20,000 mourners attend Nida funeral

Twenty thousand people, composed of family members, entertainment personalities and fans of slain actress Nida Blanca attended her funeral which was delayed from one to four in the afternoon, at suburban Marikina's Loyola Memorial Park.

An unnamed fan even wrote a poem for her, calling her: "The darling of our countrymen."

"We love you Nida," thousands of onlookers shouted as her hearse passed by at the street leading to the cemetery.

"Justice for Nida," was written on several posters that were carried by her fans. They asked the police to immediately solve the actress' "undeserved brutal slaying" on November 7.

Some fans slept on the road to be able to save their spot, to get a glimpse of the funeral entourage. The movie career of their idol spanned five decades. They were also interested in seeing a big crowd of stars who were unfazed by the possibility of having to walk on foot from the church to the cemetery.

"The family understands her fans. Without them, Nida would not be a top and popular comedian," said actress and friend Anabelle Rama. At several points, the rowdy crowd could not be controlled by policemen who were posted in the streets which led to the cemetery.

Many fans started making a line on Tuesday night, many of them slept on the line that led to the Christ the King chapel in White Plains subdivision in suburban Quezon City where the wake began on November 7.

From seven to noon-time, fans were allowed to view the casket which remained closed since the wake. Blanca's remains were transferred to Christ the King Church in nearby Green Meadows subdivision, also in suburban Quezon City, for the mass and eulogies which lasted for three hours.

"If she were alive, she would have loved this kind of crowd. She would be smiling and waving at her fans," said entertainment radio journalist Inday Badiday.

"What I remember most is her smile," said actress Nova Villa.

"She was always my friend. She was always around to defend me. She was that kind of friend," said Philippine comedian Dolphy, who portrayed her husband in John and Marsha, the country's longest running TV sitcom.

"She was like a mother to me. I grew up with her," recalled actress Maricel Soriano who had portrayed John and Marsha's daughter in the TV sitcom.

Her only daughter Kaye by her first husband, came home from the U.S. following the tragic death of her mother. "I really don't know how to thank you, as I face you now," she said, as she opened the casket for the last glimpse of her mother.

Blanca's longtime assistant, Elena de la Paz, 67, who worked with the actress for 45 years, said, Blanca was a loving wife to Rod Lauren Strunk, with whom she lived for 22 years.

"Everywhere she went, she always had something for Rod when she arrived home," De la Paz said. "Even if it was just a sandwich, she would bring it home for Rod."

Various published reports had suggested the involvement of Strunk and several family friends in Blanca's killing although the police said it is too early to call anyone a suspect.

"I witnessed her wedding in 1957, her sad separation after three years, and Kaye's birth,"said de la Paz.

"Nida loved gardening. She loved her pet Ming-Ming to a point that it was eating only vegetables and fish, just like her," recalled de la Paz.

She was a coach potato, a church-goer, and regularly attended Bible study sessions with her husband, de la Paz added.

The spunky actress was called sweet and adorable, but her greatest quality was her courage, as shown by her capability at 16, to negotiate for the surrender of communist leader Luis Taruc. It was earlier reported that former senator Ninoy Aquino, husband of ex-president Corazon Aquino, was instrumental for the event.

"They did it together. She was a young famous comedian then when Taruc chose her as a go between when he sent surrender feelers to the government. Ninoy, a young journalist, went with her also to negotiate and to record the event," said veteran journalist Sol Vanzi.

Blanca's love life was as colourful. She had been linked with Aquino when they were young, and with former congressman Romeo Jalosjos, who is now serving a life sentence at the National Penitentiary for statutory rape.

Blanca's friend from the show business succeeded in raising $123,529 (P6.3 million) as reward money for those who could identify her killers.

Two suspects, identified as hired killers were reportedly in the custody of the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group which has been in charge of the murder case. Personal grudge was the motive of her killers, the police said.