Bong & Phillip: A gamble that pays off

Even if winning awards has become a habit for him, with 25 trophies so far neatly arranged in a showcase, Phillip Salvador didn’t expect to win Best Supporting Actor (for Ang Panday) in Monday night’s Gabi ng Parangal, never mind if he and Bong Revilla, Best Actor for the same movie, were predicted to be the hands-down winners days before the 14-day Metro Filmfest opened (Dec. 25, ending on Jan. 7, 2010).

“When I did, parang hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala,” admitted Phillip who also won the same honors (for Baler in which he played father to Anne Curtis whose romance with an indio, played by Jericho Rosales, he disapproved of) in last year’s Metro Filmfest. “I have stopped expecting; I have never been overconfident.”

You see, years ago when Bona and Jaguar, both directed by Lino Brocka, Phillip rested assured that he would win.

“Kasi I was convinced that I did a good job,” he said. “Alam kong magandang-maganda ‘yung trabaho ko.”

Jaguar, which earlier competed in Cannes, won seven of its eight nominations in a local award-giving body (Phillip didn’t mention what it was) and lost in only one category, for Best Actor, prompting Brocka to walk out.

“Of course, I was disappointed,” added Phillip who lost to Dindo Fernando, conceding, “magaling din naman si Dindo.” He couldn’t recall now to whom he lost in the case of Bona (with Nora Aunor as his co-star, him playing a popular actor and Nora his factotum, which must have been Brocka’s nod to Federico Fellini’s La Strada; bona became a euphemism for alalay).

Playing Lizardo in Ang Panday (the legendary komiks hero created by Komiks King/National Artist Carlo J. Caparas and originally played in three blockbuster movies by FPJ who eventually bequeathed it to Bong, his inaanak) was a big gamble for Phillip. A big action-drama actor in his own right, Phillip was playing a villain for the first time.

Bong, whose family-owned Imus Productions co-produced Ang Panday with GMA Films, offered the role after the Metro FIlmfest Awards night last year.

“We were together that night, nagsi-celebrate ng pagka-panalo ko.  

Pinag-usapan namin ‘yung Panday. He told me that other actors were recommended to him for the role of Lizardo. So I made some suggestions on how to make the role even better. I also suggested kung anong adjustment ang dapat niyang gawin kay Flavio (the Panday). Then, Bong said, ‘Ikaw na lang ang problema; ikaw ang gusto ko.’ I said, ‘Are you serious?’ There and then, he gave me a copy of the script.”

But, of course, said Bong, “Alam ko naman na gusto niya ‘yung role, eh. He’s actually my first and only choice.”

Like Phillip, Bong said that he didn’t expect to win.

“Naniwala lang ako na panalo ako nang hawak ko na ‘yung trophy,” said Bong during a chat with Funfare yesterday at Annabel’s restaurant where he hosted a double-purpose lunch with the press, as thanksgiving for his acting win and for Ang Panday’s consistent box-office lead among the seven entries, and as a blowout for Tempo columnist Ronald Constantino who’s celebrating his birthday today.

It’s Bong’s third Best Actor Award (the first was from the FAMAS and the second, Best Comedy Actor from the Philippine Movie Press Club’s Star Awards For TV).

“There were predictions but I didn’t take them seriously until the Gabi ng Parangal,” said Bong. “GMA Films and I really made sure that this Panday would be the best but we promise to make the next Panday even better.”

The movie incorporated all the winning elements: The FPJ legacy, the eye-popping special effects, and the box-office magic of FPJ, Caparas and Bong put together.

“It’s a fitting tribute to FPJ,” said Susan Roces, FPJ’s widow.

Marichu “Manay Ichu” Maceda and her sister, Lillibeth Vera Perez-Nakpil watched the movie on the first day.

“The special effects are comparable to those in Hollywood films,” said Manay Ichu.

“It made me proud to be a Filipino,” said Lillibeth.

There’s no more stopping for Bong and Phillip, meaning another Panday movie is surely coming up maybe for next year’s Metro Filmfest.

“Ang Panday is good enough as it is,” said Bong, “but we’ll come up with something new, just wait and see.”

“Kaya nga in my thank-you speech,” Phillip smiled, “I said to the jurors, ‘Pangalawa ko ng award ito. Huwag po kayo magsasawa. Kung mayroon po akong entry uli next year, promise po, mas pagbubutihan ko pa’.”

Briefly noted

• Suggested item for your media noche tomorrow night: Charlie’s Pritchon which is fried lechon or pritong biik wrapped in pita wedges and served with seven kinds of sauce. It’s a creative way of serving a whole suckling pig or lechon de leche. Yummy! The product is named after its innovator, Charlie Esguerra who, together with his wife Dina Mayuga, have transformed the traditional lechon dish into an even finer cuisine that caters to various discriminating palates. The outlet is located at 43-D Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City. For inquiries, call 921-0405 or 921-0415.

• The Imperial Palace Suites (on Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City) is offering a special Countdown to 2010 Party, complete with the amenities on New Year’s Eve. For only P1,300 per, you can enjoy cocktail drinks, dance to the beat of live-band music and win fabulous raffle items. The poolside view at the penthouse is breath-taking especially with fireworks and firecrackers lighting up the sky all around. For inquiries, call 927-8001 or 411-0116.

• From Bernardo Bernardo in the US, this rhythmic Christmas message: Wari’y bituing papel na nagniningning/Sa gitna ng lamig at ihip ng hangin/Alaala ka sa bawa’t kutitap.../Kung magmahal ang Pinoy, ubod ng sarap!...From reader Tristan (no surname nor address given): Dec. 28 is Boxing Day, not Boxers Day, in Singapore which is a national holiday in Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and perhaps Singapore. That’s the day they open Christmas boxes. It’s a tradition originally observed in UK and spread to its colonized territories.

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