Eva Cariño
Eva Cariño | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lolita Rivera Cariño March 23, 1936 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1955–1961; 1995–1999 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 10 (inc. Rommel, BB Gandanghari, Robin) |
| Relatives | Padilla family Bela Padilla (grandniece) |
Lolita Rivera Cariño-Padilla (born March 23, 1936), professionally known as Eva Cariño, is a former Filipino actress. She is the mother of actors Robin Padilla, Rommel Padilla, Royette Padilla and BB Gandanghari.
Early life
Eva Cariño was born on March 23, 1936, and raised in the provincial town of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.[1]
Prior to entering the film industry, she was fond of watching films starring Rogelio de la Rosa and Elsa Oria.[1]
Career
At the age of 16, Cariño moved to Manila in 1952 to find an opportunity to become an actress in the film industry, with her sister's father-in-law, July Hidalgo, being a sound engineer for LVN Pictures.[1] After being noticed by composer Juan Silos, she was hired and groomed as an actress for LVN.[1]
After starring in supporting roles for films such as Ang Ibong Adarna (lit. 'The Adarna bird'), Salamangkero (both 1955), and Everlasting (1956), she was intended to star in her first lead role for Manuel Conde's film Krus Na Kawayan (lit. 'Bamboo Cross'), a Vietnamese-Philippine co-production, but had to back out due to her "weak heart".[1] In 1958, Consuelo "Ateng" Osorio, who was the neighbor of Cariño's sister, recommended her to Roy Padilla Sr., Osorio's brother, upon which she was cast in a lead role for the anthology film Taginting under the name Eva Rivera and opposite Padilla's brother Amado Cortez. However, due to Padilla's strict demands as director, Cariño nearly walked out of the set, and convinced Osorio to direct her scenes instead.[1]
In 1984, Cariño produced a concert in Baguio for Holy Week, headlined by Basil Valdez and Joey Albert. It was during the concert that her teenage son Robin Padilla was introduced to filmmaker Deo J. Fajardo Jr., who later assisted Padilla in becoming an actor in the film industry despite his father's disapproval.[2][1]
In 1995, Cariño was cast in Fajardo's film Anak, Pagsubok Lamang ng Diyos alongside her son Robin, who was then serving a 17-year jail term at the New Bilibid Prison where the film was largely shot.
Personal life
Cariño married Roy Padilla Sr., an actor, director, and civic leader who served as OIC governor of Camarines Norte from 1986 until his assassination during the gubernatorial election in January 1988. The couple had a total of ten children: Rowena (born 1959), Randolf ("Randy", died 1980s),[3] Rema, Roy ("Royette"), Roda, Rommel (born 1965), BB Gandanghari (formerly Rustom; born 1967), Robinhood ("Robin", born 1969), Richelda (born 1971), and Romulus (died at four days old in 1975). In spite of their marriage, Padilla had dozens of other children with other women.[4][5]
Cariño own's a farm in her town of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.[1][6]
Cariño and her family[7] have been practicing members of Jehovah's Witnesses, with Cariño raising her children in the faith and serving as a preacher into the 2000s.[1] Cariño has been outspoken about her support for her sons in the film industry.[1] She attested to reporter Jessica Soho in 1995 that Robin slashed his wrists in a suicide attempt after hearing the guilty verdicts in his court cases in 1994,[8] and argued before senators for her son to not be imprisoned under a martial law-era decree: "We're no longer under martial law, Robin did not kill anyone. But if he did hurt or kill anyone with his guns, then I'll be the first one to send him to jail. But he did not."[9]
By 2025, her son Robin revealed during his privilege speech at the Senate that Cariño has advanced dementia.[10] He later cited his brother Royette's death in February 2021 as the time when Cariño began growing weaker, with Cariño soon having dementia, with Padilla stating that she often cried due to mostly remembering the bad moments in her family's life.[11]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Note(s) | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Ang Ibong Adarna | |||
| Salamangkero | ||||
| 1956 | Everlasting | |||
| 1958 | Taginting ng Pilak | |||
| 1961 | Noli Me Tángere | |||
| 1996 | Anak, Pagsubok Lamang ng Diyos | Aling Edna | as Eva Cariño Padilla | |
| Santo-Santito: Anak ni Baby Ama 2 | as Eva Cariño Padilla | |||
| 1999 | Kumakasa... Lumalaban | Doña Virgiña | as Eva Cariño Padilla | |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 San Diego Jr., Bayani (July 3, 2006). "All about Eva". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Vol. 21, no. 205. p. A2-4. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
As a teenage girl in her hometown of Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, she often watched movies topbilled by idols Rogelio de la Rosa and Elsa Oria.
- ↑ Sicam, Edmund L. (March 23, 2002). "Deo Fajardo directs Robin again after seven years". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Vol. 17, no. 105. p. E3. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Libo-on, Eddie (November 8, 1989). "Robin plays his real brother". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. p. 16. Archived from the original on February 24, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
'Carnap King' is actually the true story of the late Randolf Padilla who at 26 established the reputation of a carnapping lord in the early 1980's.
- ↑ Aquino, Kris (June 22, 2001). "Rustom wishes Carmina and Zoren long-lasting happiness". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Vol. 16, no. 194. p. A31. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
He [Rustom Padilla] was honest enough to acknowledge that everybody is aware of the fact that he didn't grow up in a perfect family setting. His father had many partners and he has numerous half-siblings.
- ↑ Guerrero, Amadís Ma. (July 19, 2017). "Zeroing in on the Padillas". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines: Philstar Global Corp. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
[...]laughs [Robin's] (slightly) older sister Rebecca Padilla[....] Officially there are 48 Padilla siblings[...]
- ↑ Galang, Armand M. (May 22, 2007). "Midterm polls bring change, new governor to Nueva Ecija". The Manila Times. p. A6. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Purnell, Kristofer (September 16, 2025). "Bela Padilla praises Tito Robin but acknowledges differences in beliefs". Philstar.com. Manila, Philippines. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
Bela [Padilla] is related to Robin [Padilla] from her mother's side as Robin's mother Eva Cariño is the sister of Bela's grandmother, making them relatives by second-degree consanguinity. [....] She [Bela] indicated their differences as individuals such as respective religions, with Robin [Padilla] being a Muslim while Bela grew up in the beliefs of the Christian denomination Jehovah's Witnesses.
- ↑ Soho, Jessica (July 28, 1995). "Bad Boy". Manila Standard. Vol. IX, no. 164. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 10. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
- ↑ Villanueva, Marichu A. (January 31, 1996). "Solons back reduced terms". Manila Standard. Vol. IX, no. 350. p. 4. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Dizon, David (September 4, 2025). "Robin Padilla says elderly mom has advanced dementia". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
- ↑ Gabinete, Jojo (October 28, 2025). "Robin Padilla opens up about Mommy Eva Cariño's dementia" [Ibinahagi ni Robin ang kanyang saloobin sa panayam nila ng misis niyang si Mariel Padilla sa episode ng Fast Talk With Boy Abunda ngayong Martes, Oktubre 28, 2025.]. PEP.ph (in Filipino and English). Retrieved July 26, 2026.
External links
- Eva Cariño at IMDb