Venesa Moreno Lacsamana (born; May 25, 1959), professionally known as Alma Moreno, is a

Filipina Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Early life

Moreno was born in

Cervantes, Ilocos Sur Cervantes, officially the Municipality of Cervantes ( ilo, Ili ti Cervantes; fil, Bayan ng Cervantes), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 19,449 people. Th ...

to her parents Frank Lacsamana, from

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

, and Jean Moreno.

Acting career

She appeared in her first movie as a

Darna Darna () is a Filipina superheroine created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Nestor Redondo. The character's first appearance was in ''Pilipino Komiks'' (Ace Publications, Inc.) #77 on May 13, 1950. Darna is a retooling of Ravelo's earlier cha ...

in ''Urduja'' with

Amalia Fuentes Amalia may refer to: People *Amalia (given name), feminine given name (includes a list of people so named) * Princess Amalia (disambiguation), several princesses with this name Films and television series * ''Amalia'' (1914 film), the first ...

, while her first starring role was in ''Ligaw na Bulaklak Part 2'' ("''Lost Flower''") with

Vic Silayan Victor Payumo Silayan (January 31, 1929 – August 30, 1987), commonly known as Vic Silayan, was a Filipino actor who is best known for his roles in ''Kisapmata'' (1981) and ''Karnal'' (1983). Personal life He was born in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, ...

, which was her breakout film. The 1976 film was directed by National Artist for Film

Ishmael Bernal Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films s ...

. From then until the late 1980s, Moreno starred in a number of revealing movies that were box office hits, earning her the title "Sex Goddess of Philippine Movies" of the 1970s and 1980s. Bernal had also directed her in the acclaimed film, ''City After Dark'', that premiered in 1980. Her other notable films include the 1993

Gawad Urian The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP, "the Filipino Film Critics") and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Fi ...

Best Picture, ''Makati Avenue Office Girls'' (directed by

José Javier Reyes Jose "Joey" Javier Reyes (born October 21, 1954) is a Filipino professor, writer, director, miscellaneous crew and actor. He has won awards at the Gawad Urian, Metro Manila Film Festival and Filipino Star Awards for Movies for his films, which ...

) and the 1977 ''

Mga Bilanggong Birhen ''The Captive Virgins'' (Filipino: ''Mga Bilanggong Birhen'') is a controversial 1977 Philippine period drama film produced by Armida Siguion-Reyna and directed by Mario O'Hara and Romy Suzara. The movie served as a commentary on the state of t ...

'' ("''Incarcerated Virgins''") (directed by

Mario O'Hara Mario Herrero O'Hara (April 20, 1946 – June 26, 2012) was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages.presenter A presenter is a person or organization responsible for the running of a public event, or someone who conveys information on media via a broadcasting outlet. Presenter may refer to: People * News presenter, person who presents news during a new ...

on several highly rated television variety shows in the 1980s for which she earned the title "Shining Star", as well as the weekly television drama anthology, ''Alindog'', which explored the lives of modern Filipino women. Moreno is also a dancer, who popularised a sexy, high-cut outfit called the "Tangga” on her shows like ''The Other Side of Alma'', ''Rated A'' and ''Loveli-Ness''. She has been nominated in various film and TV acting awards for her dramatic and comedic performances. In the early 2000s, Moreno divided her time between her professional commitments with

GMA Network GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...

's primetime drama series ''

Habang Kapiling Ka ''Habang Kapiling Ka'' (International title: ''With You'' / ) is a Philippine television drama romance series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, it stars Angelika dela Cruz. It premiered on November 4, 2002 on the ne ...

'' and

situational comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

program ''

Daboy en Da Girl ''Daboy en Da Girl'' is a Philippine television situational comedy series broadcast by GMA Network. Starring Rosanna Roces and Rudy Fernandez, it premiered in 2002. The series concluded in 2003. The series is streaming online on YouTube. Cas ...

''; she balanced these with her personal commitment to helping the women and the poor in

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to t ...

through various socio-civic and community development projects. In 2002, she starred in her comeback film ''Kapalit''. Recently, she was a resident judge of the defunct dance contest ''You Can Dance''.

