Philippine Showbiz Today
November 22 - December 7, 2016
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
Feature Story
11
Remembering Pablo S. Gomez:
Writer, Director, Master Storyteller
by Jose K. Lirios
PST Manila Correspondent
If you got the chance to ask
the much awarded veteran director
Pablo S. Gomez to discuss his
stories, novels and scripts since he
began his writing career way back
in the 1950s, he will surely lose
track of time talking about them.
At the peak of his career, he was
producing and churning out 10-
odd weekly comics serializations
for a number of publications.
He also had several movie and
television assignments that kept
him busy almost every day of the
week.
Gomez studied at the
Legarda Elementary School, Jose
Abad Santos High School and the
National Teacher’s College. He
also took up a secretarial course at
the Underwood Business Institute,
a course in beauty culture at the
Beautician’s Academy and Little
Business Bureau at the Ateneo de
Manila Small Business Institute.
He made it a point to never
turn his back on his humble
beginnings. When he was just a
child, Gomez was earning a few
centavos for himself by washing
the dis hes at his uncle’s restaurant
in the afternoon, selling puto
bumbong in the evening, a puto-
bibingka-kutsinta hawker early
in the morning and a newspaper
boy on Sundays.
During his teens, he earned
a living working as a laborer at
the Pandacan Oil Company.
After World War II, when the
Japanese and American forces
destroyed most of the buildings
in Manila, he helped in the repair
of the old Legislative Building and
the Quirino Grandstand at the
Luneta Park. He also worked as a
laundryman and a cook.
the late 1940s, Gomez’s English
teacher Miss Andrade noticed
that he had a natural talent in
writing and introduced him to
Angel Santos, editor of Tagalog
Classics comics. Santos handed
the young Gomez a comic script
for him to study at home.
The first short story that
he wrote, titled “Ang Baliw
sa Libingang Luma,” was
immediately published when he
submitted it to the editor. His first
comic script was titled Putol na
Kamay. He was then offered to
work as a proofreader, earning
P1.80 a week.
Gomez’s first movie was
Lagrimas, a short story he wrote
which was bought by Tor Villano
for P500 (a huge sum back
then) and first serialized on AM
radio. Lagrimas starred Lita Rio,
Jaime Castelvi and introducing
an unknown, new actor named
Edgardo
Llanes—the
late
Nemesio Yabut who became the
mayor of Makati for many years.
Gomez
then
became
assistant editor and after a few
years, chief editor of the following
publications: Pilipino Komiks,
Tagalog Klasiks, Hiwaga Komiks
and Espesyal Komiks.
His first movie for Sampaguita
Pictures was Apat na Taga which
he wrote under the pseudonym
Carlos Gonda. When the studio
liked and bought the other stories
that he submitted tom them, he
decided to use his real name. At
one time or another, during his
peak output as a screenwriter, all
the other movie/film production
Pablo Salonga Gomez was companies like FPJ, Larry
born in Sampaloc, Manila on Santiago, LVN, Premier, Regal,
January 25, 1930 to Pacita Viva and Seiko were using his
Salonga and Olimpio Gomez, creations. Gomez estimated that
seventh sibling in a brood of 12. around 300 of the stories that he
Olimpio’s sudden and early death wrote since he began way back
left Pablo on his own. During have been filmed and made into
movies.
After his stint as publisher,
Gomez then became a regular
contributor of Graphic Arts and
it was during this time that FPJ
noticed the work that he was
doing. Susan Roces then asked
him to give her several samples
and materials of his work. He
immediately sent Roces five
stories, which FPJ liked when he
read them all.
That Gomez’s success wasn’t
a fluke is evident by the box
office hits which followed after
that crucial meeting with Susan
Roces and FPJ, like Alupihang
Dagat, Anino ng Araw, Anak ng
Tondo, Tatak ng Alipin, Little
Christmas Tree, Mahal, Saan
Ka Nanggaling Kagabi, Mahal,
Ginabi Ka Na Naman, Yari Na
ang Balang Papatay sa Iyo and
Hindi pa Tapos ang Laban, to
name a few. He then followed
his winning streak by becoming
a movie director under Emperor
Films and directed the movies
Babaing Makasalanan, Lalaking
Salawahan and Lalaki, Ikaw ang
Dahilan. Gomez also co-directed
with Rudy Meyer and wrote
Triponia for Gem Productions.
He was also a radio announcer
in the Binay Bulilit program that
was aired over DZRH and he also
had a daily show, Si Eva at si Edan
with Matimtiman Cruz over ABS-
CBN. He was also commissioned
to write soap operas most of
which were filmed by SPI. He also
wrote the Hilda TV series for over
a year with Romy Suzara as the
director. He also contributed to
the TV show Makulay Na Daigdig
Ni Nora.
Gomez discovered many
local showbiz celebrities and
helped launch their careers, like
George Canseco, Victor Wood,
Dindo Fernando, Loreta Marquez,
Raul Aragon, German Moreno,
Matimtiman Cruz, Dante Rivero,
Philip Salvador and Lito Lapid,
He became the late Pablo
Santiago’s favorite writer for his
son Raymart who starred in the
movies Anak ng Pasig, Sakristan
Mayor, Haring Daga and Ikaw
Lamang Wala Nang Iba. He also
worked on the FPJ-Sharon Cuneta
starrer Kahit Konting Pagtingin.
“To be a good writer, you
have to be inquisitive, tsismoso,
you have to be a rolling stone,
very observant and a wide reader.
The stories that you write must be
based on what you see, what you
hear, what you read and what you
experience. I read anything that
interests me but I seldom read
the classics. You can read the
real stories in the daily tabloids
and newspapers. The only hobby
I have is watching movies and
watching TV. The secret of my
success is that the stories I write
have heart. May puso. The most
important aspects are those that
happen in everyday life. People
can easily associate themselves
with the stories that I write,” said
Gomez.
“I love to travel a lot and I keep
on writing. I have written several
novels for different publications. I
base a lot of my stories on my life
experiences because I can easily
capture the imagination of the
reader through real-life drama. I
have been through a lot and have
weathered the ups and downs of
life and I don’t think anyone or
anything can faze me anymore.
I have many acquaintances but I
only have several true friends but
I am very grateful for these few
but sincere ones. Best of all, I am
grateful to the good Lord above
whose unwavering and eternal
friendship I would not exchange
for anything else in the world,”
Gomez revealed.●
Jose “JP” K. Lirios is a
graduate of the Universtiy of the
East, majoring in English and
has been writing for publications
such as The Manila Times,
Business World and Philippines
Free Press. We are honoured to
have JP on board as our feature
writer on PST.