Erik Matti’s “Honor Thy Father” (2015) has been an instrument to be an eye opener to unmask what lies behind the management and operations of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in running the country’s largest and most profitable film festival, the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.

I personally sympathize with the industry for the disqualification of the said film in the Best Picture Award without due process which I judged as unreasonable and self-serving. It could have happened to any of the film entries whenever they want to.

Historically, that is just one of the many controversies and scandals that have already immunized MMDA for so many years. It brings us to an argument if this government agency which supposedly solves the traffic problems in the Metropolitan Manila is effective and credible enough to run a film festival.

Being a film enthusiast and film student myself, I owe the festival by giving us critically-acclaimed masterpiece of its time such as “Kisapmata” (Mike de Leon, 1981); “Himala” (Ishmael Bernal, 1983); “Jose Rizal” (Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 1998); “Dekada ’70” ( Chito Roño, 2002) and some films that have ignited my passion for cinema since then, to the point that I took it as a graduate course now.

Philippine Cinema is worth fighting for.

And this is exactly what “Honor Thy Father” does. As John Lloyd Cruz expresses it, “pag mahal mo, ipaglalaban mo.”

It is not just about the award. It is not about the recognition and all the accolades that they could’ve received. More than the trophies that are temporary, they fight for a positive reform that will last a lifetime – a reform that will bring benefits to all the artists and businessmen involved – from all the staff and crew, actors, producers, investors, theater owners to the government agency itself, and most importantly for “the great Filipino audience” (Brocka).

I have this high hope that Metro Manila Film Festival would not be just an oasis of Marxian capitalism but rather be a repository of cultural artifacts with the finest quality to be inherited by future generations.

(c) Image from Facebook Page of Honor Thy Father and Rappler