‘Heneral Luna’ John Arcilla salutes ‘Goyo’ film

/PHOTO: Clarizel Abanilla, INQUIRER.net

History books may say Philippine heroes General Antonio Luna and General Gregorio Del Pilar have not been the best of friends but “Heneral Luna” lead actor John Arcilla only has good words for the second sequel of the Jerrold Tarrog historical trilogy “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.”

“Goyo,” starring Kapamilya actor Paulo Avelino, had a jam-packed premiere night on Thursday in four cinemas at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

Among the celebrities who graced the event was Arcilla, who played the lead role in the 2015 historical biopic “Heneral Luna” about the life of Luna, often described as a “fiery-tempered” but also a brilliant military strategist during the Philippine Revolution in the late 1800s.

“Goyo,” on the other hand, features the life of Del Pilar, one of the youngest generals of the Philippine revolutionary forces.

Arcilla said, “I think it will really cater to the millennials and it will also be interesting even to the uncles of the millennials.”

He pointed to the contrasting characters of the two generals: Luna and Del Pilar.

“It [the movie “Goyo”] has a different feeling compared to Heneral Luna but because Goyo has a different demeanor compared to the volatile character of Heneral Luna,” Arcilla said.

“Hindi naman natin siya pwedeng gawing pareho eh. It’s a different kind of belt. Hindi siya ganun kasing tapang dahil talaga namang magkaiba sila ng character and that’s the beauty of the film. It’s different from the first sequel,” Arcilla added.

During the recent grand media launch for “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral,” the director described the opposing characters of the two generals, comparing Luna to “apoy” (fire) and Del Pilar to “tubig” (water).

Meanwhile, Arcilla encouraged the public, especially the youth, to watch the”Goyo” trilogy especially as the last sequel would feature the life of former Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon.

Arcilla believes people should know the contribution of heroes in shaping Philippine society and government.

“Somehow it will give us the resolution as to who is really the hero and not the real hero in our history,” he said.

He also mentioned that he would gladly do a cameo for Luna if the script of the last movie of the trilogy would so require.

“Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” will be shown in Philippine cinemas starting on September 5.   /vvp