. Lolit was their passport to the exciting world of showbiz. But with every “givsung” (cash she got from them), she never forgot to set aside a chunk of the loot to help members of the movie press in need of financial aid.

It was inherent in her to help those in want to enjoy little luxuries they otherwise could never afford. In batches, she treated the underpaid Startalk staff to trips abroad (as far as Europe). She used her airline miles, small donations from her co-hosts (this writer, sigh, included) and whatever she collected from her rich friends to finance those travels.

Lolit’s desire to help the less fortunate have a taste of the finer things in life must have been the result of a childhood devoid of material wealth. No, Lolit didn’t exactly grow up in abject poverty.

Her father, at least, had a job — as a driver for a big trucking firm. It was a hand-to-mouth existence though. Lunch was usually at 1 p.m. — or even later — depending on what time her father got paid.

Lolit, whose given name is Lolita, was Lita to her family. She and her four siblings were raised in the bowels of Sampaloc district in Manila ­­— in a street called Lardizabal (named after the Spanish governor Luis Lardizabal, who created the province of Nueva Vizcaya).

To be fair to her neighbors, most of them also aimed for better circumstances. Every Christmas, without fail, there would always be a severe case of food poisoning in some homes. The culprit: fake queso de bola (cheese ball). Not wanting to miss out on the usual Noche Buena fare, some of her neighbors often bought knockoff queso de bola that must have been badly handled – with questionable ingredients to boot (spoiled milk, most likely).

Finding her place in the sun

When she joined the workforce, she was hired by the late Betty Go-Belmonte, who had several publications in the late 1960s. Lolit would come to the office wearing the latest in fashion: miniskirts and fishnet stockings.

Blessed with a shapely figure and good skin (she was said to have oozed with sex appeal), she carried that 1960s trend with ease. Her being a fashion plate wouldn’t have been a problem had she not been assigned to the police beat (under ace reporter Ruther Batuigas).

Once, she joined Batuigas during a police raid of a prostitution den. Given her outfit, she was mistaken for a hooker. She was dragged by uniformed men into a police jeep and was this close to being brought to the precinct had it not been for the timely intervention of Batuigas.

From the police beat, she was moved to the society page. She got bored stiff there. But when she was absorbed by the entertainment department, Lolit finally found her place.

Love or career

While working as a showbiz reporter, she married the architect, Angelito Pasamonte. He made her stop working and brought her to his.

Sadly, the union between Lolit and her husband eventually collapsed. The marriage produced two daughters: Angel Lizza and Michaelangela. They were nicknamed Sneezy and Sloppy, respectively. Angelito eventually migrated to the West Coast, while Lolit returned to showbiz journalism.

When she was a movie scribe, she had on-cam appearances (as part of a panel of writers grilling movie stars about showbiz issues) in Inday Badiday’s talk show, Nothing But the Truth. That brought pride to her mother — seeing her Lita on television. Too bad, they didn’t have a TV set that time.

So, whenever Lolit had a scheduled TV guesting, her mother would cook extra viand to give to their neighbor who had television at home. With that food bribe, Lolit’s mother got to watch her on TV.

Aside from being an entertainment reporter, Lolit also became a publicist for movie stars and film companies. Later, she started managing talents — mostly from Regal Films.

When she had saved enough, she bought a house in Fairview. Movie journalists Ricky Lo and Crispina Belen were among her neighbors. In time, she and Boy de Guia were tapped by IBC-13 to host their own showbiz talk show.

Colors of her own

In 1994, the Manila Film Festival scam happened. Lolit was casting director of the awards night that time and that gave her backstage pass and access to the envelopes containing the names of the winners. When she discovered that her most valued talent Gabby Concepcion lost in the best actor race, she switched the envelopes in the lead acting categories without fear of the consequences.

Although that was a huge scandal, she was still forgiven by the industry. In 1995, GMA offered her to co-host Startalk with Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino. She stayed on with the show until it was terminated in 2015.

During the last years of Startalk, Lolit became diabetic. Diabetes often, if not always, leads to kidney problems. Her condition got so bad that she had to undergo dialysis treatment. First, it was twice a week and then it became thrice.

Last week, she was told by her doctor that her condition was worsening – to the point that she needed to be put on dialysis daily. At some point, her heart gave in. On 3 July, Lolit died at age 80.

Showbiz Z -— anywhere in the world — will always have its share of colorful characters. Lolit came in all hues. Oh, she was naughty. A But somehow, she still endeared herself with colleagues. And that’s because she also had her good side.

With Lolit gone, the entertainment world now looks duller. Hmm, it is also much quieter.