Malvar scion sees politics behind Pacquiao film role; 'Non-issue,' says senator's camp

A great grandson of Miguel Malvar has spoken against the casting of Senator Manny Pacquiao in the lead role of an upcoming film about the Philippine revolutionary general .

"I’ve always wanted to see my great grandfather’s story told on the big screen. But not like this. Please, not like this," Miguel Malvar Molina said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Molina expressed doubt about the acting capability of Pacquiao, who gained renown as a boxer but has also starred in movie roles in the past.

"But if he had gone through the process of auditioning, getting called back, passing screen tests, and finally getting the role because of his talent, then who am I to argue? This process is how the integrity of quality productions are preserved and ensured," Molina said.

"Unfortunately, it seems as if the script was written specifically for Manny as the lead role, which leads me to believe that this project was funded and expedited with a big political agenda in mind, not necessarily for historical, educational, and artistic purposes."

Molina added that he does not believe that movie was designed to be profitable, saying that a more popular actor would be cast if that were the case.

"They couldn’t even get Manny to do a proper poster shoot and resorted to editing his photo on Lolo Miguel’s face, something that anyone with an inkling of multimedia design could do in 15 minutes," Molina said.

Pacquiao's camp, for its part, defended the senator and boxing champion.

"Para kay Senator Manny non-issue sa kanya whether siya gumanap na General Malvar or ibang artista," Pacquiao staff member Jake Joson said.

If another actor ended up playing the role, Joson said Pacquiao would support the actor since Malvar is everyone's hero.

Gabriel Malvar, another great grandson of the national hero, earlier expressed his reservations about the project.

"To have a film about my lolo Miguel would be ideal. But a film, although desirable, if not executed well and taints his legacy, would do more harm than good. I prefer not to have a film at all," he said.

But Atty. Jose Malvar Villegas, the head of JMV Film Production that will produce the film, defended their choice of actor, saying critics "do not do justice to the ability of Sen. Pacquiao as an actor."

General Malvar is a national hero popular for being the last Filipino general to surrender to the American forces during the Philippine-American war.

According to the poster of the film, "General Malvar" will be directed by Jose Kaka Balagtas with a screenplay by Ed Samson. —JST, GMA News