'Bourne' to residents: Please bear with us

MANILA, Philippines - The local counterpart of the Hollywood producer of “The Bourne Legacy” yesterday appealed to residents of Leveriza in Malate, Manila for a little more patience for inconveniences arising from the filming of the action movie.

Philippine producer Jun Juban admitted the shooting in the residential and commercial area of Leveriza Street caused disruption and inconvenience to residents in the area.

“I must admit that there are times that we are the cause of inconvenience and that is why we are asking for their forgiveness... We have been getting their support, we are now appealing for their forgiveness (for the inconvenience),” Juban said.

Many residents voiced their complaints when the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed a vital section of Leveriza Street during the shooting.

The MMDA closed the street to allow the production crew to set up props and equipment.

Residents complained the closure prevented them from crossing to the public market side of the street.

One man even raised his voice and asked, “Kelan kaya kami kakain (When do we get to eat)?”

It was during a break in the filming when the production crew allowed residents to cross the street into the market.

Spice and flower vendor Wilma Villadolid said her trade was affected by the filming.

“It’s almost 11 a.m. and I have only earned less than P20. What am I supposed to use to buy milk and diapers for my four grandchildren,” she asked.

Villadolid said her usual customers did not even stop by because the road leading to her stall was closed during the shooting.

She said her customers are only allowed a few minutes for purchases before traffic marshals usher them out when shooting resumes.

While some of her neighbors were hired as talents and were earning from the filming, she was not among those paid.

“There are others who were compensated for the film, but how about me, I am also affected by the shooting of the movie but I do not earn from it,” Villadolid said.

Talents reportedly receive P500 to P1,000 depending on their role. About 95 percent of the talents are residents of the area.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said the situation has already been explained to the crowd.

“This is not a permanent (setup), we just have to adjust. I think the local staff and the barangay officials can explain what is going on and we seek their continued cooperation so that we could finish this,” he said.

While there are times that the crowd becomes rowdy, Tolentino said there was no need to put additional MMDA personnel to act as crowd control.

Tolentino breezed through the location scene and assessed the situation as “OK.”

“We just looked at the situation if there was anything that needed to be fixed but everything is normal,” he said.

When asked if he received any complaints from the cast and crew, Tolentino replied, “So far I did not hear any (complaints)… none so far.”

This developed even as an off-duty policeman was arrested after allegedly poking his service firearm at one of the spectators during the shooting.

Police Officer 1 Henry Escoto of the Sta. Ana police station of the Manila Police District (MPD) was reportedly drunk and had a quarrel with Annaliza Hulleza. Both were among the scores of residents who woke up early to watch the shooting.

Juban, on the other hand, said the second day of shooting was just a continuation of last Wednesday’s street chase scene. He said the shoot was going well.

When asked why the people of Leveriza should cooperate with the filming of the movie, he said, “I don’t think it can be quantified that way, ‘you help me, I help you,’ that is not the issue that we are trying to settle here. We are trying to look at this from a bigger perspective… we have to look at it from its totality, we are trying to create an impression, an image for the country.”

Juban pointed out there had been instances when travel advisories, unflattering to the Philippines, are issued and he believed that the filming of an international movie would help boost the tourism industry in the country.

“Now there is a production like this… I always say that there is no foreign producer who would think of bringing a project such as this if they think they would not be able to finish the shoot. The mere fact that they are here, they chose us and not two other Asian cities… we have to look at this from its totality…They chose the Philippines because Filipinos are friendly,” he said.

While there might be people who criticized the filming in Leveriza, Juban believed that in the end, these critics would still watch the movie in theaters. – With Nestor Etolle