Quest for ‘Justice for Nida’ revived

Nida Blanca

We appreciate and applaud the MTRCB’s decision to name its conference room in honor of former member Nida Blanca. She was tragically murdered in 2001, but the crime has yet to be solved.

So, this simple honorific will go a long way in reminding film buffs of Nida’s standout career and stellar achievements—and revive the quest for “Justice for Nida,” until the truth finally outs.

Having been a Nida Blanca fan for many years, we can vouch for her brilliance and verve as a film luminary, especially in comedy and musical roles.

Cinematic compilations of the best local screen performances through the years aren’t complete without the inclusion of some of Nida’s scintillating and timeless portrayals and musical-comedy performance numbers.

Nida is even a part of “official” film history, having figured in an experimental movie shot by the very inventive Silos brothers, which made use of their Siloscope’s ability to show three separate images of the same performer onscreen at the same time.

The landmark solo performer was Nida, who was captured for posterity, singing and acting out the same song—in three-part and visual harmony!

Early in her long-running career, Nida was the toast of flickerville due to her hit team-up with the similarly gifted and charismatic Nestor de Villa.

Their singing, dancing and acting tandem was loved and celebrated by moviegoers in many memorable costarrers, due to their winsome and winning screen chemistry.

Much later, Nida’s TV-film career enjoyed a second spring when she was tapped to team up with the comedy king, Dolphy, in the hit sitcom, “John en Marsha.”

On her own, Nida won numerous awards for her effervescent TV-film portrayals, from the Famas, Star, Luna, CMMA, Urian and MMFF awards.

Fans’ favorite Nida starrers include “Waray Waray,” “Amor Mio” (her first movie with Nestor), “Galawgaw,” “Batangueña,” “Babaeng Hampaslupa,” “Korea,” “Miguelito,” “Magdusa Ka,” “Pag-ibig, Masdan ang Ginawa Mo” and “Sana, Pag-ibig Na.”

In 2000, the Gawad Urian honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Film Academy of the Philippines seconded the motion in 2002.

All in all, Nida starred in some 160 movies and 14 TV productions. In our view, however, Nida was similarly outstanding as a person and friend, with many of the people close to her celebrating her vivacity, warmth and genuinely caring kindness.

Once, we spent hours shooting the breeze with Nida, and getting to know and value her non-star persona. She was spontaneous and candid about her loves and hates, and promised to “tell all” in an extended interview, which she tentatively scheduled “soon.” Alas, our long and definitively revelatory talk was “overtaken by events”—her tragic and shocking death.

But, reminders like the MTRCB’s recent honorific should eventually lead to the belated attainment of “Justice for Nida Blanca,” which has again become the rallying call of some of her many fans and friends. May even more of them join in the intensifying clarion cry.