Best float scrapped from Metro film fest

Author: Gani De Castro
Column: Entertainment

Unlike the past years where the Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines' (MMFFP) Parade of Stars were held annually at the Luneta Grandstand, this year's fest parade ended at the grounds of the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City.

It was a decision unanimously arrived at by the executive committee of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) led by Chairman Bayani Fernando.

According to Wilson Tieng, producer of Solar Films and one of the brains behind the MMFFP proceedings, MOA is a very ideal place for the terminal of the Parade of Stars floats.

On Wednesday, all the stars of the eight official movies in the 2008 MMFFP boarded the colorful floats assigned to the films officially selected by the MMDA screening committee. From Manila Hotel, the eight colorful floats plied the Roxas Boulevard strip to Baclaran and detoured to MOA for the final leg of the parade.

Sadly, while all the originality and creativity were thrown in to make wonderful floats for the stars, the Best Float category has been scrapped from this year's event. Tieng defended the new policy.

"At saka, lahat naman ng floats ay winner. Magaganda ang lahat ng floats," said Tieng Wednesday afternoon at the backstage of the MMFFP stage.

Tieng denied the executive committee of the MMFFP pulled out the Best Float race because the organization is in the red. "Talagang walang itulak-kabigin sa mga floats sa ganda," stressed the producer.

Among the floats entered in this year's Parade of Stars are: Regal Films' "Desperadas 2" starring Iza Calzado, Ruffa Gutierrez, Marian Rivera, Rufa Mae Quinto and Ogie Alcasid; Regal Multimedia's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" topbilled by Roxanne Guinoo, JC de Vera, Kim Chui, Gerald Anderson, Marian Rivera and others; Maverick Films' "Magkaibigan" featuring Jinggoy Estrada, Christopher Leon, Maricel Laxa, Tirso Cruz III and Dawn Zulueta; Star Cinema's "Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat" starred by ace comedienne Ai Ai de las Alas; Canary Films and OctoArts Films' "One Night Only," presenting five of the current local sexy stars namely Alessandra de Rossi, Diana Zubiri, Jennylyn Mercado, Valerie Concepcion and Katrina Halili; Viva Films' "Baler" with Anne Curtis, Phillip Salvador and Jericho Rosales; M-Zet Productions' "Iskul Bukol 20 Years Later" featuring Tito, Vic and Joey; and, Cutting Edge Productions' "Dayo," an animation film.

Source: ABS-CBN News