Why Jackie Lou Blanco opted not to tell Ricky Davao that Pilita Corrales passed away before he died
Jackie Lou Blanco revealed that Ricky Davao had no idea that Pilita Corrales passed away before he died.
In a May 14 episode of Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the actress opened up about her and her family's decision not to let Ricky know about Pilita's death.
"In the beginning, I was thinking, should we tell him? But my kids were saying, 'Mom, no na lang. He'll feel bad pa. 'Wag na lang.' So, we didn't," she said.
"We opted not to. I think it would have been too much for him," she continued.
For Jackie Lou, it was a "blessing" that the bond and love that Ricky and Pilita formed when they were together continued even after their split.
"When Ricky and I got separated, 'yun' yung hindi nawala—my mom's love to Ricky and Ricky's love to my mom. It was always there, and it's such a blessing to have that," she said.
"Since nauna si mom, pagdating ni Ricky sa langit, sasabihin ni Ricky sa langit, ‘Oh, mamita! Nandito ka!’ Sasabihin ni mamita, ‘Oh!’ Ta’s sasabihin ni Ricky, ‘Oh! Kanta tayo!’ Sasabihin ng mommy ko, ‘Hanggang dito ba naman, Ricky, mag-du-duet pa tayo?'" she said.
When asked how she's coping with the loss of two of her loved ones, she said she's taking it one day at a time.
"I don't know, by God's grace, by God's love. I take it a day at a time, which is the same thing I tell my children: 'Let's take it as a day at a time, there will be a day where it's okay, the next day where it's not okay, and it's okay. There is no shortcut to grief,'" she shared.
Jackie Lou continued, "It was harder because my brain could not process that I lost mom, and now I lost Ricky. It's like, there are days I am thinking of mom and crying for mom, then after a while, I am crying for Ricky, and I am crying for my children because I know how hard it is for them, and how hard it will be for a long time."
After Pilita's death, Jackie Lou bared her desire to keep her mom's memorabilia "in a specific place."
"I am trying to talk to people here in Manila, not all but at least some, and I want to do that in Cebu as well, because my mom was from Cebu. So I want to do that," she said.
She said she's also thinking of what can be done with Pilita's iconic wigs.
"For the wigs, I am thinking, maybe if some of the kids want it, they can use it. If not, I can donate it to the ones who make wigs for people with cancer, maybe I can do that. I don't know, it's a thought."
Jackie Lou likewise expressed her hope to have a space where people, especially the young, can learn about Pilita's contributions to the entertainment industry as Asia's Queen of Songs.
"I want the younger generations who may not know my mom or [are] too young to know my mom, to know that this is the kind of mom I had, that she was not just known [here] but known all over the world. This is the impact she had. I want people [to] remember her, because dapat lang," she said. "Pinagmamayabang ko ang nanay ko, Tito Boy, because of what she has achieved, the doors she has opened for other artists. I want to live forever, she deserves that."
In April, Pilita passed away in her sleep at 85 years old. Ricky succumbed to cancer at 63 a few weeks later.
Ricky and Jackie Lou got married in 1989 and had three children. They got separated in 2011.
