Baguio, refuge for cinema arts

MOBILE cinema features eight LCD screens, measuring 46 inches each. Photo by Bayani San Diego Jr.

BAGUIO CITY – The country’s summer capital has long been a favorite location for local movies.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Andrew E comedies and Sharon Cuneta flicks were shot here. Earlier, in the 1970s, the city played host to some iconic movies, including Mike de Leon’s bittersweet romance drama, “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising,” starring Christopher de Leon and Hilda Koronel. The 1976 film captured Baguio, pre-1990 earthquake, in all its natural splendor. (Some parts were shot in neighboring Sagada.)

“Kung Mangarap” was screened during the recent Baguio leg of Sineng Pambansa, a roving festival organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

RUSH-HOUR commuters stop to catch “Mumbaki” at the Malcolm Park. Photo by Bayani San Diego Jr.

Briccio Santos, head of the council, was in the cast of “Kung Mangarap,” as the husband of Koronel’s character.
Santos recalled living in Baguio for seven years in the 1970s. “The city offered a refuge for artists who were unhappy about what was happening in Manila,” he told the Inquirer.
Actually, Santos pointed out, Baguio has always been a haven for artists – and now specifically, cinema artists.

Other Baguio/Sagada-set films featured in the Sine ng Masa component of Sineng Pambansa included Joyce Bernal’s “Don’t Give Up On Us,” a Star Cinema rom-com starring Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual, and Butch Perez’s “Mumbaki,” a Viva drama top-billed by Raymart Santiago, Rachel Alejandro and Angel Aquino.

SINE ng Masa truck visited various communities in the City of Pines. Photo by Bayani San Diego Jr.

FDCP is eyeing co-production deals with the local government – for which, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan hopes, local talents will be discovered.

Santos said Domogan, who has appeared in a Kidlat Tahimik film, is keenly aware of the importance of culture in his locality.

OLD and young alike watch local films in Engineer’s Hill. Photo by Bayani San Diego Jr.

Appropriately, FDCP launched “Sine ng Masa,” a new component of the roving festival, in Baguio. As a special treat to the residents, free screenings were held in select locations outside of SM mall, the main venue. A Sine ng Masa truck set up screenings in Burnham Park, Engineer’s Hill and Malcolm Park.
Hyundai provided the mobile cinema truck. According to Daniel Han, sales and marketing manager, the truck was previously used for concerts; it was the first time it served as a portable movie house. It was fitted with 46-inch LCD screens on each of two sides.
At the Malcolm Park screenings, over 500 people gathered to watch the films during rush hour.

But as in every leg of Sineng Pambansa, the Baguio stop was faced with obstacles, Santos said: “Students were already on vacation, for one. We were also hampered by bad weather. But in the end, we proved that the Filipino audience is always there.”

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