Vilma Santos is a popular multi-awarded actress and politician in the Philippines. She's known as the "Queen of Philippine Movies," "Queenstar" and "Star for All Seasons." She is currently the Congresswoman of District of Lipa, Batangas (Philippines). This site is mostly about her film career.
Nangangatog ako ng una kong ma-meet si Vilma Santos in person. Ganoon pala talaga ang feeling kapag naka face to face mo ang idol mo. – Ana Capri
Hindi complete at walang katuturan ang pagiging producer ko kung hindi ako makagawa ng pelikula na bida ang hinahangaan kong si Vilma Santos – Donna Villa
Kahit one-fourth lang ng tagumpay ni Ate Vi. Ang marating ko masayang masaya na ako. Talagang idol ko siya. Idol siya ng buong pamilya ko – Kristine Garcia
I first worked with Vilma when she was just a child star. From then, alam kong malayo ang mararating niya as an actor dahil bata pa mahusay na. Hindi ako nagkamali. Hindi lang siya basta naging artista, kundi naging isa sa pinakamahusay at pinakasikat. – Gloria Romero
Simula ng mapanood ko si Vilma sa Trudis Liit naging Vilmanian na ako. Nobody comes close to her. – Armida Siguion Reyna
Naging Huwaran ko si Ate Vi hindi lang sa career ko kundi maging sa personal kong buhay. I am very proud to be a Vilmanian. – Snooky Serna
Bata pa ako hindi pa ako artista talagang idol ko na si ate Vi. Pinupuntahan ko pa yan sa bahay niya para lang makita at maka-usap kahit ako lang mag-isa.- Sharon Cuneta
Vilma is the most versatile actress in our time. Kahit anong role kaya niyang gampanan ng buong husay. Ang sarap makatrabaho ang isang Vilma Santos – Celia Rodriguez
Kung alam lang ni ate Vi kung ilang beses akong nadapa sa paghahabol na makita siya. Siya ang naging inspirasyon ko sa pagpasok ko sa showbiz. – Ai-Ai Delas Alas
Simula noon hanggang ngayon pagbalibaligtarin man ang mundo Vilmanian pa rin ako. – Korina Sanchez
Once you encounter and know ate Vi, you will realized how nice and thoughtful she is. She is always been an inspiration to me. Masarap siyang maging kaibigan. – Kris Aquino
Si Vilma Santos ang idol ko. Maganda na, magaling pa. – Amy Austria
Mahusay talaga si Vilma kahit saang aspeto. Napakagaan niyang katrabaho. Isa sa mga dream ko ang mai-direct si Vi. – Gina Alajar
Vilma Santos can compete with the top caliber actresses in Hollywood. She is an epitome of a real queen of Philippine Cinema. I really look up to her. – Lea Salonga
Makasama ko lang si ate Vi sa pelikula gagawin ko kahit libre. – Dawn Zulueta
Ng makasama ko si Mama Vilma sa pelikula feeling ko puwede na akong mamatay. – Carlos Agassi
Ang isa sa pinakamagandang nangyari sa buhay ko sa pagpasok ko sa showbiz ay ang makasama ang pinakamahusay na aktres na hinahangaan at nirerespeto ng lahat. Marami akong natutuhan kay Mama Vilma – Piolo Pascual
It would be a great fullfilment if I make a movie with my favorite actress Vilma Santos – Alvin Patrimonio
Actually, mag-cousin pa kami ni Ate Vi. Walang hindi Vilmanian sa pamilya namin – Raymart Santiago
Vilma is my favorite actress. She is the only actress I love to watch on local screen. She’s Great. – Martin Nievera
Bago ako naging artista, die hard Vilmanian na ako. Nakikipag-away pa nga ako dahil kay Vilma. – Rosanna Roces
Bata pa ako ginagaya ko na ang mga acting ni Ate Vi. Idol siya ng Nanay ko kaya naging idol namin siya – Glydel Mercado
I am very flattered when Lino Brocka said that I am the next Vilma Santos. But Vilma Santos is Vilma Santos, she is incomparable. – Ruffa Gutierez
Vilma Santos is the Greatest Actress of all times. Walang Katapat – Eric Quizon
Si Vilma ang isa sa madalas magpadala ng tulong kapag may mga pangangailangan o project kami sa Red Cross at Damayan. Iilan lang ang katulad niya na kusang tumutulong na hindi na kailangan pang ipaalam sa publiko. – Ms. Rosa Rosal
I am a closet Vilmanian before, pero ngayon nagladlad na ako. Maraming katangian si Vilma na talagang hahangaan mo – Boots Anson Roa
Bago ako pumasok sa showbiz, die hard Vilmanian na ako. Nakikipag-away pa nga ako dahil kay Vilma. – Jaclyn Jose
For me Vilma Santos is the Greatest Actress of all times. – Gabby Concepcion
