A new-found mission for Robin

Robin Padilla is sick and tired of those old formula movies where he shows up out of nowhere and sings to the girl of his dreams (don’t get him wrong, Videoke King was okay, because, he says, it had rhyme and reason).

"At 33, I’m too old to be involved in intrigues revolving around a love team," smirks Robin. Besides, it doesn’t do his marriage to Liezl any good. Robin admits those intrigues lead to misunderstandings between them.

What Robin wants is something new, something with more meat. After all, when you’ve reached this stage in your career – after you’ve done all those bang-bang flicks and romanced the prettiest actresses on screen, you do deserve a break. Otherwise, you’ll be back to the ho-hum stuff viewers have seen before.

Enter a period film about a vital part of Philippine history, when the Hukbalahap movement was fighting American forces in the country, right after the Japanese Occupation.

A light bulb flashed in Robin’s mind. He had long been wanting to impart a lesson to the next generation. And this film on the struggle of the Filipinos after the Japanese Imperial Army surrendered to the American troops is just what Robin needed. As revolutionary Gregorio Magtanggol, he felt that he could pay tribute to the heroism of the Huks. The movie, he figured out, will relate history, not from the perspective of the ruling powers at that time (which is usually the case), but from the point of view of the Filipino. Robin knew he was taking a big gamble by veering away from his bang-bang, kiss-kiss movies, the kind that guaranteed audience following but not the kind of legacy he wanted to leave as an actor. This time, he had no leading lady to sing or give flowers to, and he does not know whether this fact is tantamount to career suicide. But what the heck? If his friend Cesar Montano had the epic Rizal, why can’t Robin have his Alab ng Lahi?

"I sat down with my brother Rustom and Bebong (Osorio, who co-wrote the script with Robin) and wondered aloud why the Filipinos are undisciplined in this country, but so hardworking abroad. We agreed it’s because we don’t know where we really came from. We have so many subcultures we never really zeroed in on what our common beginnings are," Robin muses.

So he buckled down to work. He plunked in hard-earned money as producer, under his RCP Films International. He pored over books at the National Library for over half a month to research on Magtanggol’s life. He also talked to former Huk leader Luis Taruc. His research heightened Robin’s sympathies for the rebels.

"I’m also a revolutionary in my own way. I want to help the country, but not through violence. I talked to my brothers, and we figured out the best way to do this is through film," he reveals.

It was far from easy. Robin did not only look after the finances as producer (he had to bargain with his co-stars for their talent fees). He also wrote the script and minded his acting.

"It is," Robin admits, "the hardest film in my career so far."

The extras underwent a seven-day training in such things as handling a gun and firing them, among others. Robin consulted an army general to get just the right sound of a ’50s rifle. And he did not use just any kind of explosives. Robin specified that he wanted the totally-safe ones, those that would not harm anyone once it bursts into action. Only US-made explosives will do.

Even the soldiers’ uniforms had to be faithful to the requirements of the times. Robin is proud of the results. "It’s so nice to make a film people will learn a lot from," he notes.

The Education Department agrees. It gave Alab ng Lahi a soaring 45 percent rating in terms of content. It has also made the movie required viewing for students grade five and above.

Robin, who was taping Basta’t Kasama Kita, his soap with Judy Ann Santos, when the DECS handed its decision, shed tears of joy when he heard the good news.

"I want students to know that not all Huks are bad. I myself can attest to that. I’ve talked to many of them, especially when I was still behind bars," he says.

Up next for him is another period film, this time on Macabebe, Pampanga, where Robin says the Fil-Am war started.

Robin Padilla has reached a turning point in his career. It’s not only keeping his spirits on an all-time high, it’s also giving his career, a new, more meaningful direction.