Did the Director and Producer of "Give Up Tomorrow" Manage to Interview the Late Federico "Toto" Natividad Jr.?

I guess the fascination with the broken justice system can never end, right? After watching Give Up Tomorrow, my entire world was shattered. I never realized that, all along, the act done by the 35 (or more) witnesses for Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco. Paco was in Quezon City in Manila during the night of the crime. Manila was 300 kilometers away from Cebu City, where the crime happened. One of my memories in high school was that a film based on the Chiong Sisters was being produced. The film was originally named Butakal meaning "male pig". Later, the film was renamed Animal in 2004--the same year Paco was wrongfully on death row. There was a sense of urgency in making the film. Fortunately, Paco and his co-accused were spared. The film presented the case of how eight people were wrongfully tagged. Yes, I believe that Davidson V. Rusia was innocent regarding the crime. The documentary did show that Davidson was tortured repeatedly.

What we saw was only what was included in the final product. Marty Syjuco and Michael Collins actually had 400 hours' worth of footage and over 100 interviews. They revealed that they never found Davidson. They did use a private detective hoping to find him. Meanwhile, with over 100 interviews, I'm led to believe that the crew did manage to interview not only the late Antonio Alberto Calvento but also Federico Natividad Jr. I guess the only way that Syjuco and Collins were able to secure clips of the Calvento Files episode was if Calvento gave his permission. I wouldn't be surprised if Calvento was in the premiere on 2012 before he died of cancer in 2017.

Natividad Jr. died of COVID-19 complications two years ago on April 27, 2021. Natividad Jr. became notorious for one reason--the movie Animal. It was loosely based on the Chiong Sisters with selected real-life references such as the Vizconde Massacre, Paco's alleged kidnapping attempt, and Paco's scuffle in a parking lot. However, the film took place in San Roque which is in Samar. The movie was as fictional as it could get. The Tan sisters, Cherry and Sandra, had a younger brother and only three Tan siblings. Jaco Lozano (acted by John Regala) was the only child of his mother and his father was either dead or missing. Junior Sanchez was from a broken home with a negligent father. Also, spoiler alert, because this garbage film isn't worth viewing, is that one of the sisters survived the incident to tell the tale. The other sister's testimony in court led to Jaco and his six co-accused getting sentenced to die by lethal injection. We also have a state witness named Ferdie (based on Davidson Rusia).

The Chiong couple fought against Natividad. Later, the Supreme Court ordered the MTRCB to return the master copy to Natividad Jr. in 2007. That would be two years before Paco was transferred to Spain. Paco is still in prison in Spain today. However, Paco has been considered the least dangerous prisoner. Paco's now working with prison breaks. Paco can go to work without an escort. However, Paco must admit having been a participant to get a pardon. That's something Paco will never do because he knows (along with others) that he never took part in the crime that happened. Along the way, Syjuco and Collins may have sat down and talked with Natividad Jr. before the film was finished.

The Chiongs had a legal battle with Natividad Jr. Meanwhile, the Larrañagas weren't known to try and file a case against Natividad Jr. In fact, I believe the Larrañagas had every right to go against the film too. Maybe, it's because the portrayal of Jaco was a far cry from Paco's home. As mentioned earlier, Jaco comes from a single-parent home. Jaco's mother was worried she might lose her only son while spoiling him simultaneously. The Larrañaga couple, Manuel and Margarita, were probably too busy trying to get Paco acquitted of a crime he never committed. Paco wasn't allowed to testify during the trial. As Paco mentioned, he would further defend his innocence if he wasn't handcuffed. I'm amazed that Natividad Jr. never bothered to put the 35 witnesses (or more) attempting to defend Jaco. Was the movie meant to be a satire of the case or what? If so, Natividad may have made that exploitation movie out of disbelief more than anything else.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the intended scenes was the Chiong family's fight against Natividad Jr. himself. Syjuco and Collins probably got to talk to Natvidad Jr. about the controversial film before they completed their own film. I wouldn't be surprised if the tandem asked why Natividad Jr. made the film. I wouldn't be surprised if Natividad Jr. even saw the documentary. Maybe, Natividad Jr. attended the Cinemalaya event in 2012 but didn't get noticed. Maybe, Natividad Jr. may have probably said, "The whole narration of Rusia is as exaggerated as my controversial film." Then again, it seems both Syjuco and Collins deemed it irrelevant for the final cut.

