Sila...Sa Bawa't Bangketa (1976)

1976 - Sila...Sa Bawa't Bangketa/"They…On Every Sidewalk" (Liliw Productions) 

[Release date 17th December, 1976; re-released in cinemas 9th April 1977] 

Director Dante “Boy” Pangilinan Writer "Cora C. Ridon"/Cora Ridon Caballes Producer "Twinkle" [Caballes] Executive Producers Peter M. Caballes, Cora Ridon Caballes Cinematography Nestor Orense Music Kuya Mimo 

Cast Rez Cortez, Ramon “Boy” Bagatsing, Ingrid Salas, Yoyoy Villame, Weng Weng, Joy Navarro, Michael Vallar, Marie Grace Santos, Linda Castro, Sarah Gumaboa, Vivian Velez, Danny Glenmore, Ruel Romano, Odette Khan, Rudy de la Pena, Tony Orbeta, Angel Confiado, Gil Arena, Leo Langalong, SOS Daredevils, Larry Esguerra, Amay Bisaya, Peter M. Caballes 

ACTION/COMEDY  

THE LOST MOVIE PROJECT: Piecing together the fragments of the Philippines' vanished cinema

Andrew Leavold on Sila...Sa Bawa't Bangketa [from The Search For Weng Weng book]; the fill interview with Dante 'Boy' Pangilinan's interview is HERE, and the Rez Cortez interview is HERE

"We are supposed to make Sila…Sa Bawa't Bangketa," Dante 'Boy' Pangilinan related. "I am the Assistant Director and Maria Saret is the director. But eventually, Direk [“Director”] Maria Saret is already pregnant and almost to deliver. So my producer, Ms Cora Caballes, 'Direk, we're supposed to shoot this coming week!' 'Oh, Ms Caballes, I'm already delivering this baby!' 'Who will direct the movie?' I'm very lucky, direk Maria Saret pointed at me, 'Boy Pangilinan will direct the movie.' So I'm surprised! 'Boy, can you make it?' 'Oo [yes], Direk Maria Saret said I can make it, so I can make it.' (laughs) I'm very happy Direk Maria Saret gave me the strong [recommendation]. That's where I started, my first film, I'm very lucky." 

The Caballes presented Dante with his diminutive star. "When Cora introduced to me Weng Weng, I was surprised…what can I do with this little boy? No…he's not a boy,” Dante laughed, “it's already 24 years old, I think. What? You make this boy one of the partakers in Sila…Sa Bawa't Bangketa? All I can say is, 'Ninang? Are you serious? OK, what talents do Weng Weng have?' So I began screening Weng Weng. Wow! Weng Weng do the martial arts… the only thing is the dialogue, I cannot… 'What? OK, subject for dubbing!'” Dante laughed heartily. “But, I like his voice, I don't make dubbing. That's why when you see the film, Sila…Sa Bawa't Bangketa, original voice of Weng Weng." How would you describe his voice? "Very small, like coming from the balloon? Understandably he's a small guy, but with a big heart, big strong… If you can feel him, he's very strong." 

What were your impressions about his mental abilities? Did he seem like a child? "Mentally, Weng Weng is I think half-half. There is a time when we I talked to him, straight answers, and eventually he says, 'Hey, look at that girl, wow!' So he's normal. 'Wow, direk, she's sexy!' He's normal. But there was a time, I think, when small kids started playing with him, he also played. 'Oh you're playing, you're already a big boy!' But then, 'Just look at the legs of Ingrid Salas, my leading lady!' In fact, Weng Weng asked me, 'Direk, do we have a kissing scene?' 'What? OK, I made a scene where you have a kissing scene…' You can look at the face of Weng Weng, shines. But eventually, I think he's already thinking, 'How can I do that?' 'OK, just relax!' So, as the shooting goes on, I think Weng Weng is thinking their kissing scene, when will that scene be taken? Weng Weng is a normal guy, a nice guy." 

Sila…Sa Bawa't Bangketa featured a fourth-billed Weng Weng as a jeepney barker collecting fares for driver Rez Cortez. The pair fall foul of the crime syndicate boss, played by Ramon 'Boy' Bagatsing Jr - a future politician, his father Ramon D. Bagatsing was the one-legged Mayor of Manila from 1972 to 1986 - who also has eyes for Rez's rich-girl sweetheart (Ingrid Salas). Weng Weng ends up a police informer posing as one of the syndicate's child drug couriers. Unseen since its brief theatrical run, even Dante has trouble remembering the plot. But for certain, it was made quickly and cheaply, made the Caballes' money back plus profit, and its two-foot nine star was noticed. 

