Bong Revilla: Coco is a blessing to stuntmen

by Nestor Cuartero

JUST A THOUGHT: ‘Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you.” – Ogden Nash

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THANKS, COCO: Coco Martin is a blessing to stuntmen and inactive former action stars.

Thus said Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. when we visited him recently at his detention cell in Camp Crame.

Bong is grateful that Coco, through his long-running teleserye FPJ’s “Ang Probinsyano”, is able to provide jobs to stuntmen, especially. “They’re my friends. When the industry stopped producing action films, many of them lost their jobs,’’ he said.

Told that Coco is doing a new version of “Ang Panday”, which Bong also starred in at least twice, he wished the actor good luck.

‘There isn’t any need for him to ask my permission. I don’t own the rights to Panday, Carlo Caparas does. He created Panday,’ he explained.

Bong, recently turned 51, said his incarceration due to his involvement in the PDAF scandal has made him more prayerful.

‘I appreciate each day even more. I thank God for all the blessings He sends my family,’ he said.

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MMFF UPDATE: “Ang Panday” is a confirmed entry to the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival, together with “Almost is Not Enough” (Jennylyn Mercado, Derek Ramsay), “The Revengers” (Vice Ganda, Daniel Padilla, Pia Wurtzbach), and “Meant to Beh” (Vic Sotto-Dawn Zulueta, and all-star cast).

MMFF will announce the last four official entries on Nov. 17. Competing heavily for the final four are “Siargao” (Jericho Rosales-Erich Gonzales), “Deadma Walking” (Joross Gamboa-Edgar Allan Guzman), “Larawan” (Rachel Alejandro, Joanna Ampil, Celeste Legaspi), “My Fairy Tale” (Janella Salvador, Elmo Magalona), and several other potential entries.