Somebody would come from the Philippines and they’d bring in Vilma Santos films, and I just remember, ‘Oh, this woman is making me so emotional, I think I’m a Vilmanian. That’s what they call it, I think. – Mig Macario
She crosses over from politics to showbiz and back. She can say one thing and it can be about motherhood, or love, or stardom, or politics….ang taong for all seasons – award season, holiday season, election season, even back-to-school season. Over time I’ve had the chance to meet her, and nabigyan niya ako ng acting tips. She has validated my work and given me her friendship. – Jon Santos
Basic Information: Directed, story, screenplay: J. Erastheo Navoa, Cloyd Robinson; Cast: Vilma Santos, Niño Muhlach, Celia Rodriguez, Marissa Delgado, Veronica Jones, Max Alvarado, Panchito, Angie Ferro, Bayani Casimiro, Rez Cortez, Teroy de Guzman, Moody Diaz, Paquito Diaz, Ike Lozada, Lily Miraflor, German Moreno, Palito, Don Pepot, Jimmy Santos, Al Tantay, Tsing Tong Tsai, Donna Villa; Cinematography: Hermo Santos; Film Editing: Eduardo Jarlego Jr.; Production Design: Ruben Arthur Nicdao; Sound: Luis Reyes
Plot Description: Darna at Ding, Vilma’s fourth and final portrayal of Darna, takes her to another wild adventures, this time with her younger brother Ding. When a mysterious rock falls into the hands of Narda, she has no idea that it will change her life forever. Later, she finds out that the rock is an amulet that gives her super power. This is the start of the many adventures of Darna, that have her battling with the evil sorceress Lei Ming and Hawk Woman. A whole new adventue with the popular Philippine heroine, Darna at Ding is another classic worth watching! – Kabayan Central (READ MORE)
Narda (Vilma Santos) and her young brother Ding (Niño Muhlach) find a glowing stone that has fallen from that sky and when swallowed by Narda turns her into a superwoman. From then on, the tandem of Narda and Ding embark into adventures of saving the world from evil. Together they fight the avenging German woman scientist (Marissa Delgado) who turns healthy people into zombies by injecting them with microbes that is transmittable through their saliva. Then Narda and Ding stay with their aunt in Chinatown, Manila where a Chinese witch is kidnapping children. But Ding is made ill by the witch’s sorcery. Will Darna’s power be effective to save her brother against black magic? – TFC Now (READ MORE)
Film Review: “…The climax of this “Darna vs. the Dragon Lady” part of Darna At Ding sees Lei Ming conjure up an evil double of Darna to keep our heroine busy while, elsewhere in her lair, a towering robot bears menacingly down upon Ding. It’s a suitably whiz-bang finale to this loopy, kitchen sink confection, and one that makes the long, strange and circuitous route that we’ve taken to get to it seem perhaps less arduous in retrospect. Still, at a solid two hours, Darna At Ding is an example of a movie that pulls out all the stops, but perhaps shouldn’t have. While it’s combination of horror movie chills, superhero thrills and slapstick spills might have been catnip for the Filipino audience of its day, for the rest of us it might prove mildly exhausting. Nonetheless, I find Vilma Santos so appealing in her role that it’s hard for me to imagine hating any Darna movie that she appears in, and this one’s no exception.” – Todd of “luchadiaries” (READ MORE)
The movie started on how Narda got her power as Darna. As soon as Narda transformed into Darna, she quickly started her adventure with Ding fighting the Hawk Woman. And soon after Darna and Ding found a giant and both lost the fight to Darna. As the story unfold Dr. Vontesberg pretended as a good samaritan with an evil plan to destroy the towns people who killed her grandfather mistakenly accused as a devil worshipper. Dr. Vontesberg summoned the dead and terrorized the townspeople. Narda was captured by the mad Dr. Vontesberg and showed her how she operates her plans. Ding got on time to rescue her helpless sister and they both stopped Vontesberg evil plans. Then, Darna and Ding flew their way to the city. And on their way, they captured a bunch of loose prisoners, after this scene was a long lots of talking non-action scenes. Finally, Lei Ming and Darna measured their strength and powers. Lei Ming created an evil Darna to destroy the real Darna. At the end Lei Ming lose and took her own life. – Super Heroes Lives (READ MORE)
