In a busy neighborhood in Sandakan, Borneo, I saw a group of men huddled outside a restaurant. Curious but cautious in an alien land, I walked slowly and saw no altercation, only a group of men watching a movie on a small television in a restaurant.
It wasn’t just another movie but an FPJ movie! I would presume they were Filipinos, probably Muslims from Southern Mindanao, trying their luck in a foreign land. A few days earlier, I was in Zamboanga City, gingerly walking through a village with houses on stilts that, surprisingly, had electricity. When I peered into one of the houses, I saw people watching a movie, maybe a VHS tape. You guessed it right. It was an FPJ movie.
The fascination for Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) movies is well entrenched in this part of the country. In 1971, when FPJ died at the end of the movie Asedillo, the moviegoers at a Zamboanga cinema went berserk, destroying cinema seats and equipment. After he died in 2004, his legacy continued with Coco Martin’s adaptation of the movie, Ang Probinsiyano, into a long-running television series.
FPJ Studios
At FPJ Studios along Del Monte Avenue, this former recording studio is now responsible for the digital restoration of FPJ movies, going through the process of scanning, cleaning, and color restoration. Inside the studio are rooms with movie posters and a Legacy Room, which stores his awards, including a National Artist for Film declaration. I particularly like a room with all the movie props, especially the sword he used in Ang Panday.
The FPJ Studios was our first stop in ‘SeeKyusi Byaheng Pelikula’ in line with the celebration of recent National Heritage Month and to commemorate Quezon City’s designation as UNESCO’s Creative City of Film. Quezon City used to be home of LVN and Sampaguita Studios, major networks, and production companies. This endeavor is a project of the Quezon City local government through the Quezon City Screen Commission and the QCinema International Film Festival in partnership with the Film Academy of the Philippines.
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Quezon City)
Our second destination was Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in FPJ Avenue (former Roosevelt Ave.) in Quezon City, located beside the residence of Da King himself. This is a smaller version of Las Casas in Bagac, Bataan, which has been used as a location by many historical films such as Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral. Las Casas Q.C. has a restaurant, seminar rooms, chapel, and several transplanted heritage houses.
CMB Film Services
After a hearty lunch, we proceeded to CMB Film Services. It is basically a technical services provider that rents cameras, lighting equipment, grip and rigging support, and crew support for camera and lighting. It is one of the major equipment suppliers in the Philippines, servicing almost 80% of the network, movie outfits, and advertising companies. Tour participants were allowed to use the camera and watched how the other equipment, like the techno-crane, was operated. They also have an operation in Myanmar.
Quezon Heritage House
Our last stop was the Quezon Heritage House in Quezon Circle. This is a historic house museum dedicated to Manuel L. Quezon, the first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. It recreates the family home from the original in New Manila. Around 60% of the structures and furnishings are from the Quezon family home. This is one of several museums inside Quezon Circle.
This tour made me aware of the behind-the-scenes in a production. Let’s support Philippine Cinema and patronize the QCinema International Film Festival scheduled from November 13 to 22. All photos courtesy of Jing Ordoña
George ‘Jing’ Ordon¨a is a travel writer, tour organizer, and DOT-accredited tour guide who’s passionate about sharing Manila’s rich history and culture. He’s the operator of ManiLakad, a one-man company that conducts walking tours of historic neighborhoods in Metro Manila, including Intramuros, Binondo, and Quiapo. He can be reached on Viber at 09606975930 or FB messenger, Jing Ordon¨a.