For eight long years, the negotiations with Moro Islamic Liberation Front has lasted. The main victims here are mostly hundreds of children who were recruited to join their ranks.While teachers are scarce due to the danger of getting in the middle of a cross-fire between the army and the rebels, a farmer, Aaquil, volunteers to teach the kids disregarding the perils he has to face. The children doesn’t find out that Aaquil is illiterate but the truth has a way of revealing itself when he failed to return from the city. Naturally, his students felt abandoned and helpless and resorted to channeling their anger by joining the rebels and shooting at their enemies, blaming them for not being able to purse their dreams.The movie shows how the absence of education can lead to anger and vengeance
This has inspired filmmaker Perry Escaño to make his debut full-length feature “Ang Guro Kong ‘Di Marunong Magbasa. Initially it got an X-rating classification apparently due to violent scenes.After being given a new rating of PG-13, the young audience can finally watch the movie. After all, the target market is the youth to open their eyes about child warriors and the importance of education.
According to Escaño: “I’m thankful that we got PG-13 rating after the second review by the MTRCB. The film is approved with very minimal cuts. The message of the story is intact, nothing has changed. The integrity of the storytelling is not affected.
“The audience will still see the bloody and violent scenes in the movie, since based on my research, those realistic scenes are really happening in our country, especially in far-flung provinces in the Philippines where there are child warriors because of war.
Escaño, also a film, TV, and theater actor before becoming a filmmaker, adds: “Twenty to 30 percent of rebels in any particular group are children. They are trained to use guns and are put at the frontline of battles. There are many related issues concerning child warriors, but this film is related to the value of education.
This film tells us that these children should be carrying books, not guns. If they could afford education, then we would see them in schools, and not in the battle field.” Alfred Vargas returns to the silver screen and plays the lead role as Aaquil, a farmer who tried his best to educate the young people in his town despite of not receiving proper education
Vargas said: “I’m not used to having my previous films classified as X-rated. My past films in Seiko were just until R-16, but we are grateful that MTRCB reconsidered our film ‘Ang Guro’ and reclassified it as PG-13. Now, the teen-agers will be able to watch this kind of relevant film material that is really happening in our country.
As a congressman, I would like to make use also of my craft as an actor to make socially relevant films like this one which must be an eye-opener to the government.”
“Guro” is Vargas’ first film in four years. “I’ve decided to concentrate on public service, but when I read the script, I couldn’t resist it. I immediately agreed to doing it because it’s actually hitting two birds with one stone — I can act and at the same time advocate education,” the actor said. Child actors Miggs Cuaderno, Micko Laurente, and Marc Justine Alvarez are also part of “Ang Guro Kong ‘Di Marunong Magbasa”, a finalist of the 2017 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and had to undergo training on handling firearms prior to the movie shoot. Also in the film are Mon Confiado, James Blanco, Lou Veloso, Kiko Matos, , Garie Concepcion,Lorraine Salvador, Loren Burgos, Alvin Barcelona, , Lianne Valentin,Paul Sy, among others.
“I have always been afraid of guns,” said Alvarez. “I would close my eyes shut before pulling the trigger. Direk didn’t want that. After the training, I’m glad was able to overcome my fear of handling guns.”
“I felt nervous in the beginning, but my mom said I was so cool, because not all boys my age would get the chance to fire guns. I actually enjoyed it since then,” added Cuaderno.
Laurente recalled: “I remember the time when Direk asked me to fire a pistol. I thought I would not be able to handle the recoil, but I did. Also, we have scenes there that show us as rebels in training. We had to crawl on mud. My whole body hurt the day after, but it was fine.”
Ang Guro Kong ‘Di Marunong Magbasa opens in cinemas 6th of December.
