Senior Year is a 2010 Philippine film directed by Jerrold Tarog, which tells the story of ten students

of a private Catholic high school in Manila, as they go through the many transitions that come with
their final year in high school.[1][2] The film features real high school students in its major roles, with
more seasoned adult actors playing secondary roles, often taking their cue from the younger
performers.[3]
Contents
[hide]

1 Plot

2 Cast
o

2.1 Students

2.2 Teachers

2.3 Bookend characters

3 Production
3.1 Casting and Screenplay

4 Recognition

5 Promotion
o

5.1 Faculty: A Prequel to Senior Year

5.2 Digitank Studios, 2010 Metro Manila Filmfest, and SM Cinemas

5.2.1 SM Cinema extension campaign goes viral

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Plot[edit]
The promotional material for Senior Year avoids giving the audience specific plot points, and
describes the film simply as:[4]
"...a glimpse into the lives of ten students at St. Frederick's Academy as they struggle
through the final months before graduation. Hearts are broken and healed, friendships are

formed and lost. Childish ways are thrown out in exchange for seeds of maturity in what may
be the beginning of a bumpy ride towards the chaos of adulthood."

Cast[edit]
(in alphabetical order within each category)

Students[edit]

Aaron John Tan Balana - Henry

Sheila Marie Bulanhagui - Stephanie

Franzes Bunda - Bunda

Nikita Conwi - Solenn

Rossanne de Boda - Sofia

Mary Amyrose Lojo - Bridget

Daniel Lumain - Briggs

Eric Marquez - Chito

Daniel Clavecilla Medrana - Carlo

Celina Peaflorida - Mitch

Teachers[edit]

Ramon Bautista

LJ Moreno

Che Ramos

Bookend characters[edit]

Ina Feleo

RJ Ledesma

Arnold Reyes

Dimples Romana

Production[edit]
Casting and Screenplay[edit]
To cast the film, Tarog sent surveys to about 300 students about their life experiences. The ten
students with the most interesting stories were selected to be part of the cast. Tarog then put
these students through a two month workshop, and then he started writing the screenplay for
Senior Year.[5]
"Kung anuman yung kwento ng buhay nila, dun ako na-inspire na magsulat ng script" (Whatever
their own life stories were, that's where I drew the inspiration for writing the script.), Tarog would
later explain.[5]

Recognition[edit]
The film received an "A" rating from the Philippines' Cinema Evaluation Board, [6][7] and was
heartily recommended by the Philippines' Department of Education.[7][8][9] Aside from marking the
film in the public eye as "excellent", an "A" rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board entitles a
film to a 100% tax rebate on its box office sales.[10]
The risky move of featuring real high school students in the major roles of the film paid off, with
critics praising the young actors for their exceptional performances. [11] The film was nominated for
national awards even before its scheduled regular screenings.
The Entertainment Press Society (Enpress)'s 8th Golden Screen Awards (GSA), which opens
the awards season for films in the Philippines, saw Senior Year nominated for six awards,
including Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director, Best Story, and Best Original Screenplay.[12]
The Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC)'s Star Awards for Movies saw Senior Year nominated
for six awards, including Digital Movie Production Designer of the Year for Benjamin Padero, and
five nominations for Tarog: Digital Movie Director of the Year, Digital Movie Screenplay of the
Year, Digital Movie Editor of the Year, Digital Movie Musical Scorer of the Year,and Digital Movie
Sound Engineer of the Year.

Promotion[edit]
Faculty: A Prequel to Senior Year[edit]
In 2010, as Senior Year was being made, the ABS CBN News Channel tapped Tarog to be part
of AmBisyon 2010, a series in which directors would use short films to narratively present the
various problems that would face whoever won the Presidency in the Philippine Presidential
Election of 2010. Tarog's entry, covering the area of "education", was the short film "Faculty",

subtitled "A prequel to Senior Year." The Ms. Joan character from Senior Year makes her first
appearance in this short, which explains why the character, who used to be a College teacher,
had become a high school teacher by the time she was shown in Senior Year. Faculty became a
viral hit on various social networks, and the popularity of the short film became part of the
marketing for its longer, more fleshed-out sequel.[5]

Digitank Studios, 2010 Metro Manila Filmfest, and SM Cinemas [edit]

