Piolo Pascual says ‘Manila’s Finest’ is a wake-up call for Filipinos

LOS ANGELES – Piolo Pascual, the super heartthrob of Philippine cinemadom, is in New York promoting his award-winning crime thriller, “Manila’s Finest,” with director Raymond Red at the 25th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival. The film is being shown as part of the festival’s Southeast Asian Frontiers selection, together with other films from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The boyish and charming 49-year-old actor-singer-producer, who is now sporting a moustache, revealed to us in an exclusive virtual interview what he plans to do in the Big Apple aside from promoting his movie. He said, “I would like to expand our network with some partnerships and hopefully find people who will help us support Philippine cinema,

Raymond Red, the 61-year-old auteur, revealed to us that he has known about this festival before since it is their 25th year. He said, “What’s interesting was that my son was here last year. Mikhail was showing ‘Lilim,’ this horror film, which I shot for him. I was the cinematographer of ‘Lilim.’ It was the first time we did it. So anyway, I’ve known about this festival.

“And some 16 years back, the NYAFF actually invited me, although with my film ‘Manila Skies,’ back in 2010, but it ended screening at the Asian American Film Festival, the other festival here in New York. So, I’ve always thought of getting here eventually. And now this is the opportunity.”

‘Manila’s Finest’

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“Manila’s Finest, a crime period film which ended up as the most awarded movie during the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival, winning honors, including the Third Best Picture, is from a screenplay written by Michiko Yamamoto, Moira Lang, and Sherad Anthony Sanchez.

Set in 1969 before the onset of Martial Law under former President Ferdinand Marcos, it revolves around a group of police officers in Manila’s Police District, also known as “Manila’s Finest,” its interservice rivalry with the Philippine Constabulary and its eventual integration, known as MetroCom.

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Pascual, who appears as Captain Homer Magtibay, an experienced police officer in Manila, disclosed how he prepared and researched for the role of a police officer in the 1960s.

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He told us, “We had the privilege of interviewing a cop who was a Manila’s Finest. We also had a session with Sir Pete Lacaba, who’s a historian, and Sir Ricky Lee. And they gave us insights into how it was during that time.

“For myself personally, I watched videos from that period, and that always helps me with the character development. I interviewed my mom. I asked her about how it was back in the ‘60s and, of course, with some contribution from Direk Raymond and our acting coach. So, all these things contributed to how I was able to form my character.

He pointed out that he said yes to the project because “it’s a period film. At the same time, it’s nostalgic, and there is the socio-political aspect of it. We wanted to show Manila how it was during that time.”

Director Raymond Red

Red, who has the distinction of being the first Filipino filmmaker to win the Short Film Palme d’Or award for his short film “Anino,” at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, returned to directing after almost a 10-year hiatus from directing. So, what made him come back to directing after a long break and choosing to helm the sepia-toned drama capturing Manila during the tumultuous 1970s, we asked.

The multi-awarded filmmaker replied, “I don’t consider it a break. I’ve been known to do very few films and far apart. It takes me time to brew a film. Although this time it took quite a while. That’s 10 years.”

He confessed, “The thing is this was offered to me, and it was already set up because originally my niece Rae Red was going to direct this and I was on board as cinematographer. But anyway, to make a long story short, Rae backed out for personal reasons. She was overwhelmed by the project because she was doing other things. She was finishing a series, I believe.

“So, it was an automatic, natural thought in the decision on the part of the producers to offer it to me because I was already there. I was already on board. I was there sitting for a month of pre-production already as the cinematographer.

“And, of course, the main reason is I like the script. It’s really the kind of subject matter material that I deal with. A lot of my films are always about history, the past, nostalgia and dealing with socio-political issues. So yeah, it was an automatic decision for me to accept it.”

Cast

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Aside from Pascual, the other cast members include Enrique Gil, Ashtine Olviga, Kiko Estrada, Cedrick Juan, Romnick Sarmenta, Joey Marquez, Dylan Menor, Ethan David, Soliman Cruz, Ariel Rivera, Rica Peralejo, Rico Blanco, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Paulo Angeles, Inday Fatima and Pearl Gonzales.

Asked how he bonded with the other amazing cast members, Pascual answered, “I worked with them in several projects. Filipino showbiz is such a small world. We just move around in a very small circle, and we know each other.

“I grew up with Enrique from Star Magic. And even with Rica, I grew up with her. And Ariel was a singer before he became an actor. So, it was a dream come true to work with him and with Joey Marquez. I’ve worked with him on several projects, and Romnick also. It’s nice to be able to work with people whom you actually know in real life. So, it was easier for us to bond and to feel as if we’re really close because we really are in real life.”

Challenges

For him, there were a lot of scenes that were challenging to do.

He shared, “You cannot ad lib. You cannot improvise because you’re doing a period film. Even your nuances had to be limited. You can’t joke around because you might sound present, and all the riot scenes were a challenge because there were days when it was raining. We had a lot of set pieces that couldn’t be wet. So, it was hard.

“And we had to transpose some of the scenes, but the whole shoot was a breeze because we had the very calm director, someone who really knew what he wanted to do, and being on set, looking at all these details the props, the set – it was all given. So, it was delightful actually to be in a set like this.”

‘Cinema is a tool for us to wake up’

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The film shows that good men are also flawed. So, what other insights do they think audiences will get after watching this movie?

Red acknowledged that it’s good that it’s a challenge. He narrated, “When we showed it in Manila, you kind of assume everybody should know their history. Of course, maybe the younger generation is not that familiar, so it provokes them to study history because then they get to appreciate more what we were trying to impart in this film. But for those who are familiar with history, it became very emotional and psychological at the same time for them, and remembering the chaos, the issues, especially people who were involved in the First Quarter Storm, all these rallies and riots. So yeah, that’s very important to always look back at the roots of our problems today.

Pascual agreed. He commented, “I like what Direk Raymond said about provocation. Cinema is a tool for us to wake up. Cinema is a tool for us to ponder on things. And this is just a reflection of what’s still happening in our society nowadays.

“It’s sort of a wake-up call for people to realize that, hey guys, this has happened before. Do you still want this to happen now? We have to do something about it. And some people are apolitical about it. And this is something that we want to show to provoke them and make them feel that you are also part of this movement.

“You have to do something about it to revolutionize our culture and make sure that we take part in making our place, the Philippines, be more livable and do our part to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Or at least, let’s try to do something so this doesn’t happen anymore.”

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