"Grabe yung experience ko sa Cairo International Filmfest," he says. "Pina-top ang movie during the screening, kasi sobrang higpit pala nila roon. Ayaw nila noong scene na sineduced ni Rita Daniela si Jake Vargas. Ayaw nila ng kissing scenes. Tapos, ayaw nila sa ending na papatayin ng batang si Migz Cuaderno si Gabby Eigenmann. I had to defend the movie, na si Gabby, drug lord, at yung crime ang gustong i-stop ng bata."
He has also finished a new movie, "Child Haus", about indigent children suffering from the big C who stay in a halfway house in Manila while seeking treatment. This is bound for another big international filmfest but he begs us not to write about it yet. "Baka hindi nila magustuhan kung mapre-empt natin sila," he says.
Now, he is about to start another new movie, "Mga Isda sa Tuyong Lupa (Outcasts)". "Kaya sana, wag muna kong bigyan ng GMA ng show, lalo't soap, dahil gusto ko munang mag-focus sa filming nito," he says.
The concept of "Mga Isda" came from producer Ferdie Lapuz who lives in Pampanga when he noticed several beggars who roam around Angeles City and they turned out to be Badjaos.
"Dati, mga Aeta lang ang nagpapalimos sa amin, ngayon, mga Badjao na," he says. He did some research and learned that there's an entire community of Badjaos living in a lahar community near the megadike in Mabalacat, Pampanga. "They are all originally from Zamboanga as sea gypsies, but they went to Manila dahil sa gulo sa Mindanao. There are Badjao communities in Manila at yung iba, napadpad sa Pampanga.
Actually, they don't want to be called Badjaos. Ang talagang pangalan ng ethnic group nila is Sama D'Laut. Ang mga babae sa kanila, nanganganak through the help of their elder women at hindi nakarehistro at all sa civil registry office. Kaya pag tinanong sila kung ilang taon na sila, they don't know kasi hindi nila alam ang birthday nila.:"The script of the movie is written by Carlo Catu and Robby Tantingco. When Direk Louie learned about it, he presented the project to Mrs. Pablita "Baby" Go of BG Productions, who quickly gave the go signal to produce it. "I like advocacy projects like this," says the amiable producer. "May puso at may matututuhan ang mga manonood, pati na ang ating gobierno. Yung 'Child Haus' namin, about children battling the big C. Ito naman, about displaced kababayans natin na kawawa naman, living in subhuman conditions, napapabayaan at dapat talagang tulungan ng gobierno."
Writer Carlo Catu says he cried when he saw the place where the Badjaos live. "Maiiyak ka. Hindi mo aakalaing may mga tao palang existing like this. Ni wala silang CR. Dudumi sila sa orinola tapos itatapon lang nila kaya mabaho sa lugar nila. Sila yung mga nanghihingi ng limos at pag hindi mo binigyan, tatapikin ka. Ang tapik na yun daw, may kasamang sumpa kaya dapat tapikin mo rin sila in return, dahil kung hindi, mamalasin ka."
