The kid in direk Gilbert Perez

Effective today, Joey Javier Reyes is formally bowing out as director of the ABS-CBN top-rated soap Sa Puso Ko, Iingatan Ka (topbilling, among others, Judy Ann Santos and Piolo Pascual), with relative newcomer Gilbert Perez as replacement. The job is daunting, no doubt about it, and direk Gilbert is a bit scared because he might be compared to direk Joey, a veteran whom direk Gilbert looks up to as one of his role models.

"I’ve worked with Joey before," said direk Gilbert. "He was the scriptwriter of the sitcom Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata of which I was the EP (Executive Producer). So I’m not new to him and he’s not new to me."

Being a replacement is also nothing new to direk Gilbert. That’s how he started as a director.

"After some kind of a ‘test’ with an episode in the TV show Flames," related direk Gilbert, "I got my big break in an episode for Maalaala Mo Kaya when the original director, Ruel Bayani, backed out the night before the taping due to some problems. Nini Matilac, EP for both Flames and MMK, asked me to take over. I owe that Flames assignment to Cory Vidanes (head of ABS-CBN drama department) and the MMK break to Nini Matilac."

This time, direk Gilbert is tackling his new job as Sa Puso Ko director well-prepared. Besides his rich experience as an EP, direk Gilbert has also been directing all sorts of TV shows, most of them involving young stars, and now has to his name a megahit movie, Kahit Isang Saglit (starring Judy Ann Santos, Piolo Pascual and Leandro Muñoz) which was one of Star Cinema’s five top moneymakers last year (others were Anak; Tunay na Tunay Labs Kita, Gets Mo? Gets Ko!; Minsan Minahal Kita; and Tanging Yaman).

"That’s why I’ll feel right at home in Sa Puso Ko because I’ve worked with Judy Ann and Piolo before," assured direk Gilbert.

In fact, direk Gilbert works best with young people, even as he admits that he learns a lot from working with veterans. In the ABS-CBN sitcom Arriba! Arriba! which he co-directs with John-D Lazatin, direk Gilbert handles a mixture of young (Jolina Magdangal, Camille Prats, etc.) and veteran (Sandy Andolong, Johnny Delgado, Edgar Mortiz, etc.) performers. In his new (second) movie, Star Cinema’s Trip, he’s surrounded by a young cast (Jericho Rosales, Kristine Hermosa, Marvin Agustin, Onemig Bondoc, Heart Evangelista, John Prats, Paolo Contis, Desiree del Valle, Julia Clarete, etc.).

"With young people," said direk Gilbert, a Communication Arts under-graduate from Ateneo, "ang feeling ko para akong teacher. I learn from the veterans and the young ones, hopefully, learn from me. Madali silang maka-absorb ng mga itinuturo mo."

Trip, scripted by Enrico Santos, used to be Ang Huling El Bimbo (which would have starred Jao Mapa and Claudine Barretto, with the characters intended for them now played by Jericho and Kristine) but it has been revised to suit the needs of the times.

"We turned the story into some kind of a journey through life," explained direk Gilbert. "A young barkada goes to Caliraya for an outing which turns out to be a ‘trip’ into themselves and they come back from the ‘trip’ fully changed, having poured out their problems to each other and helped each other sort out kinks in their lives."

When Trip opens in Metro Manila theaters next week, a young-at-heart and avid movie fan like direk Gilbert will be among those who will rush to watch it – direk Gilbert’s mom, Gracia Guevarra Perez (from Pampanga), that is. (Gilbert’s father, Romeo Perez, is a corporate lawyer connected with Nissan Philippines.)

"My mom is my No. 1 critic," smiled direk Gilbert (whose favorite movies include St. Elmo’s Fire, The Sound of Music, High School Circa and other youth-oriented flicks). "When she likes my work, she tells me and when she doesn’t like it, sinasabi rin niya. She doesn’t massage my ego."

Reader’s reaction

Here’s an interesting letter from reader Ysabel of 49 C. M. Recto St., Davao City, and I hope the people concerned will take note of it:

Dear Mr. Ricky Lo:

I have just watched that program Wow Mali over ABC 5. I do not usually watch this program simply because I found this to be in poor taste, stupid and outright mindless. I chanced upon it tonight and thinking that it might have improved I didn’t change channels. But what I saw even reinforced my earlier impression, and made me wonder why the people behind it are allowed to continue airing such inanity.

The episode that I watched showed a silly-looking woman crew member bringing a gramophone sounding out a siren or a fire alarm amidst a crowded street. People were visibly agitated and scared, panic written on their faces. My question is, suppose somebody in that crowd has a heart condition and suffers an attack, what will the host/producer do? Or if because of panic, one runs aimlessly and stumbles or gets bumped by a passing vehicle? Will Joey de Leon simply say, "Wow Mali, sorry"?

But the worst and unkindest cut of all was the gimmick it had the gall to do with children as victims. Another stupid woman was bringing a balloon tied with a string. The woman approached a child, aged about 5 to 7 years old, and entrusted the balloon to him with the admonition to take care of it while she went somewhere, and repeatedly saying "Ingatan mo yan, dahil iuuwi ko yan sa baby ko" or something to that effect. The child dutifully accepted the task and held on to the string. Then a boy of about 10 or 12 came from behind the unsuspecting child and with a pair of scissors snipped off the string. The child helplessly watched the balloon soar.

Another set of victims, however, caught the boy as he clumsily cut the string and tried to make a swift getaway. The child just as helplessly pointed to the bumbling boy in wordless accusation of the mischief. Still a smaller victim showed a pained look on his face as he watched the balloon fly away, wrenching his hands, obviously nervous and, in all likelihood, feeling guilty about the loss. Then the stupid woman came back and, with the balloons naturally gone, asked the nervous child, "Saan na, di ba sabi ko ingatan mo? Naku...," etc. making the children afraid and feeling guilty.

I’d say Mr. Lo, no amount of panghimas loob later would erase that moment of panic in the child’s mind. Haven’t they heard of child abuse? That was indeed trifling with a child’s emotion, which is abuse under the law. Talagang mali!

Through your column, please tell the host and producer of this program to be more circumspect in their choice of gimmick. Not all TV viewers are stupid. TV producers have a great responsibility to the viewing public.

Sincerely yours,
– Ysabel