The other Medina

As an actor, Ping Medina, son of veteran actor and acting coach Pen Medina, has tackled all sorts of roles on television, in mainstream cinema and in indie films.Last year, he took on a more serious challenge when he agreed to play the lead role in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) New Wave category entry Maratabat, directed by first-timer Arlyn dela Cruz.

The film, explains Ping, is about the rido culture in Muslim Mindanao. “Maratabat is an equivocal term which means pride and honor. You can either kill for pride or live for honor. Sadly, most have resorted to rido or clan wars, to promote this ideology.”

He adds that most people who have seen the film can’t help but compare it to the Maguindanao Massacre, although that is not what it’s about. “But it’s good if you are reminded of it,” he says. “We dedicate this to the more than 5,000 deaths and our friends in the media caught in the line of fire.”

Ping was initially offered the role of the bad guy, which eventually went to Kristoffer King. But when direk Arlyn saw Ping for the first time — and before she even introduced herself — the first words she said to him were, “How would you like to play the lead role? Ikaw na! Ikaw na si Ronwaldo Mahardika!”

At that time, Ping had no idea what the film was about. He was given an elevator pitch before that first meeting with his director, but apart from that, there was nothing: The script hadn’t been written yet; all they had was a storyline. Can he convincingly portray the role with much bravado? But Ping took it on the spot because he had a good feeling about the project. “I had a feeling it was going to be important,” he explains.

Ping was gung-ho about doing Maratabat because he’d always wanted to learn more about our Muslim brothers in the south. But there were some people who felt he shouldn’t have done it, including his own father, who was concerned about the dangers that the crew and actors would face. But something told Ping to trust their director.

Sure enough, when he got there, he found a vastly different picture from the one painted by news reports. “We were the first film crew to shoot in Maguindanao. When I got there, I went jogging in the public school. I walked around, had some beers at a bar and people were even friendly enough to ask for photos. I heard there was a lot of violence and men walking around with AK-47s, but that’s not what I saw. So I’d like to commend Gov. Toto Mangudadatu for restoring peace and order in Maguindanao.”

Playing the role was a different matter. “This was the first time I’ve been scared shitless to play a role,” says Ping, who even shaved his head to bring the right touch of authenticity to the character. “It was also the first time I shaved my head.”

It was not an easy role to play. But Ping is glad he took the risk. Maratabat has had the kind of impact on him that he is not likely to forget. “It has given me a lot of hope, something our media needs to give more to our people today. The case of Maguindanao shows there is a time for war and a time for peace. I look forward to the day all wars are made illegal, inhuman, ungodly and downright unacceptable.”