Heneral Luna

I have always been a fan of movies and television series, maybe that was the reason I took up ABCommunications in the first place. I love how a creative side of a person can be seen by how he interprets a story. However, I was never fond of historical movies, maybe because I somehow hated history (except my world history subject during my third year in high school which I really loved because my teacher was very good in explaining and keeping me interested in her supposed to be “boring” class). However, Heneral Luna became an exception.

It was the talk of the town for quite some time now due to its attack on the subject, its humorous punch lines which really got the crowd hooked, its great cinematography and storytelling, and its potential to open the eyes of the Filipino people to the harsh realities of politics and patriotism.

Being able to view a lot of tv series with a much more detailed screenplay like Sleepy Hollow and The Last Ship, I have come to realize that in every military operations there are always people who are willing to sacrifice the mission for their personal gain. Whenever a personal agenda weighs more to the person than the goodness of all, everything becomes complicated. Trusts are broken. Bridges are burned. People get killed.

This is a sad reality for us that even if we don’t experience war, we have our personal agendas. We treasure them more than being a better person. Greed makes us susceptible to committing crimes and taking advantage of other people. It is ok to want something. However, when we are willing to kill or put someone in danger because of our wants, then it becomes a problem. We are willing to destroy everything in our path just to get the things that we want.

If you were to be asked, would you love to die for your country, what would you answer? I guess it would be no. I asked my father once, what would happen if the Philippines would go to war with another country? My father answered that he would immediately bring to us to Singapore. He said that he would not risk fighting for a country in which the people leading it are the ones with the most to gain but with little to lose. I then stopped and ponder, is it really what has become of our country. We are poisoned by the thinking that we will be serving the people leading and not the country itself. It is a disturbing fact knowing that this country’s freedom was earned with sweat and blood.

But are we really free?

This is the question that really has boggled me. We are still tied to the countries that has once abused us, maltreated us and left our country almost dying.

I hope directors would see Jerrold Tarog as an inspiration to use films as eye-openers and awake dormant ideals in the minds of the Filipinos.