Matutina in an interview with Julius Babao. Babao/YouTube

MANILA (UPDATED) — Veteran comedian Evelyn Bontogon-Guerrero, more popularly known as Matutina from the '70s show "John en Marsha," passed away on Friday, Valentine's Day.   

She was 78. 

Her death was confirmed to ABS-CBN News by her grandson, Kirby Gementiza. 

The comedian succumbed to acute respiratory failure, according to her death certificate. 

The actress also had stage 5 chronic kidney disease and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

 Matutina was one of the beloved cast members of "John en Marsha," which starred Dolphy and Nida Blanca. 

In an episode dated November 2024 on her co-actress Maricel Soriano's Youtube Channel, they recalled their scenes together on the hit TV sitcom. 

The comedian, best known for her "squeaky voice", detailed on the episode how she started her acting career. 

"[Nag-audition] ako, sa drama muna. Hindi naman uso ang masyadong TV no'n kaya glorious days of radio, nasapul ko 'yon," Matutina shared. 

When she was given an opportunity to be part of a TV show, she accepted it to increase her financial income. It turned out she would be playing an iconic role in "John en Marsha". 

"Sinong mga kasama ko? Naku no'ng malaman ko, mga magagaling," she said. "Magandang opportunity na naman ito. Another milestone para sa 'kin." 

Matutina explained she improved her acting on television as the cast learned as well from each other. She said she used to memorize even her co-artists' lines during the shoot. 

Later on, she starred in different TV programs like "At Your Service, Matutina," "Ang Inyong Lingkod Matutina," "Dancing Master 2," and "Kapag Baboy Ang Inutang." 

Matutina used her savings from her career to help her family. 

In another interview on Julius Babao's vlog last year, the comedian opened up about dealing with osteoporosis and revealed that she had been undergoing dialysis for almost a decade.