What are the things that an artist can do in the name of his craft?
Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) vows to pursue legal action against the makers of “Oro” for a disturbing dog slaughter scene included in the controversial Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry.
According to PAWS, it received reports that a dog was actually killed in the filming of “Oro.” The group said that the makers of the film allegedly violated Republic Act No. 10631 or the Animal Welfare Act.
“A crime has been committed. The film makers lied to the MMFF ExCom by initially saying that ‘no animal was killed,” said PAWS Executive Director Anna Cabrera on a Facebook post.
The film directed by Alvin Yapan tackles the issues of killings of miners from Camarines Sur. It won the Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) Memorial Award in the recent MMFF.
While Yapan later admitted that a dog was indeed included in the scene, he emphasized that no member of the crew was involved in the slaughter.
Yapan said that he is disappointed that people are more concerned about the dog’s slaughter than the killings of the miners depicted in the movie.
“That is the message that we will continue to drive home. Whatever happened in that case? Is anybody asking about what happened to the four miners, their families, and the whole barangay? That should be the focus,” said Yapan in a report by Interaksyon.
Yapan agreed to “compromise” to address the issue.
“For starters, there will be a warning or advisory outside of cinemas showing “Oro” that the film contains graphic material. Specifically, they agreed to “blacken” the scene that depicted the dog slaughter,” Interkasyon reports.
Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe, daughter of FPJ, has also issued a statement regarding the dog slaughter controversy.
Poe asked the MMFF organizers to conduct further investigations on the matter.
“Aside from the possible criminal liability if indeed proven, the MMFF should also consider applicable administrative sanctions against the producers and/or film makers for any misrepresentation before the MMFF selection committee,” Poe said.
Cabrera said she had wanted the movie to be pulled out of theaters and its awards revoked.
