Which Is More Important?

Saturday Stories

May 6, 2017

Daniel was still a child when he saw the cruelty inflicted by the invading Spaniards to his family. His anger festered as he grew up and joined the resistance forces.

Now, Daniel (Philip Salvador) cannot understand why his son Gabriel (Carlo Aquino) wants to join the friars and be a priest.

But his fury erupted when he discovers that his daughter Feliza (Anne Curtis) is having an affair with Celso Resurreccion, a young Filipino soldier with Spanish blood in league with the enemy.

I saw yesterday the Mark Meily film Baler, based on real events in 1898 during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Celso and more than 50 Spanish troops are trapped in a church in Baler town. Their leader, Capitan De Las Morenas (Baron Geisler) has vowed to fight to the last man.

Daniel wants to attack, but Gabriel had left home to be with Padre Carreno (Michael De Mesa) and is also in that church. He knows they can wipe out the enemy once and for all, but his son will also die. What is more powerful, the love for one's country, or the  love of a father?

Photo courtesy of Kamaru.com