Douglas Cordovez Quijano was laid to rest yesterday, June 20.

His body was cremated at around 4:00 p.m.  A few hours later, a portion of his ashes was brought to Lucban, Quezon; the rest was placed in mini-keepsake urns and distributed among his wards and closest friends. "Para each one of us has a piece of Tito Dougs," said Lucy Torres-Gomez.

As early as 9:30 a.m., some of his talents were already at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.

Joey Marquez, who was talking to his sons Jeremy and Yeoj when PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) arrived, said, "Hindi na kami natulog. Nagbihis lang. Sina John at Joms, maliligo lang daw, pero I'm sure, iidlip ang mga yun. Ako, hindi na, kapag nakatulog ka, magsisisi ka lang, paggising mo."

Meanwhile, the ladies—Nadia Montenegro, Janice de Belen, Gelli de Belen—busied themselves with the last-minute preparations. They all came with their respective kids. Ariel Rivera, the better half of the younger SiS host, was also there.

Richard Gomez showed up at 10:40 a.m. with Lucy, Juliana, and his in-laws, Don Manuel and Julie.

They were all dressed in white. They looked tired and had no sleep, but they put in the last reserve of their energy for their manager- mentor-friend. Like brothers and sisters, they exchanged small talk but their eyes were sad.

The mass, which began at 11:24 a.m., was very organized and solemn. The mood turned poignant the moment the guests were asked by the officiating priest to come near the casket of Tito Dougs for the last time. The entire chapel wept.

EULOGIES. It was Janice, whom Douglas called "anti-social," who first delivered her testimony. She initially looked very composed, but she eventually gave in to her emotions when she started recalling how her manager "helped her have a job and get back on her feet" at the time she was at her lowest.

"I will never forget the day you took me under you wings kahit na sinabi mong ayaw mo na sana ng babaeng alaga dahil maraming issue. Pero after me, pati se Gelli inalagaan mo. It's been 22 years. You were a part of my happy times, and saw me through the bad times."

The "bad times" would refer to her painful separation from one of Douglas's talents, John Estrada. "My family will be forever grateful to you," she said in tears.

Movie producer Lily Monteverde tearfully related how Douglas played a very important role during the birth of Regal Films. "Kay Douglas, walang missed calls...I can't imagine Regal without him," she said about her dear friend.

Nadia Montenegro, who met her manager when she was 11, shared how Tito Douglas taught all his talents to be supportive of each other. "One for all, all for one," was what he instilled in all of them.

She added, "Tito Dougs, I'm sorry for the times pinasakit ko ang ulo mo. Actually, lahat kami...I am sorry for the times you told me to keep my mouth shut (but obviously, I didn't), but at the end of the day, ikaw pa rin ang nagkaproblema sa mga statements ko. I am sorry for missing all those out-of-town trips that you constantly invited me, but [I] was too busy to go with you. I'm sorry for disappointing you when I chose my heart over my career..."

Nadia was on her way to stardom when she met former Caloocan mayor Boy Asistio, who became the dad of her children. Her manager only asked her two questions: "Mahal mo ba siya?" and "Masaya ka ba?" She said yes. Tito Dougs had to cancel several deals, one of them was a movie project with the late Rudy Fernandez, but he never ceased supporting the former Regal baby in all her endeavors.