Actor John Lloyd Cruz failed to attend the House of Representatives hearing on Monday investigating the disqualification of the Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Honor Thy Father.”
During the hearing of the House Metro Manila Development committee on Monday, director Erik Matti said Cruz is in Japan and will only be arriving in the Philippines Monday night.
Matti said Cruz would attend the next House hearings on the controversy.
The House investigation stemmed from the House Resolution 2581 filed by Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, who was part of the film’s cast.
Rep. Fernandez directed the MMFF committee to investigate “Honor Thy Father’s” disqualification from the category for the film’s supposed non-disclosure of its participation in another film festival.
“BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives, to direct the Committee on Metro Manila Development to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the disqualification of the film entry ‘Honor Thy Father’ from the selection of the Best Picture Category of the MMFF 2015 Awards,” the resolution read.
The controversial film is about a quick-easy scheme through a pyramid scam led by Cruz’s family until his family was put in danger after their investor was killed. The film was disqualified on technicality from the Best Picture category because it was used as an introduction film to another film festival.