Bayang Magiliw opens April 17

MANILA, Philippines - At the presscon-preview of Bayang Magiliw, director Gil Portes announced that Bayang Magiliw opens tomorrow, April 17, in select SM theaters and premiered (invitational) yesterday at SM Megamall. He also said that the film was graded B by the Cinema Evaluation Board and classified R16 by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Bayang Magiliw was very well-received by the press, finding it very entertaining…but with a timely and relevant message on the importance of responsible parenthood and family planning.

Funny was the scene showing the mayor of the town called Magiliw (Wendell Ramos) running naked on the street, chased with a bolo by an irate husband (Benjie Felipe), who caught the mayor and his wife (Althea Vega) in bed. Wendell said he’s done nude scenes before, but always in the privacy of a bedroom, unlike in Bayang Magiliw where he let it all hang out in public, causing the parish priest (Tony Mabesa) to collapse.

Introduced in Bayang Magiliw is Aaron Yanga, whose love scene with Ellen Adarna is another “highlight” of the film.

The consensus of the press was Gil and scriptwriter Eric Ramos were at their best in the small-town film, capturing the flavor and atmosphere of the place (shot in Pagbilao, Quezon) and its people, played by Giselle Tongi, Arnold Reyes, Lloyd Samartino, Jackie Lou Blanco, Princess Manzon, Gino dela Peña, Dax Alejandro, Sue Prado and Raquel Villavicencio as barangay chairman who unseats the corrupt mayor with many illegitimate children.

The B grade entitles Bayang Magiliw to 65 percent tax rebate, while the R16 classification allows teenagers (16 above) and adults to watch the film, a comedy with a touch of drama.

Bayang Magiliw is narrated by Tony Mariño, who played the king in The King & I in Australia and starred in several Broadway musicals.

Gil has directed many small-town films, notably Saranggola, Gatas and Mga Munting Tinig, all of them sent to the Oscars (Foreign Language category). Mga Munting Tinig won Best Picture and Best Director at the Urian and FAMAS awards.