To-be-made-in-RP Hollywood movies

You must have noticed that Hollywood has developed a renewed interest in military movies, perhaps influenced by the prevailing global alertness to terrorism and the popularity of such recent war-related movies as Black Hawk Down (about a failed rescue mission in Somalia involving the same American Marines participating in the "Balikatan" exercises in Basilan) and We Were Soldiers (topbilling Mel Gibson, opening next week in Metro theaters).

In effect, this Hollywood trend will hopefully redound to the benefit of the local movie industry in particular and the country in general because most of the war movies now being planned by Hollywood producers are about or are set in the Philippines which figured prominently in World War II.

Of course, we’ve been reading about Fertig (now titled They Fought Alone), the much-delayed project which has been attracting A-list talents, intended to be shot in the Philippines. Initially, Tom Cruise was reported to be the movie’s lead actor. But Cruise, it seemed, has his hands full with other assignments.

According to Funfare contributor Jeri Batoon (who e-mailed his report from Hollywood), Brad Pitt is being eyed for the project, shooting of which might start later this year as soon as Pitt winds up work on the movie The Last Man. They Fought Alone follows Col. Wendell Fertig (to be played presumably by Pitt), who led a group of soldiers in a guerilla movement to scare off the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II.

But if plans would be pushed through, according to Batoon’s report, Cruise might still come to the Philippines to star in the World War II movie Ghost Soldiers (based upon Hampton Sides’ best-selling novel), to be directed and produced by Steven Spielberg for his own Dreamworks outfit in a joint venture with Universal Pictures. Ghost Soldiers is about the Bataan Death March survivors who languished in a Japanese prison camp until they were rescued three years later by Allied Forces.

Also, Benjamin Bratt (ex-boyfriend of Julia Roberts) will star in the World War II drama The Great Raid, to be produced by Miramax, which is about a raid on a POW camp in Cabanatuan City where 500 American prisoners were in grave danger.

There’s more: New Line Cinema has reportedly bought the rights to the 1991 wartime bio of Lieutenant Edwin Ramsey, a member of the US Army who refused to surrender after Japan occupied the Philippines in 1942. Ramsey joined the Filipino resistance movement, commanding 40,000 guerilla fighters. The Japanese put Ramsey at the top of the death list but Ramsey refused to surrender or to escape, standing his ground until Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in the Philippines in 1945.

Like Funfare contributor Jeri Batoon, let’s keep our fingers crossed that this to-be-made-in-RP Hollywood movies would not suffer any further hitch.

Kabayan bats for soldiers

And speaking of soldiers, Funfare just got a report that Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro has just filed a bill for the benefit of our low-salaried soldiers, in the wake of the growing suspicion that Kabayan has been reduced into a newest member of the Senate’s "silent minority." Kabayan is, indeed, doing his homework, although quietly, see!

Concerned over the plight of soldiers facing increased risks due to intensive anti-terrorism operations, Kabayan wants the basic salary of all military personnel raised to a level that matches the pay being received by government employees.

In filing Senate Bill No. 2019, Kabayan said that adjusting the salary schedule of soldiers is consistent with the Constitutional provision of enhancing professionalism and granting adequate remuneration and benefits.

Under Kabayan’s proposal, the base pay of a general will increase from P19, 173 to P28,875 or the level 30 pay scale applied to government workers. A private, on the other hand, will receive P9,939 from P5,775.

Kabayan bewails the fact that at present, the AFP salary schedule is not at par with that of the Philippine National Police, which was improved by the PNP Reform Law or R.A. 8551.

"Sa kanilang malaking kontribusyon sa pagpapanatili ng kapayapaan at seguridad ng bansa, nararapat namang i-upgrade na ang kanilang kita. Sila na marahil ang masasabing most underpaid sapagka’t hindi talaga matatawaran ang kanilang nagagawa para sa ating bayan."

At the same time, Kabayan pushed for the immediate consideration of SBN 406, a proposed legislation seeking the provision of educational benefits for children of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

"Malaki na ang napipilas na lakas sa ating sandatahan sa pakikipaglaban sa terorismo. Marami ng sundalo ang nakitil ang buhay sa pagtatanggol sa ating bayan, kaya’t nararapat lamang na atin silang pahalagahan, kilalanin at dakilain."

What’s up?

• For only P100, you can buy five compact discs or 10 cassettes or 20 comicbooks (or songhits, coloring books or romance pocketbooks) at Universal Records’ clearance sale starting today (until March 2), at Universal Records, Universal Tower, 3rd Floor, 1487 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City. Check it out for more goodies at giveaway prices.