ACTRESSES Gretchen Barretto, Heart Evangelista, Carla Abellana, and Coleen Garcia joined the fight against animal cruelty days after the Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Oro” was bashed and shamed for killing a dog in the movie.
“Animal cruelty is a crime. Report abuse to law enforcers and file criminal charges against animal offenders,” said Barretto on her Instagram post.
“No excuse to animal cruelty,” added Barretto who also owns dogs.
Evangelista sought justice for the dog in “Oro.”
“Nakakahiya at nakakagalit. A life is a life and should never be trivialized for the sake of art or what have you.
Such a shame!” said Evangelista, wife of Senator Chiz Escudero.
Abellana, who actively rescues dogs and cats, criticized those responsible for the killing of the dog in the film.
“To those responsible for the killing and butchering of an aspin (asong Pinoy) in the movie, Oro – SHAME ON YOU,” said the Kapuso star.
Garcia also shared the same sentiment as she posted a photo of her pet dog on IG.
“Bambi the Teenager has been my guardian angel since I was 9 yrs old. For 15 yrs, she’s been with me through my struggles and my happiest & most important milestones (this photo was taken when I got engaged!), and she still never fails to comfort me when I need it most.”
“If you know me personally, you’d know this – she’s been the most consistent thing in my life, and even when I had nothing & no one, I had her. I can never put her love & loyalty into words, and I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to her. This is how much this DOG means to me. Anyone who truly loves his pets knows the joy they bring.”
“This is why it’s so painful to hear about the controversy surrounding the MMFF film ‘Oro’. Can you imagine the fear in your furbaby’s eyes & the pain in his cries if he were to be stuffed into a sack, beaten to death, skinned & gutted – and filmed for everyone to see?”
“People condemn and protest the Yulin Festival, and they get angered by people who upload videos of themselves harming animals. How is this any different? Because it was done for ‘art’? Because it happens in real life anyway? I know it’s based on reality & it does happen in the Philippines, but is that enough to justify the fact that an innocent life was brutally ended for this purpose? It’s unbearable enough that this even happens at all, and people already decry the act. Why join in when we know better?”
“Those who work in this field know that there are countless ways in which that scene could have been executed effectively without harming a single soul. In pursuit of authenticity, you lost your humanity. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard great reviews about ‘Oro’ and I don’t doubt the superb quality of the film in its entirety, as well as the competence of its actors, and the message it conveys. But I do hope that this never happens again.”
“This isn’t something that we should ever encourage. Or even allow. We were made to be better than this. (Sorry for the long post. I’m not the type to speak up, but if things go unsaid this time around, people might just let it slip and think that this is okay. It is NOT okay. Lend a voice to those who can’t speak for themselves,” Garcia said.
On Jan. 3, the MMFF Executive Committee announced its decision to withdraw the Fernando Poe, Jr. Memorial Award recently granted to the film “Oro.”
“Without making any judgment on the artistic merit of the film or cinematic depiction, the MMFF finds the present controversy on the alleged killing of a dog in the course of the filming of the movie effectively casts a doubt on the movie’s ability to exemplify the human and cultural values espoused by the late Fernando Poe, Jr.,” the MMFF said.