Mother Lily said she produced the action-comedy “Kumander Gringa” starring Roderick Paulate in 1987 as a tribute to Sen. Gringo, who said he watched it and it definitely helped him gain more exposure in the eyes of the public who voted for him when he first ran as senator.
When asked why his left ring finger was cut off, the senator said that when he was a fugitive pursued by the law, he jumped over a fence made of barbed wire and broken glass, which cut off his finger. He also lost his wedding ring. He eventually found it again but he now wears it on his middle finger. The severed finger is now kept by his doctor friend who tried to re-attach it but failed to do so. Sen. Gringo is now 65 but his face is unlined and looks much younger than his age.
