MALVAR JABS CRITICS
Manny Pacquiao is both a national and global icon. He has made a case for being one of the best boxers in the world, alongside the likes of Muhammad
Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. Locally, beyond his skill in the ring, Pacquiao has slowly ascended up the political ladder— first as congressman of Sarangani province and now as senator.
It is no surprise that people were divided when it was announced Pacquiao was cast to take on the titular role in JMV Film Production’s General Malvar, billed as “the biggest film produced in the history of Philippine cinema” when it tells the story of the last Filipino general who surrendered to the Americans during the PhilippineAmerican War.
Earlier this week, JMV Film Production released a statement announcing that, amid the criticism the film is receiving, they will continue with production and with Pacquiao as Miguel
Malvar. The production house’s head,
Jose Malvar Villegas Jr.—a descendant of Malvar himself—owed it to the “overwhelming acceptance and acclamation” of Pacquiao’s selection as evidence that the public accepts his status as not just a boxing champion and senator, but also “in the Movie World as a consummate actor.”
Villegas further explained that the people backing the production predict that “the movie will be a blockbuster.” General Malvar will be directed by Jose “Kaka” Balagtas, a Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Director winner for Lucas
Abelardo, and who also previously worked with Pacquiao in 2008’s Anak
ng Kumander. Also involved in the film is singer-songwriter and Actors’ Guild president Imelda Papin as the movie’s line producer.
Pacquiao has not appeared on the big screen since 2014’s Manny, a documentary film about his life (which was poorly received by critics), and 2009’s MMF entry Wapakman, which was also poorly received not just by critics but by the public as well, raking in only R2.6 million against a R30 million budget, and was winless at the festival proper.
In the statement, Villegas went as far as blaming critics for citing Pacquiao’s casting as a “political ploy,” challenging them to “unite for the sake of correcting our history and exposing the abuses of our former colonial masters” and not to focus on the “bickerings brought about by their political agendas.”
In another statement, he announced his ancestor’s life “belongs to the people and cannot be monopolized by his immediate family,” meaning anyone can make a movie without kin’s consent or knowledge (citing the Heritage Law). He added that the people involved in the production of the film have been receiving derogatory remarks. Prior to the statement, the General Malvar team including Villegas, Pacquiao, and Papin, all signed a contract to begin production. The film is slated for a 2020 release.
General Malvar’s life story and the value it holds in [the] Philippine history belongs to the people. —Jose Malvar Villegas Jr.