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.

The Late Lee Kuan Yew Called the Philippines' Press RAMBUNCTIOUS

The Straits Times As April Fool's Day draws near, I intend to write on something the late Lee Kuan Yew said in his book From Third World to First . It was once wrongly said that he said the Philippine presses as masters of intrigue . It was made by a certain Jesus Satorre Jr. who wrongly called Lee Kuan Yew, president . That alone deserves to be fact-checked . It was even funny how a certain someone called Mahathir Mohamad a president when he criticized former president Rodrigo R. Duterte. However, there was a quote from the book concerning the Philippines about the Philippine press: Ramos knew well the difficulties of trying to govern with strict American-style separation of powers. The senate had already defeated Mrs. Aquino's proposal to retain the American bases. The Philippines had a rambunctious press but it did not check corruption. Individual press reporters could be bought, as could many judges . I'm afraid that it's very easy to quote what Lee said about the...

Pepsi Paloma's Alleged Rape

The late Pepsi Paloma (Delia Dueñas Smith) is one death I only knew about decades later. Delia died at only 18 years old in 1985. It would be 40 years since it happened and it's still a mystery. Right now, I feel that Daryl Yap's film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma is simply there for box office tickets. Is it me or are exploitation films that claim to be based on the truth, really a fad? Some of the exploitation films are probably just meant for box office receipts. For example, Animal (2004) was a fictional film based on the Chiong Sisters Case. Later, the film Jacqueline Comes Home (read my review here ) was supposedly based on what happened to the Chiong Sisters. Like the Chiong Sisters, it seems that nobody will really know what led Pepsi to end her life at only 18 years old. Manila Bulletin The Manila Bulletin also shows this: Pepsi also appeared in other sexy films, such as Virgin People and Naked Island released in 1984. In 1982, Pepsi and fellow sexy star Guada Guar...

Still One of My Favorite Politicians, the Late Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago

It's been some time since Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago died. True, she can be temperamental but she really has a lot of good reasons to be angry. The impeachment of the late Renato Corona was one example. I could remember seething in anger seeing Atty. Vitaliano N. Aguirre II when he covered his ears. Some say she went overboard. Maybe, she did and I think Aguire II didn't deserve to be detained in contrast to instant admonition. I believe that no caucus was needed and making Aguire II get out of the courtroom was more than enough punishment for minor disrespect . She may have clashed with the late Fidel V. Ramos but I can't get enough of her feisty behavior--something I feel the Philippines needs to become a truly disciplined country. Some may say that MDS is very maldita or a very mean woman. I did pass through a teacher who was like her. Sure, I didn't get good grades, she could go overboard, but I'm still thankful to that economics teacher. I'd say I...

Remembering My Humanities Summer Classes' Field Trips

I decided to feel nostalgic by remembering my college days at the University of San Carlos. I remembered taking summer classes immediately after finishing my two-year computer course. I was more than glad that I wasn't accepted for Information Technology since it's not my line. I took basic marketing, statistics, and humanities. It would be around 2004 and it's almost 20 years since that experience. Facebook The mandatory field trip was going to the four historical Catholic churches in Summer Class 2004 (April-May under the old curriculum). If my memory serves me right, the places were Carcar, Bolhoon, Dalaguete, and Argao. I already forgot the route of the long humanities trip back in 2004. I could remember waking up early, we were told to be well-rested, I still had a camera with negatives back then, and it was a time for me to be extra attentive. Yes, I can be very inattentive. At that time, I still didn't have an active lifestyle though I tried to do some exercise ...

The Paternity of Sergio Osmeña Sr.

More than 10 years ago while I was a college student, I remembered one of the topics raised was who in the world was the father of the late Sergio Osmeña Sr.? I remembered my Humanities subject while I studied at the University of San Carlos (USC) during my summer classes. I immediately took summer classes after I finished my associate's degree and proceeded to take my bachelor's degree in business administration. We had a field trip at Casa Gorordo in Cebu where one of the curators said, "Just who was his father?" There was a wild guess it was the late Pedro Lee Singson Gotiaoco. The Freeman I heard from someone, back in college, that neither Tomas Osmeña nor the late John Gokongwei Jr. admits to being related to each other. Gokongwei Jr. is a great-grandson of Gotiaoco. A Sunstar article about Juana Osmeña mentions this one about the past 145 years ago which may verify their mutual claims: SCIENCE has settled almost a century-and-a-half-old mystery -- history and g...

Learn the Facts, Not Gossip, from Reading Lee Kuan Yew's "From Third World to First"

The Straits Times I could remember ordering the book From Third World to First ( sometime after electricity and Internet connection got restored) in January. I wanted a copy of the book but it's that hard to secure. So, I used Shoppee to order the book shipped from Indonesia . There's so much misinformation that I read on Facebook about Singapore. No, I'm not just talking about using the late Flor Contemplacion as an excuse. Instead, it's all about Singapore's development. I felt that my best "Christmas Gift" (it was bought with my savings, not given) was having a copy of this book. It was written by none other than the great statesman, the late Lee Kuan Yew, the father of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. There are a lot of misconceptions about Singapore's progress. Some people have written on Facebook gossip about Singapore's progress. These are the following gossips I could read on Facebook such as: Singapore only opened to foreign di...

Martial Law Under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

September 21 paints a grim picture, especially for what's often called the martial law victims. I remember panicking back when I was 11 years old. It was possible that the late Fidel V. Ramos may declare martial law at any time. However, researching the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines can help. It can help Filipinos determine what needs to be revised to fit the current times. Article VII Section 18 says the following about martial law: SECTION 18. The President shall be the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines and whenever it becomes necessary, he may call out such armed forces to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. In case of invasion or rebellion, when the public safety requires it, he may, for a period not exceeding sixty days, suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus or place the Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. Within forty-eight hours from the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the p...

Why I Think Banning the Mention of Hitler on Facebook is STUPID

Getty Images It's crazy how reporting a comment with the word "Hitler" can get anyone banned. For example, this is what I found on Quora : They should be allowed. there are quotes of his that are not in praise of hitler but showing how he thought so that people are critical of their current leaders . For example, here’s a quote by him “ How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.” This is a perfect example of why Hitler quotes should be allowed; to show how dictators think and how people should be critical. Yes, he started a giant war and murdered people but censoring what he said will only help the next dictator start more wars and murder more people because people forgot about Hitler . This is why the First Amendment is so important: it’s about communication and freedom so that we all make better decisions in the future. I just told someone that Adolf Hitler seized the means of production and I got a strike. Like what? I wonder what ...

Cooking Mud Crabs: Why the Color Changes

Above is a GIF I created. After writing on crab mentality and the Filipino First Policy , I decided to write about why mud crabs change color. Mud crab dishes are one of my favorite foods in Surigao City. The color is dark but when it's cooked, it goes red. The Tavern Hotel is among the best places to get a mud crab dish. Now, it's time to do science as a daily hobby. Sure, I'm no chemist or biochemist. However, researching and studying science as a hobby is sure fun. Here's an explanation from The Conversation : A crustacean’s exoskeletons contain several chemicals called pigments, which give the crabs and prawns their colour. One of these is an orange-ey pigment called “astaxanthin”. This is a member of the family of pigments that is responsible for colouring many of the yellow, orange and red animals. When the crustaceans are alive, the astaxanthin is tightly wrapped up and trapped by a special protein called “crustacyanin”. This is why live crabs and prawns usually...

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