Armida Siguion-Reyna (born Armida Liwanag Ponce Enrile; November 4, 1930February 11, 2019) was 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 ...

singer, film and stage actress, producer and television show host. She was the chairperson of the

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board ( fil, Lupon sa Rebyu at Klasipikasyon ng Pelikula at Telebisyon; abbreviated as MTRCB) is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is respon ...

during the

Estrada Estrada is a Spanish surname and Portuguese term. Notable people with the surname include: * Armando Estrada, actually Hazem Ali, professional wrestler * Arturo Estrada Hernández, Mexican painter *Carla Estrada, Mexican producer *Chuck Estrada, Am ...

administration from 1998 to 2001.

Early life and education

Armida Siguion-Reyna was born as Armida Liwanag Ponce Enrile on November 4, 1930 in

Malabon Malabon, officially the City of Malabon ( fil, Lungsod ng Malabon), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people. Located just nort ...

, the daughter of Alfonso Ponce Enrile, her Spanish ''mestizo'' father who was a lawyer and regional politician, and Purita Liwanag, her mother who was one of the early graduates of the

University of the Philippines College of Music , image = University of The Philippines seal.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = Official Logo of UP Diliman , motto = Honor and Excellence , established = February 12, 194 ...

. Siguion-Reyna spent her childhood with her parents and siblings in their house in Malabon. She studied at the

Far Eastern University Far Eastern University (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pamantasan ng Malayong Silanganan''), also referred to by its acronym FEU, is a Private university, private non-sectarian Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Manila, Philippines ...

and

Philippine Women's University The Philippine Women's University (PWU) is a tertiary education school which has its main campus in Manila, Philippines. An institution exclusive for girls from its inception until the 1970s, the PWU admits both women and men as its students. ...

, which are both in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. She also studied at the United States for her high school and college education. She completed high school at Academy of St. Joseph in New York, although, she did not finish her college studies at the

Georgian Court University Georgian Court University (GCU or Georgian Court) is a private Roman Catholic university in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university has more than 1,600 undergraduates and nearly 600 graduate students ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

after being broken-hearted. She (aged 18) and her sister, artist Irma Potenciano, met their half-brother Juan Ponce Enrile.

Career

Theatrical roles

In the world of operas, Siguion-Reyna performed lead singing roles in ''Lucia de Lammersville'', ''Rigoletto'', ''La Traviata'', ''I Pagliacci'', ''The Merry Widow'', and the zarzuela ''Ang Mestiza'' (The Mestiza).

Television

Siguion-Reyna was the presenter for the television programmes ''"Cooking Atbp."'' ("Cooking

etc * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a P ...

.") and the award-winning ''"Áawitan Kita"'' ("I Will Sing for You"). ''"Áawitan Kita"'' aired for over 30 years and was one of longest-running musical television shows in the Philippines.

Music

Siguion-Reyna recorded musical albums such as the two volumes of ''"Aawitan Kita"'' (Villar Records), ''"Armida"'' (Dyna Music), and ''"Sa Lungkot at Saya... Aawitan Kita"'' ("In Sadness and Happiness... I Will Sing For You," Viva Records).

Film

In 1975, Siguion-Reyna was awarded best supporting actress during the Bacolod Film Festival for her performance in the film ''"Sa Pagitan ng Dalawang Langit"'' ("In Between Two Heavens"). Later on she would be well known for collaborations with big names actresses such as

Alma Moreno Venesa Moreno Lacsamana (born; May 25, 1959), professionally known as Alma Moreno, is a Filipina actress and politician. Early life Moreno was born in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur to her parents Frank Lacsamana, from Pampanga, and Jean Moreno. Acting ...

and a ''kontrabida'' (villain) to actresses

Vilma Santos Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto (, born November 3, 1953) is a Filipino actress, singer, dancer, TV host, producer, and politician. She served as a House Deputy Speaker since 2019 to 2022 and as the Representative of Batangas' 6th district since ...

and Nora Aunor in several films. She is well known for also co-producing films with her son and having

Maricel Soriano Maricel Soriano (; born Maria Cecilia Dador Soriano; February 25, 1965) is a Filipina film and television actress, occasional host and dancer. With a career spanning of over 50 years, Soriano is one of the most celebrated artists and popularly ...

and Rosanna Roces in films and

Dawn Zulueta Marie Rachel Salman Taleon-Lagdameo (born March 4, 1969), known professionally as Dawn Zulueta (), is a Filipino actress, host and commercial model. She was recognized as the only Filipino actor to win two different major accolades in acting cat ...

these actresses have been in two films of Siguion-Reyna.

Producer

As a producer, Siguion-Reyna produced and starred in her own 16-mm film musicals entitled ''"Dung-aw,"'' ''"Lakambini,"'' ''"Supremo"'' (on the life on

Andrés Bonifacio Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (, ; November 30, 1863May 10, 1897) was a Filipino Freemason and revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered one of the national heroes of the Philippines ...

), ''"Pagpatak ng Ulan"'' ("When The Rain Falls"), and ''"Sisa."'' She had two film production companies. Her Pera Films company produced the movies ''"Laruang Apoy"'' ("Playing Fire") and ''"Bilanggong Birhen"'' ("Jailed Virgin"). She managed

Reyna Films Reyna Films was a Filipino film production company managed by Armida Siguion-Reyna and her son Carlitos Siguion-Reyna in 1991. It was known for its critically acclaimed and award-winning films such as ''Hihintayin Kita sa Langit'' and '' Ligaya A ...

Company with her son Carlitos, who was a two-time award recipient.

As a public servant

During the

Presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

, Siguion-Reyna was appointed as the chairperson of the

(MTRCB) in 1998. She was known to be an advocate of freedom of speech and artistic liberties in film. Even before she became the chairperson of MTRCB, she fought against censorship and together with peers like

Lino Brocka Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991) was a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant filmmakers in the history of Philippine cinema. He co-founded the organization Concerned Art ...

Behn Cervantes Benjamín Roberto "Behn" H. Cervantes (August 25, 1938 – August 13, 2013) was a Filipino artist and activist. He was highly regarded as a theater pioneer, teacher, and progressive thinker who was detained multiple times during martial law in the ...

and

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 ...

, they had protested the actions of Siguion-Reyna's predecessors, specifically Manuel Morato and Henrietta Mendez. When she was MTRCB's chair, her board members consisted of anti-censorship people. They were lenient in rating films to be shown publicly in theaters. Though, she was criticized for being biased on film produced by her own production outfit and by her friends. She countered her critics and said that the board did not grant permits to films showing purely sexual content and thus, the films were given X-rating, which means that those films were not suitable to be shown in cinemas. Her term ended in 2001 after Estrada was ousted through the

Second EDSA Revolution The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...

Death

Siguion-Reyna died of cancer in

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

at the age of 88, on February 11, 2019.

Filmography

Television

Movies

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siguion-Reyna, Armida 1930 births 2019 deaths Asian film producers Actresses from Metro Manila Deaths from cancer in the Philippines 20th-century Filipino women singers Filipino musical theatre actresses Filipino people of Spanish descent Filipino television actresses Filipino television presenters People from Malabon Star Music artists Chairpersons of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Estrada administration personnel Philippine Women's University alumni Filipino women film producers 20th-century Filipino actresses Filipino women television presenters