Director Bibeth Orteza speaks to reporters on Friday, June 21, 2019, at the Heritage Park in Taguig City where the wake of veteran actor Eddie Garcia is held. Orteza says there’s no truth to stories that Garcia wanted his ashes sprinkled in Manila Bay. Krissy Aguilar / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The ashes of esteemed actor and director Eddie Garcia will not be scattered in Manila Bay, director Bibeth Orteza said Friday.
“‘Yun nga palang nasabi minsan ni Tito Eddie na pabiro na gusto raw niya ‘yung abo niya eh ikakalat sa Manila Bay, hindi totoo ‘yun,” Orteza, a friend of Garcia and his family, clarified in an ambush interview at Garcia’s wake at the Heritage Park in Taguig City.
Orteza said Garcia had made a promise with Mike Romero, father of his longtime partner Lilibeth Romero, that they would be together at the deathbed.
“Apparently, at one point, and Tito Eddie and father ni Lilibeth si Mike, kasi magkaibigan ‘yung dalawang ‘yun, nangako sa isa’t-isa, ‘Pag nilibing tayo, magkasama tayo sa libingan,’” she said.
“So ‘yun ang inaayos nila. ‘Yung mabili ‘yung lote na malapit doon. And then in the meantime, after the services on Sunday, iuuwi ni Lilibeth ‘yung mga abo,” she added.
An interview of Garcia saying he would want his ashes to be scattered in Manila Bay surfaced after he passed away.
“Gusto ko from death bed, diretso sa crematorium. Pagkatapos, may kaibigan akong piloto, kukunin ‘yung ashes ko, ikakalat sa dagat sa Manila Bay,” Garcia said in a 2012 interview.
His family, however, granted his wish to be cremated immediately after passing on.
READ: Eddie Garcia’s wish to be cremated granted by family
The wake of the acclaimed movie and television icon has been opened to the public starting Friday until Sunday.
Garcia died Thursday after nearly two weeks of being in a comatose state. He suffered a neck fracture after tripping on a cable wire during his taping for a GMA Network teleserye. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)
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