Directors would say “It’s a wrap,” when the last sequence of a film or TV show is done. And that’s what Maryo de los Reyes could have said when he succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest last Saturday night, Jan.28.
I got news that film/TV director who was born Mario Margarito Jorolan de los Reyes on Oct. 17, 1952 had suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at around 10 p.m. in Dipolog City where he was in a wedding reception of a couple. He was one of the principal sponsors, I learned.
The news didn’t sink in immediately as the director, a classmate at the UP College of Mass Communication (then at our time was still just an institute) looked healthier than I was the last time I saw him at the birthday party of Dennis Evangelista after the press conference of Baby F. Go’s BG Production International at Marco Polo in Ortigas Centre a couple of weeks before his fatal heart attack.
But the posts on Facebook of his close friends and colleagues in the industry confirmed he had really gone.
I can’t believe it until today that a friend in the industry who was just several months younger than I am had gone ahead. Our common classmate Gardy Labad was frantic on FB that no one among Mario’s relatives was with him in Dipolog.
Maryo and I shared some things in common. Like me, he, too, was an ex-seminarian, and we both loved the theater and the movies. In his younger years, he was with PETA along with fellow ex-seminarian and Boholano, Gardy Labad. In college, he spearheaded Dulaang Kapiterya to allow mass communication students to showcase their acting talents in plays created for theater in the round (the venue was the cafeteria at the back of the college, which has long been demolished).
During our days as broadcast communication majors, I’ve always known where Maryo was headed for… the theater, the movies as a director and television, And it happened, really, as he after graduating at the UP, he joined the ranks of new directors in Philippine cinema, among which were Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal.
At a young age, Maryo stunned critics with his debut feature High School Circa ’65 (1979) that paved the way for his entry to the mainstream cinema eventually with movies, like Gabun, the Nora Aunor starrers Annie Batungbakal and Bongga Ka Day, the iconic Bagets and its sequel, Bagets 2.
Maryo also astonished the movie audience with his tearjerkers Hindi Mo Ako Kayang Tapakan, Saan Darating ang Umaga, Sinungaling Mong Puso, Kaya Kong Abutin Ang Langit, Sa Ngalan Ng Pag-ibig, Tagos ng Dugo, My Other Woman, Kapag Napagod Ang Puso. More recently he made Bamboo Flowers and also another Nora Aunor-starrer Naglalayag in 2004.
He also directed the inspirational film Magnifico in 2003 that won the Crystal Bear in the 2004 Berlin Film Festival Children’s Category and Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix for Best Feature Film in the same festival. It also garnered major recognitions in the FAMAS Awards, Gawad Urian Awards, Golden Screen Awards and FAP Awards in the Philippines.
On TV, audiences would never forget his work on GMA 7 that included Someone To Watch Over Me, Pari Ko’y, Niño, Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig, Pahiram Ng Sandali, Little Star, Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak, Biritera, Munting Heredera, Magdusa Ka, “Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin?, among others.
Maryo was also the festival director of ToFarm Film Festival. And, for several years was president of the UP College of Mass Communication Alumni Association.
Apart from being a brilliant director, he had been a mentor to various actors in the industry and a catalyst in shaping their careers. He was a consultant at GMA Artist Center and was deeply involved in its Talent Development program.
Mario’s remains lie at the Loyola Commonwealth Chapels and inurnment will be on Saturday.
The industry is mourning, so do his friends, high school and college classmates, not to mention his relatives who were surprised at his sudden departure.
I pray that Maryo rest in peace in God’s mercy and loving kindness. Bye for now.
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ESPN5, the multimedia licensing and co-branding collaboration between ESPN and TV5, is launching local, ESPN5-branded editions of ESPN.com as well as subscription sports streaming service ESPN Player that can be accessed by sports fans in the Philippines. With the launching of these local digital properties on Jan. 31, Filipino sports fans will have an exciting new digital gateway for all the latest news, scores, video and more from the Philippines sporting scene and around the world – anytime and anywhere.