“Due to the Internet, one day soon I’m sure information on all of the cinematic obscurities of the world will be available to us, but at the moment it’s still wonderful to uncover a country’s hidden pop culture hitherto unnoticed by the rest of the planet. Take Video48, a mind-shattering trip into the uncharted realms of Filipino cinema, featuring a menagerie of stills, posters and articles from films I never even dared to dream existed! I stumbled across home-grown super-heroes such as Mars Revelo’s Darna a few years back, and Eric Cueto’s fansite provided a wealth of information on her cinematic adventures, (whilst also revealing tantalising glimpses of her on-screen contemporaries), but I certainly hadn’t realised the extent to which comic book characters pervaded the Philippine big-screen. Chances are the country was second only to Turkey when it came to cinematic Super-heroes – Darna herself has starred in 14 films and two TV series, which certainly puts Wonder Woman to shame…Sadly most of these fantasy films are unlikely to have survived – the condition of the Vilma Santos’ early Darna movies is supposedly so wretched that a DVD release has been permanently canned, and ancient VHS copies of Darna & the Giants and Darna & the Planet Women are jealously guarded by the few collectors who salvaged them from rental shops. Just as in Turkey, these films were probably considered to be as disposable as the comic books on which they were based – but I for one would go ga-ga for a double bill of this years The Dark Knight with 1973’s Fight Batman Fight (fair enough, my brain might melt out of my ears afterwards, but what a way to go…” – Poptique (READ MORE)
Most Popular Darna “…Ding, ang bato!” yells Narda, the adolescent country lass, to her younger brother. Ding obligingly hands over a shiny pebble which Narda swallows to turn herself into the vivacious super-vixen, Darna. Mars Ravelo’s superheroine, clad in crimson bikinis and knee-high stiletto boots, may perhaps be the most famous local fantasy character given life on the silver screen. Though not actually considered a career-defining role, portraying Darna is, nonetheless, highly-coveted. Darna has been portrayed by no less than nine actress in 12 feature films. Rosa del Rosario first wore the scarlet two piece in May 1951. She reprised the role after three months. Liza Moreno, Eva Montes and Gina Pareno followed her. The inter-galactic pebble found its way to Vilma Santos’ throat in 1973 via the flick “Lipad, Darna, Lipad!” Santos, now a two-term mayor of Lipa City in Batangas, is probably the most popular Darna, with a total of four movies in a span of seven years. Some of these were made known to younger generations through afternoon airings on television in the late ’80s. Maybe RPN 9 should do that again so that even younger generations can marvel at Darna’s greatness, albeit antiquated, in such movies as “Darna and the Giants” and “Darna vs. the Planet Women…” – Armin Adina, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 06, 2003 (READ MORE)
“…That’s not to say that there aren’t fun moments to be had in this twelfth Darna outing – quite the contrary. The opening is fantastically absurd [I really dig those forced perspective giant effects], as is the Darna-versus-Darna battle that serves as the climax. But for every moment of overt glee there are twenty or so more in which nothing happens at all. It’s a pity, really, as the potential for entertainment is certainly there, but remains woefully un-tapped. From a production standpoint Darna at Ding was better than I anticipated, and there was obviously at least a little money put behind it. Special effects were about as good as I expected, and work well enough without becoming entirely embarrassing. The cast is quite good too, paltry as the material they have to work with is. Vilma Santos is always a pleasure to have on screen, and Nino Mulhach never becomes tiresome or annoying as Ding. The giant who sees such little action is familiar as well – Max Alvarado, who would go on to play Columbus, one of the multitude of villains in for y’ur height only. The soundtrack is groovy but of dubious legality. I recognized much of what was played, but could only pin down Pink Floyd’s Time for certain…” – Kevin Pyrtle, WTF-FILM (READ MORE)
