Dolphy's former neighbor, other OFWs in Saudi, mourn his death

While they are far from home, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia — including a former neighbor — also feel the pain of the death of Comedy King Rodolfo "Dolphy" Vera Quizon, a Saudi Arabia news site reported on Thursday. Arab News said many Filipinos in the Kingdom were saddened over Dolphy's death on Tuesday night at the Makati Medical Center at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dolphy was born in Tondo, Manila on July 25, 1928. He appeared in over 200 movies. Dolphy was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Makati Medical Center on June 9, after complaining of difficulty in breathing. He also suffered from pneumonia and kidney ailments. Benny Quiambao, a community leader and a former neighbor of Dolphy in Cubao in Quezon City in the 1960s, said the Comedy King's movies "touched the life of the common man.” Quiambao said Dolphy had a house along E. Rodriguez Boulevard and owned a tailoring shop called D’ Sharp at the corner of E. Rodriguez and New York Streets in Quezon City. The tailors there made suits for Dolphy and his children, Quiambao said. “He sold this later to TV host Kuya Germs (German Moreno in real life),” Quiambao added. Eric Asi, a senior electrical engineer at a local firm in Riyadh, told Arab News that news about the death of one of icons of the Philippine movie industry spread like wildfire in the kingdom. "In Saudi Arabia, we knew about his death as soon as it took place," Asi said. He noted how Dolphy "touched the lives of many OFWs while they were still youngsters in the Philippines.” Dolphy also was an OFW Dolphy was proud to have been one of the first OFWs in Hong Kong over 60 years ago, having been a young dancer and errand boy there, struggling like the masses of Filipinos who later adored him. In an interview with GMA News in 2009, Dolphy recalled how, at just over 20 years old, he worked as a dancer in Hong Kong in the late 1940s. When not on stage or the dance floor, he was also an errand boy. In a concert in Hong Kong in 2009, Dolphy introduced himself as an OFW and told the audience,"Alam nyo ba 1950 pa lang, nagtatrabaho na ko dito.." Dolphy encouraged OFWs to protect their hard-earned money. "Dapat ingatan nyo, kung nagsusugal, huwag kayong magsusugal. Yan ang unang-unang iwasan yang sugal... Daig lahat ng sugal," Dolphy said. He added: "Be practical." - VVP, GMA News

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