Eric Quizon recalls Dolphy’s final wish, opens up on legacy, loss, and life lessons

The actor-director shares emotional memories of the Comedy King, from private father-son talks to legal tensions and a long-awaited biopic dream.

Eric Quizon recalled that before his father, the late Dolphy, passed away, his final wish for all his children was for them not to fight and to continue loving and understanding one another as siblings. 

He believes this may be the reason that, despite the inheritance Dolphy left behind, everything remains peaceful and settled.

Eric shared this with radar Entertainment after the press conference of the romantic-comedy film “Project Baby” on May 16 at Ultra Cinema, Eastwood Mall: “’Yong tampuhan, alam n’yo, mayroon din—’di mawawala ’yon—mga diskusyon. Pero ’yong Daddy ko kasi, nagbilin sa amin bago siya namatay. Sabi niya, ‘Ayokong mag-away-away kayo.’ Sinabi niya ’yon sa aming lahat.

’Yong nangyari kasi sa Daddy ko, na-prepare kami. Nung nalaman naming may sakit siya, tinaningan na siya ng four to five years—which is exactly when he died, bago mag-five years.

Pero ang sabi sa amin, depende pa rin sa quality of life niya. If he takes care of himself, puwede pang humaba. Kaya lang matigas ang ulo ng Daddy ko—gusto pa ring magtrabaho. May sakit na, nasa trabaho pa rin.

Legal concerns over Dolphy’s estate

“Tatawagan ako ni Zsa Zsa (Padilla, Dolphy’s long-time partner), ‘Eric, ’di darating ang Daddy mo, may sakit.’ Sasabihin ko, ‘O, pack up tayo.’ Tapos after two minutes, tatawag ulit siya: ‘Darating ako, hintayin mo ako.’

“Kumbaga sa amin, handa na kami. Alam na namin kung ano ang dapat gawin. We’re not perfect, but so far, we’re okay,” Eric shared.

When asked if their father trusted him the most among his children, the “Project Baby” director recalled how the late Comedy King once got upset with him over legal matters. “Alam ninyo, hindi dahil walang tiwala ang Daddy ko sa iba. It’s just that at that time, when he was dying, ako ’yong may mga sina-suggest sa kanya—to the point na napagalitan niya pa ako.

“I went through a rough patch with my Dad about this kasi ilang beses na muntik-muntik na siya. There was a time he had a triple bypass—we thought we were gonna lose him. May mga gan’on. May point na sinabihan pa niya ako, ‘Bakit ka ba nangingialam? Buhay pa ako, pinapatay mo na ako.’ Nag-dialogue ’yong Daddy ko sa akin, pero n’ong na-realize niya na tama ’yong mga sina-suggest ko, doon na namin napag-usapan.

Missing private conversations with dad

“Towards the latter part ng buhay niya, ako na ’yong nakikipag-usap sa mga tao tungkol sa kanya—kami ni Zsa Zsa. Ako ’yong nand’on, kaya ako ang naatasan.”

Eric misses many things about his father, especially their private conversations, where he learned life lessons shaped by experience.

He shared that while his dad wasn’t traditionally academic, he was deeply knowledgeable—street-smart and shaped by hardship, from war to personal struggles. Those experiences, Eric said, made him “rich with knowledge of life.”

Despite having many children, he emphasized that Dolphy was a present and devoted father. He showed up for milestones, from graduations to even small moments like Eric’s “Bodyshots” stint.

“He never fell short,” Eric said, adding that his father would leave work whenever he was needed. While they had disagreements—particularly when Eric chose to pursue projects outside comedy—he believes his father eventually understood his desire to carve his own path.

At the end of the day, Eric said he’s proud of his identity: being Dolphy’s son is something he fully embraces.

As of now, Eric has a dream of making a biopic about his father.

“I want to do a biopic of my Dad. Although ’yong naiisip ko AI ’ ang buong pelikula. Ibang aktor? Puwede rin naman, pero iniisip ko lang kasi ang dami naming magkakapatid, parang artista kaming lahat. ’Yon ang iniisip ko, sila rin ang gaganap.

“I hope mag-materialize. ’Yon ang pangarap ko. Although kailangang paghandaan, ‘di siya gan’on kadali, especially pag AI siya. Medyo madugo ’yong project, pero tingnan natin kung talagang mangyayari siya.”

Eric is the director of “Project Baby,” a romantic-comedy film produced by Regal Entertainment and written by Joey Reyes, which will be shown in theaters this coming June 4. 

Part of the cast are Sue Ramirez, Yasser Marta, Matt Lozano, Arra San Agustin, Charut, Alex Calleja, Jonathan Perez, and Rico Blanco.

Having his own children

The actor-director admitted that many of his female friends used to tease him about giving them babies. “Sometimes, the way it’s said, it’s in jest. Yes, I have some friends who said, ‘O Eric, if I don’t have one, can you donate your sperm?’ Puwede namang test tube.”

“I’ll give you one example. Pinag-usapan talaga namin nang seryoso. But she had ovarian cancer. They had to remove her uterus. I visited her in the hospital, napag-usapan namin, ‘‘Di na natin magagawa ’yong plano natin.’ Of course, it was a joke, but sometimes jokes are half-meant.”

In the end, we asked Eric if he is open to having his own kids someday. To this, he replied: “I want to have kids—that’s one thing that I want. Marami, pero okay na sa akin ang kambal, isang babae at isang lalaki para kumpleto na agad. Open? Oo naman. Kaya nga sinabi ko kanina, ang mga lalaki walang expiry, mas mahaba ’yong time namin.”

 

 

Eric Quizon shared that while his dad wasn’t traditionally academic, he was deeply knowledgeable—street-smart and shaped by hardship, from war to personal struggles. Those experiences, Eric said, made him ‘rich with knowledge of life.’

 

 

READ: