Harlene Bautista Speaks on Last Moments of Tony Mabesa Before Death
TONY MABESA – Businesswoman and former actress Harlene Bautista revealed the last moments of veteran actor Tony Mabesa before his death.
The Philippine film and theater industry are currently mourning over the loss of a legend. Veteran actor Tony Mabesa died on Friday, October 4, 2019.
Tony’s brilliance in theater and filmmaking is undeniable. He is considered as the father of a lot of people in Dulaang UP. With regards to filmmaking, his latest project was Rainbow’s Sunset.
Rainbow’s Sunset was an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018. Tony Mabesa is one of the stars of the movie along with the late veteran actor Eddie Garcia who died in June 2019.
It was on October 5, Saturday, when news reports about the death of Tony Mabesa circulated and left a lot of hearts saddened. The cause of his demise was initially not mentioned in reports.
Speaking to Pep, former actress and businesswoman Harlene Bautist who is one of the children of Tony in Dulaang UP spoke about the last moments of the veteran actor. He was 84 when he died.
According to Harlene, while driving along EDSA, she received a phone call that Tony had a cardiac arrest and was brought to the hospital. She rushed to Philippine Heart Center.
When the former actress arrived at PHC, a procedure was being done on Tony. It was only after it that she got the chance to see the veteran actor but he’s not in a good condition anymore.
“Then, nakita namin siya after the procedure. Pero… laging nire-revive,” Harlene said based on the report.
They decided to have Tony Mabesa receive the anointing of the sick. Candy Pangilinan was the one who looked for a priest to do it. After it, his condition became stable so they decided to eat.
However, when they were about to eat, they received a phone call that Tony’s condition became unstable again. They decided to give time for his family to be with him. When they returned, he was already dead.
Harlene Bautista revealed that it was really their wish for Tony Mabesa to not die. According to her, the sadness she’s feeling now is the same when she lost her parents. Meanwhile, she knows that their wish cannot come true.
READ ALSO: Tony Mabesa: Philippine Arts & Theater Mourns Death of Theater Icon