"I made that film in 35mm," said Dante. "I think, one of my goals there is to shorten my film shooting days. So hopefully I don't offend another director or another film producer, during that day they made a film in 30 days, one month, but Cora said, 'Direk, can we make this film about eight to ten days?' I told my producer, why? 'We have just a limited budget.' So I said, 'Ninang, why me?' It's a challenge to me. We even don't have a complete fully-equipped shooting unit! Just a cassette, one camera, and a number of lights. I said, 'Ninang, I will try my very best in doing this film.' So I started my first day film. My lead actor Rez Cortez, Weng Weng, and the first film of Vivian Velez. That was the first lead role of Miss Vivian Velez as an actress. So we start shooting, together with Ingrid Salas, one of the leading ladies, and Ramon 'Boy' Bagatsing, that was his first starring role - the villain opposite Rez Cortez, the father of the actor Raymond Bagatsing, now a big actor in television. 

"We started shooting. First day, second day, third day…here comes the seventh day. So I told my Ninang, 'This is my last day.' 'Oh…are you sure?' 'Yes.' 'How many film did you expose?' I already exposed during that day - other directors expose 35 to 40 film rolls - so I already exposed 25 rolls. When I edit that film, I will already compress it to 12, the maximum reel to be exact in the theatrical film, it's already good. So when I make that last day of shooting, even my whole staff, and together with my Ninang we celebrated. For the first time we made an eight-day shooting. Here comes the editing process, so my producer, my Ninang was nervous. How come I made that film in eight days, but my editor, 'Oh, there's so many more excess!' I made more excess! So there's more plenty of materials. My producer was very happy. So even my film Sila… is not yet shown, oh, you make your next movie! 'OK Ninang, we just wait the outcome in the theatrical showing.' When my first movie, cross my finger, Sila… was shown, I thank God it made, not so big, but eventually it made money.  

"Peter Caballes, as my Ninong, the husband of my Ninang, I make him as the villain. He's the villain, contrabida of that movie. The big guy - well, he's handsome - before I started that film, it happens I talk to my Ninong, 'Boy, who is your contrabida in that film?' I can see in his eyes the glow that he wants to be a movie actor. He makes his part OK in my film..." 

Can we say, then, that Cora is the businesswoman and Peter is the movie lover? "Yes, I can feel my Ninang, Cora Caballes, goes to this show business because of my Ninong. Why? Because my Ninong is a frustrated actor, I can feel that! That's why my Ninang Cora continues doing movies, because of him." 

What do you remember about the Caballes as a family? "As far as I remember, their family was too close, and I think even their children were enrolled in nice universities. Cora and Peter Caballes were good parents, they provide all the goods for their children." They were like family to you? "More. I think of Cora and Peter Caballes more of my parents. Because they treated us as a family, not as a worker." In what way? "Especially when you have your personal problems, they're the one attended to personally." 

When I finally interviewed Rez about Sila…Sa Bawa't Bangketa, like Dante he recalled very little about the film itself. He did remember, however, being taken aback by his two-foot-nine co-star. “'What’s this Weng Weng?’” he asked himself. “‘Is he a TOY?’ Then I realize he’s human, he’s a person. He’s…" Rez took a while to choose his words carefully. "He's a very sad person. He tried to smile, but you can see it in his eyes that he’s very lonely, his connection with people is very superficial. But we play like humans, to be teased by women. When he looks at the actresses he’s working with, he’s titillated. You say, ‘Hey Weng Weng, this actress, I think she likes you!’ He enjoyed that.  

“Of course his voice is very small, sometimes I had a hard time understanding what he’s talking about. I have to ask, ‘Anong?' ['What?’] He tried to connect. But he’s got limitations, I think he cannot get in touch with his feelings. Because when you ask, ‘Do you feel lonely?’ ‘Yeah, I cried…’ So his inner thing is somehow very superficial. As an actor you have to be in touch with your emotions. And that’s why there’s a style or a way to direct Weng. How can you draw out that emotion if he himself cannot recognize those emotions? When you ask him, ‘How do you feel?’, his answer is something else. It’s not a feeling that he’s thought about. It’s a factual thing that he can experience.  

"Also I’m aware that he’s taken care of by the producers, that somehow the producers are not giving him the compensation that he’s supposed to get." 

"You can tell this?" 

"Yeah." 

"Just from being on the set?" 

"Yeah. The producers are taking care of him, but the problem is he’s the lead star. He’s very small, yeah? He’s supposed to ride in a car, but you can see him on the set riding in the utility service [truck]. Because maybe the production manager said, ‘Hey, pick up Weng Weng!’ They don’t repackage him as a star. Actually I think Weng Weng’s happy with that. Maybe for him it’s a blessing; for him it’s something higher than what he’s having. But he deserved more. 

“I don’t like to be judgmental, but they’re part of the system. There are a lot of producers like them. They’re there for the wrong reasons. Not necessarily wrong, but it’s a reason that I don’t agree with. But if you’re going to be a producer, you must have the vision, you have to have a hold on your material. But of course everything came down to economics. They’re that type of producer. 

“In the first place they’re not filmmakers. They’re just there because they know they can make money. So, that creative aspect of a producer is non-existent. They continue producing because of Weng Weng. It’s an opportunity for them to make money and spend less. But they’re good people, and I like them, Pete and Cora. They’re OK. But they’re not filmmakers, they’re businessmen, and they’re producers that believe money saved is money earned." He paused and smiled conspiratorially. "On an EXTREME!"