IN 1976, the film Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? by director Eddie Romero – much later proclaimed National Artist for Film – was released, eventually becoming a beloved classic due to its take on Filipino identity and culture set in the Spanish colonial era.
At recent talks about the film’s legacy, family, friends, and scholars of Mr. Romero’s works discussed the humor, drama, and historical insight that made his filmography so memorable.
Filmmaker Joey Romero told attendees about his father’s invaluable contributions to film as well as his enduring spirit as a storyteller.
“You can be anything you want to be as long as you like what you’re doing and strive to be good, if not the best at it. You can be a carpenter but be darn good at it and like it,” the younger Mr. Romero recounted his father’s words to him at the centennial celebration on Nov. 20 in Makati City.
Marking what would have been his 100th year, the event honored the life and legacy of Eddie Romero. It was prefaced on Nov. 15 by a screening of Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, where students got to discuss it with film historian and author Nick Deocampo.
Mr. Deocampo posited that Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? captures the spirit of Filipino culture, identity, and resilience, so much so that it is the only document in the UNESCO Memory of the World National Register for the Philippines, at least as of now.
“I would call it a masterpiece of Philippine cinema because of its powerful themes — from the portrayal of social and regional personalities to the representation of women navigating gender norms — and the holistic depiction of the birth of the Philippine republic,” he said at the Nov. 20 event.
This sensitivity to his country’s sense of identity recurs throughout Mr. Romero’s works, including the epic Aguila (1980), which spans generations to explore the impact of colonization and war on the Filipino spirit.
Both films, restored by ABS-CBN’s Sagip Pelikula and FPJ Film Archive, respectively, have been screened throughout the year.
“It’s important that Filipinos, especially students and younger generations, get to experience how film doesn’t just tell a story; through semiotics, or the language of signs, it can embody a legacy, a piece of history, and make a statement about Filipino culture and spirit,” Mr. Deocampo said.
In addition to these, Eddie Romero’s Kamakalawa (1981), while still unrestored due to extensive damage to its surviving copies, also represents the Philippines — this time from a pre-colonial perspective, immersing viewers in indigenous mythology and social structures.
Beyond his films, Mr. Romero was also involved in advocating for Philippine cinema through the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund).
“The most important thing he instilled in us was putting others above oneself,” his son Ancel Romero recalled at the tribute. He added that his father “didn’t believe that true success was about fame or wealth,” instead putting emphasis on strong values.
For Mr. Deocampo, celebrating the elder Romero’s legacy does not end at centennial celebrations. “His film’s inclusion in the UNESCO Memory of the World National Register is but one part of preserving humanity’s cultural treasures. There are many other films and cultural documents that need to be properly archived and preserved,” he said.
“Without these, how will we remember what it is to be Filipino?” — Brontë H. Lacsamana
