'Oro' cast member says two dogs were killed in movie

A cast member of the controversial movie "Oro" has revealed on Facebook that not only one but two dogs were killed during the production of the film.

Japo Parcero, who played a small role as a maid named Lorna in the movie, said the attempt to hide the truth about the slaughtered dogs "disgusted her."

In an interview with GMA News' News To Go on Thursday, Parcero said she was told about the death of a dog at an after party following the announcement that "Oro," which was inspired by the Gata 4 Massacre, was an official entry to this year's Metro Manila Film Festival.

"Casually sinabi sa akin. I was so shocked... It's 2016 for, Christ's sake. We don't do this anymore. Kasi ang dami ng editing software [that we can use] para dayain 'tong mga bagay na ito," she said.

Gata 4 Massacre refers to an incident in 2012 that resulted in the death of four miners. The miners were allegedly gunned down by members of a certain Sagip Kalikasan Task Force. 

In her post on social media, Parcero said she was told about a first dog that suffocated in a bag by its owner and the second dog that was butchered onscreen.

However, Parcero was also quick to admit that she heard the information from other members of the crew, who she said have already "retracted their statements."

"The information that I got was second hand, I'm not going to lie about that," Parcero said. "Some people from the production contacted me and they support me, but the thing is they say that they're afraid. And I don't really know why."

The controversy had cost the movie the FPJ Memorial Award, which the MMFF recalled after the news about the slaughtered dog hit the headlines. The "Oro" production team on Wednesday said they willingly surrendered the award.

Parcero admitted that she has never seen the entire script and that she only shot with the crew for two days.

"I was playing a minor role lang po talaga dun sa film. I shot for two days, two separate days. One in April, first week. Tapos 'yung ikalawa, two weeks after na," Parcero said. "I was back in Manila shooting another film, d'on nila shinoot 'yong scene ng aso."

The actress said that when she confronted the film's director Alvin Yapan, he told her that the dog was killed by a "professional butcher." Another member of the production crew, who Parcero did not name, said, "Hindi ko hahayaang mamatay 'yung aso ng nasasaktan."

For Parcero, the fact remains that a dog was slaughtered specifically for the movie.

Basing her statements on an alleged portion of the script circulating online, she said that she believes the crew were complicit in the killing.

"All the production people knew that there was a scene ... I'm sure they knew, at some point the knew. N'ung umoorder sila ng aso, for purchasing... some of them knew na papatayin talaga ang aso, beforehand," Parcero said.

She continued, "For you to be the one to purchase the dog — the dogs actually — nakakatayin 'yan sa production schedule niyo...it was staged. It was initiated by the production."

Parcero additionally denied that campaigning for the dog's rights means that the deaths of the four miners in Gata have been pushed to the sidelines.

"I personally think we all should be involved in talking about all these issues, hindi 'yong isolated lang. Ang pagpatay ay pagpatay, ito po ay mali," she asserted. "Ang ipinaglalaban po natin dito ay 'yong mga...there are creatures who cannot speak for themselves; who cannot defend themselves from us."

"It's something that shouldn't have done in the first place," she said, referring to the death of the dog.

"Oro" made headlines this week after animal rights groups and concerned citizens pressured them to come out with the truth about a dog killing scene in the movie. —AT/KBK, GMA News