"Rico Yan embodied the symbol of the wholesome kid, one who refused the temptation of the age, and one who never exploited the power of celebrity."

THE MYSTIQUE OF RICO YAN: THE WHOLESOME KID AS AN ICON

Some guest had to be turned away at the gates of La Salle Greenhills where the body of Rico Yan lay in state. In any case, one would have to stand in line, and await one's turn to view the remains of the young actor who was buried on Thursday, April 4. My grand daughter Anna, from St. Paul's in Pasig, was one of those who joined the interminable queues. She folded her savings of PhP 1, 000 into an envelope to donate to the Rico Yan Foundation and asked me for a matching check as my donation. I signed a personal check for PhP 2, 000 as my share.
The Rico Yan funeral far exceeded the size of the crowd that accompanied the hearse of actress Nida Blanca. The event also completely overshadowed the news about the death of the two national artist for music, Lucio San Pedro and Levi Celerio, a point belabored by the morning radio commentators of GMA 7, alluding the one-sided coverage of the day's obituaries in favor of Rico Yan, putting the blame for this on the rival channel, ABS-CBN.
I never met Rico Yan and as a rule, I pass over the entertainment news as a minor distraction in a busy life. But I must admit that the death of Rico touched a chord in my aging skeptical heart.
It is evident that a youth cult has formed around Rico Yan, the dimpled young man who died on Good Friday in his rented cottage at the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan. The dimples graced the soft lines of a very handsome face. The police ruled out foul play and the autopsy did not support speculations that he had taken an overdose of the drug, Ecstasy. The medics said that he died of pancreatitis or, to put it in more popular term, "bangungot." On the romantic angle, some people said he died of a broken heart because of the break-up of his relationship with the young actress Claudine Barretto. But I saw on TV an interview of Claudine who says that their lover's quarrel had been settled even before Rico flew off to the Palawan resort for the Lenten holidays. These are the ingredients of a tale that appealed to a large audience of young and old alike, but especially to Rico's thousands of fans in the country's student population.
Rico Yan did not go out of his way to cultivate his popularity. But the tragedy of his passing at so youthful an age and the legend of his many good works for the underpriviledged youth combined to make him a model-- an icon-- at a time when the new generation is accused of failing morals and indifference to the traditional Filipino values. Rico had once turned down a great career opportunity, the premier role in a movie casting him as a drug addict because this might set a bad example for the youth.
To this massive wave of sympathy, his family properly responded by establishing a foundation in his name to pursue his passion for the underpriviledged Filipino youth. His elder brother Bobby has offered to act the role of Rico's "messenger" through the Rico Yan Youth Foundation. And why not? Rico Yan embodied the symbol of the wholesome kid, one who refused the temptations of the age, and one who never exploited the power of celebrity. There was a time not too long ago when another young man out of Cuba, Che Guevarra, attracted a youth cult around the world, for dying as he did in the wilderness of Columbia, a hunted man fighting for his Marxist vision.
The mystique of Rico Yan owes nothing to ideology. He was a victim of his own destiny as we all are in our own turn. He is the wholesome kid, the good boy as an icon of his own generation. We don't have to fanthom the mystique of Rico Yan or of the cult it has evoked. It has a validity of its own, and as my grand daughter Anna argues, if we want to encourage wholesomeness and idealism in the Filipino youth, why not send your penny's worth to the Rico Yan Youth Foundation?
Reprinted from the author's column,"Windows," Panorama Magazine,April 14, 2002

Ricardo cArlos castro yan

kapag naaalala ko c rico, i still feel the pain ng maaga niyang pagkamatay, o.a man pero nakakapanghinayang talaga siya. he's such a great guy,. and a perfect role model for the youth. no wonder marami yung nalungkot nung nabalitaan nila yung pagkamatay ni rico. it's so untimely, marami pa siyang pwedeng gawin, it's so sad that he was never given the chance to fix up the things na hindi nila napagkasunduan ni claudine barreto, he died, leaving claudine alone,. and devastated. it's so sad na may chance pa pala silang magkabalikan, kung hindi lang sana namatay si rico, kung nagkabalikan sila,.

siguro rico would be the one claudine's going to marry, and not raymart..

haay so sad....

