Films on ‘disappeared’ uncover multiple injustices

At the weeklong 2024 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival ending tomorrow, there were supposed to be two participating documentary films spotlighting people who were abducted and forcibly disappeared. One is “Alipato at Muog” and the other is “Lost Sabungeros.”

Both seek answers to troubling questions.

“Alipato at Muog” is produced by JL Burgos, son of the late journalist Jose G. Burgos Jr. and Edith Tronqued. Under Marcos Sr.’s martial law regime the couple published two dailies – We Forum and Malaya, both courageous critics of the Marcos dictatorship. 

The documentary aims to “uncover the hard truths” on the enforced disappearance, since April 28, 2007, of JL’s elder brother Jonas, as well as other desaparecidos. Jonas was seized by unidentified men inside a crowded mall on Commonwealth Ave., where he was eating lunch alone in an eatery. Onlookers froze as he was dragged out of the mall, shouting, “Aktibista lang po ako!” and pushed inside a van that quickly sped away.

“Lost Sabungeros” is the first investigative documentary film by GMA Public Affairs, part of the broadcast giant GMA News. It’s about the disappearance of over 30 sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) since 2021. Over nine months, groups of cockfighters disappeared in three major cockfighting arenas; others were abducted in their homes or on the road. Not one of them has been found.

Last Monday, however, the scheduled world premiere of “Lost Sabungeros” on Aug. 8 and 9 was suddenly cancelled by Cinemalaya and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, organizers of the annual film festival, allegedly “due to security concerns.” The two organizations’ statement sent to The Philippine STAR said:

“Our paramount concern is the safety and well-being of our audience, staff and all involved. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. Thank you for your continuing support.”

The Cinemalaya and CCP did not say anything about the ground for the security concerns, when they were informed of the peril or what forms of threats had been relayed to them. Did they inform the concerned authorities about this, and if so, what was the response?

Queried by The STAR, GMA Public Affairs first vice president Nessa Valdellon replied that it was Cinemalaya’s prerogative to make this decision: “I would want our production team and the audiences to be safe at the venue and if their assessment is it is unsafe to screen the docu there, we cannot argue. We take security concerns seriously.”

Valdellon explained why they were excited about “Lost Sabungeros” finally making its world premiere at Cinemalaya. “Our director, producers, researchers spent two years working on this, documenting our subjects and it was not easy.”

It wasn’t easy, indeed: “Several times during production, it was clear [the documenting team] were being followed around by strange men. They were able to find whistleblowers but none of the whistleblowers showed their faces in the interviews, so afraid of the potential danger to their lives… Our own team members even requested their names be excluded from the official poster because they were worried about being hunted down or harassed.”

Referring to the “big picture,” Valdellon noted: “Three years ago over 30 men, all in the same cockfighting industry, went missing. None of them have shown up again. Their families continue to fight for justice. And three years after the disappearances, we can’t even premiere the film for a public audience due to security threats. That says so much about our country.”

“Lost Sabungeros” director Bryan Brazil, GMA Public Affairs executive producer, affirmed that the documentary was produced with the intent to find answers to the disappearance of the 30-plus sabungeros.

“The process of creating the documentary was not easy, the team spent several years following the characters in their search for their loved ones,” he said. “In my view, it is crucial for our fellow citizens to watch this film, as it explores not just the story of cockfighters but also exposes the long-standing issues of our country – the lack of justice and the culture of impunity that often victimizes the poor and the voiceless.”  

“Alipato at Muog” encapsulates the saga of Jonas’ mother and siblings over the last 17 years, their hope undiminished that he will be finally found and that finally, too, the whole truth about his abduction and disappearance will be unravelled.

A breakthrough in their search was the discovery – inside a military camp in Bulacan – of a vehicle bearing the plate number of the van into which Jonas was pushed by his abductors. Witnesses to the incident secretly provided useful information to the family after the incident was widely publicized.

Even with that undeniable evidence linking the military to the abduction, the latter – fortress (“muog”) of state violence – has refused to acknowledge any role in it. Nonetheless, the family’s perseverance in the search gained support. Anonymous informants – flying sparks of resistance? (“alipato”) – provided leads to the search, including a photo of Jonas in captivity. Testimonials of the family’s lawyers, a reporter, a former justice secretary and Human Rights Commission chair and witnesses who agreed to appear on condition of anonymity were carefully arrayed in the documentary, along with footage of the family’s unrelenting search.

On Feb. 2, 2014, the Supreme Court upheld the findings of the Court of Appeals that the military and government were responsible for Jonas’ disappearance. The SC directed the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the case. But while lower-level military officers were later hailed to court and convicted; the main suspects, all military officers, have been promoted and given choice positions both in the military and civilian government.

Affirming his family’s unshakeable conviction, JL Burgos declared: “There are no illusions that this documentary will stop enforced disappearances. But it is my hope that this film will serve as both a step towards finding Jonas and a stride towards justice for all victims of enforced disappearances.” That includes, of course, the hapless sabungeros.