Pinky Amador, another Quezon descendant, criticizes biopic for ‘sensationalism’

Discussions surrounding the film are running high, following a tirade by another Manuel L. Quezon descendant, Ricky Avancena, during a talkback session after a screening.

Avancena asked director Jerrold Tarog if he intended for the film to be a political satire. When the director replied in the affirmative, Avancena doubled down on the movie being “a joke.”

He later told Tarog that in making “Quezon,” the filmmaker “opened Pandora’s Box,” and gave examples of other things the Quezon family had done in the past.

“Hindi niyo alam ano ginawa niyo dahil kayo, gusto niyo kumita ng pera at sumikat… mahiya kayo,” Avancena said, claiming they were discrediting his family. “China-channel ko ngayon ang aking lolo sa paksa ninyo, ‘P****ta kayo, mga p******ina niyo, kupal kayo!'”

Avancena shared in a Facebook post that the screening was his third time seeing “Quezon” that week, and called out leading actor Rosales for “canceling a Quezon” because of the actor’s attempt to block a response from a direct descendant of Quezon.

Actor John Arcilla, star of the first “Bayaniverse” film “Heneral Luna” by TBA Studios and another Quezon descendant, commented on Avancena’s post to share his own sentiments and acknowledged living relatives should have been consulted.

The actor noted that a “satirical” angle might be the “best defense” for “Quezon,” saying the film looked that way through how it “styled the early rigodons of political opponents and some of the ‘actings.'” Arcilla thought the content itself feels satirical.

Amador was present at the screening where Avancena, her uncle, shared his opinion about the film. The actress shared her perspective on the incident and about the movie on Instagram.

“How to do that? Sensationalism. Shock value. Alternative treatment. As a creative, of course I get all that…but at WHO[SE] EXPENSE?” Amador questioned.

She also noted that billionaires funded the project, which has the “MACHINERY to debunk any argument made against the film.”

The actress pointed out that the Philippines is currently in an educational crisis where 24 million Filipinos are struggling with functional literacy and 91% of 10-year-olds unable to read simple texts.

Films endorsed by the Department of Education (which include “Quezon”) being used as a source of information for millions of people that show one side is a miseducation rather than poor storytelling, the actress argued.

In the video she posted, Amador told the talkback session’s panel that films like “Quezon” have greater influence, and the present viewing public no longer take time to do their research.

Tarog clarified he wanted to do right by the sources he referred, something that Amador respected. The actress, however, still believes in “treading a fine line” with the prevalence of “cancel culture.”

Amador shared that her grandmother and Ricky’s mother, Maria Zeneida “Nina” Quezon Avancena, greatly inspired her, having protested on the streets during the Marcos dictatorship even in her old age.

“I surmise that the creatives of this film are just as cunning, Machiavellian, and manipulative as the anti-hero they produced,” she said in the comments section of her post.

The actress ended by acknowledging that she may never work with the filmmakers and receive hate from her fellow creatives, but stressed she was speaking out on behalf of her ancestors “no longer here to defend themselves.”

“Quezon” chronicles the politician’s life through the lens of the four rivalries he faced during his rise to power. It stars Jericho Rosales in his first film in seven years. — Kristofer Purnell