POPEYE (OR PAPAY) IN THE COMEBACK TRAIL
By Butch Macaro
Screenwriters’ Guild of the Philippines


Andres C. Duran, a.k.a. Popeye and now better known as Papay, a true-blooded Waray movie comedian who hails from historic Balangiga (Eastern Samar) of massacre fame, is staging a comeback and this writer is helping him in some ways to realize his dream by always trying to create a role for him in every script I write. But unfortunately, nothing has yet materialized from this two-man undertaking.

He read my scripts and marvelled at the kind of role he is supposed to portray in films, getting excited, fantasizing a sequence I had in mind.
His role in Anak Ni Mr. Wong is pure fantasy. He remains lodged in
the body of Bayona (the antagonist of Mr. Wong) and bursts out from Bayona’s guts if there is an enemy attack. He got more excited as he learned he has a fight scene with the lead character, Mr. Wong. In another story I wrote about street children, he portrays a comic gay role as nanny to the children.

Popeye or Papay started to appear in movies in 1979 as an extra in Ulong Pugot…Naglalagot, starring the late Chiquito and Alma Moreno.

Once upon a time, Popeye visited Quiapo Church to pray to the Black Nazarene to help him find someone to manage his career. It was a Wednesday when he met the late Dr. Rey dela Cruz, then Quiapo barangay chairman. Dr. Dela cruz asked him if he is interested in making films which he readily accepted. A calling card was handed to him and Rey advised Papay to visit him in his clinic the following day.

On his visit, Dela Cruz informed him that he is involved in a film project, Uhaw na Dagat starring Gloria Diaz, Elizabeth Oropesa, Eddie Garcia, Roland Dantes, Isabel Rivas (with an introductory role) and Dennis Roldan which is being directed by the Messiah, Celso Ad. Castillo. Papay was cast as the leader of a group of unano goat shepherds.

Then film projects came one after another, including Salamangkero, Mang Kepweng (parts I & 2) and Final Conflict. Under RVQ Productions, he got a role in Omeng Satanasia with Dolphy, Nida Blanca, Babalu and Dely Atay-atayan.

Then there were Rock-A-Bye Baby…Tatlo ang Daddy (with Gary Valenciano, Gardo Versoza, Romnick Sarmenta and Rita Avila); Shaolin Kid at ang Parak; Mario O. Sigoko under Silver Start Productions; Good Time Girls; Ako si Kiko…Ako si Kikay (with Roderick Paulate under Seiko Films). He even appeared in Fire versus Fire, an international movie filmed in the country where he played a club manager. Unfortunately the film was never shown in the Philippines. The film won as the best picture in the Berlin film festival in 1986.

Popeye also guested in some TV shows like NV Compound, Eat Bulaga, See Tru, The Sharon Cuneta Show, Take It Away with Joe Quirino, John N Marsha, Cafeteria Aroma, Daigdig ng mga Artista with German Moreno and many others. He also did provincial and out of town shows during fiestas and political campaigns and made a lot of money.

But Popeye still felt neglected since his manager Dr. dela Cruz failed to give him a solo movie as they have agreed in the contract. Despondent, he severed ties with Dela Cruz and began hanging with friends, spending many hours at night, drinking, smoking, going to discos until he discovered he was already hooked into drugs. Film assignments became scarce, his finances dwindling down and his friends beginning to disappear and deserting him totally. He began selling some of his things in his fully furnished apartment-- starting with the television set, then the second hand air conditioning unit, the refrigerator, and the twin bed-- to supply the financial requirement of the man he was then living with.

The man whom, according to him, he loved so much. It was too painful to realize that one day, he found himself lying on the floor without his beddings. Their relationship was then kept in total secrecy as he did not want to let the world know of his sexual preference. Only some of his trusted friends knew his relation with the guy. Then the guy began to inflict harm on him when he failed to give him money and finally left him to marry his girlfriend. To top this litany of miseries, the owner of the apartment he rented drove him away for his rent arrears.

His last resort to keep his life going on was to go to his friends who understood and sympathized with him, feed him and give him some money which he spent to buy drugs. He finally went to his older brother-- then employed in a government office-- to seek financial asistance but eventually his brother grew tired helping him.

Alone and deserted, Popeye remembered the Nazarene in Quiapo and again visited the church where he met a long lost friend who advised him to go back to his province in Samar, to reflect and to gather back the shattered pieces of his life. He quit drugs and returned to his hometown, Balangiga. His mother ws there and was all too willing to receive him with open arms.

One day, Popeye said he sought to be alone and strayed into an isolated place where he believed he will have the chance to communicate with his God who can only be around to listen to his prayers for strength, for renewed faith in His power and for an ardent hope to regain whatever was lost and squandered in his life.

He was absolutely sure he was armed with the blessings from the Lord when he returned to Manila and pick up the pieces of his bungled life. He started visiting some of his good friends.

It was an unexpected meeting with his friend movie reporter Joebert Sucaldito that started his renewal. He told everything to Joebert and
the latter suggested guesting stints in some television programs with the hope that his appearance may spark attention from some people in showbiz.

Joebert brought him to The Buzz where he was interviewed by Boy Abunda who happened to be another full-blooded Waray from Borongan, Eastern Samar. In that program, aware that the whole country was watching him, Popeye confessed everything, spilling the truth without remorse about his being gay and his once guy lover. During the interview, he vowed to let his head, not his fickle heart, rule his life from then on. The revelation was met by a rousing applause from the audience, especially the gays who were there and who gave him a warm welcome into their fold. Popeye claims he has been freed and released from the closet he had hidden himself throughout all these years.

Together with this writer, Popeye attended the premiere showing of the film Barang at SM North Edsa some months back and he was flattered to discover that so many people still recognized him as they shouted his name. There was a TV coverage of the occasion and Popeye was on the news watch for TV the following evening.

Then we attended the birthday party of Direk Maryo J. delos Reyes where he met several people who remembered him as a comic actor. He was so elated and the feeling is giving him a strong belief that soon he will be doing films and hopefully this time it will be for good.

Popeye is praying fervently that God—as well as the people in the industry—will give him another chance to recoup whatever he had once attained and lost. He admits he fervently hopes to get the chance to make more films because this is the only thing he can do and wants to do in this life.

In other words, Popeye is out of his closet and raring to make another go in the movies.