By Caesar Vallejos, EBC Correspondent
Battling homesickness is a major hurdle plaguing many Filipinos abroad especially among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). They are considered as the modern heroes of the Philippines as their cash remittances contribute largely to the resilience of the economy.
Miles away from their families and friends, these Filipinos, however, struggle almost every day not only from the demands of their work and the challenge of living in a foreign land but also with loneliness and their longing for the Filipino culture and values that they lived up with and have accustomed to.
“When EBC kicked off its Asian promo tour for the Season 3 of its first sitcom “Hapi Ang Buhay” and EBC Films’ “Guerrero”, Filipinos in some selected countries were not only given a treat on the screening of Season 2 episodes of ‘Hapi ang Buhay’ and the ‘Guerrero’ movie trailer. It was their experience of joy and the hopes in their faces that we will always remember,” Robert Capistrano of EBC Films said.
The Asian promo tour covered Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Special screenings will also be conducted in Bangkok, Macau, and Japan. In some of these countries, the cast and crew of both these productions joined the tour, providing fun and entertainment to the Filipino community.
Message in a movie
“Maraming marami po akong natutunan sa ‘Hapi ang Buhay’ hindi lang dahil nakapagbigay ng aliw at nakakatuwa kundi ipinakita rin po dito ang ating pagkakaisa,” Jed Jasper Santos an IT professional web developer from Singapore said.
In Singapore, three screen showings were conducted last September 24, 2017, to accommodate the throng of Filipinos who lined up the Park Avenue Convention Centre.
“Malayo man po kami sa bansang Pilipinas ay nae-experience pa rin naman ang ganitong aktibadad, kaya’t nagpapasalamat po kami mula sa aming puso. Natutuwa kami sa aming napanood dahil napaka-timely po ng mga tinalakay na issues,” John Lord Cruz, who is working as an architect in Singapore said.
Architect Cruz added, “hindi lang siya basta nakakatawa o nagbibigay ng saya kundi may mga tinalakay itong mga values na kailangan ng bawat isa sa atin.”
“Nagpapasalamat din kami dahil ipinadala ang ilang cast at talagang nag-enjoy ang mga tao sa kanilang ginawa,” Cruz mentioned. The promo leg in Singapore was graced by Genesis Gomez, who takes the title role in the movie ‘Guerrero’ and a mainstay of the ‘Hapi ang Buhay’ sitcom. Anthony Ocampo who plays as Guerrero’s nemesis in the movie also joined the Singapore leg along with Erbil Escano and EBC Films’ Robert Capistrano.
Singapore student Patricia Glindo, said, “it is very happy, very hyper but has a message behind the movie that says that you have to follow and give respect to your leaders.”
Taiwan and Hong Kong
In Taiwan, the special screenings were shown in five different areas in Taipei, Taoyuan, HsinChu, Taichung and Tainan. These were held last September 3, 5 and 10 in different screening schedules.
The Hong Kong leg was conducted last October 7 and 8 at the West Island School Auditorium in Pokfulam, Hong Kong with EBC talents Apple Chiu and Mike Magat who entertained the Filipino community.
‘Hapi ang Buhay’ is the first situational comedy of EBC from award-winning director Carlo Cuevas who earned international recognition for the INCinema-produced ‘Walang Take Two’ from London and Jakarta and was nominated in other award-giving bodies in other parts of the world including Spain. Read about how EBC is redefining the sitcom in the Philippines in the link here.
‘Guerrero’, on the other hand, is produced by EBC Films, which will have its movie premiere on October 31. Get up close and personal with the director and main cast of Guerrero in this link.