Eddie Garcia never hid his grandson to Mikaela Bilbao

IF THERE’S one seasoned actor who deserves to be named National Artist, it’s Eddie Garcia. He started his career in 1949 and, after 62 years, he’s still very active as an actor. He has been honored by major award giving bodies and he’s the only actor-director who is a FAMAS Hall of Famer in three categories: best actor, best director, and best supporting actor. If that’s enough credentials for him to be a National Artist, we don’t know what else will make him or anyone else qualify. After the film industry slackened, Eddie continued to work as an actor for indie film directors, like in “Buenavista” and “Ang Ikasampu”. On TV, he has just finished “Koreana” on GMA-7 and he’s now included in the cast of TV5’s hit dramaserye, “Babaeng Hampaslupa”. “Nagpaalam ako ng maayos sa GMA when the offer from TV5 came,” he says. “They said go ahead, no problem, since wala naman akong bagong show with them. I can’t let go of my role in ‘Babaeng Hampaslupa’ as Edward Wong, a mean bad ass who’ll return from Hongkong after 50 years of exile to make life difficult for everyone in the show, lalo na si Susan Roces as Helena, my mortal enemy. You should watch out for our confrontation scenes ni Susan, lalo na yung sa sementeryo na puno ng asaran at insultuhan. They really sizzle. May back story kami rito ni Susan with her played by Sheryl Cruz and me played by Bernard Palanca, so abangan nyo.”

Eddie worked with Susan before in Sampaguita Pictures. “I was their dad nina Amalia Fuentes and Tessie Agana in ‘Amy, Susie and Tessie’ in 1956. I was also in one of her first films, ‘Mga Ligaw na Bulaklak’. We last acted together in a movie with Regal, but I never got the chance to direct her.”

He attended a Chinese party recently and was surprised when the guests told him they watch “Babaeng Hampaslupa”. “Ang dami pala talagang sumusubaybay roon. One guy even approached me and said he’s name is Ed Wong, kapangalan ng character ko sa show.”

Recently, he was accused by beauty maven Mikaela Bilbao of hiding her son whose dad is Eddie’s youngest son, Erwin. “Ako nga ang pinagbibintangan niyang nagtatago sa bata after umalis ito sa kanya. But I haven’t even seen the boy. My son Erwin doesn’t live with me. I told him ibalik niya yung bata but he said pinauuwi nga niya pero ayaw raw at mas gusto sa kanya. He has a life of his own at di ako nakikialam sa kanila.”