In 1898, the 57-man Rifle Battalion of the Spanish military clashed with the Filipino forces because they refused to believe that the war was already over. Dubbed as the Siege of Baler, the Spanish troops holed up inside the church of San Luis Obispo located in Baler, Aurora province for 337 days.

This is the setting of the movie Baler, a love story between a young Filipina who falls in love with a half-Spanish/half-Filipino young man even though her father forbids her to be with the Indio.

Can Feliza Reyes (Anne Curtis) and Celso Resurrecion (Jericho Rosales) overcome the obstacles hindering them from being together? Find out when Baler opens on Christmas Day as one of the eight official entries to the 34th Metro Manila Film Festival.

According to Mr. Vic del Rosario, chairman of Viva Films, the producers shelled out around P90 to P100 million including the marketing cost.

More than P20 million was spent to reconstruct the interiors of the church of San Luis Obispo where the historic encounter took place between the Spanish Rifle Battalion (who were not aware that the war had long ended) and the Filipino forces. Even the exteriors of the church were renovated to make them look the way they did in 1898.

A big chunk of the budget went to the making of guns designed like those existing in 1898 and to the costumes of the stars and the hundreds of extras hired for the big scenes.

The historical film Baler is being endorsed by the Department of Education and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. In fact, these agencies which will launch a nationwide film review contest among students.


Director Mark Meily explained this love story set in 1898 is filled with characters based on persons who actually lived during the Spanish era. "What makes them more exciting for the actors is the fact that their characters existed in real life. For example, si Gregorio Catalan [played by Alvin Anson], there is a real Gregorio Catalan na pinanganak sa ganitong date...Pag pumalpak ka sa role mo, parang dinishonor mo yung namatay.

"Ryan Eigenmann's character [Lt. Don Saturnino Martin Cerezo] existed in real life and he was the one who wrote the story of Baler. Allen Dizon played Lt. Col. Simon Tecson, and natuwa kami nung climax ng film kasi bumisita yung grandson of Tecson. Naiyak siya nung napanood niya yung sinu-shoot naming eksena kasi sa lolo niya nag-surrender ang Spanish army. Ang sabi niya, ‘Alam n'yo, ganyan ka-guwapo yung lolo ko.'"

He also points out: "Baler is a story of love, perseverance, honor, and faith. My first encounter with Baler was in 1989 when I was shooting a travelogue for the DOT [Department of Tourism]. I will never forget the long drive from Quezon upwards, the roadsides, the waterfalls, the surfing, and of course, the church. There's nothing unique about the architecture of the church of San Luis Obispo until you learn about great drama that happened in it a century ago."

Roy Iglesias, who wrote the screenplay of Baler, said that he also wanted to write a film on the siege of Baler. "The idea actually came to me 28 years ago when a friend showed me an article about the last stand of the Spaniards in the Philippines and commented on how wonderful it would be to do a film on it. I did further research but discovered that all of the accounts simply highlighted the Spanish viewpoint."

Baler also stars Phillip Salvador as Anne's father, Michael de Mesa as Fr. Candido, Joel Torre as Teodorico Luna Novicio, Rio Locsin as Ason, Carlo Aquino as Gabriel, Leo Martinez as Calixto Villacorte, Baron Geisler as Capt. Enrique delas Morenas, Bernard Palanca as Lt. Don Juan Alonzo Zayas, Jao Mapa as Mauro, DJ Durano as Pablo, Nikki Bacolod as Luming, and Mark Bautista as Nikki's love interest, Lope.

Andrew Schimmer also portrays Mola while Mikel Campos and PJ Valerio are tapped to play Spanish soldiers.

Watch the historical film Baler when it opens in cinemas nationwide starting December 25.