MANILA, Philippines—Veteran actor Bernard Bonnin, who died on Nov. 21 at age 71, was set to be buried at 2 p.m. Thursday, his son Melvin told Inquirer Entertainment Wednesday.

Melvin is a half-brother of actress and TV host Charlene Gonzalez, Bernard’s daughter with former beauty queen Elvie Gonzalez.

Homecomings

Bernard’s brother Gabby, father of 1980s matinee idol JC Bonnin, arrived Tuesday from Bacolod for the interment at Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig. Melvin’s aunts Malou and Sitas (sisters of his mother Digna) who, he said, were very close to Bernard, also arrived Tuesday from Australia.

Character actor Richard Bonnin, Charlene’s brother, could not come home from the United States, where he is now based. A sibling of Melvin’s, also named Gabby and now living in Australia, could not come home in time for the funeral, either.

Bernard Bonnin, who popularized the character “Palos” in 1960s films, died of multiple organ failure at 2:30 a.m. Saturday at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

According to Melvin, Bernard was confined in the intensive care unit of the Heart Center in July for severe pulmonary edema. “When he was about to be discharged, Daddy had a heart attack. His health deteriorated since then,” Melvin said.

Bonnin subsequently had a tracheotomy, and his kidneys started to fail. Melvin related, “He had dialysis three to four times a week. Shortly after that, his body began rejecting food and medicine.”

Last phone call

On the night of Nov. 19, Bernard had a seizure. “His doctors said he could go anytime. The family rang me up and told me to get on the next available flight home,” said Melvin, who has been working in London for the last three years.

Melvin recalled he last spoke with his dad on the phone on Nov. 19. “I told him he should not worry about us, if it makes him suffer more.”

Bernard was last seen on ABS-CBN’s TV series remake of “Alyas Palos”—where he played a villain.

Successful series

Originally a Virgilio and Nestor Redondo graphic novel serialized in Tagalog Klasiks, “Alyas Palos” was adapted into a film and made Bernard a household name in the ’60s. The film was so successful that it became a series of eight films—all with Bernard in the lead role.

“Dad still loved being in front of the camera,” said Melvin. “He felt really good working on the ABS-CBN series. I remember him saying he enjoyed very much working with Cesar Montano.”

Bernard also appeared in the films “Casa Grande,” “Ay Pepita,” “Wala Kang Paki” and “Limang Dalangin.”

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph