Press Release
November 17, 2020

Senators pay tribute to Mila Del Sol

The Senate adopted Tuesday a resolution expressing its profound sympathy and sincere condolences to the family of veteran actress and considered as the "Queen of the Golden Age of Philippine cinema" Clarita Villarba Rivera, popularly known as Mila Del Sol. Del Sol passed away from a lingering illness on November 10, 2020 at the age of 97.

Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., who introduced Senate Resolution 569, said Del Sol's works have brought entertainment, hope and inspiration to generations of Filipinos.

Del Sol, according to Revilla, started working at the age of 12 as a personal assistant to her older sisters who entered the showbiz industry as actresses until she was discovered and encouraged to venture into acting.

Revilla said Del Sol landed her first starring role in 1939 in the musical drama "Giliw Ko," the very first film produced by the legendary LVN pictures, where she was paired with Fernando Poe Sr. and Ely Ramos.

She made a total of 12 films under the LVN pictures including landmark films such as "Ibong Adarna," the first Filipino movie with a color sequence in 1941 and "Orasang Ginto," the first post-war Filipino film in 1946 which depicted the misfortunes and tragedies of Filipinos during and after the war, according to Revilla.

Del Sol, the senator added, made more than 40 feature films and worked with some of the most brilliant artists and directors of her time including National Artists for Theater and Film Lamberto Avellana as well as Miguel Conde, Gerardo de Leon and Eddie Romero.

She was also a recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Metro Manila Film Festival in 1993 and Gawad Urian in 2013 for her "historic presence" during the infancy of Philippine cinema and linking its golden age during the pre-war and post-war eras, according to Revilla.

In her desire to return the gains of her success to the masses who supported her career, the senator said, Del Sol put up the Pag-asa ng Kabataan Foundation which granted scholarships to poor but deserving students and low-cost housing for the elderly, and founded the Superior Maintenance Service in 1964 which eventually became one of the biggest janitorial and professional cleaning service firms in the country that provided jobs to thousands of Filipinos for more than five decades.

"Her screen name 'Miracle of the Sun' became a fitting description on the ray of light she shone not only on the early years of Philippine cinema, but also to the lives of many Filipino families who were given opportunities to change their lives for the better," Revilla added.

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