Justice for Alexis and Nika

Alexis met Nika at the Rotterdam Film Festival, where both were guests and speakers. They gravitated toward each other immediately. The evening of the day they first met, he sent an e-mail to his brother Chris and longtime friend Chris Costello with the subject heading: “The object of my affection.” Attached to the e-mail was a picture of Nika. 

Nika was already well known in the film circuit in Europe, being the youngest-ever editor of film journal Ekran. Sight & Sound characterized her stint at the publication as “pushing it to a new level of excellence with her customary passion and commitment, taking the fight to parochial, philistine right-wing bureaucrats who wanted a commercial magazine focused on local and commercial cinema.” The constant struggle eventually made her choose to give it up, move to Manila at the start of 2009 to be with Alexis, and to help set up funding alliances between producers and organizations between Europe and Southeast Asia. 

Needless to say, they were perfect for each other.

She was always by his side as he continued to push for his advocacies in our local film culture. In fact, she was there in ABS-CBN Studio 9, watching from the sidelines as Alexis went on the ANC show Media in Focus, alongside writer Butch Dalisay and film director Carlo J. Caparas. Hosted by Che-Che Lazaro, the issue being discussed was the controversial naming of Caparas and a few others as National Artists by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s office. It was a breach of protocol since the appropriate selection committees did not endorse the names of Caparas to her. It seems that they were inserted only after the recommendations were forwarded to Malacañang.

The clip of Alexis verbally tussling with Caparas has become a legendary and much-watched video on popular Internet site YouTube. The director, who had been named National Artist for Visual Arts and Literature, was calling the protests against him part of what he termed “protest syndrome” against the Arroyo administration and that the academics were being elitist. His films were watched by the masses, not just critics.

Politely but firmly, Alexis replied: “On the topic of film, first of all I would just like to contend with some of the things that Mr. Caparas had said earlier about National Artists shouldn’t be something that’s elitist or something that’s only seen in the universities. I sympathize with that position but I don’t think it’s one that I necessarily agree with. Especially considering the National Artists for Film that have been chosen already... when we talk about the films of Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, or even Manuel Conde, I don’t think that we talk about them as elitist filmmakers. So I think it’s a bit wrong to have that impression.”

Alexis also cited National Artists like Gerry de Leon and Lamberto Avellana, whose careers were not only critical favorites but were box-office earners back in their day.

“The more important perspective wouldn’t be that these are elitist but it would be to say that these are ones we feel are important, and we feel more people should watch,” said Alexis.

“Out of the 70 or so films of Lino Brocka, there are a number of them that are lost… of Gerry de Leon’s there are only a handful that still exist. Same for Lamberto Avellana. And to me that’s what’s more tragic. It isn’t about the masses not knowing their work today, but it’s about the reason why some people might not get to see them. And that’s pertaining to how we take care of our arts.”

Later on, in the same show, Alexis would again address the director’s defense that he deserved the award because his movies were watched by a mass audience and made money.

“If we’re to measure our culture by the amount of people that watched it then we would have a lot more respect for Willie Revillame as a host,” said Alexis. “I don’t think we’re going to give cultural awards to Wowowee, for example. It’s probably one of the most watched television programs. But the question of quality of culture is not a question of the numbers of culture.”

After the program, Nika was very proud of Alexis. Back in Slovenia, she herself was as passionate, obstinate and outspoken as he was. And like him, she was also committed to the cause of Philippine cinema and the ideals that Alexis was fighting for. She came to Manila not only because she loved him but also because she loved our films, our culture.

During dinner at Mogwai, a gathering place for local filmmakers in Cubao, she was happy at how many people would come up to Alexis and commend him for standing up to Caparas during the show. Heartened by the overwhelming support of the community, she told friends that she “felt more safe here in Manila than back at home.”

Less than a month later, they were both gunned down and killed inside Alexis’s home on 39 Times Street.

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POSTSCRIPT: In a statement issued last Wednesday at the Tioseco household, on the first death anniversary of the couple, Chris Tioseco, Alexis’s brother, said: “While the police have filed a case for robbery with homicide, many questions remain: Who planned and ordered the killings? Who paid the killers? Why did they want Alexis and Nika dead? There has been no thorough investigation nor has there been any significant movement on the case. It was only last month that the warrant for the alleged accomplice, Criselda Dayag, was issued by the Quezon City courts. To this day, it has not been implemented and the woman remains at large.

“My brother Alexis loved the Philippines, not just its cinema. He could’ve opted to go to Canada where the rest of the family currently resides but he chose to remain in the Philippines, the country he considered his own. He was Filipino and never considered himself as anything but Filipino. He’s also buried here.

“We appeal to the current administration, whom we believe is sincere and steadfast in its aims of making a better and safer Philippines. We know this because we have been neighbors with the Aquino family for the last three decades. Their house is only eight doors down from where we are tonight. We believe in President Noynoy Aquino as much as we believed in his mother, Cory, whose death last year greatly affected Alexis.

“We pray that not another year goes by with still no answers or movement on the murder of my brother and Nika. We implore the authorities to act on the warrant of arrest for Criselda Dayag that was issued. It is a crucial first step, but it is still, only, a first step. There are still leads that haven’t been explored, and many questions yet to be answered. We understand that it won’t be easy, but we will not settle for anything less than a thorough and exacting investigation. How can we not strive for justice for my brother and Nika, who died with the love of this country in their hearts?

“We hope that justice will soon be served. God bless the Philippines.”

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Author’s Note: The above is an edited excerpt from the September issue of FHM Philippines, which is out on the stands now. Thanks to Allan Madrilejos, Allan Hernandez and Lou Albano of FHM Philippines for all their help and support.