Remembering ABS-CBN pillars Deo Endrinal and Jake Almeda Lopez

Feb. 3 was a heartbreaking day for ABS-CBN because two of its pillars — Deo Endrinal (60) and lawyer Jake Almeda Lopez (95) — passed away that Saturday.

Deo Endrinal was the prolific and creative genius behind Dreamscape Entertainment, the business unit behind some of the company’s biggest hit series like “Mara Clara,” “Walang Hanggan,” “Ang Probinsyano,” “Batang Quiapo,” and many, many more.

I’ve known Deo since 1994, when I joined ABS-CBN. He was larger than life and loved by many. He was always pleasant and approachable, and he treated everyone with respect and kindness. I remember one conversation we had when he was feeling the pressures and stress of the network wars, and he wanted to turn his back on television production and just fly to London to learn how to be a florist and make flower arrangements. He also wanted to learn how to create scents and be a perfumer.

When he opened a restaurant across ABS-CBN called “Trellis Manila,” it had a flower shop and gift shop corner that Deo personally curated. He loved the finer things in life and was a true bon vivant. He loved good food and fashion, and especially enjoyed traveling around the world with his son PJ.

In fact, when he turned 60 in November 2023, he and a few of his closest friends including Coco Martin traveled to Italy to celebrate. Deo certainly knew how to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

And he was extremely generous and unfailingly thoughtful. On my birthday, he would always have a beautiful flower arrangement or delicious food delivered to my table with the help of his trusted secretary, Leng Caharian, together with a handwritten note.

His parties were also legendary. Leave it to Deo to host a birthday bash or thanksgiving gathering at his palatial home or at the poshest and trendiest restaurant in town, and have stars like Coco Martin, Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Maricel Soriano, Piolo Pascual, Bea Alonzo, Jodi Sta. Maria, Paulo Avelino, Gerald Anderson and many more gathered under one roof!

It was no surprise therefore that when Deo passed away, social media was flooded with messages of grief and shock from the industry’s biggest and brightest stars, many of whom shared memories of how Deo touched their lives and helped them succeed.

ABS-CBN’s ‘heart and soul’

When I joined ABS-CBN in 1994, I would occasionally see the towering figure of lawyer Jake Almeda Lopez during Christmas parties, management conferences, and at the annual board of directors’ meetings. As the then-vice-chairman of the company — a title he held until 2008 — he was always impeccably dressed, more often than not wearing white pants and a heavily starched white linen guayabera.

It was only when I saw the 1995 Star Cinema true-to-life film “Eskapo” — which was about the Geny Lopez/Serge Osmeña “great escape” — that I understood the importance of Almeda Lopez. As depicted in the drama, it was Almeda Lopez (portrayed in the film by Ricky Davao) who planned the getaway of Serge Osmeña (Richard Gomez) and Geny Lopez (Christopher de Leon) from Fort Bonifacio, where they were incarcerated for five years.

It is because of the solid friendship of Kapitan Geny Lopez and Almeda Lopez that I understood why Kapitan called him ABS-CBN’s “heart and soul,” acknowledging his invaluable contributions to the network.

The last time I saw Almeda Lopez was in 2020 during the televised congressional hearing for ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal. And though he delivered a heartfelt appeal to renew the network’s franchise and preserve the livelihood of its 11,000 plus employees, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

When his remains were brought to ABS-CBN on Feb. 5, many of the ABS-CBN News veterans paid homage to Almeda Lopez. The likes of Tina Monzon-Palma, Korina Sanchez-Roxas, Ces Drilon, Chari Villa, and Ging Reyes (former head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs) were there. They all recalled how Almeda Lopez guided them and told them to never forget that their jobs were to serve and to be of service to the Filipino.

Farewell, Atty. Jake and Deo. The loss of your unique brands of brilliant and selfless leadership are what those of us who knew you both are still mourning. Thank you for enriching our lives with your irreplaceable, inspiring humanity.