MANILA, Philippines?Film and television director Gilbert ?Manong? Perez passed away Wednesday night, ABS-CBN announced Thursday. He was 48.
Perez, director of such films as ?Dreamboy? and ?Jologs,? suffered a heart attack earlier this month while megging his current project, the drama series ?A Time For Us,? featuring Jericho Rosales and Malaysian actress Carmen Soo.
He also directed some episodes of the drama anthology ?Maalaala Mo Kaya? and was executive producer of the defunct game show ?Ready, Get Set, Go?
Perez succumbed at 10:41 PM Wednesday at the St. Luke?s Medical Center, ABS-CBN said.
"We will miss a very caring and loyal friend," said Charo Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN president. "Manong is a passionate and creative person. He is a perfectionist and expects people working with him to match his drive for passion, creativity and perfection," she adds.
"Manong and I both started fom Ateneo de Manila and met up again with him in BBC-2 when I was doing my OJT," said Cory Vidanes, ABS-CBN SVP and TV Production Head. "He was my mentor, taught me a lot and really took care of me when I was just starting in the business," Vidanes added.
Perez's remains lie in state at the Felicidad Room of Arlington Memorial Chapel in Quezon City.