The digital launches are the latest developments in the collaboration between TV5 and ESPN after TV5 successfully launched the co-branded ESPN5 channel in October and produced a local edition of the iconic SportsCenter show in December. The long-term agreement leverages a winning combination of two respected media brands, and serves Filipino sports fans via their combined expertise and high-quality compelling content.
“ESPN has a strong connection with fans around the world because we are fans ourselves, driven by a similar obsession for sports,” said Joyee Biswas, head of Southeast Asia, ESPN. “The launch of our new co-branded digital multi-sports products for Philippine sports fans showcases our digital leadership and offers sports fans outstanding news, features and video experiences around top sports of interest to Filipino sports fans. These new products perfectly complement TV5’s recently launched ESPN5 channel and reinforce our signature ‘Game around the Game’ analysis across platforms.”
Vincent “Chot” Reyes, president of TV5 said, “We are proud to be able to feature Philippine sports news, stories from the PBA, PSL, GILAS, and all other sporting events TV5 covers as part of ESPN’s digital platforms. Now we can truly give our audience the broadest array of sports content when they want it, where they want it.”
ESPN Website
The new ESPN.com brings Filipino sports fans a clean, dynamic presentation and the editorial team powering coverage on the website and app combines writers, reporters and editors from both TV5 and ESPN. Together, the combination will offer sports fans a combination of local and global sports content including scores, analysis, news, video, blogs and more.
Both the new ESPN.com and ESPN app offer sports fans a simple, clean and fast design – where content is the hero. Built on technology and content management platform that power the world’s #1 portfolio of digital sports properties, they reflect ESPN’s mobile-first focus with digital products, and allow easy discovery and navigation of ESPN’s enormous library of content and brings Filipino fans easy, powerful personalization.
ESPN.com: The new ESPN.com features responsive design, automatically adjusting to any screen, delivering a dynamically optimized experience for fans on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops and desktops. The design and user experience is familiar to the app experience – delivering continuity for the Filipino user – regardless of how they engage ESPN on digital devices.
The ESPN Player, a subscription sports streaming service, will offer LIVE and on demand sports including NCAA College Sports, X Games and IndyCar. NCAA College sports will include Basketball (March Madness and Final Four), Volleyball, Football, Lacrosse and ESPN College studio shows. Full linear simulcasts of the SEC Network, ESPNU and Longhorn Network will also be available on ESPN Player. Additionally, fans will be able to stream ESPN’s X Games, a thrilling display of the best athletes in action sports, including at least four scheduled events in 2018: X Games Aspen, X Games Norway, X Games Minneapolis and X Games Sydney. Filipino sports fans will also be able to watch every race from the Verizon IndyCar series LIVE and on-demand. The exclusive coverage includes driver cams and comprehensive coverage of the iconic Indy 500 race.
ESPN player promotional codes with 12-month access will be bundled with selected SMART Postpaid plans (including iPhone Plans), and later to Smart Prepaid and Smart Bro. The ESPN Player is compatible with Apple TV (though AirPlay) and ChromeCast with a monthly recurring pass at 99 Philippine Pesos per month. Devices supported include Mobile, Desktop and Tablet. ESPN Player will give sports fans access to enjoy sports they love anytime, anywhere.
The long-term collaboration between TV5 and ESPN has a daily Philippine edition of SportsCenter at the conclusion of the PBA. The iconic sports news and highlights show will be a 30-minute daily program produced LIVE and exclusive each day by ESPN5 from the TV5 studios in Manila, bringing Filipino fans the latest sports news and developments from the Philippines and around the world, with daily content contribution from SportsCenter US.
Covering the latest in sports news, highlights and updates in its signature fast-paced format, SportsCenter will concentrate on the biggest stories of the day and the sports that matter most to Filipino fans, including PBA, NBA, American Football, Volleyball and more.
Hosted by a rotating roster of some of the Philippines most popular sportscasters including Aaron Atayde, Lia Cruz, Magoo Marjon and Amanda Fernandez, the show will air live on TV5 after the PBA and other prime time sports 7 days a week.