During the development of the film, Tarog, who up to this point had been known primarily as an
independent film director, told producer Franco Alido that he would "do my best to come up with
a film that he can show to everybody. But he has to do his best to show it to everybody." He
further explained that "Any film that has commercial aspirations is nothing without the marketing
that comes after it. People have to know the film is out there, that it wants to be seen. And that's
exponentially more difficult for an independent film without big stars, huge billboards and full
support from the major TV networks." [13]
Alido and his Digitank Studios staff proceeded to do everything they could to promote the film,
lugging promotional material and viewing equipment to different SM branches and eventually
getting the film played in twelve SM Cinema Branches beginning March 9, while a
nonconventional promotional campaign used Facebook and YouTube to build hype for the film,
often taking advantage of the fact that the prequel short film, "Faculty", had become a viral
favorite on social networking sites. As of the day before the regular screening, the campaign had
attracted more than twelve thousand to the movie's official Facebook page. [13]
The film was first screened as an independent film during the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival,
which began a special category for indie films that year.[14]
It was later picked up for distribution in SM Cinemas[14] and had its wider-audience premiere on
March 2, 2011, and began its regular screening run on March 9.[1]
SM Cinema extension campaign goes viral[edit]
On the evening of the film's release, Tarog thanked those who had already seen the film and
also encouraged those who hadn't seen it yet to watch the film as soon as possible. [15]
"From a purely business standpoint, the hard truth is that some SM branches will pull out the
film or slide it to a limited time slot due to slow ticket sales on a Wednesday afternoon
(precisely the time when nobody goes to watch a film... So listen...tomorrow might be your
last chance to see SENIOR YEAR. So if you have time tomorrow, do catch it! Most branches
within Metro Manila are still relatively "safe" so we expect weekend screenings. But the
earlier you catch the film, the better."
On March 10, 2011, with viewers asking on the various social networks for the film to be
extended, the film's marketing team replied "We notice some of your pleas are addressed to
SM Cinema. Well, you can tell it to them directly. Just Like their FB page and post on their
Wall. It could work."[15]

Fans immediately started posting requests on the official SM Cinema wall so that the film
would be extended, with the page soon becoming flooded with Senior Year requests.
Theater patrons from areas where the SM Cinema branch wasn't showing Senior Year, such
as Baguio, Laguna, and Batangas, also requested that the film be shown in their local SM
Cinemas.[15]
The campaign worked, and the film was screened in SM Cinemas for an entire week, an
unusual achievement for a Filipino independent film. In a message to viewers after the
screenings, Tarog noted:[16]
It's [...] a big achievement to have an independent film of this type (no major stars, no TV
advertisements) to be allowed a weeklong run in a major mall chain. The theatrical run was
an experiment for us. Without TV exposure, we didn't really raise our expectations at the box
office but, with the advance screenings and word-of-mouth, we DID hope that enough people
would see the film to make an impact on the Filipino audience.
Apparently it has. The viral campaign to extend SENIOR YEAR by flooding SM Cinema's
Facebook Wall was probably the main reason why SM allowed the film to stay in the theaters
in the first place.
It was all about trying something new and seeing if audiences would respond. On that count,
we succeeded, all thanks to you, our audience, who helped us fight for the right to be seen
and heard. All we need now is more faith from distributors and sponsors to give SENIOR
YEAR and other independently-produced, audience-friendly films the proper media mileage.
In addition, Tarog noted:[16]
I am confident that's all it takes. The audience and the market exists. The Filipino moviegoer
is smart and intelligent. After all, aren't we sons and daughters of people who sparked
Ang Tanging Ina (English: The Only Mother) is a 2003 Filipino comedy film, starring Ai-Ai de las
Alas and Eugene Domingo. The movie was the highest grossing Filipino film until it was surpassed
by Sukob in 2006. It currently ranks no. 6 after You Changed My Life (2009), Sukob(2006), its
sequel Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat (20082009), Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo (20062007) and A Very
Special Love (2008). Incidentally, all of these movies were produced or co-produced by Star
Cinema.
The film is followed by a television series of the same name and three sequels entitled Ang Tanging
Ina N'yong Lahat, Ang Tanging Ina Mo (Last na 'To!) and Enteng Ng Ina Mo.
Contents
[hide]

1 Synopsis

2 Plot

3 Cast

4 Sequel

5 Ang Tanging Ina (TV Series)

5.1 Cast

6 External links

Synopsis[edit]
With three dead husbands and twelve children to take care of, what is the modern day working
mother supposed to do? Ina Montecillo (Ai-Ai de las Alas) is completely clueless on how to be an
income provider and a homemaker at the same time given her dwindling finances of her household.
As she desperately hides from her children her efforts to make all ends meet, her children grow
resentful of her as she becomes a part of their own problems, but it seems that her best is never
good enough. Funnily yet, Ina rallies her cause with all the courage she can muster to be the best
mother she knows how.

