New patron of arts

Convicted drug mule Mary Jane Veloso, who had been nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, was finally freed from prison in Indonesia. Intending to work as a domestic helper, Veloso instead got arrested after a huge amount of 2.6 kilos of heroin was discovered by Indonesian authorities in her luggage upon arrival in Yogyakarta airport. Illegal drug possession is a capital offense in Indonesia.

After two administrations, Veloso came back home on Dec. 18 following an agreement between the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines. Although saved from death row in Indonesia, Veloso’s repatriation back to the Philippines was not a free pass for her illegal drugs conviction. From her arrival at the airport, she was directly taken to the Women’s Correction facility in Mandaluyong City.

Veloso’s fate now lies in the hands of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM), whether he will grant her executive clemency based on jail time she served in the Indonesian jail.

Meanwhile, the opposite of Veloso’s case, the Philippine government has been working for the extradition of former Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. Classified as a fugitive, Teves has been staying in Timor Leste to escape prosecution from several criminal cases filed against him in Philippine courts, one of which was his alleged masterminding the assassination of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in March 2023.

In June this year, Timor-Leste authorities granted the Philippine government’s extradition request for the expelled lawmaker. This was, however, initially thwarted by the battery of lawyers of Teves, led by his legal counsel here in the Philippines, Ferdinand Topacio. In September this year, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Crispin Remulla announced that the Philippine request for the extradition of Teves needed to “undergo new proceedings” in Timor Leste.

As of today, there is no official word yet on the Teves’ case. Teves though remains freely moving around under the aegis of the Timorese friends of the former lawmaker. Topacio begged off from commenting on the latest DOJ announcement that his client may finally be extradited and flown back to the Philippines sooner than expected.

At times tart-tongued, Topacio kept his language in check in the spirit of the Christmas season.

The flamboyant lawyer for a number of celebrities and other high-profile people like Teves, Topacio would rather talk about his other career. Topacio has been dabbling in showbiz as a movie producer. In case nobody noticed, Topacio also occasionally writes film reviews for The STAR Entertainment section.

Topacio talked at length instead about his latest movie project at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday. With most of the scenes filmed in the Czech Republic, Topacio looks forward to the completion of the movie “Spring in Prague” that is currently rolling under his own Boracho Film Productions. A love story set in picturesque places in the Czech Republic, Topacio disclosed he has tapped local showbiz actor Paulo Gumabao and a Czech actress, Sara Sandeva. According to him, the movie coincides with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Philippines-Czech Republic diplomatic relations.

Topacio particularly takes pride in having produced the movie “Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told” that won six awards in the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). It depicted the tragic police operations on Jan. 25, 2015 that resulted in the deaths of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers in the once unknown municipality called Mamasapano in Maguindanao del Sur.

Topacio recalled the difficulties during the production of this movie. Produced while there was still lockdown during the pandemic period in 2020, the movie also starred Gumabao, who played the role of Police SAF Supt. Raymond Train. Now a Lt. Colonel, Train is among those who survived the botched operation. He was the team commander tasked to capture Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan), a Malaysian international terrorist and bomb maker, hiding in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano.

As a lawyer for the parents of the slain SAF44 troopers, Topacio disclosed the case for “reckless imprudence” they filed against former top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is still alive and remains pending at the Office of the Ombudsman. Unfortunately, he noted, the same “reckless imprudence” charges against the late president Benigno Simeon “PNoy” Aquino III died with him.

Taking up the cudgels for the local movie industry, Topacio wished the annual two-week run solely for MMFF movie entries in our local theaters or movie houses could be lengthened to help the moribund Philippine movie industry. During the MMFF, all Metro Manila movie houses will observe the “moratorium” of not exhibiting or showing of US Hollywood movies and other foreign made films.

Aside from the MMFF awards, Topacio proudly cited “Mamasapano: The Movie” also reaped six Star Award trophies from the Philippine Movie Press Club. If you missed seeing this movie, Topacio urged the public to watch it on Netflix where it is still available until the contract ends on Dec. 31 this year.

As the producer of this movie, Topacio cited he has copyright, which he would like to earn from this movie. According to him, GMA-7 network is negotiating to run the movie on their channels.

This is why, Topacio pointed out, he has been strongly pushing for the passage into law of the two bills seeking to strengthen the government’s arms against copyright violations.

He particularly cited the proposed amendment of the 20-year-old law on the Intellectual Property Code. The twin bills were filed by former actors-turned-politicians, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

Specifically, he explained, the proposed amendment seeks to give motu proprio powers to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) “to take down” online websites found using without contract or legal basis the video and other online contents.

Topacio welcomed that PBBM’s wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, is now the patron of the Philippine movie industry. He wishes the new patron for the arts of film to look after the welfare of extras, gaffers, utility boys as among the “stakeholders” in the movie industry she must also care for.