All the President’s men
PRESIDENT Aquino on the way to the screening room. GRIG MONTEGRANDE
Director Marnie Manicad said she shot over 300 hours of footage for the documentary, “Inside Malacañang,” which premieres on the National Geographic Channel on March 18 at 9 p.m.
She said she went to great lengths to make this docu. She even flew in the PSG (Presidential Security Group) helicopter to capture a shot of President Aquino’s convoy motoring on the Cavitex highway, en route to the Independence Day celebration in Kawit, Cavite.
Cinematographer Rain Yamson recalled a “dizzying” chopper ride. “It was windy that day. It was crazy,” Manicad said.
Ultimate accolade
PRESIDENTIAL Security Group provides action as they are shown in routine training sessions.
After the docu’s special screening at the Malacañang Palace on February 28, Manicad and her team, which included sound man Raffy Magsaysay and colorist Marilen Magsaysay, received the ultimate accolade.
In the audience was their famous subject, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, who congratulated Manicad after the screening. “He said it was a job well done,” Manicad recounted.
Further, the President requested Manicad to furnish him a copy of a video included in the docu—an interview with the young P-Noy, as the President is more popularly known, held during a coup during the term of his mother, President Corazon Aquino, in 1987.
JAIME Castro, food tester, inspects foodstuff in the kitchen with a flashlight.
In the archival footage, P-Noy appears as a young man with a full head of hair and a bandaged ear. The docu explains that, although P-Noy survived the ambush, “a bullet remained embedded in his neck.”
Manicad said, “He had been looking for a video of that interview for the longest time. I found it in the archives of GMA News.”
Archival footage
The director, who’s married to GMA news reporter Jiggy Manicad, worked previously as second-unit director on Kapuso shows “Love to Love” and “Atlantika,” and now directs GMA News TV programs “Turbo Zone” and “Home Base.”
For the Malacañang docu, she said she also used precious historical footage from the news libraries of the government station RTVM and the American TV network ABC.
PRESIDENTIAL helicopter
ENTRANCE to the Rizal Ceremonial Hall. Nat Geo hopes the docu will be included in the channel’s popular “Inside” series.
The docu also showcases a day in the life of P-Noy, as seen through the eyes of the four men closest to him, literally: Army Col. Ramon Mateo Dizon, PSG commander; SPO4 Lito Africano, close-in security; SPO3 Jaime Castro, food tester; and Jay Marcelo, presidential photographer.
They were all present during the screening at the Palace—and had to endure gentle ribbing and playful cheers from colleagues in the audience. “They were happy with the docu,” Manicad said. “They thanked me for making them famous among their relatives.”
Manicad noted that she received “overwhelming support” from all of P-Noy’s men during the making of the video. “Col. Dizon and his operations chief Maj. Peter Garciniego gave us [what they said was] unprecedented access.”
The newfound fame of P-Noy’s men will not be limited among their family and coworkers, though, as the docu will be aired all over Southeast Asia and in other parts of the world.
SPO4 Lito Africano, close-in security. P-Noy gave him a .45-caliber pistol, like his own.
Entertaining, too
Jude Turcuato, territory director of Fox International Channels, hopes that the Malacañang docu will become part of Nat Geo’s popular “Inside” series—which currently includes “Inside the White House”; “Inside Air Force One”; and “Inside the Vatican.”
Turcuato and Manicad also wish they’ll attract more viewers to docus which, admittedly, are not as popular among Filipinos as soap operas and boxing matches.
PSG HEAD Col. Ramon Mateo Dizon is one of four men closest to the President, literally.
“We are confident that many Filipinos would find the subject matter interesting,” Turcuato said. “Everyone is curious about the President and the Palace. Our team made sure that the docu is not only educational, but entertaining as well.”
The docu boasts a sprinkling of humor, drama, trivia (P-Noy’s favorite dish is pork adobo), even a bit of action (PSG training sessions), along with the usual history and architecture lessons.
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