Nirvana Fallacy and the Die-Hard Defenders of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

IMGUR The philosopher Voltaire (real name François-Marie Aroue ) was said to have said, "Perfect is the enemy of good." To define the Nirvana fallacy, we can look at Logically Fallacious to help us define it: Description: Comparing a realistic solution with an idealized one , and discounting or even dismissing the realistic solution as a result of comparing to a “perfect world” or impossible standard, ignoring the fact that improvements are often good enough reason . Logical Form: X is what we have. Y is the perfect situation. Therefore, X is not good enough. Example #1: What’s the point of making drinking illegal under the age of 21? Kids still manage to get alcohol. Explanation: The goal in setting a minimum age for drinking is to deter underage drinking, not abolish it completely. Suggesting the law is fruitless based on its failure to abolish underage drinking completely, is fallacious. Example #2: What’s the point of living? We’re all going to die anyway. Ex...

The Foolishness of Complaining About Stupid Voters and Stupid Candidates, While Insisting the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is "So Perfect"

I was looking into the Facebook page of Butthurt Philippines . Honestly, it's easy to complain but what's the use of complaining if you reject the solutions? The art produced by its administrator shows some problems. However, if the administrator here believes that the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is "perfect as it is" (and he seems to be throwing a "saving face" by saying it was just sarcasm, and I failed to detect it) then it's really something. It's one thing to keep complaining. Complaining can be good. However, what's the use of complaining if you reject the solutions. Even worse, complaining about the quality of candidates for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections , while still saying, "It's not the system it's the people!" Please, that kind of thinking has been refuted even by basic psychology and political science! It's really good to point out the three problems. Distractions? Check. Keeping people hopeless? ...

A Parliamentary Philippines with Mandatory Weekly Questioning Will Be Better Than Its Mandatory Yearly Presidential SONAs

Rappler I must admit that ignorance of the difference between the parliamentary system vs. the presidential system is there. Some people still insist on the myth that the first Marcos Administration headed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s late father, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., was really a parliamentary system. In reality. the Marcos "parliamentary" years during the Martial Law era, were still presidential (read why here ). A simple research would show that Cesar Virata was called by the late Lee Kuan Yew, as a non-starter and no leader. LKY would know how a real parliamentary system works. Sure, it's one thing that those who consider themselves Dilawan, voice their criticisms. However, the big problem of the Dilawans is their focus on political idolatry rather than solutions. I can talk with the Dilawans all they want that we do need to shift to the parliamentary system and some of them still cry foul, say that it'll be a repetition of the first Marcos Admi...

Rare Interview Footage of Ninoy Aquino and Doy Laurel in Japan, Reveal Marcos Years Were NEVER a Legitimate Parliamentary System

People who are afraid of shifting to a parliamentary system tend to use the Marcos Years as proof. Fearmongers on Facebook are still up to their old tricks, using the Marcos Years to say, "No to cha-cha!" Never mind that a new constitution had to be written after 1986. If anything, Article XVII was inserted in the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines because it was never meant to be set in stone. Also, the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines was illegal . Here's a video of the late Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" A. Aquino Jr. and the late Salvador "Doy" Laurel. The words of Laurel here show the problem of Marcos' "parliament". Marcos' "parliament" lacked legitimacy . Where was the sporting chance of the Opposition? If it was a real parliamentary system, Ninoy would've been leading the Opposition in weekly debates against the Marcos-led government. That is if the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. was the prime minister. If Cesar Vir...

Don't Expect a Mahathir-Type Leader, Under the 1987 Constitution!

ABS CBN News Happy 100th birthday, Mahathir Mohamad! It's something that not so many people live up to 100, or more. The late Fidel V. Ramos passed away on July 31, 2022, at the age of 94. Ramos's advanced age may be the reason why the Omicron variant (which isn't supposedly fatal) ended his life. I'm posting this image of Ramos and Mahathir for one reason--Ramos wanted charter change back in the 1990s. However, plenty of anti-charter change commercials came in, the late Raul Roco said we only need a change in people, and we have Hilario G. Davide Jr. (who's in his late 80s but still active), and the idea that having a president who will rule for more than six years, is supposedly scary. Please, have they even thought that the late Pol Pot ruled Cambodia for just four years, but carried millions of deaths , that would make the late Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s 20-year reign look tame (read here )? I've read posts on Facebook saying the Philippines just needs l...

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