ABAYA. All too brief encounters.
Direk Marilou Diaz-Abaya lost her five-year battle with the Big C on Oct. 8 at St. Luke’s Global City. In 2004, I took her photo at her house on Horseshoe Drive, San Juan.
On Tuesday, my secretary delivered the photograph I took of her to her wake at the Ateneo with my note to Marilou: “I thought you’d have (more) time. I thought I would.” Here are some comments from friends on Facebook after I posted direk Marilou’s picture:
Ramon Magsaysay Jr.: “Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya is a national treasure. Even when she was sick, she directed a touching movie about the Ina ng Peñafrancia. Maraming salamat, Marilou! Godspeed.”
Belinda Olivares-Cunanan: “Direk Marilou Diaz-Abaya was a truly lovely lady; a woman of substance to the end. May she enjoy eternal peace.”
Alya Honasan: “Mandy, your photograph of her was displayed proudly in the middle of the aisle to her coffin. You and I and many others were blessed to have encountered her in our lives, no matter how briefly.”
Yes, I met her briefly through my lens. The filmmaking genius had a knack—and heart—for detail that is appreciated here and abroad. You’ll always be in our midst, direk Marilou!