IT'S HARD to seriously ponder on the death of an actor especially after being bombarded with endless eulogies by the TV channel that claimed him as a son. So what's the importance of another article about the untimely demise of Rico Yan? Just one--to pay a first and last tribute to someone we don't personally know yet we admire for some of the things he has done in his lifetime, and to do it without the silly entertainment PR this time.

People might berate his importance or his existence, dismiss him as just another actor with a pretty face who made easy money by smiling on cue and crying at will in front of the local showbiz cameras. I think Rico is more than that. For one, I find him to be one of those actors who make a lot of sense. They're the rare kind, the smarter breed, the ones who finish college because they really want to and not just because they have to, involve themselves in charitable institutions not because of the good publicity it will elicit, and invest in sturdier businesses because they understand that the business where they get their money from is a shaky one.

Of course, there were ugly rumors about him, too. I know he made a lot of mistakes and hurt some people along the way, but he also paid his dues somehow and got his fair share of the karmic retribution pie. I'm not saying he was a saint; he was just smart, that's all--which makes it a shame that we have lost him at an early age.

So what did this 27-year old young adult did in his life? Basically, he made movies for the masses like any other matinee idol. But he also projected a wholesome image, an actor that didn't do drugs in the age of designer pills, didn't drink too much even if he co-owned a cool bar, or didn't smoke even if it appeared as the "in" thing to do--all that clean living stuff. He didn't accept any film or TV role that will contradict with this image, and he maintained his lovable boy-next-door appeal by not being snobbish outside the studios or ignoring screaming fans like the plague like some of his colleagues do. He was really Mister Nice Dude in front of the public, and the public loved him for that. And apparently, so did the sponsors. That explains the loads of commercials where we found him promoting products of all kinds.

This De La Salle University graduate had us laughing on noontime variety shows and had us crying on primetime drama anthologies. To tell you the truth, I didn't find him as an exceptional thespian but the masses loved him and his leading ladies anyway. Sure, he had talent in acting but his talent relied more in charming people to look at him and listen to him. And that is a talent one cannot just dismiss these days.

This talent to charm is what the current generation needs in order for them to listen to the big issues at hand. This is the post-Generation X people more commonly referred to as Generation Text or GenTxt. This is the generation that tunes in to MTV and abhors AM radio stations with a vengeance. This is the generation that keeps the measly peso going by reloading credits to their cellphones on a weekly basis, watching movies at the malls, buying tons of cellphone accessories, hanging out in Quezon City bars and playing billiards in trendy places that offer the service. This is the generation that got affected when the news of Rico's death was announced. Why? Perhaps it's mainly because they can identify with the actor on a "personal" level. The actor is part of their generation, shared the same lifestyle pursuits with them, and is within their age range. What could be scarier than one of your own suddenly dying in--of all places--a vacation place in Palawan? Scary.

If Rico can charm the masses and the parents, he can surely charm GenTxt. The actor had ambitions of running for office, he once revealed in a talk show, but he said he wanted to do this when he gets older. And it's a sure thing that he would have clinched the vote of the GenTxt and their parents.

And no, this is not a flash-in-the-pan type of social consciousness. The actor really had serious thoughts about social issues and conditions. A newspaper columnist recently pooh-poohed Rico's past stint as a guest reporter tackling Martial Law babies as a segment for an episode of the ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs show The Correspondents. Sure, this might appear as a cutesy promotion for the actor, but this is also a way of reaching to the future voting populace - having one of them probe a political issue and have it explained to them by a charmer that they will listen to, because the charmer uses words that they use. Of course, this will clearly show that the actor was interested in running for office and that's fine by me. I know that if he ever lived to be 35, he wouldn't be one of those actors who opt to enter politics because they see it as their next source of income. I know that he really had some desire to help out, and that's all that matters anyway. Can you seriously say that our current crop of politicians has this desire to help? You figure it out.

Alas, these serious efforts and socio-civic subtexts in the actor's life were overshadowed by the horrible way they commemorated him on Philippine television. I hope that when the shallow fanfare has finally dissipated, the true and serious mourning for Rico will really begin.

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Libay was the entertainment editor of the political tabloid Pinoy Times owned by Ms. Eggie Apostol.  A 2-time Palanca awardee, she is currently pursuing a masters degree in Creative Writing in UP.  During her spare time, she also serves as a contributing editor of the Pinoycentric cultural-literary webzine Natives’ Wish (www.nativeswish.com) and is a contributing writer of Pulp Magazine.  She is one of the founders of UP Sappho Society (www.upsappho.com), the first university-based lesbian organization in the country.  Last year, her Filipino poetry got anthologized in the book called Taxi Signs published by Finkomarts.

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