Former Vice President Shares Insights Amidst a Historic Filipino Movement in the Face of Adversity

It was a special reunion as supporters of former Vice-President Leni Robredo gathered at the premiere of the film “And So It Begins” held at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival 2024 recently.

“And So It Begins” is a full-length film about the political scene in the months leading to the May 2022 presidential elections, written, directed and produced by Ramona Diaz. The documentary shows that in the final days of the Rodrigo Duterte administration, an exuberant people’s movement emerged amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the threats to democracy. “And So It Begins” highlights the roles that journalist Maria Ressa, then Vice President Leni Robredo, then presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., and sitting President Duterte played during these moments of the nation’s history.

It was a full house inside Cinema 2 of Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Among those who attended the premiere were former Senators Bam Aquino and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, economist Solita “Winnie” Monsod and former COMELEC Chair and lawyer Christian Monsod, singer-composer Nica del Rosario who created Leni’s election anthem “Rosas”, singers Leah Navarro and Mitch Valdez, social media personality Mama Loi Villarama, lawyer Romy Macalintal and many others. After the screening, art critic and curator Marian Pastor Roces moderated the talkback with Atty. Leni, Maria Ressa and Ramona Diaz as resource persons.

Since the film talks about the reality of social media and the threat of fake news on society, Ressa noted how these factors are affecting democracies in countries such as the US, Germany and Austria. “The world needs to prove that a rules-based order is still in place,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner emphasized.

Roces asked Robredo on how the latter’s campaign credo of “radical love” had evolved since her defeat in the May 2022 elections. Robredo gracefully replied that it remains her guiding principle as she continues helping the marginalized through her grassroots-based NGO Angat Buhay.

“Angat Buhay is the vehicle for us to continue organizing and we have been doing that for the past two years,” said Robredo. “We started something really special, and that something special was the people’s movement during the campaign. Lahat ng mga mga message ko sa mga tao after the elections was ‘Hindi nasayang ang efforts natin.’”

Robredo then revealed that the working title of the film was actually “This Is How It Ends”. But through discussions, it was eventually Diaz who thought of the final title “And So It Begins” which Robredo found to be apt as it implies what she described as “the power of the long game”.

Addressing her supporters she said, “Alam natin kung saan tayo nagkulang. Alam natin kung ano yung wala sa atin. Ngayon yung panahon para maghabol tayo at i-correct natin kung saan tayo nagkulang.”

Diaz expressed appreciation to Robredo and Ressa for giving her a “front row seat” to the Filipino nation’s history. As she hoped to pass this privilege to the audience, she urged them to be reflective and critical. “The point of disinformation is to question the lies,” said Diaz.

“And So It Begins” is rated PG (Parental Guidance) by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). It is distributed by Solar Pictures, and opens in theaters nationwide on August 21. For updates, follow the social media accounts of And So It Begins Film and Solar Pictures.