Simply sweet, simply special | The Manila Times

The title of this tribute might raise a few eyebrows — especially for those who only knew legendary talent manager, columnist, and all-around showbiz force Lolit Solis from controversial headlines, pointed blind items, and her no-holds-barred Instagram posts. Sweet and special aren’t exactly the first words that come to mind.

Her contemporaries will say, however, that Nanay had mellowed just enough toward her twilight, chalking up her wisecracks and blunt remarks to her irrepressible naughtiness.

Yet for all the talk of her crassness as a self-proclaimed social climber and the self-anointed “Queen of Harbat” (a term she pretty much planted in Pinoy lingo to describe her talent for scoring gifts and freebies from “rich friends”), I swear, I saw it for myself. Nanay was the one everyone wanted to be around. From presidents to senators and industry giants to the brightest stars, they all wanted the irreverent Lolit Solis in their corner.

And mind you, it wasn’t about avoiding a potential mention in her tabloid column — or, more recently, on her widely followed Instagram account, @akosilolitsolis. Believe it or not, they even enjoyed being on the receiving end of ’Nay Lolit’s Operation Harbat, should she feel the urge. In fact, they didn’t just give to Nanay — they showered her with gifts, willingly and oh so gleefully.

Because while her infamous “switching” reputation might precede her, and her shocking, irreverent ways catch people off guard at first, it never took long before they went from being thoroughly entertained by her sass and stories to wishing they had just a fraction of her nerve, to suddenly discovering her honesty, respecting her loyalty, and ultimately being drawn to her completely.

I know, because that’s exactly what happened to me — minus the harbat, of course. While it took some time for us to truly connect — given my back-and-forth in covering the showbiz beat earlier in my career — it was only in the last decade that we really found each other. And when we did, Nanay made me feel like I had always belonged in her world.

Her sterling team of talents — (from left) former Sen. Bong Revilla, Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, Lorna Tolentino, Yasmien Kurdi, Paolo Contis, Benjie Paras, Sandy Andolong, Christopher de Leon, Amy Austria and Tonton Gutierrez — with daughter Sneezy McDonald (front, center) and Nay Lolit’s right hand, Gorgy Rula (back row, right).   

It started with invitations to her high-profile press conferences, given her sterling roster of talents and impressive circle of politician friends. I guess she became a fan of my writing, especially my Sunday Times Magazine covers, so much so that she would embarrassingly tell the subject of the interview right at the start that they were going to love my piece. Pretty soon, those press con invites turned into non-working, laugh-a-minute lunches, and one day, a slot in Nanay’s coveted Hong Kong weekend, where I truly saw Lolit Solis up close, beyond the legend.

Because while she made sure we traveled first-class all the way, Nanay, for starters — who received Louis Vuittons and Pradas from every celebrity and socialite imaginable — went about a trip just as she would on any given day. In her jeans, baggy shirts, famous tsinelas, and a couple of eco bags filled with knick-knacks you wouldn’t think to bring to another country. Eventually, I realized the only difference when she traveled was that she wouldn’t have a wad of P20s, P50s, and P100s folded atop each other like jeepney drivers do — because in Manila, she’d hand them out to street kids, sampaguita vendors, and security guards wherever she went, on autopilot.

According to Nanay, having traveled the world several times already courtesy of her fellow entertainment bigwigs (whom she’s now having the most deafening reunion with up in heaven, namely Tito Douglas Quijano and Mother Lily Monteverde), she simply wanted her friends to have fun on these trips. She’d be happily holed up in her hotel room, sending everyone off to see the sights or enjoy a fancy dinner soon after arriving so she could keep her K-drama viewing and Rosary schedule intact. As for meals, all she looked forward to were grocery runs and the freshest fruits. Once her setup was set up, the only other thing that mattered was that everyone else had a great time.

“I’ve been there and done that, Tessa,” she told me. “I just want to pay it forward now — however good Mother Lily or Douglas was to me, I want to do the same with my friends.”

‘Nay Lolit’s constant lunch dates to the very end: Faye Lawrence, Save Asis, Ted de Joya, Pat P Daza and her beloved Gorgy Rula

Eventually, back in Manila, Nanay invited me to join what she called her top circle of friends — forever inclu­ding her beloved Gorgy Rula, then the famous “Salve” of her IG posts, Salve Asis, and growing over time to include Tet de Joya, Pat P. Daza, and Faye Lawrence. Fun doesn’t even begin to describe these regular lunches, but as Nanay started to notice at some point I started begging off more and more often, being the proverbial juggler of a working mother. She knew I made a point of spending my non-working hours to be with my then growing sons and never pressured me. She just quietly stopped sending the invites to spare me from having to feel torn.

It didn’t mean, though, that our friendship ended. We’d still see each other in press cons and special occasions, but when we didn’t, we’d check on each other through messages almost to the very end and send each other gifts — just to let each other know we were always in each other’s thoughts. Nanay’s gifts were always bongga, though, as she liked to say, while mine were nothing like the lavish deliveries the rest of the world sent her. She treasured the puting mais (white corn) I’d bring her from Bataan whenever my boys and I escaped to the beach, a bucket of sinful chicharon from my dad’s hometown of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, a huge langka just in time for her birthday each summer, and during one of her longer hospitalizations, my favorite kuchay dumplings from a humble neighborhood Chinese restaurant, which Nanay proudly declared as one of the best get-well-soon gifts she received, side by side with the pristine white orchids Alden Richards sent her.

That was Nanay. She valued the thought. She valued you. She was, without question, simply sweet and simply special.

Just to be clear, this tribute doesn’t claim that I was one of Nanay’s closest. That honor, among her friends, belongs to Gorgy and Salve, and of course to her beloved A-list artists — her number one favorites Sen. Bong Revilla and Cong. Lani, the ever-gorgeous LT (Lorna Tolentino), Christopher de Leon, Gladys Reyes, Paolo Contis, and many more glittering stars. But like them, I was loved by her, felt it, and continue to feel it — and with Lolit Solis, that meant everything.

Nanay Lolit’s beloved A-list artists — Gabby Concepcion, Lorna Tolentino, former Sen. Bong Revilla and Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla.

Much as I wish I could have seen her one more time, I’m grateful we got to exchange one final message back in June filled with love and gratitude. And most of all, I take comfort, as I know many do, in her final Instagram post, which said:

“I have so many things to be thankful for. For me, it feels like my journey in life is enough. Been there, done that. I feel complete and grateful to my God. So if I were to leave now, I have no regrets. Life was good to me, people were kind, and most things worked in my favor. What more could I ask for? Just, thank you to all, my apologies to some, and if ever — just remember me with fondness. I love all of you, and thank you, my God.”

Today, Wednesday, July 9, Lolit Solis will finally be laid to rest. To end, may I just thank her beloved daughters, Sneezy and Sloopy, for sharing their outrageously wonderful mother with so many of us.

And to you, Nanay — thank you for showing us that people are never really what they seem to be on the surface, and how the loudest person in the room can surprise you by becoming the quietest, kindest constant when it matters most.