By: Nestor Cuartero
JUST A THOUGHT: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” – Margaret Hungerford
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FROM X TO PG-13: At the height of his movie career back in the 90s, marked by appearances in sexy films, actor turned Quezon City Representative says he never experienced an X-rating slapped in any of his movies.
Alfred is more than amused now, many years later, when he has become a lawmaker and is no longer active in doing those kinds of roles, that a new film of his recently merited an X from the MTRCB. Well, not the entire film itself, but its trailer.
The MTRCB ruled that the trailer of “Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa” earned an X mark due to “significantly violent scenes.”
However, following an appeal from its producers, the film went home with a rating of PG-13.
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TEACHER IN THE MOUNTAINS: “Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa” tells the experiences of an illiterate farmer Aaquil (Vargas), who pretends and acts as a teacher in the mountains just so he could keep children away from war.
In many parts of Mindanao, children are recruited to become child warriors, exposed to fighting and violence. Actor-director Perry Escano says these children should be carrying books, and not guns.
Aaquil’s students, some orphaned by war, are unaware that he is actually illiterate. What if they find out the truth?
Guro is Perry’s first film. It was an official entry in the 2017 Cinemalaya festival.
“Ang Guro Kong ‘Di Marunong Magbasa” also features Mon Confiado, Lou Veloso, James Blanco, Kiko Matos, Loren Burgos, Garie Concepcion, Alvin Barcelona, Paul Sy, Lianne Valentin, Lorraine Salvador, among others.