Philippine moviedom was at its brightest in the ‘40s and
‘50s with the luminous presence of one talented family of from Lubao: the de la
Rosas. The family of performers, children of Feliciano dela Rosa and Rosario
Lim, were all involved in the movies in
different capacities. They included Africa dela Rosa, a character actress and a
writer and Purita, who dabbled in acting but is more well-known as the 1st wife
of Pres. Diosdado P. Macapagal.
Two siblings would join them in the acting bandwagon and
would rise to great prominence. ROGELIO
DELA ROSA (born as Regidor de la Rosa on 12 November 1916), the older of
the two, would become the golden boy of 1930s-50s Philippine Cinema. Discovered
for the movies by director Gregorio Fernandez, the strapping 6-footer was introduced
to film mogul Don Jose Nepomuceno in 1929.
His launch movie in 1932 was with a Filipina-European
mestiza, Rosa del Rosario (the 1st high-flying Darna) , entitled Ligaw na Bulaklak. Other early works
included Diwata ng Karagatan for
Parlatone Hispano Family (1936) and Bituing Marikit, Sampaguita Pictures
(1937). But Rogelio de la Rosa was most known for his team-up with Carmen
Rosales, d
His most acclaimed role yet was in the 1955 movie Higit sa Lahat, directed by Gregorio Fernandez.
He not only earned a Famas Best Actor Award for his role, but also won the 1956
Asian Film Fest Best Actor Award in Hong Kong.
The popularity of
the Dela Rosa brothers earned them a few commercial endorsements. ROGELIO did a
print ad for OLD GOLD Cigarettes in 1953. Old Gold was introduced in 1926 by
the Lorillard Tobacco Company and, was one of the more famous cigarette brands
in the Philippines, thanks to advertising.The OLD GOLD print ad is cross-promoted
with dela Rosa’s 1953 movie ,”Sa Paanan ng Bundok”, in post-production at that
time. In 1953, Lorillard began advertising king-size Old Gold side by side with
the standard brand. in 1957, it added a filtered variety as well.
After retiring from the movies, he entered politics, got
elected as a Senator, ran for Presidency, only to retract his candidacy to give
way to brother-in-law Diosdado. He then became an ambassador to Sri Lanka, Cambodia.
His last assignment was in The Hague, Netherlands, a post he held until his
death on 10 November 1986.
Just like his siblings, JAIME DE LA ROSA (b. 1920) forayed
into movie acting. With his debonair looks, Jaime too, was destined to take
center stage and follow his own star.
He was studying Law when the teen was first featured in
the Eastern Pictures movie, Anak ng
Lansangan (Children of the Streets) in 1939, using the screen name Tommy de
la Rosa. Soon, he was cast successively
in 3 movies in supporting roles: Cadena
de Amor, Bawal na Pag-ibig and Kahapon Lamang.
His rising career was momentary halted by the War, but right
after, in 1951 , Jaime was cast in the 1st ever Darna movie, starring Rosa del
Rosario, as the lead’s love interest. In 1953, he was Fredo, the human lover of
the fabled mermaid beauty, Dyesebel,
played by Edna Luna. Both movies
catapulted him to stardom.
JAIME DELA ROSA dabbled
in radio, where he hosted program for PMC. Thus, he became a drumbeater for
PURICO as well as COCA-COLA, where promotional postcards of him were made, ca. 1953.
The ‘50s decade can be considered as Jaime’s heyday, with
a string of hit movies for LVN like Satur
, Galawgaw (a role identified with Nida Blanca), Anak ng
Pulubi, and Medalyong Perlas. In 1956, Jaime was nominated for the Best Actor
FAMAS award his gritty performance in the movie Kumander 13.
When television was introduced in the Philippines, Jaime
became one of the new medium’s pioneers, hosting ABS-CBN’s Caltex Star Caravan
In 1959, JAIME DELA ROSA was
tapped by VICKS to push VICKS INHALER. VICKS then had an expanded
product line that includes Vaporub, Formula 44, Impact and Cough Drops. Along with Jaime, movie stars
like Jean Lopez and Luis Gonzales endorsed VICKS INHALER.
Just like his brother, Jaime entered the world of
politics. He served as a councilor of Manila and eventually became the city’s
Vice Mayor. He died in service, on 18 September 1996.
Today, the dela Rosa brothers are considered true movie
icons and role models of the film industry, their stars shining the brightest
in the gilded age of Philippine Cinema.
