Par excellence

To describe him as an achiever is an understatement.

Menardo ‘Butch’ Jimenez Jr.’s contribution to Philippine cinema, through the number of quality and award-winning movies that he has produced, is unparallelled. As former head of GMA Films, he was responsible for high-caliber films like “Jose Rizal,” the biggest Philippine movie to date, and Muro-Ami.

His ability to organize and motivate a team of achievers steered the following companies to the top of their class: GMA Films; Monster Radio RX-93.1, leading pop music station in Metro-Manila; Optima Digital Inc., the number one post-production house in the country; Trumpets Theater Company; and The Playshop Academy, now the number one summer multi-media workshop school with over 15 venues around the country, and regional workshops in Singapore and HK.

Butch was also recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World Award (TOYP) for Cultural Achievement by the Junior Chamber International 1999 in Cannes, France. He was also one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (TOYM) for Multi-Media Achievement awarded by the Philippine Jaycees and TOYM Foundation in 1998.

Butch has also been a top executive of the PLDT group for a decade now. He is currently senior vice president, human resources and business transformation office head, PLDT.

Inspite of all these achievements, he has remained down-to-earth. Butch is well-loved by his employees and co-workers, for whom he has shown respect and genuine concern for their welfare.

Butch shares his valuable time and insights with this writer in this interview:

• What is it about doing movies that makes it one of your passions?

Making movies challenges ones creativity and has the power to impact people and society in many ways.

• Among the movies that you’ve produced or been part of, what is the most memorable and why? What’s your favorite?

The most memorable movies would be “Jose Rizal”, “Muro Ami”, “Deathrow”, and “Gulong”. It would be hard to choose a favorite since all of them have a unique place in my heart . But I will say that “Gulong” was a story I loved and was done on a shoe-string budget. It was also awarded as one of the best children’s films in the whole Asia-Pacific region in 2010 which made it all the more special.

• How and why did you get into serious running?

Im not really a “serious” runner. I just train enough to finish a full marathon with a decent time . But I do it more for fitness than for competition, and it is one of the best ways to be alone and think. Though honestly, I think I got into it because of the “mid life crisis” syndrome where you want to prove to yourself you can do things at a certain age you didn’t think you could do before. So far I’ve finished five full marathons. Im still contemplating doing a 100k ultra-marathon someday. But that’s just in the bucket list for now.

• You are known for your passion for your diving. How many dives have you logged and any dive sites that you plan to visit in the near future? What’s your favorite dive spot and why?

I’ve been diving for over 30 years, when dive computers were not existent and you had to manually compute how much time you can stay underwater without dying. I’ve logged hundreds of dives over the years and my favorite divespot is Tubbataha. I believe that if you are a Filipino, you should be a diver. Because we do have some of the world’s best divespots.

• What was the last movie you’ve watched and book that you’ve read? What are you reading right now?

I don’t really watch a lot of movies since I prefer to read. I love my Kindle reader. The cheapest Kindle is small enough for me to put in my pocket and I’ve got lots of books in it. Right now, I’m reading “30 Pieces of Silver”, an underground controversial novel similar to “Da Vinci Code”. “Run to Overcome” which is the autobiography of Meb Keflezighi, the winner of the recent NY Marathon, not so much for his running ability but because of his Christian faith in God. And “Hunger Games”, because my son said it was good.

• Do you collect anything? Please tell us about it.

I don’t know if it can be considered as a collection, but I raise and breed tortoises. I do own some of the rarest breeds of tortoises like the Angonoka, Sulcata, Radiata, and the Aldabra which can grow up to 400-500 lbs. Right now I am able to breed Sulcata’s. Hopefully in the future, I can breed the Radiata and the Aldabra. While it is a hobby I enjoy, it’s also a small business for me. Enough to pay the rent for my house.

• You’re now involved with indie films. Why and what are your views on the future of indie films in this country? Do you think we have what it takes for our films to have worldwide following?

Yes, I still do indie films when I come across a director with a concept or script I like. I actually enjoy doing indie films since you have a lot more freedom with the material . And with the advent of new technology, you can produce well crafted films at much lower costs.

Recently, I’ve also decided not just to look at Filipino indie film projects, but regional as well. So I tied up with APSA (Asia Pacific Screen Awards) based in Australia, and have set up a development fund to be given to regional filmmakers whose projects focus on kids and share positive values. The grant is given by “4 Boys Films” which is in honor of my four boys, Miguel, Beej, Joaquin and Mateo.

One of the grant awardees is a project from a young Indonesian filmmaker, Garin Nugroho, The Seen and the Unseen. It is a unique story about a young girl named Tantri and her determination to find a way to connect with her paralysed twin brother Tantra and make him experience the world beyond the use of verbal language.

One of my dreams is to be part of a film featuring kids with a positive message winning an international festival award. Whether it is with Filipino talents or regional talents, the message of a movie remains universal and one day, I intend to fulfill that dream.

• You’ve received quite a number of awards like the TOYM, the CEO Excel Award, a Promax award for multi-media promotions, practically all possible local film awards, a handful of Quill and Anvil Awards and even the Agora Marketing Man of the year award. Of all your achievements, do you have one that is most special to you?

It would have to be the privilege of being the commencement address speaker for the graduating class of UP Diliman in 2003. That, I will have to say was a dream come true. UP has been in existence for a little over 100 years. That means only about 100 people have been given that chance to address the graduating class. And for some strange reason, the speech “What’s Better Than” became one of the most widely circulated speeches in the Internet, even before the advent of social media.

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