Pablo Martin Sarmiento (June 29, 1942 – August 27, 1998), better known as Babalu, was a Filipino comedian and actor. His screen name was a reference to his long, sharp chin ("''babà''" is the Filipino term for "

chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

"; ''babalu'' is a Filipino gay term derived from it), which was sometimes a subject of on-screen jokes, usually by himself.

Personal life

He grew up in

Sampaloc, Manila Sampaloc is a district of Manila, Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of is ...

in his grandmother's home with his mother, one sister and three brothers. Babalu fathered a daughter. For several years and until his death, he was living with his long-time partner who eventually became his wife prior to his death, with whom he had a child.

Acting career

Babalu is considered "one of the most famous, beloved, and greatest comedians" in the Philippines. He is the nephew of the famous actor Panchito Alba.

Dolphy Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (July 25, 1928 – July 10, 2012), known professionally as Dolphy, was a Filipino comedian and actor. He is widely regarded as the country's "King of Comedy" for his comedic talent embodied by his long roster of works ...

, the king of Philippine Comedy, discovered Babalu's talent as a comedian. Babalu was given a featured role on the Philippines' leading comedy-variety show ''Buhay Artista''. His appearances in movies and television included the shows ''

Home Along Da Riles ''Home Along Da Riles'' ( or home along the railroad) is a Philippine television sitcom series broadcast by ABS-CBN. The title of the series is based of the 1990 film ''Home Alone''. Directed by Johnny Manahan, Victor de Guzman and Apollo A ...

'' and '' Oki Doki Doc''. Babalu's life story was featured on the television show ''

Maalaala Mo Kaya (, abbreviated as ''MMK'') is a Philippine television drama anthology series broadcast by ABS-CBN and Kapamilya Channel. Hosted by Charo Santos-Concio, its first iteration was aired from May 15, 1991 to December 10, 2022. It is the longest ...

'' "Imahe ng Berhen" on July 3, 2003.

Filmography

Film

Television

Health problems and death

Babalu was warned of his health condition in March 1998 but kept his health problems a secret from his co-stars, particularly from Aga Muhlach and the others in the weekly TV shows '' Oki Doki Doc'' and ''

'', wherein he was a regular cast. Writer Nene Riego, a close friend of Babalu, said the actor asked his doctor to tell him the truth about his ailment. Babalu was told he only had six months to live. He decided to seek further treatment in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. While seeking further treatment, they were robbed and he was shot twice in the abdomen area making his situation worse. Doctors there had the same diagnosis and advised him to spend the rest of his life in the Philippines. Babalu came back home on August 14, thin and weak. Babalu's last two movies were ''Tataynic'' with Dolphy and ''Tong Tatlong Tatay Kong Pakitong-kitong'' together with Redford White, Bonel Balingit and Serena Dalrymple. He died of

liver cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

on August 27, 1998, two months after his 56th birthday, in his home in

Antipolo Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

. He was buried in Loyola Memorial Park in

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

. The film ''Tar-San'' is dedicated to his memory.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Babalu 1942 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Filipino comedians 20th-century Filipino male actors Actors from Antipolo Burials at the Loyola Memorial Park Comedians from Manila Comedians from Rizal (province) Deaths from cancer in the Philippines Deaths from cirrhosis Filipino male comedians Filipino male film actors Filipino male television actors Filipino people of German descent Filipino television personalities Male actors from Manila People from Sampaloc, Manila Tagalog people