Ronnie and his American dream

Sooner or later, Ronnie Ricketts may have to decide on whether he will stay put in the Philippines or pack his bags for the US. No, it’s not because he has lost hope in the country. Not at all.

In fact, he just might promote the Philippines if plans for him to headline a martial arts TV series and make movies for the US market push through.

Ronnie, wife Mariz and their daughters (Mariella, eight and Marie, five) just returned this month from what turned out to be a working vacation in the US.

Ronnie’s parents, Max and Edith Ricketts, are now based there, and are running the fluorishing Naldo Ricketts Realty in San Diego.

It was, at first, nothing but a leisurely break for Ronnie’s family, a time when they could bond for a moment without thinking of work.

But it was not meant to be. Ronnie attended a Toyota event with his high-profile mom Edith, and things happened fast.

He met Ted Shackleford, one of the stars of the defunct Knots Landing, who, upon learning Ronnie is into martial arts, lost no time in offering him a TV series and a movie. Inspired by Samo Hung’s now-defunct Martial Law, the series is calculated to reach out to the growing Filipino community in the US.

Two more versions of the TV series will star other minorities in the US, like the Hispanics and the Chinese.

The martial arts series is right up Ronnie’s alley. He has put up Bakbakan International, a martial arts school in the East Coast, which has won so many followers there, he plans to open a branch in the West Coast.

He even managed to squeeze in a martial arts exhibition in San Diego. And of course, one cannot discount the fact that Ronnie trained US soldiers for the Balikatan exercises in down South.

Soon after the Toyota event, Ronnie got another welcome surprise. He visited the Coronado Hotel in San Diego, and this time, met somebody whose American friend was into producing movies.

"He wants to meet you in Los Angeles," Ronnie’s go-between said.

Ronnie’s first reaction was, "But I’m here to vacation with my family!"

But, sensing that an opportunity was waiting for him, he relented. He lost no time borrowing a car and driving himself for two hours to Los Angeles to meet the producer.

Ronnie was right. It was opportunity with a capital O. The guy produced a movie on Vietnam in the Philippines three years ago, and is thinking of making another film in the country again.

When he found out that Ronnie produces, directs and stars in his own films, his new-found friend was beside himself with amazement. The demo tapes spoke for themselves. The American investor was all the more aghast when, asked about how long he does a film, Ronnie told him he does it in a matter of 15 days.

"You see, we Filipinos are workaholics. We work 24 hours a day," Ronnie explained. Acting like a tourism official, Ronnie pointed out various possible movie locations they could use. He also gave a working budget, based on his experience as producer.

It worked. The American producer decided to e-mail the script to Ronnie.

But there are two hitches. The first was the perceived peace and order problem. News of the deadly Davao blast alarmed the producer so much, Ronnie had to bring a map and point out how far the place is from Manila.

Just when he was able to convince the American producer that it was safe to go to the Philippines, the SARS problem cropped up. Again, media scared the wits off the American investor.

He and Ronnie saw masked medical personnel attending to SARS patients at San Lazaro Hospital. It got to the point when Ronnie called the Philippines long distance to ask if the SARS cases are really that bad. He even thought of buying a surgical mask. But he decided against it and instead gave the masks to his little daughters to wear in the plane going home.

Friends in the US were even asking, "Why will you go home?’

Ronnie shot back, "If SARS is that rampant there, do you think I will still go home?"

So Ronnie is back to promote Dayo, a futuristic film set in the aftermath of WWIII. Here, he plays a guy searching for his long-lost family, among them his younger sister (played by Angelica Panganiban).

Two days after Dayo opens in Metro theaters on May 21, Ronnie will fly back to the US, this time for a big TV-movie event which will gather producers, directors and other filmmakers there.

"If the TV series pushes through, I might have to stay in the US. I’ve already discussed it with Mariz and we might sell our house, if and when," Ronnie reveals.

As for the movie, he is expecting the American producer to visit the country around July, when the SARS scare has hopefully died down. Ronnie plans to take him around the country for possible shooting locations.

With a career in the US beckoning, Ronnie Ricketts might just fulfill a dream many of his colleagues have been aiming at with all the guts they can muster: a shot at the international TV/movie scene.

If he succeeds, the victory will not only be his. It might as well be ours, too.