7. Boots Anson Roa as the Mano Po Matriach
“The Moral Compass Lola”
Starring in a record of four Mano Po films, Boots Anson Roa has been a Chinese immigrant, an out-of-place Filipino, and an independent halfie. No matter what her ethnicity is, however, she’s always the light-hearted grandma who doesn’t take anything too seriously—whether it’s about the geriatric porn she received as a gift in Mano Po 1, or her love cooking tips in Mano Po 5.
But when things go rough, she’ll be the first in line to help you through it. In Mano Po 6, she was her daughter Melinda’s (Sharon Cuneta) only source of strength and comfort during a series of misfortune that included her husband dying, her children being taken away, and being forced to live in subservience to her in-laws.
