Pacquiao, The Movie gets DepEd nod

BAGUIO City – Sometimes, all you need in times of political turmoil like this is a hero. That’s what was going on in the mind of the Department of Education-Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (Dep-ED-CSCA) officers when they held the National Leadership Training Program for Student Government Officers recently.

That’s why DepED-CSCA Executive Director Joey Pelaez was looking forward to meeting Manny Pacquiao and hearing his inspirational speech before more than 5,000 student-leaders his office gathered for the occasion at Teachers’ Camp.

"The student-participants would have learned a lot from Manny’s talk," Pelaez says of the boxing champion’s non-appearance in the event. Bad weather prevented the helicopter that was to take him to the event from leaving Manila.

"We are familiar with his rags-to-riches story. That’s why we are encouraging students to watch Pacquiao, The Movie," Pelaez goes on.

Star Cinema and FLT Film Productions’ joint venture has won the DepEd’s nod and is encouraging teachers to endorse Pacquiao, The Movie to their students all over the country.

The first step FLT Films’ Rose Flaminiano did was to ask DepEd’s bureaus of elementary and secondary education to evaluate the movie.

Does it promote good values? Is it educational? These, the DepEd officers asked themselves. And they answered yes.

Thus, Pelaez says his office plans to help show the movie in roving theaters and turn the activity into a fund-raising one for schools. Watching the movie won’t be compulsory, though.

Star Cinema’s Tess Fuentes and FLT Films’ Rose Flaminiano would have accompanied Manny to Baguio. But the rains and fog in Baguio got in the way. Airport authorities refused to give them the go-signal to fly. Neither the Baguio nor the La Union airport was willing to let their aircraft land.

"Pacquiao could have encouraged students to study and told them that even if he’s already a champion, he still values education a lot. I learned he wants to enroll in our open high school system," relates Pelaez.

Pacquiao, The Movie starred Jericho Rosales in the title role and Bea Alonzo as Jinky, Manny’s wife.

DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus was keynote speaker in the event. Among those who performed in the four-day National Leadership Training for student government officers were Christian Bautista, Jeffrey Hidalgo, Carlo Aquino and his band and the SOP Dancers. The Philippine Star columnist RJ Ledesma was one of the speakers.