Entertainment had always been perceived to be a world of sin. It is a universe where abounds greed, carnal desires and in extreme cases, murder (the Narding Anzures/Lilian Velez crime of passion, for instance).
In the 1980s, showbiz personalities began turning to religion. Most of them became renewed Catholics. It was Jeanne Young who was among the pioneers of the spiritual movement. She gave up her old life by strengthening her Catholic faith.
When she got married in 1983 (to Aussie Gary Hutcherson), the rites were held at the San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Sadly, the union ended in divorce. Jeanne Young is now a nun in San Francisco in California.
There were also showbiz folks who renounced their Catholic religion and became born again Christians. It was Ronald Remy who spread this faith in entertainment. He was easily able to convert Rosa Rosal and other local actors.
When I joined television in 1992, I felt I had to have a tighter grip on my moral compass, which was why I began my search for a Catholic group to guide me through the process. But during my first religious meeting at the Oasis of Love, I got so bored that left without finishing the talk of congregation leader, the late Father Sonny Ramirez.
But what would bring me to eternal damnation was the fact that I even dragged with me other regular attendees (Ali Sotto and company) to have coffee at Dunkin Donuts. That was the first and last time I attended Oasis of Love.
Shortly after, the late Chat Silayan brought me to the Elim Catholic Charismatic group that was founded by Bro. Willy Nakar, the father of former teen idol Dondon Nakar. It had its base at the San Carlos Seminary in Guadalupe, Makati.
That was the first time I met Dondon and his then wife, Candy Platon. We became fast friends. But within months, I got bored again. I guess I am not really for organized religions.
In the middle of the service, I would get fidgety and restless. It came to a point when I would attend the religious meeting only because Dondon and our group would repair to McDonalds after church.
After a year, I had backslid and became a fallen angel. I did not see Dondon and the gang again until Chat Silayan died in 2006. At the wake in Santuario de San Antonio, I was hesitant to talk to Dondon. I felt he might have been sore because I abandoned their church. But no, he was like a kid (he never lost that quality in him) who jumped with joy upon seeing me.
Since I was doing a coverage for TV, we did not get to talk much. Neither were we able to exchange numbers.
When I built my house in a subdivision in Quezon City, I found out that Elim already had a church within the village. But it took me three years to get in touch with Dondon. At the height of the pandemic in 2021, I took another gate to get inside the village and passed by their church. I decided to finally look up Dondon. He was not there, but I left a note with my phone number.
The day after, I got a call from him and he was like a child brimming with excitement. We scheduled a meetup at my house. Dondon and I had not seen each other in 15 years by then.
When the day finally arrived for us to reunite, Dondon was already 62 years old. He wore a baseball cap that he refused to remove and had visibly gained weight. But the enviable features were still there.
And there were still traces of his matinee idol looks.
Oh, there was a lot of catching up to do between us. I found out that he had a room within the church grounds, but was maintaining a condo unit in Wack Wack in Mandaluyong. He also told me that his son was already 27, but, sadly, had separated from Candy.
Life was not all roses for him during those years we were not in touch. But throughout those trials, the child in him remained. We had a few more phone calls after that meetup, but eventually, we lost touch again.
That will be among the biggest regrets of my life, not reconnecting with him soon enough. Dondon is now gone. He died last 1 November after a heart attack.
I will not see Dondon Nakar again, but I will never, ever forget him. I will always remember him as a friend who perpetually remained a child at heart.