From Farm Boy to Matinee Idol

He is considered by many as the greatest matinee idol of all time.  With a popularity even greater than that of ERAP, and an unblemished political record at that, Rogelio de la Rosa could have well become the first Kapampangan to step foot in Malacañang.  A classic example of perseverance amidst trials, the story of Rogelio is that of a farm boy who became the highest paid matinee idol of his time, who would later get elected senator of the country.

Like Macapagal and Joe Lingad, Rogelio (his real name is Regidor) was born in the town of Lubao on November 12, 1914 to Feliciano de la Rosa and Rosario Lim.  It was said that the family was well off enough to own the first car in town.  But a stroke of bad luck caused the family fortunes to fall.  And Rogelio and his siblings were left to fend for themselves.

That is when Rogelio became a "farm boy," fetching water, taking care of a piggery, poultry and his own orchard.  He was said to have received a diploma for poultry and hog-raising in high school since he excelled in his farm chores.  He was captain of the undefeated Central Luzon basketball team and also managed to bag scholastic honors for himself.

It was a Santa Cruz de Mayo zarzuela performance that launched the acting career of Rogelio.  It was said that he performed the villain's role so convincingly, his acting career was decided that early.  When filmmaker Jose Nepomuceno was looking for a new talent in 1929, Rogelio's uncle, actor Gregorio Fernandez, told Nepomuceno about his nephew.

So Fernandez went to Lubao to bring back Rogelio to Manila.  A six-footer, de la Rosa was an instant hit with the film producer.  At the same time, Nepomuceno had discovered another talent, the young Rose Stagner, who would be billed together with Rogelio in their first movie, the silent film Ligaw na Bulaklak.  It was in this film that Regidor adopted the name Rogelio and Rose Stagner became Rosa del Rosario.  Unknown to Nepomuceno, he had just launched the future king and queen of Philippine movies.

At the same time that Rogelio was pursuing his career in acting, he was busy earning his degree from the Far Eastern University.  He won an inter-provincial oratorical contest and the Claro M. Recto gold medal for exellence in oratory in 1933.  The year before, he was an inter-collegiate welterweight amateur boxing champion.

His career almost made a turn for the worst when sound was introduced to cinema.  Because of his heavy accent when he spoke Tagalog, Nepomuceno told Rogelio, "You're through."  But Rogelio was bent on continuing and mastered the language.  Ironically, it was Nepomuceno who would give him that new break in the movie Diwata sa Karagatan, which became the first Filipino feature film sold abroad. 

Rogelio would later move to Sampaguita Pictures when it was established in 1937, where he would star with Elsa Oria in its inaugural film Bituing Marikit, who's title song is now considered a harana classic.  Elsa would later become "the singing sweetheart of the Philippines."

Rogelio met his next leading lady, Carmen Rosales, in the film Takip Silim.  It was said to be the birth of a new love team of Philippine cinema.  The Rogelio and Carmen tandem set a prewar trend in screen romances with smash hits Señorita, Colegiala, Lambingan, Diwa ng Awit, Panambitan and Tampuhan.

By 1946, Rogelio was considered the highest paid movie actor, with a P2,000 fixed-salary and a 25 to 33 percent share of the net profits of his films.  That gave him an income of almost P200,000 annually.  Rogelio made a grand exit after making the film Higit sa Lahat with Emma Alegre, which won the Famas Best Piture Award in 1956.  Rogelio would go on to win the Best Actor Award for the same film at the Third Asia Film Festival in Hong Kong.

He was elected senator in 1957, thus launching his political career.  Rogelio was already a candidate for the 1961 presidential polls, an election he could have won easily, but withdrew in favor of Diosdado Macapagal, who was not only his friend and town mate, but also his relative, the sister of Macapagal being Rogelio's first wife.  Today, at a time when presidential polls could become a circus of personalities, all wanting the top position, politicians should follow the example of Rogelio, who gave up personal gain and an almost sure shot at Malacañang, for a friend.

A life as an ambassador capped the career of de la Rosa, when Macapagal appointed him Ambassador to Cambodia.  Under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, he was appointed ambassador to The Hague, with concurrent accreditation to Poland.  His last assignment was in Sri Lanka, after which he retired in 1984.  Two years later, he joined our Creator.

So many turning points in the lives of the three friends from Lubao.  So many "what ifs" whose answers only God will know.  But isn't it an eye opener to find out that there were persons from the small town of Lubao, who could have eventually made that same journey to Malacañang Palace?

Please send your comments or suggestions to ivanhenares@yahoo.com.

We would like to request those who will be using the information above, especially for publication, to properly cite the author and the Kapampangan Homepage.  The above column was published in Sun*Star Pampanga.