Iskho Lopez (Screengrab from the Instagram of Lolit Solis)
MANILA, Philippines — The screenwriter of multi-awarded film “Pagputi ng Uwak, Pagitim ng Tagak” Iskho Lopez has passed away at age 72.
Lopez died on Thursday at Anawim Lay Missions Foundation in Rizal, a home for elderly, his friends in the industry said.
“Iskho Lopez , a writer during his prime ay namatay sa Anawim, ang home for seniors na nag-aruga sa kanya matapos siyang dalhin duon ng mga kaibigan niyang showbiz writers,” talent manager and veteran writer Lolit Solis wrote over her Instagram page.
(Iskho Lopez, a writer during his prime died at Anawim, a home for seniors that took care of him after his showbiz writers friends brought him there.)
Solis expressed sadness that Lopez, whom she knew as a friendly person, “died alone.”
“So sad na during his time masasabi mo na active at friendly si Iskho, and yet he died alone. Ganyan yata ang buhay, accept na natin kung anuman ang mangyari, pero mabuti pa rin na nadala siya sa home for the aged dahil naalagaan siya,” she said.
(It’s sad because during his time, you can say that he was active and friendly and yet he died alone. I guess that’s just how life is, let’s accept whatever happened. But the good thing is he was brought to the home for the aged and taken care of.)
Che Bigcas, Lopez’s friend, likewise confirmed the writer’s death to INQUIRER.net. In a text message, she said Lopez died of cardiac arrest at 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Entertainment writers Aster Amoyo and Salve Asis likewise mourned the death of Lopez.
“Remembering our departed colleagues – Mario Hernando, Isah Red, and now Iskho Lopez who passed away this morning, Nov. 26 at age 72,” Amoyo wrote on Facebook.
“Rest In Peace, dearest Iskho. Maligayang paglalakbay,” Asis said in an Instagram post.
Lopez’s “Pagputi ng Uwak, Pagitim ng Tagak,” which starred Vilma Santos, was the most awarded film of the 27th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) in 1979.
The movie bagged the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Story, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, and Best in Production Design awards.
The same movie also won Best Screenplay at the Gawad Urian Award the same year.
Lopez also wrote the script of films “Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa” (1974), “Bakit May Pag-ibig Pa?” (1979), “Pakawalan Mo Ako” (1981), and more.