cristy fermin article about the death of rico yan

Claudine pinapasok na sa burol ni Rico FRONT SEAT ni Cristy FerminPilipino STAR Ngayon 04/01/2002 Nu’ng Sabado nang gabi, sa unang araw ng lamay para sa namayapang aktor na si Rico Yan, ay nagmistulang karnabal ang paligid ng La Salle Greenhills Chapel. Trak-trak na tagahanga mula sa malalayo pang probinsya ang parang nag-excursion para lang makita ang bangkay ng kanilang idolo, tilian sila nang tilian kapag may mga artistang dumarating at pinasukan na rin ng komersiyo at kalakal ang burol, dahil sa rami ng naghilerang tindera ng kung anu-anong pagkain sa labas ng paaralan ng mayayaman. Dalawa-singko ang dami ng mga artistang nagdatingan sa unang gabi ng burol ni Rico, patotoo lang kung gaano kamahal ng industriya ng pelikula at telebisyon ang pumanaw na aktor, na kung ilarawan ng marami buhay man o patay ay edukado, walang bisyo at marespeto sa kanyang kapwa. Dumating agad sa burol si Judy Ann Santos at ang kanyang pamilya, kararating lang mula sa Bangkok, Thailand ng batang superstar nang gabing ‘yun pero namahinga lang sandali at tumuloy na sa lamay. Nagkaroon ng ugnayan sina Rico at Judy Ann apat na taon na ngayon ang nakararaan, pero kahit nagkaroon ng problema sa kanilang pagitan, ang pagrerespetuhan at pagkakaibigan ng dalawang pamilya ay buong-buo pa rin. Sinamahan pa ni Mommy Sita Yan si Juday sa harap ng kabaong ni Rico, sinalubong naman agad ni Geraldine, nakatatandang kapatid ng pumanaw na aktor, sina Juday, Jackie, Jeffrey at Mommy Carol nang makita nito. Ganu’n nga kamahal ng pamilya Yan si Judy Ann, hindi naging dahilan ang paghihiwalay ng dalaga at ni Rico para maputol ang maganda nilang samahan. * * * Kung gaano kabukas ang pinto ng puso ng pamilya ni Rico sa pagtanggap kay Judy Ann ay ganu’n naman kasarado ang puso ng pamilya para kay Claudine Barretto, ang apat na taong naging karelasyon ng namayapang aktor. Habang nasa burol kami ay tumawag sa amin ang humahagulgol na si Claudine, gustong-gusto niyang makita ang bangkay ng lalaking mahal na mahal pa rin niya hanggang ngayon, pero ayaw siyang payagan ng pamilya ni Rico. Ayon kay Claudine ay nakiusap na siya sa nakatatandang kapatid ni Rico na si Bobby na kung puwede sana’y makapunta siya, pero ang sabi sa kanya nito ay ayaw raw ni Mommy Sita, sapat na raw na ipagdasal niya na lang ang kaluluwa ni Rico. Masakit ang iyak ni Claudine, nakikiusap ang kanyang mga hikbi, ayaw niya namang kontrahin ang gustong mangyari ng pamilya ni Rico dahil ayaw niyang mabastos ang burol ng dati niyang karelasyon. Hiling ni Claudine na sana naman ay lumambot ang puso ng pamilya ni Rico para kahit sa huling sandali na lang, kahit sa pagsasabi lang ng salamat at paalam, ay payagan siyang makasilip sa bangkay ng binatang aktor. Nagkasya na lang si Claudine sa pagtatawid ng kanyang mensahe kay Rico sa pamamagitan ng teleponong idinikit namin sa kabaong ng aktor. Humahagulgol si Claudine habang nagsasalita, nakikiusap siya kay Rico na magpakita ng senyales sa pamilya nito, para payagan siyang makadalaw sa lamay. Matindi ang paninindigan ng pamilya ni Rico na huwag nang magpunta pa sa burol si Claudine, "Bobby told me to just pray for Rico’s soul na lang daw, dahil ayaw ng Mommy nila na magpunta ako," humahagulgol na sabi sa amin ni Claudine. * * * Habang sinusulat namin ang kolum na ito ay nakarating sa amin ang impormasyong dumating sa La Salle Chapel si Claudine kahapon nang madaling-araw, pero hindi pa rin siya pinapasok ng pamilya ni Rico. Hindi na siguro makayanan ng dalaga ang sobrang kalungkutan, dahil apat na taon nga naman silang nagmahalan ni Rico nang wala naman silang nagiging problema maliban lang sa nangyari nitong huli, pero hindi pa rin sapat na dahilan ‘yun para ipagdamot sa kanya ang pagkakataong makita ang bangkay ng namayapa niyang dating karelasyon. Sinusulat namin ito ay hindi maaaring makausap si Claudine, ang kaibigan lang niyang si Ana ang nag-text sa amin para sabihing pinainom ng gamot na pampakalma ang dalaga, dahil halos maghapon at magdamag nang umiiyak. Nakarating din sa amin ang impormasyon na nag-uusap-usap na ngayon ang pamilya ni Rico Yan, binabalanse na nila ang mga pangyayari at magdedesisyon sila kung maaari na bang dumalaw sa burol si Claudine o ililibing na lang nila si Rico nang hindi man lang nasisilip ng dalaga. Sana naman ay bigyang-halaga rin ng pamilya ng pumanaw na aktor ang apat na mahahabang taon na pinagsamahan nina Claudine at Rico. Dapat na nilang kalimutan pansamantala kung sino ang nanakit kanino, ang mahalaga ngayon ay ang kanilang pagkakaisa at pagkakasundo, tungo sa ikatitiwasay at ikatatahimik ng kaluluwa ni Rico.