He was the cousin of guerilla Major Don Tomas T. Garchitorena and the brother of the actor Salvador A. Garchitorena, grandfather of Anjo Yllana, Jomari Yllana, and Jaime P. Garchitorena.
1997: Sa Pusod ng Dagat (In the Navel of the Sea), written by Jun Lana, produced by GMA Films; starring Jomari Yllana, Elizabeth Oropesa, Chin Chin Gutierrez, Rolando Tinio, Jhong Hilario; exhibited at the film festivals in Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Singapore, Brussels, Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii, and others; NETPAC Award; FIPRESCI award.