MANILA, Philippines - Caesar Cosme, a.k.a. Bro. Willy of Bubble Gang’s Dating Doon, who lives in Kawit, Cavite, attributes his success as a director, scriptwriter and comedian to his alma mater, Parañaque City’s St. Andrew’s School, which will celebrate on June 27 its 100 years of providing primary and secondary education to students of Parañaque and Cavite.
His 1973 batchmates include Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila and former Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. country chairman Edgar Ocava Chua.
“(Cardinal) Tagle was quiet and he loved to study while Chua was more practical and our student council president and I was the promoter of mischief,” said Cosme, who released contagious laughter as I interviewed him before their staff’s brainstorming meeting of the comedy series Pepito Manaloto at GMA 7.
He related he had been active in theater since his first year in high school and had been writing skits for St. Andrew’s School and, later on, University of the Philippines (where he finished his broadcast communication course in 1977) that little he knew it would help him earn a mark in show business.
“I would like to perform. In high school, I played the title role in the Gift of the Fourth King. I wrote five skits for our school’s subjects, and I was on the right track of my early career as a writer. In UP, I was already directing small theater productions,” he fondly reminisced.
After college, he worked at the Design Center Philippines as a media assistant whose main job was to deliver press releases. Then came an opportunity when he encountered stage director Tony Espejo of the Bulwagang Gantimpala (now Gantimpala Theater Foundation, Inc.) which was housed at the CCP and he was included in the comic theater play, Ten Little Fairies, which also cast Soxy Topacio and Manny Castañeda.
Then, he worked in an ad agency and later in Landbank in Intramuros, Manila. But this did not prevent him from his passion toward theater. There was a time when his wife was about to give birth, his group was rehearsing inside the hospital where his wife was delivering a child.
He moved to RPN 9 that gave him a directorial break via Flordeluna, a teledrama that starred Janice de Belen in the lead role. He also directed Champoy, an ’80s comedy gag TV show starring Subas Herrero, Tessie Tomas, Noel Trinidad, Mitch Valdez, Cherie Gil and Gary Lising.
“I was only then 26 years old, and I was really overwhelmed,” said Cosme, who will be 61 years old on May 15, adding that, “I had a break in writing through Valdez’s lounge acts. We were often at Lights and Sounds, used to be owned by the Borromeos until we transferred to Manila Garden Hotel... I wrote skits for Superstar, for Roderick Paulate and Vilma Santos show... In 1987, I became freelance.”
Luck came into him when his classmate in UP, Malou Choa-Fagar, got him as a writer for the Eat! Bulaga show. He was the one who wrote Ang mga Kasabihan, Bow and Bulagaan segments. Vic Sotto asked him to rewrite the pilot episode of Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!, and he was credited for the fictional character Ina Magenta and the world of the fairies Engkantasya. He, likewise, wrote skits for Going Bananas and four skits for John en Marsha.
Until the time GMA 7 came up with the Bubble Gang show, the longest-running sketch comedy program on Philippine TV, where he is the writer.
“I was the one who recommended Michael V. to the show... and God has blessed Bubble Gang for 22 years,” said Cosme, who is now the creative director of the sub-department of entertainment of GMA 7.
Looking back, he is grateful to his high school alma mater: “Pinagkakitaan ko ang mga kalokohan ko sa St. Andrew’s School (a centennial coffee-table book to be launched on Nov. 30 and Cosme will direct the program for its grand alumni homecoming on Dec. 29). I am too creative and I am proud of being one. Seriously, I have learned the value of simplicity from Fr. Paul Foulon. He lives it.”