- Bato: The General Ronald Dela Rosa Story is set to be screened closer to the official election campaign period
- Ronald Dela Rosa stated upfront that the movie will definitely help him on his electoral campaign
- Critics said that the movie is a form of premature campaigning
“Prankahin natin – itong pelikula [na ito], napakalaking [tulong na] mag prop-up sa aking pagtatakbo bilang senador,” said Dela Rosa – who’s running under an administration-backed coalition during the press conference for his film-bio on Monday, January 28.
READ: Coco Martin, Daniel Padilla, Aljur Abrenica, considered to play Gen. Bato dela Rosa on his film bio
“Let’s be frank – this movie will be a huge help in propping up my candidacy as senator.” (Despite its lead star, and production team, try to downplay the political advantage of the biopic)
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“Di ko lubos maisip na ganito na pala ngayon, gagawing pelikula ang buhay ko…siguro the Lord has a plan for everyone (I never imagined that one day, my life would be turned into a movie…maybe the Lord has a plan for everyone),”
“Pangarap ko talaga maka-inspire sa mga kabataan (My dream is to really inspire the youth),” added the former general, referring to his rags-to-riches story.
The said movie focuses on his personal story but, despite that statement, his critics can’t help but point out that, it’s a form of premature campaigning. The movie will start screening on January 30 and will be pulled out before the official election campaign period that starts on February 12.
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The Fair Elections Act explicitly states that “No movie, cinematograph, or documentary portraying the life or biography of a candidate shall be publicly exhibited in a theater, television station or any public forum during the campaign period.” But this is easily avoidable by having the episode air before the campaign period itself or letting relatives be the subject of the episodes.
One thing is clear, no matter what the reason is for the delay of its screening date, it has been planned to be screened closed to the election campaign period.
