Myreen L.

Guzman
The Book and the Film El Presidente: Comparison

El Presidente (The President) is a 2012 biopic film based on the life of General Emilio
Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippine Republic directed by Mark Meily. The film stars
Laguna Governor Jeorge ER Ejercito Estregan in the title role, with Cesar Montano,
Christopher de Leon, Nora Aunor and Christine Reyes in supporting roles.

The film begins with his capture by Philippine and US forces under Frederick Funston's
command in 1901, then flashes back to 1886, when an old woman gives Aguinaldo and his
childhood friend Candido Tirona cryptic prophecies which was not stated in History textbooks.
Ten years later, Aguinaldo is inducted into the Katipunan and later assumes leadership of its
Cavite chapter while becoming mayor of Cavite El Viejo then later on became the first president
of the Republic of the Philippines during the Tejeros Convention.

El Presidente also gave an accurate depiction of the start of the revolutionthat the
signal the Cavitenos was waiting for from Manila never took place. This was corroborated by
many memoirs. But what stood out, which I think was a great offense to Philippine history was
how El Presidente assumed things in historical silences. It assumed one version of the events as
reality when these historical issues are still being debated, examined, and weighed upon by
historians.

The film did not avoid tackling the very controversial historical issues about Aguinaldo's
role in the deaths of Andres Bonifacio and Antonio Luna. He wrote a confession and admitted
being behind the killing of Bonifacio, but he gave a reason. Aguinaldo claimed that based on the
proddings of his men if he wanted to maintain the stability of the government, he had to
implement the decision of the Council of War, which was the death penalty for the Bonifacio
brothers which was showed in the movie.

On May 10, 1897, Major Lazaro Makapagal, upon receiving the sealed order of General
Noriel, took the prisoners from their cells and brought them to Mount Tala, where the
Bonifacio brothers were shot. They did not hide the fact that all this was based on the memoirs
of El Presidente himself, hence the probable bias in point of view. Now, what truly happened in
Mount Tala is still the bone of historical contentions.

Antonio Luna was played by Christopher de Leon in his typical acting style. The script
basically concentrated on his nasty temperament, not on his military prowess. But then again
this was not a film about Gen. Luna anyway.

Despite all the imperfections, I still think this was a very earnest film made with the very
best of intentions. More than its breathtaking cinematography, well-choreographed fight
scenes, haunting music and brilliant acting, El Presidente is about the triumph of good over
evil. Even if it shows ugly faces of war and betrayal, the film extols the heart a heart for the
country and for the Filipinos.