MANILA, Philippines — Despite the gloomy weather, the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Parade of Stars pushed through on Sunday, Dec. 23, in Parañaque City.
Floats of the “Magic 8” film entries were showcases of creativity that flaunted what they had to offer when the festival premieres on Christmas Day.
The “Fantastica” float kicked off the parade without any of its cast on board. Celebrities in the film only rode atop the float about an hour after it started moving.
The Unkaboggable Vice Ganda with Dingdong Dantes and Richard Gutierrez led the cast of “Fantastica.”
Kapamilya love teams Maymay Entrata and Edward Barbers, or MayWard; Donny Pangilinan and Kisses Delavin, or DonKiss; and Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte, or “LoiNie,” were also present, giving a dose of kilig to supporters.
Seven other floats initially got stuck in mud because of heavy rainfall, but tow trucks of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) pulled the floats out of the mire.
Floats of “The Girl in the Orange Dress,” “One Great Love,” and “Mary, Marry Me” were eventually able to join the parade.
Jessy Mendiola and Jericho Rosales from “The Girl in the Orange Dress”; Dennis Trillo, JC De Vera and Kim Chiu from “One Great Love”; and celebrity sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga with Sam Milby from “Mary, Marry Me” were warmly welcomed by fans in the parade.
Meanwhile, the cast of “Jack Em Popoy,” “Otlum” and “Rainbow’s Sunset” were forced to leave their floats and transferred to other vehicles.
Among the other stars who participated were Vic Sotto, Coco Martin and Maine Mendoza from “Jack Em Popoy”; Ricci Rivero, Michelle Vito and Kiray Celis from “Otlum”; Eddie Garcia, Max Collins and Sunshine Dizon from “Rainbow’s Sunset.”
The cast of “Aurora” skipped the parade altogether and went straight to Aseana where the event ended.
ABANDON SHIP NA PO! 💔 D kinaya ang float ng AURORA ang putikan. We waited almost 5 hours in case magawan ng paraan. Pero d talaga. Heartbreaking, because I was so excited to do the parade after 10 years. 💔 Oh well. See you guys po sa ASEANA! On our way na with the whole cast! pic.twitter.com/U7RgRDriOd
— Anne Curtis-Smith (@annecurtissmith) December 23, 2018
The MMFF 2018 will open in theaters on Christmas Day and will run until the first weekend of January 2019.
MMFF 2018 Gabi ng Parangal will be held on Dec. 27 at The Theatre at Solaire in Pasay City.
MMFF is an annual event organized by the MMDA to “help promote and enhance the preservation, growth and development of the local film industry.” /atm