Playwright, theater director Floy Quintos, 63
FLOY QUINTOS, a playwright, theater director, and antiques expert, died on Saturday, April 27. He was 63. His niece Celina Quintos announced his passing due to a heart attack on social media.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I, on behalf of my family, announce that Floy Quintos, esteemed playwright and director, but more importantly beloved brother, son, uncle, cousin, nephew, and friend, has returned to the arms of the Lord,” she said in a post.
Florencio Louis “Floy” Antonio de la Cruz Quintos, wore many hats — he wrote plays and directed and sometimes acted in them. He was also a screenwriter, a journalist, and an expert in antiques.
Born in Manila on April 17, 1961, he first attended school at the Ateneo de Manila and later at the University of the Philippines (UP) Integrated School. During his time as a journalism student in UP Diliman, his career began as an actor in various Dulaang UP productions. He performed in Anton Juan Jr.’s Isang Makabagong Pantomima sa Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato, at Iba Pang Pulo and Rene O. Villanueva’s Tribu, both in 1979, and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1983.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1985, Mr. Quintos worked for various national newspapers including The Philippine Star. He later handled publicity for the Metropolitan Theater in the mid-1980s, and was managing editor of Metro Magazine from 1988 to 1995.
He started directing productions for different theater companies in the late 2000s. Some of the plays he penned are Passion Play (1985), Gironiere (1989), Fili (1991), Atang (2008), Angry Christ (2017), The Kundiman Party (2018), and The Reconciliation Dinner (2023). His last play, Grace, is set to be staged in May. His final Facebook posts were dedicated to talking about and promoting the play.
He received both nominations and wins from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and in 2019 received an honor from the UP College of Mass Communication’s Glory Awards.
To many, Mr. Quintos was also an expert and gentleman scholar who was well-versed in Philippine traditional and indigenous art. He curated the “Anting-Anting: The Secret Soul of the Filipino” exhibition at the Musée de Quai Branly in 2019. His collection of local textiles was exhibited in the Yuchengco Museum.
“Floy Quintos was a beacon of Philippine culture and the arts, but also shone so much firelight for the people closest to him. The country, the world, and our home are much darker with this light snuffed out too soon. We hope to share our light with each other through this time,” his niece Ms. Quintos said.
The wake will be at Arlington Memorial Chapels in Quezon City. More details will be posted by the family soon. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
