Anthony Roquel

Public obituaries did not publish Anthony Roquel's exact birth date or birthplace. GMA News Online reported that he was 68 when he died on 16 October 2026, which places his birth around 1957 or 1958. In later testimony he said he felt different from about age six to eleven, had little interest in girls, and that his father worked abroad, leaving him without a close paternal presence. He described living as a gay man for 32 years before his Christian conversion in 1991. Detailed school records and childhood hometown have not been made public in major English or Filipino news accounts consulted for this profile.

Formal education details (schools, degrees, or Wanbol-style alma mater in real life) were not made public in the GMA obituaries or in his widely circulated 2015 fellowship testimony. His screen persona as a Wanbol University student on Iskul Bukol should not be confused with a documented real-world college record.

Roquel rose to national fame as Tonette Macho on IBC's Iskul Bukol (1978 to 1988), directed by Bert de Leon and starring Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon. English Wikipedia lists Anthony Roquel (also credited Anthony Raquel) as a main cast member playing Tonette Macho, the gay student who befriended the class beauties and sparred with the Escalera brothers. He continued the role in Iskul Bukol: Book 2 (1988 to 1990) and returned for the 2008 reunion film Iskul Bukol: 20 Years After (The Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure). GMA News Online also cited work in Ang Panday. Film databases list further credits, often under Tonette Macho or Anthony A. Raquel, including Iskul Bukol Freshmen (1980), Darna at Ding (1980), Cover Girl (1981), Tatlo Silang Tatay Ko (1982), Tangga and Chos: Beauty Secret Agents (1990), Ouija (2007), Manay Po 2: Overload (2008), and When I Met U (2009, as a priest). After the original sitcom he worked as a casting director for Coney Reyes. Castmates reunited on GMA's Tunay na Buhay in later years.

Nieces Nica Gomez-Lorena and Ja Roquel-Arreza spoke publicly as family after his death; Gomez-Lorena described him as a loving son, dependable brother, and wonderful uncle, indicating surviving siblings and a mother. He was maternal uncle to Gomez-Lorena. Longtime friend Gina Marissa Tagasa (daughter of co-star Mely Tagasa) recalled decades of messages, laughter, shared faith, and their motto that life is like comedy: laughed at, not bargained down. Spouse or children were not named in the October 2026 obituaries. In ministry years he preferred Brother Anthony over his stage name.

Roquel became a Christian in 1991 after praying while stranded in Hong Kong during the Mount Pinatubo travel crisis, then joining fellowship through Coney Reyes's circle. He testified that accepting Jesus changed him permanently and that he left homosexual practice. He argued publicly that no one is born gay or lesbian and linked same-sex attraction to broken families and spiritual attack, language that drew national coverage and criticism. He ministered to children and to people wrestling with same-sex attraction, and family called him a prayer partner to thousands. Those views are reported here as his stated beliefs, not as settled science or as the profile's endorsement.

Tonette Macho remains one of the best-remembered supporting characters of Philippine sitcom television's Iskul Bukol era, part of a cast that shaped student-comedy tropes for a generation. Roquel's later testimony made him a recognizable figure in Filipino evangelical circles, including The 700 Club Asia and ABS-CBN Christian Fellowship events. Friends from both entertainment and church life framed his death as the end of long illness and the completion of a faith race, quoting 2 Timothy 4:7. His dual public identities (comic Tonette and Brother Anthony) continue to illustrate how Philippine celebrity and born-again conversion narratives intertwined from the 1990s onward.

No major industry awards specifically naming Anthony Roquel were cited in the October 2026 GMA obituaries. His recognition rests primarily on the cultural reach of Iskul Bukol and on the reunion film and talk-show appearances that kept Tonette Macho in public memory.

Iskul Bukol aired on IBC and generated films, music albums by Tito, Vic and Joey, remakes, and documentary revisits such as GMA's I-Witness episode on Wanbol University. Roquel's Tonette appears in classic episode uploads and reunion coverage, including GMA News segments on Tunay na Buhay. His 2015 conversion testimony circulated via Coconuts Manila, ABS-CBNnews.com, Witness21, and YouTube uploads by The 700 Club Asia and fellowship channels. Death coverage on 16 October 2026 was led by GMA News Online and GMA Entertainment, with embedded Facebook tributes from Nica Gomez-Lorena and Gina Marissa Tagasa.

During the Iskul Bukol years Roquel said the Board of Censors warned him over revealing costumes worn as Tonette Macho. After conversion, his July 2015 fellowship remarks (that nobody is born gay or lesbian, and that the devil unleashes rage on families through homosexuality) were republished by mainstream outlets and sparked debate about LGBT identity, conversion narratives, and celebrity preaching in the Philippines. Supporters heard a redemption story; critics heard rejection of LGBT people. This profile records the documented statements and the fact of controversy without adjudicating either side.

Anthony Roquel died on 16 October 2026 at age 68. Niece Nica Gomez-Lorena told GMA News Online that he died of cancer and that the family took comfort that he was at rest without pain. Ja Roquel-Arreza announced he had been called home to the Lord. Gina Marissa Tagasa wrote that she had visited him the previous month and seen him still fighting illness. A service of thanksgiving and remembrance was scheduled for 17 October 2026 at 3 p.m. at Venice Premiere Chapel, Loyola Chapels, Dr. A. Santos Avenue, Sucat, Parañaque. Further funeral details were expected. Exact place of death (hospital or home) was not made public in the first reports.