Paolo Gumabao as Superintendent Raymond Train in “Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told”
I actually thought it was a prank,” said actor Paolo Gumabao of the complaint against him that was filed in court by the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) after he posted on Tiktok a video of himself dancing while wearing the SAF uniform.
Paolo is a cast member of Lester Dimaranan’s war movie “Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told,” which attempts to talk about what really happened during the Mamasapano clash in 2015 that resulted in the death of 44 SAF agents.
The film, produced by lawyer Ferdie Topacio under Borracho Film Productions, is an entry to the 48th Metro Manila Film Festival.
“My mom said she just found a copy of the subpoena in our mailbox. Receiving it was so surprising that I actually thought it was a prank. It just so happened that I also got a message on Instagram from one of the film’s talents saying he got a copy of his subpoena, too. I even suspected him to be part of the prank,” said Paolo, adding that two other “Mamasapano” talents were subpoenaed as well.
Case dismissed
“I immediately told Atty. Topacio about it. I’m thankful that he took the time to help me respond to the complaint. He explained that we are doing a movie about the SAF and that I wasn’t trying to make fun of any of them. The complaint has since been dismissed,” Paolo told reporters during a recent media gathering. “I’m glad it didn’t escalate anymore. I’ve learned my lesson. I will no longer post anything on social media, especially when I’m wearing any kind of uniform. It was never my intention to cause any harm or shame to the SAF.”
Paolo plays Supt. Raymond Train, one of the SAF police commandos who survived the Mamasapano firefight. Also featured in the film as soldiers are Aljur Abrenica, Ronnie Liang, Marco Gomez, Neil Alvarez, and Jojo Abellana.
The film alternates between battle scenes and the proceedings of the PNP-Crime Investigation and Detection Group Board of Inquiry. It gives a unique perspective of that disastrous incident in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur from the point of view of the investigators, survivors and witnesses.
Playing General Benjamin Magalong, who headed the Board of Inquiry, is Edu Manzano, someone Paolo said he has high regard for as an actor. “Of course, I felt nervous the first time I shot a scene with him. Since I was with Sir Edu, I made sure to memorize my lines but, at the same time, tried to enjoy the task. Later, I realized that Sir Edu is not intimidating at all, that he is actually very friendly. I was lucky that I got to really talk with him on the set,” recalled Paolo.
Meanwhile, Paolo said he also got to know Aljur a little bit more because of the movie. “We were able to chat because we worked on a lot of scenes together. While on the set, he told me all about his career journey, as well as his experiences when he was just starting out. I told him about mine, too.”
Paolo continued: “Aljur gave me advice, especially on how to pick my movie projects. He sort of became my kuya (big brother) on the set because when it comes to acting, I consider him my senior. I made sure to listen and learn as much as I could from all of the artists I worked with on the set.”
Previous works
When reporters tried to tease Paolo by asking whether or not Aljur also talked about his controversial love life, Paolo replied: “I don’t think the workplace is the right venue to talk about one’s love life. His personal life is, well, personal. When we were at work, the topic of our conversations is also about work. We also discussed his experiences while doing his past projects.”
Speaking of previous works, Paolo said he had no regrets showing some skin in his past film, particularly in Joel Lamangan’s dramatic film “Lockdown,” where he plays a male prostitute. “This film opened doors for me as an actor. If not for ‘Lockdown,’ I would not have gotten a role in ‘Darna’ and in all the Vivamax projects that I was part of,” explained Paolo. “I learned a lot from doing ‘Lockdown.’ It helped hone me, since not all of us started as lead actors. Before this, I never had the chance to apply or test what I’ve learned from the workshops I attended and from the years I spent doing supporting roles.”
Paolo also took pride in having had the chance to work with award-winning indie director Brillante Ma. Mendoza in “Sisid.” He pointed out: “It’s an honor to work with critically acclaimed directors like Direk Joel and Direk Dante (Mendoza’s nickname), to think I’m just a newbie in this industry. I appreciate all my directors. They were very unselfish when it came to sharing their knowledge.”
He also said he has no issue with playing daring roles in future projects, even after starring in an action movie like “Mamasapano.”
“I’m OK with anything, especially if you tell me you’re bringing my film to Cannes—that’s my dream. I don’t have any problem as long as the material is good and I know that my director will take care of me well,” he declared.
“Mamasapano” will start screening in cinemas nationwide on Christmas Day. INQ