THE TRAGIC death of actress and icon Nida Blanca has triggered poignant memories from Thomasian old timers who remember her as a campus coed in the 1950s.
Records in the Registrar’s office show that Blanca, Dorothy Jones in real life, enrolled in the pre-law course of the old College of Liberal Arts (now Faculty of Arts and Letters) in 1952. She left UST during the first semester of 1954 for unknown reasons.
Blanca, 65, was found dead inside her car parked at the sixth floor of the Atlanta Towers Center in Greenhills, San Juan last Nov 7. Her body bore 13 stab wounds. She had apparently come from a preview screening at the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) which holds office in the building. Blanca was a MTRCB member.
In the Nov. 11 issue of the Philippine Star, Thomasian entertainment columnist Butch Francisco said that Blanca was in UST when her career was at its peak—and when it almost got ruined.
Blanca was driving her car to attend classes in UST when she had a traffic squabble with a jeepney driver. In a fit of rage, she slapped the driver.
The driver complained to the media. The fiasco led to calls for a boycott of her films.
Fortunately, Batangueña, her movie that year with actor Jaime dela Rosa, became a big hit. Later, the public forgave her when, especially after she negotiated the surrender of Huk leaders from Central Luzon.
In 1952, she earned her first acting award from the Filipino Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), for the Lamberto Avellana film Korea. Written by Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, the film’s story was based on the Aquino’s pursuits as a journalist during the Korean War.
Blanca also received honors from other award-giving bodies for her movies Bato-bato sa Langit (1975); Miguelito, ang Batang Rebelde (1985); Kid, Huwag Kang Susuko (1986); Magdusa ka (1987), Babae (1998); and Sana Pag-ibig na (1999). She received the Gawad Urian lifetime achievement award last year.
In the mid 1970s, Blanca’s role as Marsha in the sitcom John en Marsha made her a household name. Viewers were able to relate to Blanca’s portrayal of a typical Filipino wife and mother.
She became a member of the MTRCB in 1998, when former President Joseph Estrada, a long-time friend, re-appointed her to the board.
Blanca is survived by her American husband Rod Lauren Strunk and her daughter from a previous marriage, Katherine Torres. She was buried last Nov. 14 at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City.
