By Zsarlene B. Chua
BASED on the events that rocked the country three years ago which led to the imprisonment of three senators and a businesswoman, Adolfo Alix, Jr.’s Whistleblower is sure to strike a chord among millions of Filipinos who were glued to their televisions and newspapers as the story of one of the biggest political scandals in the country’s history unfolded.
The film, which opened the recently concluded Cinefilipino Film Festival on March 15, started its nationwide commercial cinema run on April 6. It stars Nora Aunor as Zeny Roblado, an accountant hired to manipulate figures to lower the taxes her employer will pay; Cherry Pie Picache as Lorna Valera, a businesswoman involved in embezzling public funds with big businessmen and prominent politicians; and Angelica Panganiban as Teresa Saicon, an idealistic journalist who exposes the whole scheme leading to a Senate inquiry.
“The idea of the film [came from], (executive producer) Tony Gloria who wanted a political thriller involving three women… so it’s not entirely just because of what has happened (the political scandal) but it’s definitely part of it,” said Mr. Alix in vernacular, during a press conference on March 29 in Gloria Maris restaurant, Quezon city.
“At the onset of the film, people may find similarities with current events but if they watch it the whole way through they will find that it’s different… the idea is the system is the thing to be discussed,” he added.
The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam or “pork barrel scam” involves the alleged misuse of their lump-sum discretionary funds by congressmen and senators. It is estimated that as much as P10 billion in public funds were embezzled through the course of the scam.
Though the makers of the film insist that any similarities to real people and situations are coincidental, some have noted the similarities between Ms. Picache’s and Ms. Aunor’s characters and alleged “pork barrel scam” mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and her former accountant, Benhur Luy, who exposed the scam and became the star witness.
Ms. Aunor herself said that the film will change the audience’s perspective on current events as “they will see what is happening in the government — that the government has long been dirty.”
Mr. Gloria, founder and chairman of Unitel Productions (which produced the film alongside Quento Media), said at the same conference that he liked political thrillers, notably All the President’s Men (1976) about the journalists investigating the 1970s Watergate Scandal, and most recently, Argo (2012) where a CIA agent led six US diplomats as they escaped from Iran during the 1979-1980 Iran hostage crisis.
“In terms of being meaningful, this is the most meaningful film I’ve ever produced so that’s why I don’t want to do another serious movie after this,” Mr. Gloria said, before adding that it was conscious decision for the film to be fast-paced.
“It’s important that our pacing is fast — our story is simple, let’s do this in one hour and 30-40 minutes,” he said.
Whistleblower is now running in theaters nationwide.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