Plot[edit]
Ina Montecillo (Ai-Ai de las Alas) meets Tony (Edu Manzano), whom she considers "the man of her
dreams". They both have four children, but Tony dies shortly after falling from a stool. After finding a
replacement father for her children, she meets Alfredo (Tonton Gutierrez), and they have four more
children. Alfredo dies after falling from a pedestrian overpass, and Ina meets Kiko (Jestoni Alarcon),
who fathers her other four children. On their wedding day, Kiko gets electrocuted and Ina decides to
stop finding another husband.
One morning, Ina wakes up finding her children Juan (Marvin Agustin), Tudis (Nikki Valdez), Tri
(Carlo Aquino), Por (Heart Evangelista), Pip (Alwyn Uytingco), Six (Marc Acueza), Seven (Shaina
Magdayao), Cate (Serena Dalrymple), Shammy (Jiro Manio), Ten-Ten (Yuuki Kadooka), Connie and
Sweet either troubled, problematic, panicking, fighting, or confused. Later on, she finds out that her
family might go poor, and so works several jobs from construction to selling bootleg DVDs just to
make ends meet.
She is reminded by Por of her dbut, while Juan begs her permission to let him find work. Ina
agrees, but finds Juan's chores at home very confusing. Ina is told by her ex-driver Bruno, who
reveals he is gay, that she can earn 2,000 a night at a stripper club. Meanwhile, Juan meets his
high school girlfriend Jenny (Kaye Abad) working at an amusement park, where he decides to apply.
Tudis quits her job and tries to pursue her desired career as an artist. Tri tries to impress his
girlfriend Gretchen (Angelica Panganiban) and her parents (Pinky Amador and Mandy Ochoa) with
his intelligence. Por tries to convince her crush, Jeffrey (John Prats), to be escort her at her dbut.
Pip, who is a closeted homosexual, spies on his crush doing his exercise routine, while Six invites
their mother to a mass treat. Seven was assigned to lead a school programme on Bakit Natatangi
Ang Aking Ina ("Why My Mother Is Unique") while Shammy tries to protect his reputation from his

classmate, Nhel's brother, because he is not yet circumcised. Pip prevents them from fighting and
when Nhel arrives, he accidentally mentions that Shammy is uncircumcised, causing Shammy to
hate him.
Things take a turn for the worse as Ina causes more problems for her kids: she prevents Juan from
marrying Jenny, while Tudis refuses to help her in job-seeking. She exposes her life as a stripper to
Tri, Gretchen, and Gretchen's parents, which causes Tri and Gretchen to split. She unsuccessfully
fulfils Por's million-peso dbut and also learns that Pip is gay, then ruins Six's "mass treat" after
thinking it was a "trick or treat" event. Seven hasn't told her of the programme yet because she
doesn't want to be humiliated. Cate reveals that Ten-Ten is deaf and Shammy has a high fever after
having himself circumcised by an unlicensed doctor. Finally, Ten-Ten goes missing. Ina rushes in a
taxi to Shammy in hospital while still in her stripper outfit, causing her cabbie Eddie (Dennis Padilla)
to fall in love with her. During their subsequent family meeting, she emotionally explains to the
children that she took on several jobs not because it was her obligation, but because she loves
them. Her complicated speech has the opposite effect, with Juan deciding to run away with Jenny.
Rowena (Eugene Domingo) comforts the careworn Ina, who thinks of how to solve everything.
After quitting her job at the club, Ina takes a bus ride where she sees a suicide bomber in front her,
causing everyone to panic. She saved many lives, but ends up injured from the bus explosion. Her
family arrives at the hospital and mourns a corpse under a sheet thinking it was Ina, who emerges a
few moments later in a wheelchair. She eventually fixes everything: she permits Juan, who returned,
to date Jenny but not wed her; she convinces Tudis to get her job back and Gretchen to reunite with
Tri; she accepts Pip's sexuality while Six forgives her; Seven finishes her programme; she forgives
Shammy, who recovers from his infection, while she finds the still-deaf Ten-Ten in a local church. Por
meanwhile finally celebrates her dbut after all, and as Eddie snaps a photo of the Montecillos, the
rocket in his back pocket ignites and sends him into the sky. Ina's voiceover explains that while she
eventually married Eddie, they couldn't have anymore children after the rocket exploded in his
trousers. In the end credits, the family is shown teaching Ten-Ten sign language together, so that he
can communicate with the family.

