Darling

A Colombian who was about to become a Spaniard wanted to change her name to Darling Velez. But the Spanish government rejected it because "Spanish law prohibits names which could expose a person to ridicule or do not clearly indicate gender." "My name is part of my personality. If they force me to change it, I'll change it to a Basque name and see what they say then," Darling said. Well, dahling, come to the Philippines and we will embrace you dearly. You see, one of our beloved idols was known first as Darling Postigo. That was her name when she appeared in a hotdog commercial in 1974 when she was six. It was the great Lamberto Avellana and the semi-great Boots Anson Roa who discovered her in a Christmas party in Quezon Institute. Don't ask me what she was doing there among the TB patients. Maybe her mother dentist worked there. But the star was born and Darling Postigo appeared in the movie "Ang Pag-ibig Ko'y Huwag Mong Sukatin" starring Boots and Dante Rivero. In her next movie, "Ang Mata ni Angelita," she won the Famas for Best Actress. But by then, her name was changed to "Julie Vega." Of course, we all know Julie as that Cinderella orphan in "Anna Liza," blowing soap bubbles Mondays through Fridays at 6 to 7 in the evening.
It was the battle for our tears between her and Janice de Belen aka Flordeluna.
But Julie Vega died when she was 16. The cause of her death still puzzles us Marcos babies, similar to the death of Bruce Lee. Was it because of fatigue? Because she concentrated on her singing career? Because she was the vestal virgin for the Marcos era?
I wrote a semi-ode to Julie Vega in 1993 when a young girl with the same name was gunned down by the military in Abra. It seemed like a curse to name your child after Julie Vega.