Director Quark Henares questioned the government’s use of filmmakers, such as this year’s director Joyce Bernal, in President Rodrigo Duterte’s annual State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“WHY. WHY DO THEY EVEN GET FILMMAKERS TO SHOOT THE F*CKING SONA,” director and producer Quark Henares of Globe Studios tweeted after Duterte’s 5th SONA on Monday, July 27.
“And why do these f*cking filmmakers shoot it?” another director Neil Daza replied.
Dan Villegas said, “Honestly, mas gets ko if you did it tapos (I would get it more if you did it and) you REALLY need the money.”
Veteran director Joyce Bernal has been directing the SONA of Duterte since 2018, while award-winning indie film director Brillante Mendoza shot the first two speeches.
Actor Robin Padilla praised Bernal when she directed the 2018 SONA for free.
“Kapag para sa INANGBAYAN hindi ka dapat BINABAYARAN [If it is for the country, you should not be paid],” Padilla said.
Also read: Some senators not satisfied with Duterte’s COVID-19 plans laid in SONA
Directors question why filmmakers shoot SONA
Before 1 pm, 6 Malacanang personnel tested positive for COVID-19 that prompted the organizers to decide whether to hold the SONA in Batasan or Malacanang.
By 3:58 pm, President Duterte landed in Quezon City via chopper.
The program started precisely at 4 pm with a prayer followed by the Lupang Hinirang. It lasted for 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 45 seconds.
Bernal earlier said that the feel of SONA 2020 would be “Pinoy na Pinoy” (very Filipino).” She also said some parts of the event were pre-recorded except for Duterte’s speech.
The director and her crew were earlier denied entry into Sagada in Mountain Province to film for the SONA. The local government explained it only wanted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the said prominent tourist destination.
Joyce E. Bernal is a Filipina film and television director in the Philippines who started as a film editor for Viva Films in 1994.
Among Bernal’s box-office hits is Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad, The Super Parental Guardians, Kimmy Dora, and Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw.