Back in the early Filipino komik era, there was a character that was loved because of his humor and charisma, he was Francisco Harabas also known as Kenkoy. Created by Romualdo Ramos and cartoonist and illustrator Tony Velasquez in 1929, the series features the comedic adventures of a pomade brushed up guy wearing over sized clothes and encounters a lot of slapstick moments that are hilarious and sometimes relevant even up to today.
Kenkoy became a mainstream hit as he appears in many publications. His popularity was also compared to other komik icons such as Darna, and Captain Barbell. He also has a beautiful wife named Rosing who looks more refined with her actions and fashion sense. Kenkoy also had influenced language because his lines were a mixture of Filipino, English, and Spanish.
They also did a live action movie in 1951 directed by Ramon Estrella and written by Kenkoy co-creator Tony Velasquez, It starred Lopito, Virginia Montes, Dely Atay-atayan, and Eduardo Infante. Today it celebrates it's 90th anniversary. Though there is an exhibit on Kenkoy Komiks at SM Manila, there has been no major events celebrating this milestone. Several Pinoy Komik creators like Arnold Arre and Pol Media shared their tribute to Kenkoy with their drawings and posted on Facebook.
Though it would be cool if there would be a live action and modernized version of Kenkoy made into film. And Vhong Navarro would be the perfect candidate to play the role. We do hope that many would discover about Kenkoy and his comics to raise awareness and value to the character that brought joy and laughter to many Filipinos.
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