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Last week’s most talked about woman is Daria Ramirez. To the millennials and Gen Zs, they probably think that she’s just some ex-wife out to mooch off Joey de Leon.
They have to understand that Daria will always be considered as one of the finest actresses in Philippine cinema. In fact, she won the Gawad Urian twice.
Born Lydia Tugas, she grew up in Pandacan, Manila. As a child, she always played in the street practically the whole day until she was dirty and sweaty. No one thought she would amount to anything.
But when she entered her teens, she suddenly turned into a beauty. And she had the body to match her pretty face.
In the early 1970s, she started doing small projects for ABS-CBN. The viewing public then wasn’t sure what her name was. She was just this sexy girl who’d do short guest stints, but always left a mark in each one.
The most significant part she played was in the sitcom Si Tatang Kasi. Her role there was to seduce and manipulate the elderly Pugo into falling for some scam she had devised. Yes, there was already scamming even then.
Daria and Joey never talked about their love story. Maybe because it ended in separation.
Most likely, they met in ABS-CBN where Joey was the busiest disc jockey. He was 25 when they got married. Daria was 20.
By the time ABS-CBN was shut down by martial law in September 1972, Daria was already pregnant with their first-born, who later would be the actor Keempee de Leon. Their daughter Cheenee followed soon after.
In 1973, Joey became a familiar face on TV – via Okay Lang, a gag show on Channel 13. He also resumed his work as a DJ and anyone in this line of work becomes a chick magnet.
With his erratic schedule, Joey would just come in and out of the apartment he shared with Daria and the kids. There were times when Joey would just keep his taxi waiting (he never learned how to drive) while he changed clothes upstairs. It didn’t take long for the union to collapse.
While Joey made do with supporting roles in the movies in the 1970s, Daria’s career peaked. She became a film sensation in Piknik in 1976. She appeared in this movie with Carmen Ronda, a very pretty mestiza, whose life was basically tragic.
If we may digress a bit, Carmen grew up in a carriton with her mother. After a short stint in the movies, she became inactive when she fell in love with action star Rhene Imperial. Apparently, their union didn’t work out and the two separated. Poor Carmen died in poverty.
But back to Daria and Piknik. Daria was at her most daring in this movie. She did everything here: went naked (no frontal nudity though) kissed her leading men passionately and romped around in bed with them.
What stays in the viewer’s mind though is this scene where she shares a toothbrush with Ricky Belmonte. Eww. From his mouth to hers.
Daria did a lot of other sexy movies after Piknik. But though she was branded a “bold star,” film critics held her in high regard.
In 1977, she was voted best actress in the Gawad Urian of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino for the fiilm Sinong Kasiping, Sinong Kapiling? She was directed in this film by no less than National Artist for Film, Eddie Romero.
Daria had no intention of attending the Urian that time. But there was a practice then among awards organizations to send the list of winners to entertainment editors around 7 or 8 p.m. on the night of the awards - when all the participants were presumed to have already gathered in the venue and had no way of finding out the results. This was to ensure that the event had a fresh coverage the very next morning.
One of the entertainment editors obviously tipped off Daria that she was going to win. Not wanting to miss out on the chance to accept her trophy personally, she took a quick shower, slipped into the first formal wear she saw in her closet and drove to the venue of the awards presentation – the CCP Little Theater.
The show was halfway through when she reached CCP. Her hair, in fact, was still damp when her name was announced as best actress.
Three years later, she won the Urian again – as best supporting actress this time. Her movie was Aguila, which was also by Eddie Romero. Daria’s win surprised the public because her onscreen appearance in Aguila was very short – practically just one scene. But it was an intense performance worthy of an award.
Although she was a very popular actress from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s, Daria didn’t talk much about her private life. People knew she was Mrs. Joey de Leon. Everyone was also aware that they had separated. But neither Daria nor Joey spoke about the separation.
During the early years of Eat Bulaga, the comedienne Debraliz Valasote was one of the noontime show’s co-hosts. As part of the script, the program’s writers made it appear that Debraliz was in love with Joey and that she’d get jealous each time he interviewed a female guest.
But there came a time when Daria went to Eat Bulaga to promote a movie she had just finished. Debraliz was so cute because she was on her best behavior during that episode. She couldn’t make a move on Joey because the wife was there. But again, Debraliz didn’t really have the hots for Joey. It was just an act to humor the audience.
In 1982, Eileen Macapagal came. How did that come about? In September 1981, Eat Bulaga’s original female host, Chiqui Hollmann, left the show. To find a replacement for her, Eat Bulaga tried out different young female talents and Eileen was among those drafted.
But that search was all for naught. In March 1982, Coney Reyes was fired from Student Canteen. She was the perfect replacement for Chiqui since Coney had the public sympathy.
Joey, however, continued pursuing Eileen. They have three children between them and in 2018, they finally tied the knot.
Daria also found another love in the person of an American-Italian. That union produced a beautiful daughter named Phoebe.
What’s strange about Daria going public and asking for financial support from Joey is that they never seemed to have lost contact with each other. Before the pandemic and, yes, TVJ’s transfer to TV5, Daria would sometimes drop by the Eat Bulaga studio and she and Joey would talk.
Nobody knows for sure how this episode between the ex-couple would end. Sadly, a lot of social media users had been bashing Daria online.
We’re not saying that having herself interviewed was a good move from her end. Maybe she could have talked things over with Joey privately. But that was her decision and it’s done.
However, it may be good to remind the public and give the millennials and Gen Zs an insight into what Daria Ramirez is in the entertainment industry. No, she’s not just some extorting ex-wife out to get money from Joey de Leon.
Daria Ramirez is an accomplished actress with acting decorations to her name.
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