'Munting Tinig' must be supported.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Ruben M. Cruz Jr.

FOR ME, the saddest part of watching "Mga Munting Tinig" happened shortly before the film's opening credits started rolling, as I looked around the theater and was disappointed to see that it wasn't even half full.

I thought to myself, just a few days ago, I was inside this same theater (SM Megamall Cinema One), with the same movie company (Warner Brothers) sponsoring another premiere ("Charlie's Angels"), and there was not one empty seat in the house. People, in fact, were crowding the aisles and sitting on the floor, and celebrities came in droves to see the Hollywood blockbuster.

Now here I am, this time attending the premiere of a homegrown film that has been lighting up art-house theaters abroad the last few months, a film that has been written about and praised by both local and foreign film critics and the crowd is not even bigger than the ones attracted by B-movie reruns shown in those decrepit cinemas along Rizal Avenue, the ones where sexual favors are offered together with the onscreen entertainment.

Cheating ourselves

Perhaps it's that old, crippling colonial mentality at work again. Or perhaps our constant exposure to the harshest realities has naturally bred an aversion to films that communicate the same unappetizing truths about life. Perhaps teaching is so unpopular a job, so looked down upon, that even a film about teachers gets the snub.