Senator Bong Revilla

A P70 million behemoth of a movie project like “Ang Panday” would normally meet problems along the way. In this case, the battle for the top credit seems to be an issue.

Good thing the fantasy adventure has true professionals in its fold. Men behind the film know for whom the credit is due.

From the onset of “Ang Panday,” Sen. Bong Revilla Jr., who plays the lead role Flavio, has been talking about the directors who worked on the film: Mac Alejandre and Rico Gutierrez. Both of them should be credited for their respective contributions. But one man is the top gunner.

Bong argued, “Director Mac Alejandre is the captain of the ship. He took care of the flow of story, the story itself, the drama, comedy and more.”

For him, while Rico handled the audio visual aspect of the film, it was Mac’s movie through and through. “I already talked to the two of them and everything’s ironed out,” replied Bong when queried about a particular rumor concerning the two directors’ weight of work in the film.

Gutierrez also pointed to Mac being the film’s main director. “I’m not a credit grabber. Mac is the director here. I’m just helping in this project,” said Rico in an interview.

Insiders said that Rico was largely responsible with “Panday’s” superb CGI/special effects. “We were very meticulous about this movie. And the biggest preparation was in the visual effects and that’s what Rico focused on,” Bong said.

For all the talk on the matter, what’s important for Bong is the result of hard work, either for Mac or Rico. Judging from the positive feedbacks Imus Productions and GMA Films have been getting from their movie trailers, he is confident that moviegoers of all ages will love “Ang Panday.”

“Every Christmas we make big films for the children and I know that the whole family will enjoy ‘Ang Panday.’ If you’ve noticed we have somehow perfected the use of special effects. We’ve shown that Filipinos can also make special effects movies like they do abroad,” remarked Bong proudly.

Although a P100 million budget would have provided more space for improvement, the Titanic action star feels fulfilled that with a budget of around P70 million, they were able to produce a world-class film.

“We want to show the whole world that Filipinos can make films like ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Lord of the Rings.’ I know it’s not as big as their scopes because they have a big market abroad but we can be compared to them already,” he pointed out.

The “Panday” franchise was popularized by the late Fernando Poe Jr., the King of Philippine Cinema. Bong is bound to be the face of Panday for the new generation.

“The only difference from the FPJ classic version was the use of new and high technology. This is the new generation of Panday. But of course we will never forget who the original Panday is and that’s ‘ninong’ Fernando Poe Jr. This movie is actually a tribute to him,” he proudly stated.

Co-star Phillip Salvador who plays Flavio’s nemesis Lizardo, has a slightly different view. He described Bong’s character as different from FPJ’s Flavio and even from that of the original comic novel of Carlo J. Caparas. This for him makes “Ang Panday” fresh and exciting for moviegoers.

For Carlo J. Caparas, Bong was the perfect actor to portray Flavio after FPJ. “Dugo ng Panday” was Bong’s first stint with the “Panday” franchise. This time, he tackles deeply the story of Flavio and how he became the chosen one.

Also in “Ang Panday” are Iza Calzado, Rhian Ramos, Gladys Guevarra, Geoff Eigenmann, Robert Villar, Jonee Gamboa, George Estrega Jr., Paulo Avelino, Stef Prescott, Pekto and Bellie, Carlene Aguilar, John Lapus, Carlos Morales and Luz Valdez.

As to whether he ponders how the box-office result would fare for “Ang Panday,” Bong simply smiled, “It’s Christmas. It’s a time to be happy and it’s a time for the whole family to enjoy. And I believe that everyone will enjoy ‘Ang Panday.’”