MOVIEGOERS flooded Cinema 1 of SM City Cebu during the red carpet premiere of “Jacqueline Comes Home” last Tuesday.
Director Ysabelle Peach Caparas, Carlo J. Caparas and CJ Caparas were present during the premiere night. Meg Imperial and Donnalyn Bartolome, who portrayed the Chiong sisters, also graced the event.
Thelma Chiong and Dionisio Chiong, parents of the Chiong sisters, also attended the event.
Trifon Morales, a moviegoer, said that he was 30 years old when the Chiong sisters were kidnapped in 1997. For him, it is necessary to watch the movie because it will surely give the viewers, especially the youth, a moral lesson.
Meanwhile, Clark Panugalinog, who was not yet born during the disappearance of the Chiong sisters, believes that as a Cebuano youth, it is very important to be knowledgeable about the Chiong case.
“It was a big scandal in the Philippines, unya considering sa Cebu pa siya. Then, mu-rot nalang gani siya nga case. How are we going to teach the future generation if this particular case can’t be solved?” said Panugalinog.
To be fair, the case is considered closed with seven men: Juan Francisco “Paco” Larrrañaga, Josman Aznar, Rowen Adlawan, Alberto Caño, Ariel Balansag and brothers James Andrew and James Anthony Uy—collectively known as the Chiong 7—having been convicted of kidnapping and illegal detention in 1999. But Jacqueline’s body has never been found.
Peach said the movie is based on a tragedy that rocked the nation. It is about self-realization and family.
This is her feature film debut, so she is grateful for all the support she received. Peach welcomed everyone, even the bashers, who came to attend the premiere night.
“Even if some of you came maybe just to judge the film, we welcome you tonight. For you to see for yourselves that the point of view in writing it is that no one in the film is portrayed as they are,” said Peach.
Meg Imperial, who portrayed Jacqueline, hopes that the movie will answer all the unanswered questions on the public’s mind.
CJ Caparas, who played one of the Chiong 7 in the movie, said it wasn’t their intention to incriminate anybody. They just want to portray the roles of those who committed the crime.
CJ added that what is undeniable is that there was a crime that took place on July 16, 1997 and two young women were abducted.
Carlo J. Caparas, assistant director for “Jacqueline Comes Home,” firmly said that there is no finger pointing and no perpetrators were mentioned in the movie. The film does not revolve around a specific person.
“Ang pinatutungkulan ng aming pelikula ay kung ano ang trahedya na nangyari sa pamilya Chiong. Kung ano ang hirap na dinanas ni Mrs. Thelma Chiong at kung paano niya inilunsad ang pakikipaglaban upang makamit ang hustisya (The point of the movie is the tragedy that happened to the Chiong family. The hardship Mrs. Thelma Chiong experienced and how she fought to achieve justice),” said Carlo.
Carlo added that this movie is dedicated to his wife, Donna Villa, who passed away a year ago. If his wife were to produce a film for her fellow Cebuanos, she would surely choose the Chiong case.
This also made Peach emotional. She said that the movie had a lot to do with her mom. When she passed away, her dad chose to take a one-year hiatus and when he came back, he told her that they were going to do the Chiong sisters film.
Peach said that her dad was really proud of her. He had a very different script for the film and she changed a lot of it. There were only four important scenes which were retained and others were fixed or totally replaced.
Peach said she wanted to bring in a journey where one mother is suffering. The movie was more vocal than visual because she wanted it to be something more about the accounts of the story.
Peach even disclosed that she watched “Give Up Tomorrow,” a documentary about Paco Larrañaga’s side of the story.
“I had to arm myself with all the knowledge that I could,” said Peach. “I had to dig deeper for myself ‘cause it’s like I didn’t want to make a film that was biased. I don’t want to make you guys watch something that will only make you feel one thing.”
“The reason why we released the trailer as it was, was because our jobs as filmmakers is to intrigue, enlighten and captivate,” she continued.
Indeed, it made people thirsty for knowledge.
“Instead of spoon-feeding or brainwashing, I want the people to be able to have something they could have their opinions on and find their own kind of facts about it and make them hungry for knowledge. I want to re-awaken something,” said Peach.
Peach also clarified that they are not related to the Chiongs. Some people claim that she did this movie because they are related to the Chiongs.
Meanwhile, Carlo believes that this film could be the vehicle to prove who the innocent ones are and who the guilty ones are.
He also added that it is good that many people are curious about the film. It was made to let the people know about the case that happened a long time ago but continues to create a fuss among Cebuanos.
Susano Rama, another moviegoer, said that the movie was able to raise awareness. He said that people should be aware that horrible people, who have the tendency to do horrible things, truly exist.
For Panugalinog, the last scene in the movie was very momentous. It showed pain, remorse, yearning and longing.
“‘Jacqueline Comes Home’ made me realize the most important thing about life... that life is between letting go and moving on,” said Panugalinog.
“Jacqueline Comes Home” is out in the theaters nationwide.