An Article Analysis on Ganito Kami Nuon..Paani Kayo Ngayon

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He asks a Visayan lawyer named Tibor if he can rightly be called Filipino. Tibor says that in order to be called a Filipino, one must be a worthy and valuable person.

The young man finds a worthy cause to live for. He is disgusted at so-called Filipinos collaborating with the enemies, the Spaniards and the Americans. Just like Jose Rizal, who was heartbroken, he abandons his love for Diding and shifts his love to his country.

Kulas, in the end, realizes that a Filipino is someone who loves or will love the then newly created Filipino nation. It is not enough to be born in the country in order to be called a Filipino. One should also love his country through actions. Kulas approaches a group of orphans and reminds them to call themselves Filipinos. He then hikes off to join the insurrectos.

Director/Writer’s Biography:

Eddie Romero was a prolific and award-winning Filipino filmmaker, screenwriter, film director, producer, and National Artist for Cinema and Broadcast Arts. He has devoted his life to the art and commerce of cinema, spanning three generations of filmmakers. He was known for films that tackled Philippine history, politics, and culture.

Romero was born on 7 July 1924 in Dumaguete to Pilar Sinco, a teacher, and Jose Romero, a former member of the House of the Representatives, Secretary of the Department of Education (DOE), and Philippine Ambassador to London.

He studied at an elementary school in Dumaguete, at Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), at University of the Philippines (UP) High School, and at the Siliman University High School in Dumaguete. He obtained his bachelor of arts degree from UP, completed the associate in arts (pre-law) program at Siliman University, and was given an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) by the Foundation University in Dumaguete.

Romero wrote scripts and directed films. Among his first few films were Ang Kamay ng Diyos (1947); Hindi Kita Malimot (1948); Ang Selosa (1948); Apoy sa Langit (1949); Abogada (1949); and Ang Asawa Kong Americana (1953). Ang Asawa Kong Americana was the first Filipino film to win in the Asian Film Festival. He was also known for directing films that featured the love team of Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran: Always, Kay Ganda Mo (1949); Kasintahan sa Pangarap (1951); and Ang Ating Pag-ibig (1953).

In 1953, Romero left Sampaguita Pictures after they changed his name in his last film. He then dared to make the films he wanted. He did comedies like Torpe and Maria Went to Town, and B-movie (low-budget movie) collaborations with Gerry de Leon, which particularly catered to American audiences. In 1957, he was able to make B-movies and horror films in the US like Man on the Run, The Scavengers, and Terror is a Man. Two of his last films in the US became cult classics. These were The Brides of Blood Island and Mad Doctor of Blood Island.

In the mid-1970s, he decided to come home upon becoming excited over the works of Ishmael Bernal and Lino Brocka. His comeback film was Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? Where Kulas was his first major character.

Romero served as chairman of the Film Committee of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and deputy director of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP). He turned over the rights to Ganito Kami Noon... to the NCCA.

In 2009, he was one of the eight National Artists who participated in the Chronological Services for the National Artists Awards. It was a protest action against the Malacañang Palace for meddling in the selection process and including its own candidates in the year's awardees without due process.

At 88-year old, Romero had been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks before his death. He was first confined from 18 to19 May 2013 and was readmitted on the 23rd. The doctors said that he had a blot clot on the right side of his brain. Romero was reported to have been suffering from prostate cancer.