STA. RITA town is certainly not Hollywood or LVN Pictures, but the brightest stars in Philippine Cinema, both then and now, have walked in the many rustic places of this town with many legendary film directors using it as backdrop for their films -- earning for it the worthy title of Film Location Capital of Pampanga.
If you are free spirit, a tech buff, a cosmopolitan or urban person who is weary of the city life, you would love to stay in this sleepy town for a week or so. But to remain in this town for more than the time frame you consider a vacation, you'd be suffering from "withdrawal syndrome", raving madly for the comforts of modern living, the luxury of city life and the chaos of urban life partly out of boredom, for nothing unusual happens in Sta. Rita -- a backwater town, a place to get lost in a serene rural setting and forget one's worries. It is one of the province's most peaceful towns and most often than not, the crime rate here is virtually zero. These are probably the reasons why it is a preferred location for out-of-town filming.
Sta. Rita boasts of a thriving cottage pastry industry, a couple of undeclared historical landmarks, a throng of local antique collectors and owners, and a proud history of clan and silent millionaires, a contrast to the rural setting. It is the town of modernist artist Galo Ocampo, of militant Satur Ocampo and many prominent men and women who call this laidback town as their home. Only the business district of the town is suburban and the rest of barrios still retain the old way of life. Sta. Rita is a town in the heartland of the province.
Obscure to many Kapampangans, this town is a haven for filmmakers and documentary shows that first "exploited" the rich landscape and cultural landmarks and captured them into celluloid.
This backwater town was first seen on screen in the 70s when it was featured in the famed Lino Brocka film, "Tinimbang Ka, Ngunit Kulang" (Weighed But Found Wanting) in 1974 starring Christopher de Leon. The scenes were shot at Villa Epifania and Santa Rita College, the oldest existing educational institution in the town. Star Lolita Rodriguez, who played the role Koala, was shown in the film wandering on the streets of Sta. Rita and sleeping in front of the church patio. The film had eight nominations from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards and won six of them, namely Best Picture, Best Actor (Christopher De Leon), Best Actress (Lolita Rodriguez), Best Director (Lino Brocka), Best Musical Score, Best Theme Song.
Then it was followed by a film of stuntman turned-action star, turned-mayor, turned-senator Lito Lapid (a native of the neighboring town of Porac) who starred in the movie, (drum rolls please) "Pedro Tunasan" in 1983 and believe me or not, that is the title of that flick that also starred Tina Revilla, Imelda Ilanan, Anna Marie Gutierrez, Charlie Davao, Paquito Diaz, Tony Santos, Sr. and George Estregan and was directed by Celso Ad Castillo.
The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the 90s made this town one of the likely locations for the documentary film "Lahar" a 1996 drama flick directed by Mel Chionglo and starred Dawn Zulueta. The complete title of the film is Lahar: Paraisong Abo (Lahar: Paradise of Ash) and showed a couple of gay hairdressers from the town who played the roles of Manila gay socialites (suppressed giggles) who ended up going into a lahar-devastated area. The movie was said to be intended for an international audience. The film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The town church and the Carpio Mansion (a Spanish ancestral house) were extensively used in the film "Padre Calibre", an entry to the 1997 Metro Manila Film Festival, starring Eddie Garcia as a priest forced to resort to speeding up heavenly justice by firing a gun. The film starred Monsour Del Rosario, Eddie Gutierrez, Dan Fernandez and Aya Medel and was directed by Val Iglesias.
Also, portions of Star Cinema's "Kailangan Kita" in 2002 starring Claudine Barretto and Aga Muhlach were shot in grand old house here. The flick was supposed to be set in Bicol but most of the scenes in the Spanish era house were actually shot inside the old Mercado Mansion in Barangay San Vicente here.
Laurice Guillen's "Tanging Yaman" followed in the 90s, where squabbling families fought for the right to their family's ancestral house. And what better way to show the importance of the feud than shooting the scenes in the magnificent Villa Epifania? People here could still remember when the brightest Philippine stars like Gloria Romero, Johnny Delgado, Cherry Pie Picache, Joel Torre, Hilda Koronel walked casually near the town plaza.
And not to forget that movie by the Lapids -- can anyone forget "Tatlong Baraha" in 2006, which is actually a remake of another 1981 film of the same title, that flick that was an entry to a local film festival? The municipal hall, the church and the plaza were subjected to a few moments in this film.
Telenovelas with light to tear-jerking plots were also shot in this backwater town.
The ABS-CBN television series "It Might Be You" which starred John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, was shot in front of the church patio facing the town plaza.
The drama series "Gulong Ng Palad" (lit. Wheel of the Palm [of the Hand], figuratively Wheel of Fate) also by ABS CBN was set in a rural barrio, shot in nearby Barangay Diladila, the biggest barrio of the town and still the most rural. This barrio still boasts of wide fields of ancestral farmlands and home to the best 'Uraru' cookies (San Nicolas cookies or simply Araru) and 'Mamon Tostado' baked in the household earthen 'pugon' (oven).
The Sta. Rita Parish Church, with its rectory and interior, and a few of the new upper class houses played host to the GMA telenovela series "Mga Mata ni Angelita" (The Eyes of Angelita) a drama produced by GMA Network in 2007 which is a television remake of a 1978 film starring Julie Vega.
The town church was also a featured spot in the Philppine Television series version of MariMar by GMA Network which starred actress Marian Revera.
According to local officials, the town is frequented by location directors because of the town's proximity to Manila. Aside from this, although Sta. Rita is a sleepy town and its population small, its locals have gotten used to movie and TV stars frequenting their town.
Sta. Rita is also the home of the famous Torrones de Casoy and yearly venue for the Duman Festival as well as the local cultural group Arti. Sta Rita. It would take around 40 minutes to access this town from the main capital of San Fernando.
There are no hotels or inns in this town. As a reporter, I always thought that nothing really happens in this backwater town, but then again things are not always what they seem.
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