MANILA, Philippines—Many of the winners of the 29th Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Awards, including Best Actress awardee Lorna Tolentino, were not able to attend the ceremony on Sunday night because organizers reportedly failed to send their invitations ahead of time.
Tolentino’s talent manager, Lolit Solis, said her ward would have attended the award show, held at the Quezon Hall of the Quezon City Sports Club, had she received her invitation. “The FAP is close to her heart,” Solis told Inquirer Entertainment on Monday.
Tolentino’s late husband, Rudy Fernandez, was once the president of the Katipunan ng mga Artistang Pilipino sa Pelikula at Telebisyon (KAPPT), one of several guilds supervised by the FAP.
Established in 1981, the FAP, or Luna Awards, is supposed to be the country’s counterpart of the United States’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It has been giving recognition and awards to film artists since 1983.
Dolphy, who won the Best Actor award for the comedy flick “Father Jejemon;” Chito Rono, who bagged the Best Director Award for “Emir;” Anne Curtis, who won the Best Supporting Actress Award for “Baler;” and Yul Servo, who won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in “Rosario” were also not present at the event.
Representatives of their production teams or talent managers received the awards on their behalf.
Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Imelda Marcos was also unable to receive her Golden Reel Award, a recognition given for her unwavering support for the film industry.
“Rosario,” megged by Albert Martinez and produced by business tycoon Manny Pangilinan, brought home four technical awards—Elmer Gatchalian won Best Screenplay; Carlo Mendoza, Best Cinematography; Joey Luna, Best Production Design and Albert Chang, Best Music.
Jerrold Tarog bagged the Best Editing trophy for “Emir,” a coproduction of Viva Film, the Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The animated film “RPG Metanoia,” coproduced by Ambient Media and ABS-CBN, won the Best Sound Award for Connie Valdriz, Sandy Aguinaldo, Lynnel de Mesa and Ronald de Asis.
The Manuel De Leon Award for Exemplary Achievements was given to cinematographer Romy Vitug.
A frail-looking Armida Siguion Reyna accepted her Fernando Poe Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award that night.
The FAP had decided to forego the staging of the Luna Awards in 2008 and 2009 due to budget constraints. Belated awards for 2008 were also handed out Sunday night although the FAP was not able to choose its awardees for 2009.
Among the awardees for 2008 were Actress Mylene Dizon, Best Actress (“100”); Phillip Salvador and Mark Meily, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director (“Baler”), respectively; Gina Alajar went up the stage to receive the 2008 Best Actor trophy for Christopher de Leon (“Magkaibigan”).
Other winners for 2008 were Iza Calzado (Best Supporting Actress, (“One True Love”), Roy Iglesias (Best Screenplay, “Baler”), Lee Meily (Best Cinematographer, “Baler”), Jess Navarro (Best Editing, “Torotot”), Aped Santos (Best Production Design, “Baler”), Ditoy Aguila (Best Sound, “Baler”), Vincent de Jesus (Best Musical Score, “Baler”).
Movie Worker’s Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) chair Boots Anson-Roa and FAP adviser Robert Arevallo hosted the event.