Cast[edit]

Ina Montecillo (Ai-Ai de las Alas): Ina is the wife of Alfredo, Tony, Kiko, and Eddie, and is
Juan, Tudis, Tri, Por, Pip, Six, Seven, Cate, Shammy, Ten-Ten, Connie & Sweet's mother. She is
Rowena's best friend. She loves her children very much, and will do anything to fulfill their
desires. She has worked as a construction worker, illegal DVD seller, vendor, stripper, and other
jobs you can think of. She later becomes the savior of several passengers in a bus explosion. In
the end, she solves all the problems of her children, and her children becomes proud of her
once more. She also marries Eddie, but they can't have another child because of Eddie being
involved in a fireworks accident.

Rowena (Eugene Domingo): Rowena is Ina's best friend. She is very supportive towards her,
and will do anything to make Ina happy.

Juan Montecillo (Marvin Agustin): Juan is Ina's first child. He has graduated from college,
and is the helper of the family. When Juan reveals to his mother that he has proposed to Jenny,
Ina scolds him, and he pleads Jenny to join him in escaping their families. In the end, Ina
forgives him, and he and Jenny continued their relationship. Years later, they migrate to New
Zealand for a new life.

Getrudis "Tudis" Montecillo (Nikki Valdez): Tudis is Ina's second child. A college graduate,
she was the only one in the family who was working. She then decides to quit her job, and
pursues her desire to become an artist. In the end, she takes her job back, and is contented to
be one of the helpers of her family. Years later, she migrates to Canada where she meets the
man of her life.

Dimitri "Tri" Montecillo (Carlo Aquino): Tri is Ina's third child. He is a smart student in his
college, and was dating Gretchen. But when Gretchen's parents figured out his mother was a
stripper, Gretchen breaks up with him. This spoils him, and decides to absent school days. In the
end, Ina fixes their relationship, and he and Gretchen get back together. He also decides to
continue his studies.

Portia "Por" Montecillo (Heart Evangelista): Por is Ina's fourth child. She has a sassy
personality along with a girly flair to her nature, and also has a crush on Jeffrey. She was the
one giving her mother the heaviest problem of all, for she desires the "perfect dbut". In the end,
she had her dbut, with her family and friends invited. She also decides to break up with Jeffrey
years later, before migrating to Dubai as a missionary.

Tirso "Pip" Montecillo (Alwyn Uytingco): Pip is Ina's fifth child. He is secretly gay, and his
family doesn't know it either. He is in love with Nhel. In the end, Ina accepts his personality, and
he & Nhel begin dating.

Sixto "Six" Montecillo (Marc Acueza): Six is Ina's sixth child. He is a smart student, and is
fond of declamations and orations. When he invites his mother to a "mass treat", Ina
misinterprets it as a "trick or treat" event, humiliating him. In the end, he forgives his mother.
Years later, he migrates to United Kingdom to work there as a nurse.

Severina "Seven" Montecillo (Shaina Magdayao): Seven is Ina's seventh child. She is also
an intelligent student, and is very fond of essays and programs. But when she becomes the
leader of a program with the theme "Bakit Natatangi Ang Aking Ina (Why My Mother Is Very

Special)", she becomes afraid Ina will humiliate her. In the end, she finishes the program, and
becomes proud of her mother once more.

Catherine "Cate" Montecillo (Serena Dalrymple): Cate is Ina's eighth child. She is a bit of a
tomboy, and doesn't attend her school frequently. She causes some of the problems of her
siblings such as Six's mass treat and Ten-Ten's disappearance.

Samuel "Shammy" Montecillo (Jiro Manio): Shammy is Ina's ninth child. He was
uncircumcised, disappointing him. He takes the chance to be circumcised by an illegal doctor for
PHP 50. This causes him to have high fever, another problem to the family. In the end, he says
sorry to his mother for being impatient, and later was cured.

Martin "Ten-Ten" Montecillo (Yuuki Kadooka): Ten-Ten is Ina's tenth child. He was revealed to
be deaf by Cate, surprising his mother. He was also lost one morning, worrying his family. Later
on, Ina finds him in the local church. Also in the end credits, his family teaches him the sign
language to communicate with them.

