I decided to recall what I could recall. Celdran did mention Maalala Mo Kaya (Do You Remember) though I don't recall an episode regarding the Chiongs. What I recalled was the Calvento Files episode which aired during the trial. If you watched the documentary then you'll see clips of the Chiong Sisters episode. A deleted scene featuring a certain Dogan Gurkan also used some of the clips. There's the fair use law. It seems ABiaS-CBN did grant both Marty Syjuco (Mimi Larranaga-Syjuco's brother-in-law) and Michael Collins permission. Marty already said he was affiliated with the Larranagas by marriage. They did the research which showed that the real perpetrators are yet to be uncovered. It's possible that the late Tony Calvento may have given Syjuco and Collins his blessing. Regardless, the dramatization based on Davidson Rusia's testimony was there.
We need to define what an exploitation film is. An exploitation film is defined as any type of cinema, often cheaply produced, that is designed to create a fast profit. it would also exploit current trends. I got the definition from TV Tropes.
Now, for a bit of flashback with the Vizconde Massacre
No surprise that Hubert Jeffry P. Webb appeared during the Give Up Tomorrow premiere. I really believe Hubert had every right to be there. The case of Hubert was nothing more than a trial by publicity. Did the murders happen? Yes it did and the bodies of the Vizconde family was found. There's no doubt that Carmela Vizconde was raped before she was murdered. This was a very horrible case indeed. The sad fact is that Lauro Vizconde himself died believing the lies fed to him. Atty. Persida Acosta was unfortunately also misled. I admire Acosta in some way but I believe she was misled during the Vizconde Massacre. It's so sad, really, how the whole trial was a circus.
What was amazing was how movies about the Vizconde Massacre were made. The massacre happened in 1991 then a movie was released in 1993 and Jessica Alfaro only emerged in 1995! This was a very sickening movie. Back then, I simply wanted to stand by the legal decision. I viewed Hubert with contempt until I found out one crucial thing - IT WAS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO BE IN THE PHILIPPINES WHEN THE CRIME HAPPENED. Watching a documentary on the Vizconde Massacre was truly chilling. I may not agree with Raquel Fortun regarding the drug war. However, Fortun herself is a respected forensics expert and many things she said are real.
Two movies were released while the trial was going on. Jessica Alfaro only emerged in 1995. Two movies were released. One was where Kris Aquino starred as Carmela. Another movie was where Vina Morales (Sharon Garcia Magdayao) starred as Carmela. This was a very unethical move. In fact, I really can't help but agree with GRP on what was said about the Vizconde movies:
The Philippine media for their part, never fail to sensationalize the news and conduct a trial-by-media just to fatten the bottom line of their CEO’s report. Whether it is about Hubert Webb or former President Gloria Arroyo, you cannot rely on the Philippine media to give a balanced view. Where else but in the Philippines is a movie made out of a case while the trial is still on-going? It’s safe to assume that most Filipinos who were old enough to care in 1991 know more about the details of the Vizconde massacre from the movie The Vizconde Massacre Story (God Help Us!). I wouldn’t even be surprised if the judge in Hubert Webb’s case based her decision on the movie. Hello! The crime was committed in 1991, the movie made in 1993, and star witness Jessica Alfaro emerged in 1995!
A lot of stuff was revealed during the Vizconde Massacre trial. We had a very biased judge, Amelita G. Tolentino (middle initial spelled out to avoid smearing other women of the same name and surname). It was so stupid that Tolentino could say, "It's not the amount of evidence but the quality of it." However, we can see her shoot her own foot with what she did. DNA testing was now there but she DENIED the request for DNA testing. Later, documents from the USA and footage of Hubert in the snow were later DISMISSED. It's a protocol that she should've had all the documents examined first. However, she just dismissed it out of fear that "it could be tampered with". If she was afraid of that then why not examine it first before dismissing them? Either Tolentino is stupid, malevolent, or a wicked combination of both.
The movie Butakal was a very terrible exploitation film
I wanted to do an individual review of the film Butakal. It was filmed in 1999 and the Chiong couple battled against its screening. My only assumption was that the airing of the Chiong Sisters episode in The Calvento Files was too hard to bear. I guess both the late Dionisio and his surviving wife Thelma suffered too much when the episode was aired. The late Tony Calvento was a journalist though and the news was all over the media. I could think the Chiongs allowed the episode to be aired or maybe it was aired without their permission. I can't claim to have the answers. One thing is certain - Thelma and Dionisio, battled to stop the film from showing. I think it was the right thing to do and I'd do that to if I were in their place!
I decided to watch the film and see how long I could stomach it. I could say it was a cheap another cheap exploitation film like the movies based on the Vizconde Massacre. The case was still ongoing and was somehow later "concluded" when the late Judge Martin Ocampo declared double reclusion perpetua or life sentence. Yes, that stupid judge who I'd probably have beaten up if I were part of the prosecution. The film Butakal later renamed Animal in 2004 had parallelisms. John Regala starred as Jaco (obviously based on Paco). A lot of stuff in the film revealed the power of money. Yet, it was also unethical to make parallels with the Chiong Sisters' case. It seemed the filmmakers just wanted a quick buck. Thelma was in a very confused state. She's a mother who lost two daughters but ended up messing with the judicial system. Until now, Thelma still believes the lies fed to her. Those lies are even harder to see through than the idiotic rumor that her two lost daughters are still among the living.
