From Stuntman To Senator: Sen. Lito Lapid looks back at his beginnings

CEBU, Philippines - Despite being seemingly well-ensconced in the world of politics, Senator Lito Lapid still misses acting. He doesn’t deny that it was through showbiz that he made a name for himself and which also became a ticket for him to enter politics—first, as a vice-governor, then governor of Pampanga, then finally, as a Senator of the Republic of the Philippines.

He had never imagined he would get this far, after all, he said he was just a poor boy from Porac, Pampanga who dreamt a lot. “Panay panaginip lang ako,” he told Cebu reporters in Tagalog. After finishing high school, he said poverty forced him to decide on becoming an extra for the movies, specifically doing stunt work.

He laughingly remembered how they would be thronged together in a gym for the selection process that required them to “show off” before film directors—jumping off floors, sparring with fellow stuntmen, et cetera—only to be chosen for such an insignificant role of a robber who is covered in the face and gets beaten up.

In his first movie, he remembered messing up one of his scenes. He stumbled as he followed orders to run across a river. His first paycheck? Only P15 for a day’s work.

But from a bungling neophyte, he would become a reliable stuntman and fight instructor, who studiously learned some martial arts and even boxing. He remembered being recruited into professional boxing alongside a certain Dodie Boy Peñalosa, who’d become the former IBF champ in the light flyweight and flyweight classes. 

But it seems, he was really meant for the movies as he became one of the busiest and most bankable stars with a string of blockbusters during the late ‘70s to the ‘80s. He would be making as many as three movies in a year. Among these films were “Kalibre .45” with the late Fernando Poe Jr., “Kastilyong Buhangin” with Nora Aunor, “Yakapin Mo ko Lalaking Matapang” with now Batangas Governor Vilma Santos, “Pedro Tunasan,” the true-to life story of Jess Lapid and “Ben Tumbling.”

He now laments the inactivity of action films in Philippine cinema today, with the genre being relegated to the television screens. Aside from this being a consequence of piracy, which would scare producers from making action films since it could cost as much as P25 million per picture, he surmised that perhaps actors nowadays no longer want to put themselves out and get dirty.

But the dismal state of action films will not keep him from doing one. A recent visit to Cebu was prompted by his interest to do another action movie about the Cebu-based former scout ranger named Joe Sabandeja, whose lifestory was recommended to him by his friends in Cebu. He plans on tapping award-winning director Joel Lamangan to helm the film, with Baldo Marro as fight director.  

As for his present political career, he denied eyeing a higher position than where he is now, and maintained that despite former administration senators who have since moved on to the opposition, he still sides with the administration, saying he will remain loyal to his “Cabalen”—a Kapampangan term for kababayan.

Asked how he feels towards the cynicism surrounding his capabilities (and his frequently criticized low profile in the senate), he said, “Unfair ang sinasabi ng mga tao na wala akong karapatan pumasok sa politika kasi artista lang ako. Wala namang nakasaad sa batas na kailangang abugado ka.”

“Ngayon ang mga senador nag-aartista na rin,” said Sen. Lapid, referring to his colleagues who have become product endorsers and star in their own commercials.

He said he believes that he has worked hard, if not harder, because of his educational limitations. According to news archives and senate records, the senator co-authored 20 bills, 10 of which got approved on third reading. As of 2008, he placed seventh among the 23 senators with the most resolutions—numbering at 80—filed in the ongoing 14th Congress. His first-ever bill, “Legal Assistance Act,” was approved last year—a bill that would give tax perks to private law firms that give free legal service to poor and destitute clients. This drew praise from lawyer colleagues in the Senate, like Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, for being original.

Yet, even with his full-blown political career, acting is still something that he can’t just wash out from his system. Asked why, he simply said, he can’t ignore what he considers as his lifeblood. “Ito ang ibinuhay ko sa pamilya ko; ito ang ipinapaaral ko sa aking mga anak.”

Sen. Lito Lapid was last seen in the 2006 Metro Manila Film Festival movie entry “Tatlong Baraha.” For his forthcoming film, he intends on shooting it in Cebu. – NMT