BY GAY ACE DOMINGO
In the 1950s, the first golden age of Philippine cinema, there was only one child superstar: Tessie Agana.
Tessie, dubbed the “Shirley Temple of the Philippines,” is known for her films “Roberta,” “Kerubin,” “Ang Prinsesa at ang Pulubi,” and other hits produced by her home studio, Sampaguita Pictures. Miss Agana – whose mother, Linda Estrella, was also a child star – was active in local showbiz from the 1950s to the 1960s and briefly made a comeback in 1970 when her family had migrated to the US. Tessie’s natural talent and charm shone in her first starring role, “Roberta,” an immense box-office hit that is said to have helped Sampaguita rise again after a big fire ravaged the studio.
Her filmography may be limited, but Filipino movie fans still know Tessie. So much so that people lined up to request her autograph when she was in the Philippines for a short visit in 1980. FAMAS also honored Tessie with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
Tessie’s achievements and contributions to Philippine cinema are what inspired her daughter, US-based Mylene Agana Jao Richardson, to write a book, “The Legend of Tessie Agana,” which was launched recently in Manila by Bookshelf PH.
According to the description, the book “offers a deep dive into the life of an iconic figure from the Golden Age of Philippine Cinema… and is an enduring source of inspiration.”
Mylene, the sixth among Tessie’s nine children, was already an adult when she became aware of her mother’s icon status. She was motivated to know more when she herself became a mother. Mylene interviewed her mother and grandmother and recorded these conversations.
Mylene shared, “This was the impetus of it all. I swept the dust away from old photo albums dating back to the 1940s. This became the roadmap of my journey. I began my interviews and research and started with my beautiful grandmother and mother and would drive with my young son Chapman from Chicago to Indiana; he would be playing with all my grandmother’s rosaries in her room while we recorded our hours of conversations.”
What began as a way to document their family history turned into a passion project for the pharmaceutical marketing consultant.
“It wasn’t a book at first,” admitted Mylene. “(I realized that) the hours of conversations were just sitting there… If I left it in digital form, it would just be collecting dust. I felt compelled to turn it into something physical.”
A wonderful thing happened as Mylene proceeded to write the book. “It broke life-long barriers between Mama and me,” she revealed.
Their relationship would be strengthened even as Tessie suffered a stroke in 2017 and developed dementia.
Mylene appreciated her mother’s talent (“She is a ‘take one’ actress,” she said proudly.) and she learned lessons that she has taken to heart. “Just be yourself. Surround yourself with family. Have empathy.”
Mylene is thankful she has created a good relationship with her two sons.
“Chapman, my eldest who is now 16, loved the book! He was thrilled,” Mylene declared happily. “He didn’t know a lot of the stories.”
Such is the blessing of writing one’s family story. The members of the next generation of the Agana family are definitely going to keep the love and the lessons in their hearts for the next generations to cherish.
“My eight-year-old niece brought the book to her class for ‘Show and Tell,'” Mylene said with a smile. “She was so proud as she said, ‘My Auntie Maymay wrote this!'”