Darna is Not a ‘Rip-off” of Wonder Woman – “…Because of the character’s immense popularity, several other studios would license the character and produce more Darna movies throughout the next several decades. After Rosa Del Rosario, Vilma Santos (who first played Darna in 1973’s “Lipad, Darna, Lipad”) would be the most well known and the most in demand to play the character. She starred in a total of 4 Darna movies. Her 4th and final one being in 1980. For years after that, no more Darna movies were produced…” – Raffy Arcega, Comic Book Movie (READ MORE)
Intergalactic Warrior – “…There were comic-inspired franchises that never travelled beyond their own borders, such as the Darna series from the Philippines in the 1970s – she was an intergalactic warrior disguised as an earthling – and which helped actress Vilma Santos turn the fame she achieved into a political career that still sees her serving as governor of Batangas province…” – Matt Scott, South China Morning Post, 20 April, 2014 (READ MORE)
Basic Information: Directed, screenplay: Carlo J. Caparas; Cast: Eddie Garcia, Ramon Revilla, Vilma Santos, Marianne De La Riva, Raoul Aragon, Joonee Gamboa, Antonio Carreon, Paquito Diaz, Charlie Davao; Executive producer: Donna Villa; Cinematography: Ramon Marcelino
Plot Description: Rizal Alih was a rogue cop who fought with his superior Brig. Gen. Eduardo Batalla in January 1989, then held him and several others hostage in Camp Cawa-Cawa, Zamboanga City. By the time the hostage-taking ended, 19 people were dead, including Batalla…” – Carlo J. Caparas, GMANews.TV The Revenge of Carlo J. Caparas (God Help Us)
Film Achievement: No Available Data
Film Review: “Of all the films he has made, Caparas says the ones he is proudest of are Pieta, Kahit Ako’y Lupa, Bubbles, and Zamboanga Massacre…Zamboanga Massacre was one big testosterone rush. “Hino-hostage pa lang si General Batalla, nagsu-shooting na ako, kasi gusto ko fresh talaga.” (“General Batalla was still being hostaged, I was already shooting because I wanted the footage to be really fresh.”)…(Rizal Alih was a rogue cop who fought with his superior Brig. Gen. Eduardo Batalla in January 1989, then held him and several others hostage in Camp Cawa-Cawa, Zamboanga City. By the time the hostage-taking ended, 19 people were dead, including Batalla.) – Stephanie Dychiu (READ MORE)
“…Why the big fuss over Vilma Santos’ participation in the Risal Alih movie. Bakit pinapalabas nilan isa sa tatlong main stars si Vi, samantalang guest lang pala ito at isang araw lang nag-shooting? Bakit? Ginagamit lang ba nilang box office bait ang aktress?…” – Dennis Adobas, Manila Standard, Mar 9 1989 (READ MORE)
“…He said the policeman later lent him a laptop so he could finally see the movie on Youtube. “I was indeed so shocked, speechless and angry that I was not able to finish watching the entire film,” he said in his complaint. Alih is facing charges in connection with the 1989 siege of Camp Cawa-Cawa in Zamboanga City, which left a number of his supporters and two top police officials dead. In his complaint filed through lawyer Fernando Pena in the Quezon City prosecutors’ office, Alih, 67, said the movie depicted him as having beheaded Gen. Eduardo Batalla during the siege. “The portrayal that I allegedly beheaded Batalla in the movie was utterly baseless, malicious and a downright lie perpetrated in order to make the movie such a big hit and to make a huge profit at the expense of maligning my name and reputation,” he argued. “I was likewise informed that the said film … became a blockbuster movie,” Alih said in his affidavit. “The only way we can rewrite history is file this case in hopes of rectifying a decades-long error,” Pena told reporters in an interview. Pena also maintained that the prescription period for filing a libel complaint is one year from the time the offense