Political career

Moreno ran for Mayor of

in 2004 but lost. In 2007, she was elected as Councilor of the city, and was re-elected in 2010. On September 24, 2008, the Parañaque prosecutor's office found

probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition o ...

for violation of Batas Pambansa 22 (also known as the Anti-Bouncing Check Law) against Moreno. The complaint Maya Media Arts Yielding Ads (Maya) Inc. accused Moreno of issuing P 390,000 rubber or bouncing checks for campaign materials. Moreno denied the charges and her

bail bond Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

was set at P30,000. In 2012, Moreno became the first female National President of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), where she previously served as National Secretary-General and National Executive Vice-President. In May 2012, she declared her intention to run for

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in the 2013 elections under

Lakas–CMD Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, abbreviated as Lakas–CMD and also known simply as Lakas, is a political party in the Philippines. Lakas–CMD is considered to sit on the centre-right of the political spectrum, and is influenced by Chris ...

party. A few months later in September however, she announced that she had dropped her bid due to a lingering illness. She moved to the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

with her former husband Joey, and she ran again for Councilor in 2013. In 2014, she joined

United Nationalist Alliance The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA; ) is a political party in the Philippines. It was created as a multi-party electoral alliance replacing the former United Opposition (UNO) coalition for the 2013 midterm elections, before it was launche ...

of Vice-President

Jejomar Binay Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III. A h ...

, and in 2015, Moreno confirmed that she will run for

under UNA. She filed her COC on October 14, 2015. She lost in the election placing 24th away from the Top 12 Circle. On November 14, 2015, on ABS-CBN News Channel's ''Headstart'', which hosted by news anchor

Karen Davila Kristine Karen Lising Davila-Sta. Ana (; born November 21, 1970), professionally known as Karen Davila, is a Filipino journalist. Early life Davila went to high school at the Colegio San Agustin – Makati. She took a degree of Bachelor of A ...

, Davila asked Moreno with some questions regarding certain issues in the country including the Reproductive Health Law. The interview was widely shared after Moreno failed to coherently answer most of Davila's questions.

Personal life

Moreno had a relationship with Rudy Fernandez, they have one son

Mark Anthony Fernandez Mark Anthony Lacsamana Fernandez (born January 18, 1979) is a Filipino actor. He is the son of actor Rudy Fernandez and actress-politician Alma Moreno. Career He first rose to prominence when he was once a former member of one of the famous ...

. She also had a relationship with the "King of Comedy", Dolphy Quizon, which produced one son,

Vandolph Vandolph Lacsamana Quizon (born; May 7, 1984) is a Filipino actor, comedian and politician. He also serves as a councilor of Parañaque from the 1st district since 2016. Personal life He is the only son of comedian Dolphy with actress-po ...

. Moreno married actor-politician

Joey Marquez Joselito Perez Marquez (born Artemio Perez Marquez Jr.; October 7, 1957) better known as Joey Marquez, is a Filipino actor, comedian, politician and former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was born to ...

. They produced three children: Yeoj, Wynwyn and Vitto. The marriage was

annulled Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost ...

in 2004. In 2001, she was diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

. She married

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Fahad "Pre" Salic, mayor of Marawi City, in 2009, in a traditional Muslim ''

nikah In Islam, nikah is a contract between two people. Both the groom and the bride are to consent to the marriage of their own free wills. A formal, binding contract – verbal or on paper – is considered integral to a religiously valid Islami ...

''. They have one daughter Alfa Salic. They divorced in 2014.Alma Moreno says marriage to Salic still strong
ABS-CBN News (April 17, 2011). Retrieved on June 24, 2016.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Alma 1959 births Actresses from Metro Manila Filipino actor-politicians Filipino film actresses Filipino Roman Catholics Filipino television actresses Filipino television personalities Living people Metro Manila city and municipal councilors People from Ilocos Sur People from Parañaque Filipino people of Kapampangan descent ABS-CBN personalities GMA Network personalities TV5 (Philippine TV network) personalities