The latest vlog of “Lavender Fields” star Maricel Soriano was indeed filled with laughter, good vibes, and nostalgia, as she had veteran comedian and “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” actor Long Mejia as her guest.
Their lighthearted conversation commenced with him bravely confessing about having a crush on the one and only Diamond Star, along with Concert Queen Pops Fernandez, especially in their younger years. He revealed that he was actually a cable man and a camera caretaker in her classic anthology drama series “The Maricel Drama Special,” which was aired on ABS-CBN from 1989 to 1997.
Like their other colleagues, Long used to be intimidated by her because of the notion that she is “mataray.” However, he was able to personally dispel that assertion when he had the chance to work with her on a television program. His jitters transformed into delight as he was so touched by how she treated him as if they’re family and how she has been so genuine to the people around her, including him.
He may have been in the local entertainment scene for decades now, but we do not know much about him. Maricel started by asking for his birthname, which according to him is Roberto Felipe Mejia, while his real nickname is actually “Bobet.” However, he was given the screen name “Long” when he starred in a sitcom alongside another fellow veteran comedian, Dagul, who was initially dubbed "Short.”
With regard to the comedian whom he looks up to the most, he said that it’s none other than the late King of Comedy in the Philippines, Dolphy, who both of them got to work with on several projects before he passed away in 2012. They then reminisced on the fondest memories they had with him and heaped praise on the kind of person that he was on and off camera.
While he is known as a talented comedian, did you know that Long also dabbled into drama? He actually starred in two episodes of “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” the first one being the life story of legendary comedian Rene Requiestas entitled “Lugaw” in 2003, through which he won Best Actor in the Golden Dove Awards.
Long then looked back on how his comedic career propelled from being a simple jester in gatherings to becoming a full-fledged comic after winning a TV search for aspiring comedians. It also paved the way for him to personally meet his ultimate idol, Dolphy, who helped him get into the industry by hiring him as a mainstay in one of his shows after he was able to impress him during his on-the-spot audition. The King of Comedy eventually tapped Long to become his sidekick in his next projects, such as popular sitcoms “Home Along Da Airport” and “Home Along Da Riles.”
However, Dolphy’s kindness to him didn’t simply end there, as aside from vowing to include him in his next project, he also helped Long with his financial woes by giving him a whopping P50,000, which the latter badly needed to pay for his kids’ school tuition fees.
Maricel then had Long describe how it is working or being friends with Andrew E, Ogie Alcasid, Randy Santiago, Bayani Agbayani, Dennis Padilla, and Luis Manzano, as well as name the personality whom he wishes to work with, who turned out to be Vic Sotto. They might have already shared a scene together in a project, yet Long found it too short, so he wants to work with him if given the chance.
Their conversation ended with Long expressing his desire to have Maricel as his leading lady and that they should remake at least one episode of the famous Pinoy sitcom "John en Marsha."