Thousands of fans attend funeral of actor Yan

Hundreds of thousands of shrieking fans, young and old, lined the roads - from northern suburban San Juan to southern suburban Paranaque - to catch a final glimpse of the hearse of film actor Rico Yan, who was buried at Manila Memorial Park yesterday.

"He was the new young icon. Too bad he is gone," said Sonia Maderazo, a fan from an exclusive Catholic School.

A disgruntled anti-government activist said on radio: "I think God took him away so that he could no longer campaign and support president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo."

Yan was appointed ambassador of the youth sector by former president Joseph Estrada. He was one of the more popular actors from the upper class, who sided with then Vice-President Arroyo, after the aborted ending of Estrada's Senate impeachment trial late 2000.

Arroyo appointed Yan spokesman of the education department. Yan was the grandson of general and former ambassador Manuel Yan, a former government peace negotiator during the time of ex-President Fidel Ramos.

He was also a young philanthropist. Three years ago, he organised the Rico Yan Foundation which has been giving funds to the marginalised and the poor.

He was also a romantic figure. His failed love story with actress Claudine Barreto added poignancy to the death of a young actor with a promising career.

"God knows how much I love him," said Barreto in an interview. "He did not keep his promise again," she complained, sobbing on camera.

The duo were engaged and scheduled to be married in December 2002. Early March they had a much-publicised fight and were estranged during his birthday on March 15.

Before he went to Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, southwestern Philippines, late March, "he told me he was sorry. I also said sorry. We promised to see each other after the Holy Week, talk again and find out where we would go from there," said Barreto.

She was sedated and hospitalised after she learned about his death. She hinted she would commit suicide. The two co-starred in the popular movie entitled, Got to Believe in Magic.

Yan's burial was star-studded. Singer Gary Valenciano's son, entitled 'Warrior Child', mesmerised many actors and actresses, fans and relatives who praised Yan for a being a good Christian.

"I lost a son, but obviously this (congregation) is one whole family. Every single person he touched is family," said Yan's mother. "I am crying because now it makes sense - Rico died because it was part of God's perfect will," she said, as her voice broke.

"Rico said he wanted to be like former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, saying JFK inspired his people, and gave America a sense of pride," said the actor's spiritual adviser, Jesuit priest Tito Caluag, who officiated at the mass.

"Yan was a man with a vision, a leader who only wanted to serve," said Caluag, who painted a different Yan who had been extolled as a handsome, happy-go-lucky matinee idol with a soaring career in show business.

Yan's brother Bobby who works for ABS CBN, the country's largest TV network, complained about "wrong reports" on Yan being a drug dependent and a "girl-friend beater". "These are nasty reports coming from evil-minded people," said Bobby.

The march to the burial ground began at nine in the morning and ended at past one in the afternoon. Many said it was the country's largest crowd since the funeral march of former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1983.

At the cemetery, relatives and friends placed white tulips and orchids on his casket. Thousands of fans cordoned off near the fence, shouted, "Farewell Rico, We love you".

Fans admitted to having stayed out late Wednesday night at the cemetery to wait for Yan's arrival. He was buried beside his grandmother at the family-owned mausoleum.