Liz A.: The woman who never learns

Thirty years ago when she ventured into movie producing, Liz Alindogan learned a painful lesson she would remember all her life. Before the shoot was wrapped, she quit because of what she now describes as “a traumatic but learning experience,” enough to have made women of lesser stuff trash her dream.             

“But I never learn,” Liz now laughs at herself, firmly believing that if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again, as she resumed producing movies. “I learned a lot from that experience.”                                                        

“That experience” was called Diary of Vietnam Rose, the movie she was producing in 1986 with her in the title role and the late Celso Ad. Castillo as director and leading man with whom she also starred in Virgin Wife and who directed her in And The World Became Flesh (with Maribel Lopez as co-star). “I sank into that project the money I saved from starring in more than 80 movies that I did in six years. I had a friend who invested on the project which was never finished.”

1986 would be remembered as the year when People Power drove the dictator from power. 

“Vietnam Rose was set at that time, with the People Power as backdrop,” says Liz who was launched by the Comedy King as Dolphy’s Angels in 1981 together with Carmi Martin, Anna Marie Gutierrez and Yehlen Catral. “My friend quit as investor because he had joined the street rallies. I was left alone. Naubos ang ipon ko and I even sold some of my properties.”

Liz with Celso (as leading man, besides the director) in a scene from Diary of Vietnam Rose

Thirty years later, Liz’s abortive debut as producer finally saw the light of day, thanks to Charo Santos-Concio.                                          

“Celso actually finished 70 percent of the movie and I kept the negatives at the FPJ Studio,” reveals Liz (who has starred with Da King in several movies including Panday, Sierra Madre and Agila). “Putol-putol pero maganda talaga. It bears the Celso Ad. Castillo trademark. In November last year, Ronald Arguelles (head of Cinema One) called me. He said that Charo told him, ‘May pelikula si Liz Alindogan na maganda; hanapin mo baka naitago.’ The remaining 30 percent was finished by US-based director John Torres and in Cinema One.”                      

Retitled People Power Bombshell, the movie was “timeless,” meaning the new director wrapped it up in a way that neatly bridged the 30-year gap between 1986 and 2016, made more beautiful by Romy Vitug’s (original) cinematography. Romy has worked with Celso in other films including Pagputi ng Uwak, Pagitim ng Tagak which also gave Vilma Santos, its star and producer, monumental headaches that left her nearly bankrupt.

“It’s a beautiful movie,” says Liz, adding with a laugh, “sexy ako dun and I stripped in some scenes. I was younger then. The other stars and I don’t look any different after 30 years. Inayos lang talaga; ginawan ng paraan para magkaroon ng credible continuity.”

Liz Alindogan today: Happily married and back where she belongs…in showbiz!

Newly recharged, Liz is back not only as a producer but also as an actress (with three movies in the can; one, Bhoy Intsik, has just been shown and two coming soon). Under a five-year contract with Cinema One, Liz is now finalizing her next project as producer, about OFWs with Toto Natividad (of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano fame) as director.

“I can concentrate on showbiz now that my six children are grown up,” assures Liz who has two children by Jess Lapid Jr. and four by her husband, Benjamin Yap Kho, a graduate of Chiang Kai Shek School, who worked in government under three presidents. Their eldest daughter is a doctor, the second is a designer who works at ABS-CBN, the third is a Psychology graduate and the fourth is taking up Accounting at UP.

Incidentally, does Liz have any contact with her Dolphy’s Angels colleagues?

“Carmi is still active but has remained happily single,” shares Liz. “Yehlen is a lawyer, married na. We are Facebook friends. I’m sad to learn that Anna Marie, who married a Hungarian and was based in New York, has died. My friend told me that she learned about it from an obituary.”

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