FDCP honors ‘guardians of tradition, scholars of the arts’

For veteran actress Boots Anson-Rodrigo, the Lifetime Achievement award she received from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) at the recently concluded Parangal ng Sining was both important and meaningful because it pays tribute not only to her body of work but also to the service she has rendered as an official of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) for the past 30 years.

“By far, I deem FDCP’s Parangal ng Sining most important and meaningful because it comes from the film agency that is a creation of law, the most comprehensive, the farthest reaching and most reputable,” she told Inquirer Entertainment. “To me, the FDCP is the de facto Philippine film commission, in the absence of one. Thank you, FDCP, Direk Joey Reyes, Rica Arevalo and its leaders.”

Rodrigo also pointed out that the award “pays tribute not only to my body of work (150 films since 1968), artistic and professional awards, but most importantly, to the service I have rendered, particularly to the Mowelfund over the last 30 of its 50 years, as board member from 1993 onwards; president for 18 years until 2021, and presently as chairperson. I share the honor with Mowelfund’s founder, former president Joseph Estrada, its present board.”

She continued: “We are humbled and honored by this prestigious award from FDCP at age 79. It is a testimony to our service, dedication and commitment to the film industry that we all love. May pinagkatandaan tayo.”

The other honorees were actress Gloria Romero; Nicanor Tiongson, a cultural scholar and a founding member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino; Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo Jr., a film historian and screenwriter, whose works include Lino Brocka’s “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag” and Mike de Leon’s “Kisapmata;” Armando “Bing” Lao, film writer known for Brillante Mendoza’s “Kinatay” and Jeffrey Jeturian’s “Kubrador.”

The other two are organizations dedicated to film archiving and restoration: Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (Sofia) and ABS-CBN Film Restoration’s Sagip Pelikula.

Life, heart, soul

Posthumous awards were given to film archivist-curator and National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ Cinema Commission chair Teddy Co, and Cannes best actress Jaclyn Jose.

“I didn’t expect to still go up onstage, but this is for my Nanay,” said Jose’s daughter Andi Eigenmann, who lives in Siargo with her family. “I’m happy to stand before you to accept this award on her behalf. I’m lucky to have been raised by a great actress, who gave her life, heart, soul to making films and acting. It pains me that I’m the one accepting this for her. I’m sure she is now smiling in heaven. I will happily place this alongside the over 50 trophies she has received as an actress.”

Manunuri member Butch Francisco accepted the award for Gloria, whom he said “is already 90,” and “frail and delicate.” However, he added: “She is generally OK. Her lab works are OK. She sleeps well and eats well. I talked with her yesterday. I only doubt she will be able to carry a trophy this heavy.”

Bing, who is now wheelchair-bound as a result of a heart ailment, was accompanied by his trusted mentee, Honee Alipio. “I have so much faith in his talent that’s why I made it my mission that if I get to do my first film, he would be the writer,” said director Jeffrey Jeturian. “This happened in ‘Sana Pagibig Na,’ then in ‘Pila Balde’ and ‘Tuhog.’”

Meanwhile, newly appointed FDCP chair Jose Javier Reyes, in his welcome speech, emphasized “the importance of remembering the past in trying to navigate our journey to the future.”

Direk Joey

“Tonight, we honor those who made movies more than entertainment, but turned them into treasure troves of culture,” said Reyes during the ceremony held at Seda Hotel Vertis North. “Tonight, we shall honor the guardians of tradition, the scholars of the arts, the inspirations who have dedicated their lives for the betterment of Philippine cinema. Tonight, we shall bring onstage mentors who have helped shape generations of Filipino writers and filmmakers, as well as outstanding members of our film community whose accomplishments have opened doors, broken glass ceilings and have become the ultimate benchmarks of achievement.”

The FDCP chief later said he prefers to be called “Direk Joey” rather than “chair.” He added: “Sana Direk Joey na lang. Hindi po ako mukhang silya, mukha po akong sofa. (I don’t look like a chair. I look like a sofa).”

Cinematic heritage

Leo Katigbak, who heads Sagip Pelikula, said receiving an award from the FDCP felt overwhelming. “We weren’t used to getting any awards. We’ve always thought of ourselves as the unsung heroes because the benefits of what we do are not immediate. When people are entertained, that’s when we get our reward. This award is a big deal for us,” said Katigbak, who attended the event with former ABS-CBN president Charo Santos-Concio, one of the group’s fiercest supporters.

Meanwhile, Sofia’s head Rose Roque said that the recognition will motivate the group even more to push “for the archival preservation of our cinematic heritage.” As a result of this recognition, Rose said, Sofia expects the archival community will broaden, especially in the film and cultural sector. “We continue to dream. We are dreaming that we finally realize our ultimate dream of an exclusively mandated and autonomous audiovisual archive, especially for the next generation of Filipinos.”

The two-hour ceremony was hosted by Alden Richards, with celebrity performers Lara Maigue, Gian Magdangal, Aicelle Santos, Bituin Escalante, and 92AD.

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