If it is legal, it is also right. But that is not always the case, as suggested by Biboy Ramirez, 35, one of the stars of Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 feature film "Oro."
Written and directed by Alvin Yapan, "Oro" is based on the Caramoan Massacre. The incident, also dubbed the Gata 4 Massacre, took the lives of four small-scale gold miners Julio Labiano, 30, Rene Labiano, 28, Salem Virtus, 24, and Jessie Brondia, 34, on March 22, 2014 at Sitio Campo, Brgy. Gata, Caramoan, Camarines Sur.
In a statement exclusively released to Yibada, Ramirez explained why Filipinos should watch "Oro." The actor said the drama crime thriller will show the Filipinos the injustice taking place in remote places of the Philippines and make them realize that not all that is legal is right and not all that is illegal is wrong.
Ramirez starred in the Filipino teen TV series "Click" in 1999 and went on to star in several films including the "Pacquiao: The Movie." The Manny Pacquiao biopic also starred Cannes Film Festival 2016 Best Actress Jaclyn Jose.
"Oro" is not Ramirez's first MMFF film. In 2012, he starred in the MMFF-New Wave feature film "In Nomine Matris" opposite Liza Diño, the current Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
"This is the first time I did a film based on a true story," Ramirez said when asked what makes "Oro" different from all the films he starred in. In the film, he plays a gold miner while John Lloyd Cruz's "Honor Thy Father" co-star Dalin Sarmiento plays his wife.
Featuring a story of matriarchal leadership, "Oro" shows how the environment could be used to cover political and economic interests on a small mining community. The story also shows the fight of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the jurisdiction over small-scale mining operations.
As an MMFF 2016 entry, "Oro" hits theaters in the Philippines on Dec. 25, Sunday. The film also stars Irma Adlawan, Joem Bascon, Mercedes Cabral, Acey Aguilar, Sue Prado, Sandino Martin, Arrian Labios and Sunshine Teodoro, among others.
Among the people behind "Oro" are producer Shandii Bacolod and production designer Harley Alcasid. Watch the trailer here: