Veteran actor-director Manny Castañeda passes away
Veteran actor and director Manny Castañeda has passed away, said Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chairperson Joey Javier Reyes.
Sharing a photo on Facebook, Reyes revealed the sad news about his close friend's passing. No details about the cause of death or the date it occurred were mentioned in the July 1 post.
“Honestly, I do not know how it is going to be without my best friend just sitting out there ready to bitch it out with me. We may have our differences in political beliefs, we may have our arguments but we were there for each other… all the way,” he wrote.
"I never told this [to] you when you were around because I knew you would just cringe and tell me to shut up—but you are such a great part of my life because you are my irreplaceable BFF," he said about his 61-year friendship with Castañeda.
The comments were filled with replies, with celebrities including Rachel Alejandro, Boom Labrusca, Quark Henares, Agot Isidro, and Vickie Rushton sharing their condolences.
Photographer Niccolo Cosme also posted a tribute about Castañeda, whom he said was a friend of his father's.
He said that Castañeda "was a big part of my formative years as a young gay man."
"Ang ganda ng observations ko sa buhay nila noon as a thriving gay person in society at yung buhay naming (then) bagets na witness ng birth of the internet," Cosme wrote, who said he is "very fortunate" to have him in his life.
"As a young gay man ang dami kong natutunan from our fairy god mothers, madami akong natutunan from Manny. I may not have been around him so much during these last years of his life but I will always cherish him, his friendship, his stories," he continued.
Publicist Noel Ferrer on his Facebook account recalled the many "misadventures" he had with Castañeda.
"Because of your BFF Joey Javier Reyes, we grew even closer, attending special gatherings and yes, you were the life of [every] party,” he wrote. “Oh Manny, we may have differed in our political beliefs, but we remained friends.”
GMA screenwriter Suzette Doctolero also posted about the renowned director.
"Si Manny Castaneda ang isa sa mga naging headwriter ko, noong nagsisimula pa lamang akong magsulat sa TV. I am deeply saddened by the news of his passing. Pakikiramay po sa kanyang naulilang pamilya at mga kaibigan. Paalam po, Direk Manny," she wrote on X.
Castañeda first got his break in the showbiz industry as an actor in the 1979 film, Aliw.
He also appeared in other films like Oro Plata Mata (1981) and Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas (1986), and television series Makiling and FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.
In the 90s, he tried his hand at filmmaking and directed films like Guwapings Dos (1993), Ging Gang Gooly Giddiyap: I Love You Daddy(1994), Kailanman (1996), Sa Kabilugan ng Buwan (1997), April May June (1998), May Isang Pamilya (1999), at Shame (2000).
His most recent project was Makiling (2024), a thriller directed by Conrado Delgado Peru.