Lance: Fidel could be any OFW's story

As part of the celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos (MOF) and International Migrants Day, chaired by the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch and co-chaired by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a Cineforum on Migration will be held in all SM Malls nationwide on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 13 and 14, 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

To illustrate the brutality and horror that many OFWs experience abroad, two indies, chosen from more than a dozen about OFWs, will be shown. One is Fidel and the other is Rigodon (produced and directed by Keith Sicat and Sari Dalena, starring Joel Torre, Arthur Acuna and Chin-Chin Gutierrez), the former a semi-finalist at the 2007 Cinemalaya and nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2010 PMPC Star Awards for Movies and the latter a Best Film winner at the International Panorama of Independent Filmmakers in Greece. Fidel tells about the plight of OFWs in the Middle East and Rigodon, in the US.

In Fidel, which is the directorial debut of Mark Shandii Bacolod, Lance Raymundo plays an OFW in the Middle East who was raped (sodomized, etc.) by his employer whom Fidel eventually killed. Direk Mark took over from Elwood Perez who quit early in the project. Direk Mark has worked as assistant director for some indies, among them Signos, 100 and Boses.

“The story is based on the experiences of OFWs and Fidel is a composite character,” explained Lance. “Fidel could be any OFW and his story could be the story of any OFW.”

Direk Mark said that he personally knows the OFWs who have gone through harrowing experiences in the Middle East.

“One rape victim filed a complaint but he ended up being charged for malicious intent and was deported to the Philippines,” revealed direk Mark. “He stopped talking and a few months later he committed suicide. Another rape victim doused himself with gasoline and torched himself to death.”

“After he was raped,” added Lance, “he felt na ang dumi-dumi n’ya after he was violated that’s why he burned himself in the bathroom. The movie shows that in one scene.”

The rape scene was not done graphically, but it could scandalize the viewers enough to get angry, but Lance confessed that a “double” was hired for it. He said he’s not yet ready to go that bold and daring, and wouldn’t be credible in that crucial scene because, he blushed, “I haven’t been sodomized. They shot my face in close-up and the ‘double’ acted the rape. We did the movie more than two years ago. Kung ngayon, well, baka pumayag ako to do the scene myself. Just joking.”

Besides, said Lance, “We want the whole family to watch the movie kaya hindi ganoon ka-graphic ang depiction ng rape scene. The movie doesn’t mean to titillate the audience; our objective is to show what suffering and risks our OFWs go through abroad para lang kumita ng sapat for their families back home. That’s the reason I agreed to do the movie.

“In the movie,” Lance continued, “Fidel killed his rapist and he got jailed for it. When we held the premiere of Fidel two years ago, we invited Sarah Balabagan as guest. She’s the girl who gave a face to the plight of female OFWs in the Middle East. Sarah landed in prison for killing her employer who raped her but she was later pardoned.”

Fidel also stars Jon Hall as the rapist, Maria Isabel Lopez as the mother of the OFW and Marife Necesito as Fidel’s love interest. Marife has done bit roles in Hollywood movies, one of them, Mammoth, as an OFW-nanny to the child of Michelle Williams (best remembered as the late Heath Ledger’s wife in Brokeback Mountain).

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Is he, like Pres. Noynoy “P-Noy” Aquino, really a member of SMP (Samahang Malamig ang Pasko) as he claims in the series of Nestea commercials?

“No naman,” begged off Neil Coleta, 19 (last Aug. 4), who in the commercial is shown fretting over the prospect of spending a blue Christmas because he doesn‘t have a girlfriend. “I may not have a girlfriend but I won’t be having a blue Christmas. Ako pa!”

Managed by Becky Aguila, Neil is not really a new face in showbiz. He has appeared in the Star Cinema movie Miss You Like Crazy, and in TV shows like Pangarap Kong Jackpot, Lipgloss (TV5), The Wedding (ABS-CBN), Art Angel (GMA), Maalaala Mo Kaya (ABS-CBN) and Rosalka (also on ABS-CBN, as the hunchback, with Empress Schuck, also Becky’s alaga). He also done a few commercials (for Voice Biscuit, Smart, red Mobile, Jollibee, Meralco and Talk and Text) but it’s the Nestea TVC that’s getting him a lot of attention.

Neil is the youngest among five children, from Cavite. He’s a graduating IT (Information Technology) student at Adamson University. Neil gets teased by his classmates for being an SMP member and he just laughs it off.

“At least,” he said, “I’m flattered that Pres. Noynoy mentioned on TV that he’s an SMP member,” adding, “Napapanood kaya n‘ya ang commercial ko? I’m happy that many people can relate to my commercial.”

Neil lives alone at a rented condo unit on Vito Cruz and divides his time between showbiz work and his studies.

“Our house is in Cavite and I would be spending more on transportation if I live there,” said Neil. “I would also lose so much time commuting.” His siblings are married and Neil said that he’s helping his parents financially. “Ako po ang nagtataguyod sa pamilya namin.”His older sister, Kristine, co-stars with Neil in the Nestea commercial. “She’s the one who’s teasing me as having been busted by my girlfriend.”

In Lipgloss, his loveteam-mate was Czarina Suzara in three episodes but they never went beyond being friends.

“My idol is John Lloyd Cruz. Sa actress naman, si Bea Alonzo.”’

Someday, Neil wants to be like John Lloyd Cruz.

“He’s a good actor. Ang husay din n’ya humarap sa mga intriga at tsismis.”

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