‘X’-ed Jonas Burgos docu now just R-16

Alipato at Muog director JL Burgos PHOTO COURTESY OF JL BURGOS

A documentary revisiting the 2007 disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos, who was believed killed after being tortured by the military, will be shown in theaters after all, following a second review by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

The board on Thursday announced that “Alipato at Muog” (Flying Embers and Fortress), a film directed by Jonas’ brother Jose Luis “JL” Burgos, had been reclassified from X to R-16 by a five-member review panel.

“This is a huge victory for the people … Based on what we heard, they (second reviewers) were touched by this movie. They also stand for truth and justice, and for this, we would like to thank the MTRCB,” JL Burgos said on Facebook.

In a resolution, the MTRCB committee said it decided to grant the appeal made by the producers and several other individuals to revoke the first assessment, which had cited the film’s supposedly subversive content.

The committee was chaired by “Unang Hirit” host Maria Gabriela Concepcion, with lawyer Paulino Cases Jr., film and TV producer JoAnn Bañaga, executive and music producer Eloisa Matias, and retired educator Maria Carmen Musngi as members.

“The Committee considered the importance of balancing the interests not only of the constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression with the State’s interest in maintaining public order and integrity,” the board said in a statement.

The committee also determined that “a more mature viewer is necessary to understand, dissect and grapple with the serious issues presented in this documentary, without compromising their own faith and confidence in the government.”

An R-16 rating means the movie may be shown in cinemas but only to audiences age 16 and above.

“Alipato” delves into the April 28, 2007, abduction of Jonas, who was accused of being a member of the communist New People’s Army.

The activist, a son of the late press freedom fighter and newspaper publisher Jose Burgos Jr., was last seen at Ever Gotesco Mall, Quezon City.

He was eating lunch when four men and a woman grabbed and forced him into a vehicle. He has not been found since.