Jenny (Kaye Abad): Jenny is Juan's college girlfriend. Eventually, they become co-workers at
an amusement park. Later on, Juan proposes to her, which she accepts. After Juan was scolded
by his mother, they both escape their families and lived their own life. But after finding out Juan
wasn't ready yet, they both decide to return to their respective homes. In the end, she and Juan
continued their relationship. Years later, she and Juan migrated to New Zealand for a new life.

Gretchen (Angelica Panganiban): Gretchen is Tri's high school girlfriend. She comes from a
rich family, wherein her parents gives the best for her. After her parents find out Ina was a
stripper, she decides to break up with him. Later on, Ina pleads to her to continue her
relationship with Tri. In the end, she and Tri get back together.

Jeffrey (John Prats): Jeffrey is Por's high school crush. He also becomes Por's escort at her
dbut. Years later, Por breaks up with him.In the second tanging ina, he became the boyfriend of
Seven at first Ina doesn't agree with their relationship but comes to understand it in the end.

Eddie (Dennis Padilla): Eddie is a taxi driver whom Ina met when Shammy was in the
hospital. He was in love at first sight with Ina. He was later involved in a fireworks accident,
damaging his bottom. He marries Ina, but because of the accident, they can no longer have
another child.

Tony (Edu Manzano): Tony is Ina's first husband. He is Juan, Tudis, Tri & Por's father. During
a gamble, Tony is blocked by spectators. He stands on a stool, trying to see the two fighting
insects. He later outbalances, breaking his spinal cord & column.

Alfredo (Tonton Gutierrez): Alfredo is Ina's second husband. He is Pip, Six, Seven & Cate's
father. He had a fatal fall from an overpass, breaking his back.

Kiko (Jestoni Alarcon): Kiko is Ina's third husband. He is Shammy, Ten-Ten, Connie &
Sweet's father. During their wedding day, the bell's ribbons were electrified accidentally. Thus,
when he pulled the ribbon, he was killed shortly.

Gretchen's Parents (Pinky Amador) and (Mandy Ochoa): Gretchen's parents are wellbehaved, and will give anything for their daughter. At first, they liked Tri, but when they saw Ina
as a stripper in the club, they convinced their daughter to break-up with Tri.

Uncredited:

Connie & Sweet Montecillo: Portrayed by twin baby girls, Connie & Sweet are minor
characters in the film. They didn't cause too much distress to Ina, but are very frequent in crying.
(Note: They are important characters for they are Ina's eleventh and twelfth child, and is a major
character in the sequel Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat, wherein twins Bianca & Janelle Calma
portrayed them.)

Sequel[edit]
Main article: Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat
In 2008, the Star Cinema brought the second installment of Ang Tanging Ina film series which still
starred Ai-Ai de las Alas, Eugene Domingo, and several others. The film revolves around Ina (Ai-Ai
de las Alas) who lately became the President of the Philippines and overturns the Philippines by
ruling it into a whole new dimension of enjoyment which eventually causes her a lots of serious
problem about the country and with her family as well.

Ang Tanging Ina (TV Series)[edit]

Ang Tanging Ina
Starring

Ai Ai de las Alas
Marvin Agustin
Nikki Valdez

Carlo Aquino

Country of origin

Philippines

Production

Running time

3045 minutes

Broadcast

Original channel

ABS-CBN

Original run

August 17, 2003 June 5, 2005

After the hit blockbuster movie also became the hit TV Sitcom (200305).

Cast[edit]

Ai-Ai de las Alas as Ina Montecillo

Marvin Agustin as Juan Montecillo

Nikki Valdez as Getrudis "Tudis" Montecillo

Carlo Aquino as Dimitri "Tri" Montecillo

Heart Evangelista as Portia "Por" Montecillo

Alwyn Uytingco / Ketchup Eusebio as Tirso "Pip" Montecillo

Marc Acueza as Sixto "Six" Montecillo

Shaina Magdayao as Severina "Seven" Montecillo

Serena Dalrymple as Catherine "Cate" Montecillo

Jiro Manio as Samuel "Shammy" Montecillo

Yuuki Kadooka as Martin "Ten-ten" Montecillo

Eugene Domingo as "Rowena"

Dennis Padilla as "Eddie"

Roderick Paulate as "Goliath" - Ina's long-lost brother

Tuesday Vargas as "Kring-Kring"

John Estrada as "Geronimo"

Bentong and Archie Alemania as Guest Stars