It appears that the movie based on the life of former police chief Ronald “Bato (Rock)” dela Rosa will be shown before the elections, saving it from the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) ban on biopics about candidates.
Robin Padilla, the actor who will be playing dela Rosa in the biopic, shared the movie’s poster on his Instagram account yesterday. According to the poster, the movie will be screened “in cinemas nationwide” on Jan. 30.
That means that the movie, Bato: The Gen. Ronald dela Rosa Story will be screened just 13 days before the official campaign period for May’s mid-term elections starts.
Dela Rosa, who will be running for senator, was called out by the COMELEC earlier this month, warning him that his biopic cannot be shown during the campaign period or else he could be disqualified from running for public office for violating Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Election Act.
Worse, he could be imprisoned. That’s ironic, considering dela Rosa was once the director of the Bureau of Corrections, the government office responsible for rehabilitating criminals and managing the New Bilibid Prisons.
The movie poster shows Padilla posing like the action star that he is complete with dark sunglasses and what appears to be a police badge hanging around his neck.
It also has photos of his co-stars like Beauty Gonzales, who plays dela Rosa’s wife.
Padilla, a loyal supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte just like dela Rosa, included this caption in his post: “Bato Bato sa Langit tamaan wag magalit. ”
It’s a Filipino saying that means only those who are guilty of wrongdoing are hurt by something another person has said.
Politicians in the Philippines do everything they can just to get elected, which includes having films produced based on their lives. These movies always portray them as heroes or, at the very least, in a very positive light.
It remains to be seen if the movie can help de la Rosa get elected, but judging by the comments on Padilla’s post, it appears fans are excited to watch it.
One netizen wrote that he couldn’t wait to watch the movie.
Another person said he’s hoping the movie can be shown in Canada.
But there were a few naysayers. One netizen wrote: “For sure, that’s going to be a flop.”
Dela Rosa remains popular among voters despite being known as the former leader of the Duterte administration’s controversial drug war. According to a recent survey, he is ranked in the eighth to 15th range of senatorial candidates.
Will you watch the movie? Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