The film was focused on shock value. The opening had Jaco's gang rape a girl. It was also said that Juan Francisco "Paco" Gonzalez Larranaga (whose mother's middle name is Osmena) tried to kidnap a certain someone. I feel the affidavit was really nothing more than a forgery. True, Paco had a reputation as a juvenile delinquent. However, I feel this allegation that he was trying to kidnap someone was nothing more than false identification. I believe that this person (identified as Rochelle Virtucio) was about to be kidnapped. However, this is rather suspicious which makes me think that there's the possibility of a half-truth being told:
That last Monday at around 5:00 PM, Rochelle and other classmates, Michelle Amadar and Keizaneth Mondejar, while on their way to get a ride home near the school campus, a black Honda Civic with five young male teenagers including the driver, suddenly stopped beside them, and simultaneously one of them, which was later identified as FRANCISCO JUAN LARRANAGA, a BSHRM I student of your school, grabbed Rochelle by her hand to try to get Rochelle to their vehicle. She resisted and got away from him. Sensing some people were watching what they were doing, they hurriedly sped away.
The opening had a gang rape incident and a victim survived. Later, Jako's gang was caught in a fight in a parking lot. It's something that a former NBI officer, Florencio Villarin, didn't deny that Paco and some of his friends got into a fight in a parking lot. Paco has a juvenile record. The family never bothered to cover up that Paco did indeed have his fights. As Villarin said, it was some "minor mischief" that was too far from what Paco was false accused of. Paco probably served jail time. I was wondering if the car fight was the basis for identifying the suspect in Rochelle's alleged kidnapping. It seems that Rochelle was NEVER ABLE TO IDENTIFY the one who truly tried to kidnap her. Though it seems again, Paco was in Manila at that time.
The movie decided to integrate Davidson's narration into the rape scenes. Right now, I feel like Davidson's story was nothing more than a forced fabrication. The rape scenes were simply there for shock value. We see the team taking turns in raping the girls in two different locations. The nudity was most likely there for just fanservice or fan disservice. Regardless, it seems that the film just wanted to maximize the shock value. I wonder if the Chiongs saw bits and pieces of it and decided against screening it. Regardless, the screening happened anyway which was just stupid.
The movie had some plots that managed to differentiate itself from the Davidson narrative. One of the Tan sisters survived the rape incident. One of the Tan sisters appeared in the courtroom to testify about the rape-slay of her younger sister. The judge later declared Jako's gang to lethal injection - something that both Thelma and her sister Cheryl badly wanted. Jako and his co-accused later showed hysteria. It was very different from Paco's rather dignified pose with his six co-accused.
That's why I felt Thelma should've gone against the filming of Jacqueline Comes Home. Thelma should've just focused on other stuff. Thelma could've explained the photos she has with her daughters-in-law and her youngest daughter Debbie. Thelma would've had scholastic records of her three daughters. Debbie has friends who knew her since childhood. One of the daughters-in-law, Amelie ARQUILLIANO-Chiong, also has friends who knew her since childhood. It would be more effective if Thelma would've just decided to set her biases aside with Syjuco and Collins. I feel Syjuco and Collins could've presented a good case on that. Thelma later left the theater in tears. I doubt it she was just acting when she cried in the theater.
For some reason, both Syjuco nor Collins didn't include this cheap exploitation film in the final cut. I believe that both of them watched the film and found it irrelevant. Jaco and his men are FICTIONAL characters. It may have been a distraction. Though, it would be interesting if it were mentioned that a fictional film tried to ride on the case of the Chiong Sisters. I still wish the film will be banned and its distribution stopped.
A final word on these films
This really reveals one big problem - the favorite sources of the typical Filipino are pelikulas, komiks, and teleseryes. That also gave unscrupulous directors the chance to exploit a tragedy. Who can remember that really problematic The Flor Contemplacion Story? I felt the movie starring Nora Aunor wasn't made out of sympathy but to make a guilty woman look innocent. Meanwhile, films that tried to jump that Hubert was guilty were later made. Fortunately, Jacqueline Comes Home didn't name the suspects so I can give them that. The Flor Contemplacion Story came out in 1995 - the same year Jessica Alfaro came forward AND a movie about her (starring Alice Dixson) was also made. Shocking now, isn't it? I wonder if Jessica was also tortured into making a false testimony or was she a willing accomplice? Davidson seemed more like a tortured accomplice than a willing one.
These films should neither be considered entertaining nor educational. There's hardly ANY VALUE. It's obvious that there are going to be artistic licenses in a biopic. I've seen some imported biopics like Hymn of Death which starred Sarah Elgago ahem Shin Hye Sun and Lee Jong Suk. I've seen the Taiwanese drama La Grande Chaumierre Violette which was based on real people. Artistic licenses don't always clash since we want to speculate. However, the problem is when the truth is distorted by artistic license. Sure, one can't be sure of the dialogue that really happened. However, these exploitation films are more focused on getting a fast grab than communicating a message.
Celdran may be gone but the message still needs to be spread. Exploitation films serve no little value. They can be a serious diversion. Some of them are fiction based on a RECENT EVENT like what Butakal did when the Chiong Case was still going. The Vizconde Massacre films were a serious disinformation drive. The people can say it's not disinformation. Please, the whole trial was a mockery as Jessica's statements were inconsistent. The film Butakal could've not been so disturbing if it was made decades later. I believe a law against such films needs to be passed ASAP.
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