NEWSFLASH 

---

MITRA BIOFILM NEVER GOT OFF THE GROUND

Quezon City, March 27, 2000 - Ever wondered whatever happened to that much-publicized planned movie about the life of the late Speaker Ramon Mitra?

It was supposed to have been directed by Carlo Caparas from his own script, which he was to write in close consultation with the late speaker. There were two press conferences held for the movie, tentatively titled "Ramon Mitra: Pilipinas Kong Mahal."

Ethel Ramos, the dean of Filipino movie PRs, coordinated the two press-cons, late last year, held soon after the Speaker had announced that he had a terminal case of liver cancer.

The first press-con only had Caparas and his producer-wife, Donna Villa, as interviewees, but Speaker Mitra himself turned up for the second press conference, cheerfully answering all sorts of questions addressed to him.

He looked very pale, although he was constantly smiling, witty, and jocular.

We don’t, however, remember receiving any formal notices from Manay Ethel about the shelving of the Mitra movie.

But recently, after the Speaker had succumbed to liver cancer, we asked some fellow showbiz beat reporters about it and were told that not a single day of filming was ever done for the movie. Apparently, the family didn’t approve of the project. Some reporters even said that it was specifically the Speaker’s wife who didn’t want the movie done.

It was Christopher de Leon who should have portrayed the role of Ramon Mitra. This wasn’t formally announced in either press-cons but we got the information from Lolit Solis, who attended both affairs on behalf of Christopher, whom she claimed to be among her clients.

Actually, at the time of the second press-con, news had already leaked out that one of the kids of the Speaker didn’t approve of the movie project. The Speaker told the showbiz press that he was in the US at the time his son was interviewed, but he had since told him (the son) that “for as long as I am still breathing, I am the Speaker of the House.” We all applauded.

If it’s true that it was the wife who didn’t approve of the film-bio, the Speaker must have decided to rock the family boat right at the time of his last days on earth. Still, there may never be a movie about the very real rags-to-riches story of the Speaker Ramon Mitra. --- By Danny Vibas (Manila Times)

---