How Ceasar Soriano went from reporting news to directing films

As part of the pioneering batch of ABS-CBN reporters in an era when Angelo Castro Jr. and Loren Legarda were the faces of "The World Tonight", there was one policy from the former that stuck with Ceasar Soriano: “We should report the news, not be reported by the news,” the former Mindanao news bureau chief shared.

Yet there were two instances where Soriano was unwillingly part of the story.

In 1993, he was kidnapped in Sulu by Abu Sayyaf, which at the time were also holding American linguist Charles Walton captive. It couldn’t have come at a worse time when former President Fidel V. Ramos was visiting the United States, trying to attract American investors to the Philippines.

“We have an American who was kidnapped, so there was a worry about how we can promote the Philippines, and with our president being in the States. That was the biggest story at the time,” he shared. “Ramos sent former vice president Joseph Estrada to Sulu, then he imposed a blackout due to the sensitivity of the issue.”

Still, pressured by the demands of the newsroom where reporters had to submit three stories a day, he wanted to fulfill that quota.

“As an aggressive reporter wanting to impress my boss, I had to do something. So I went to the camp and saw Abu Sayyaf. I waited, and then they claimed me,” he continued. “I was able to witness the brutality of the Abu Sayyaf, including the beheadings.”

Extremist groups like Abu Sayyaf have contributed to widespread misconceptions about Islam and its Muslim followers, especially in the post-9/11 climate. But Soriano’s experience led him to see the group for what they really are.

“Not all Abu Sayyaf members are actually Muslims. Some are actually from Davao and not Muslims, because the group wanted money. They are purely bandits who are using Islam for recruitment. That’s why it’s important to separate the Muslims from these extremists,” he said.

Soriano did not disclose the length of his captivity but recalled that a ransom had been paid for his release. Walton was also eventually freed.

Two decades later, in 2018, Soriano was the last person to interview the former Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili before he was assassinated. This was the genesis of his second film, “The Last Interview: The Mayor Antonio Halili Story”, released a year later, which starred John Estrada as the late mayor.

His pivot to filmmaking wasn’t inspired by an auteur director or a genre film he watched. It was his journalism career that motivated him to move from reporting in front of the camera to directing behind it.

Explaining why he directs films based on true events like his first film “Ang Misyon: A Marawi Siege Story” and his latest “In Thy Name” which dramatized the late Fr. Rhoel Gallardo’s ordeal with Abu Sayyaf, he said: “I am a journalist. I want to get to the truth of what happened.”

“I was the head writer for ‘The Inside Story’ for Loren Legarda and ‘Magandang Gabi... Bayan’ for Noli De Castro, and it was a challenge to make compelling documentary-like pieces. I thought that it would be nice to have an artista to re-enact the events so that many people will watch, and that will increase the ratings,” he said.

When he was able to do his docu pieces the way he wanted, that’s when he saw filmmaking as a natural progression.

“I was challenged to present a nice story with good storytelling and production. In film, there is already production. In the news, we need production to sell our message with the best information we have. We have to ensure our materials are truthful,” he said.

Part of delivering that message was hiring big-name actors for the project, such as McCoy De Leon to star in “In Thy Name” playing Fr. Gallardo, where he had to endure a torture scene where Mon Confiado, playing Abu Sabaya, had to spit his phlegm on his face.

Securing De Leon as the lead, along with Jerome Ponce in a supporting role, allowed the film to partner with Viva Films as its distributor, as both actors are part of their talent roster — a much-needed boost for his small production company. The film had its cinema release last March, including a premiere in Cebu.

“As a director, I can visualize everything already. But as a producer, you have to think of the logistics in order to finish a movie,” he said.

Once the film makes its way to streaming soon, Soriano hopes that it will increase calls for Fr. Gallardo’s sainthood.

“Traditionally, a candidate for sainthood requires three miracles. But because he is now a martyr, it’s a challenge. Another requirement is that there should be a strong clamor from Filipinos to have Fr. Gallardo as our saint. It would be a big help if this film is able to deliver the message that would lead our people to rally for his sainthood,” he said.

Some of Soriano’s upcoming projects —still real-to-reel stories — include the tensions in the West Philippine Sea about a real-life marine soldier, as well as the thresher sharks of Malapascua Island in Cebu.