Johnny Delgado, who passed away Nov. 19 due to lymphoma and buried Nov. 24 at the Marikina Memorial Park in Marikina City, will be remembered by his fellow actors with fondness and reverence.

“Tito Johnny was like my dad,” said Dominic Ochoa, one of the priests in ABS-CBN’s hit inspirational drama series “May Bukas Pa.”

“He’d tell you what to do. ‘Wag mo lang damdamin [ang paraan ng pagsabi niya], which is OK with me kasi medyo strong din ang personality ko. Hindi naman n’ya akong pinapagalitan pero straight forward s’ya,” he said of Delgado who played father to him and Jolina Magdangal in 2000’s dramedy series “Luv Ko si Babes.”

“Wala akong anak na biskwit,” he recalled Delgado telling him whenever his acting seemed lacking in substance.

“Gusto ko ang [acting] style ni Tito Johnny. He doesn’t just memorize his lines. He gets to the heart of the script and takes it from there. Parang hindi s’ya umaarte.”

Ochoa shared that the last time he saw Delgado was last summer when the latter had a stint as a guest star on “May Bukas Pa.”

“We had a long talk. Miraculous daw na nawala ang sakit nya,” he told Manila Bulletin Entertainment Online in an interview. Delgado was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 but was reported to be responding well to chemotherapy early this year.

Ochoa learned about a week ago from veteran actress Gloria Romero, also a guest star on “May Bukas Pa,” that Delgado was rushed to the hospital.

“But we were in Pampanga taping,” he sighed, adding that those closest to Delgado had advised him to let the patient rest so he didn’t visit him to the hospital anymore.

Ochoa said he immediately got a call from his wife Denise upon Delgado's demise. He paid his last respects the next day.

“I wasn’t really expecting na he was thin, though sabi nga nila nangayayat daw. He looked at peace. He was given a chance to spend time with his family [before he passed away].

“When I was praying, [it hit me that] I guess tapos na ang job n’ya dito. Marami naman s’yang na-inspire. Isa na tayo do’n.”

Ronnie Lazaro, mainstay of Channel 2’s early primetime soap “Nagsimula sa Puso,” is likewise awed by Delgado’s acting prowess.

“He was the first independent actor,” he said, explaining that Delgado was focused on his craft and not on other showbiz stuff. “He was always different – his style, outlook.”

They became good friends while co-starring in 1984’s “Misteryo sa Tuwa.” Lazaro recounted that while working on location in Laguna for his starring role in “Boatman” that year, Delgado, who was then staying in Lucena, would pay him a visit.

Lazaro reminisced with pride how Delgado had commended his disciplined preparations for his work. That’s why he felt sad about his dear friend’s passing and went to his wake in the early hours of Nov. 22.

“I wish [Delgado’s family] would look into his paintings and put together an exhibit,” he said, referring to the artworks that the late actor produced while playing a visual artist in 1982’s “Uod at Rosas.”

Lou Veloso, who is regularly seen on ABS-CBN’s weekly drama-action series “Pepeng Agimat,” also holds in high esteem Delgado’s thespic gifts.

“‘Yong sincerity sa craft n’ya,” he said, citing one reason. “[He’s] very natural, parang hindi na umaarte. Kahit maliit na role, napapalaki n’ya. Magaling na actor.”

Delgado had collected acting trophies from Famas for “Tanging Yaman” and Urian for “Kakabakaba ka ba?, plus numerous nominations from various award-giving bodies.

Veloso recalled that he got to work with Delgado several times in stage productions but only got to know Delgado more through the late actor’s devotion to the Virgin Mary.

He remembered joining Delgado and his wife, actress-director Laurice Guillen, in one of their Marian expeditions and experiencing a miracle.

“Nakita talaga namin ‘yong silver dust,” he said. “Minsan pumunta sila sa bahay na may dalang [statue of the] Virgin Mary.”