EDDIE Garcia is not a part of my childhood memories like, say, Fernando Poe Jr., apparently because he only became an extremely popular action star late in the game, or in the period when the popularity of the action genre in Philippine movies was merely surviving on borrowed time. He was the “kontrabida” whose one-liners made you laugh allowing him to transition for a time as a “bida” mostly in biopics.

My childhood impression of Pinoy films was mostly shaped by Best Theater, later jokingly referred to as the “best theater in Cebu,” especially when it started showing bold films with porn clips shown in between the full-length shows. That was when the film operator was sure no censor was around (or when the censor or his or her agent already got paid). Otherwise, those porn clips would not be shown, prompting some moviegoers to make a fuss by demanding, “pakapin!” “pakapin!”

That was, of course, years before the Betamaxes and the DVDs were invented and copies of porn films became easy to procure through piracy. The practice of movie theater owners at that time was that when their establishments fell on hard times, they would shift to showing “bomba” films or the so-called “pene-kula” (penetration movies) that became an offshoot to so-called “bold” films. The “best theater in Cebu” was one of them.

But before that, Best Theater showed “double” second-run Tagalog action or comedy films, meaning that moviegoers would see two films for the price of one ticket. They were called “second run” because the films had already been shown in classy theaters. But beggars can’t be choosers. It’s like when you watch a film via cheap pirated DVDs instead of films packaged in original DVDs. The quality is different but who cares?

Best Theater was located near the corner of Colon and Leon Kilat Sts. in what can be termed as an almost run-down structure (the space is now occupied by Gaisano South). The sound quality of the films was bad and the films themselves were grainy. But when you are using your savings from your daily “bawon” just to be able to buy a ticket, who cares?

In the old days, theaters had “orchestra,” “balcony” and “loge” sections. Balcony and loge were in the separate upper level, more properly a mezzanine. These areas were priced differently depending on the comfort and privacy they offered. “Orchestra” was the cheapest. Nowadays, theaters have simplified things and no longer recognize such differentiation.

But back to Best Theater. The owners used to put up their billboards at the corner of Leon Kilat and P. del Rosario Sts.. and these were therefore visible to us pupils in City Central School. The action stars then were, aside from Fernando Poe Jr., Roberto Gonzales, Jun Aristorenas, Ramon Zamora, etc. Comedy had Dolphy and Chiquito. Eventually, I learned to master the lost art of cutting classes just to watch those Tagalog films.

Eddie Garcia was surely already an actor during those days. But he was not among those I could remember luring me away from my classes.