The past few months have seen actor Robin Padilla publicize both a movie project on the war-torn Marawi and his correspondence with Malacañang on its rehabilitation.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the veteran action star was in talks with directors and friends from showbiz in developing a movie on the Marawi crisis, the proceeds of which would go to the rehabilitation of the flattened city.
Padilla through his Instagram account has also documented numerous talks with President Rodrigo Duterte on his apparent advocacy.
A recent Instagram post shows him shaking hands with the Mindanao-born president. Numerous influencers are tagged in the post including “megastar” Sharon Cuneta, architect Karmina Palafox, actress Nadia Montenegro and comedians Vice Ganda and Vhong Navarro.
Padilla announced the founding of “Tindig Marawi” last year, a movement that seeks to raise funds to help revive the city following its devastation during the struggle with the extremist Maute Group.
Reconstructing Marawi, one movie at a time
Padilla tapped Spring Films for the movie project. He cited Spring Film’s low budget smash hit “Kita Kita” as his reason for choosing the small production company. “Kita Kita” yielded P400 million in profits despite having a budget of just P8 million.
Spring Films is owned by Joyce Bernal and Piolo Pascual, both of whom are also tagged in Padilla’s Instagram video.
Last year, Defense Secretary and and Task Force Marawi Chair Delfin Lorenzana said that more than a P50 billion would be needed to rehabilitate Marawi. On Friday, however, a new estimate placed its restoration at P72 billion.
Earlier this year, the government allocated P15 billion as the 2018 government budget for Marawi’s rehabilitation.
Assuming that Padilla’s project matches the earnings raked in the same P400 million that “Kita Kita” earned, Padilla’s film would be a sizeable contribution. It may take more than a hundred equally successful films, however, to cover the P72 billion needed for the southern Islamic city.
Padilla himself has released P5 million from his personal funds as aid for the rehabilitation.
Celebrities and advocacy
Movie stars coursing personal advocacy through their movie projects is not an unfamiliar sight to fans.
Last year, actress Angelina Jolie drew flak after a Vanity Fair feature revealed that she had gone through orphanages to look for child actors for her film on the genocide in Cambodia “First They Killed My Father.”
Critically acclaimed as the movie was, critics hit Jolie for “forcing children to relieve their trauma.”
Jolie, criticized for her self-serving interaction with the marginalized of Cambodia is known for her awareness campaigns on the plight of Cambodian children. She has an adopted son, Maddox, of Cambodian roots.