was discovered by the complainant, and not from the time of publication or release of the questioned material. Asked why Alih filed the case only now, the lawyer said his client went into hiding in Malaysia for a long time and had no access to traditional media. He said the government even declared Alih dead at one point. The movie had a star-studded cast that included veteran actors like Ramon Revilla Sr. as Rizal Alih, with Eddie Garcia portraying Batalla. Vilma Santos played Alih’s wife…” – Julie M. Aurelio, With a report from Bayani San Diego, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aug 24 2012 (READ MORE)
Basic Information: Directed, story, screenplay: Carlo J. Caparas; Cast: Vilma Santos, Joel Torre, John Regala, Charina Scott, Angelica Panganiban, Robert Arevalo, Perla Bautista, Phillip Gamboa, Liezel Martinez, Ronnie Lazaro, Mia Gutierrez, Tony Mabesa; Executive producer: Carlo J. Caparas, Vic del Rosario Jr., Donna Villa; Cinematography: Boy Dominguez; Film Editing: Abelardo Hulleza
Plot Description: Story of Ronald Arandia who came back home after working overseas and found out his family was murdered, based on a true to life story of a massacre in Lipa City, Batangas. – Jagger Kieth (READ MORE)
A family of an overseas Filipino worker is murdered in their own home in Lipa City. While boarding a plane bound for the Philippines, Mr. Arandia is shocked to see his family in the front page of a newspaper. – ABS-CBN (READ MORE)
Film Achievement: 1994 FAMAS: Best Director – Carlo J. Caparas; Best Actor nomination – Joel Torre; Best Child Actress nomination – Charina Scott
Film Review: Vilma Santos portrayed the role of Mrs. Helen Arandia, wife of an Overseas Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia. The Star for All Seasons starred with John Regala, Joel Torre, and then-child actors Charina Scott and Angelica Panganiban in this 1994 movie. While boarding a plane back to the Philippines, Mr. Ronald Arandia (played by Joel Torre) was shocked when he saw his murdered family on a newspaper’s front page. The killer (John Regala) visited Mrs. Arandia at their home in Lipa City, Batangas, and brutally murdered her and her two daughters, aged 8 and 6. The film directed by Carlo Caparas won Best Picture and Best Director at the 43rd Famas Awards (1994). Jagger Kieth (READ MORE)
“…Mula 1994 hanggang 2003 ay hindi na nagkatunggali sa Best Actress award sina Nora at Vilma. Early 1994 nang huling magkasabay as contenders for the acting plum sina Nora (Inay) at Vilma (Dahil Mahal Kita). For the whole year, Nora didn’t topbill any movie. She hosted Modern Romance sa Telebisyon on GMA 7 and the monthly special Superstar Beyond Time on RPN 9, and appeared on several telesines and a successful two-night concert at the Mandarin Hotel Ballroom. Naulit ang pangyayari noong 1992 na walang pelikula si Nora (she only appeared in her second stage play, DH, na nag-world-tour in 1993) and this will be repeated 10 years later, when she did the ABS-CBN 2 drama series Bituin that aired from September 2002 to May 2003 and several concerts. Vilma notched two films: Regal’s Nag-iisang Bituin (by Joey Reyes) and Golden Lions’ Lipa Massacre (by Carlo J. Caparas), which won as Best Picture sa FAMAS…” – William Reyes (READ MORE)
“Vilma Santos finally gets her wish to star in a massacre movie under director Carlo Caparas with her role as Helen Arandia in the Lipa Massacre. The film is about the Arandia family tragedy (a mother and her two daughters were killed by a neighbor while Mr. Arandia was abroad). Congressman Ralph Recto plays himself in the movie. Vilma had to forego a trip abroad to shoot another film just to help promote this massacre movie. Producer Donna Villa is all praises for Vi’s professionalism and her concern for this movie. Playing Mr Arandia is Joel Torre, who has become a favorite of the Golden Lions couple after he worked with them in the Antipolo Massacre. The Lipa Massacre movie will have a playdate on November 9. Donna and Carlo are now ready with their new movie…” – Norma Japitana, Manila Standard, Nov 2 1994 (READ MORE)
Star For All Seasons 
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