The Gawad Kalinga (GK) story is coming to the big screen. Simply put, GK meaning "to give care" is a movement that is sweeping across the Philippines and spilling over to Filipinos and non-Filipinos overseas.  And the Philippine film industry refuses to be left behind!

“Paraiso” (Paradise) is a movie trilogy that symbolizes what GK offers —a Paradise to the masses as the grassroots movement is radically rebuilding the country one family at a time.  It is the first of its kind, whose making in itself captures the very essence of GK — the bayanihan spirit of being heroes for one another. Mainstream movie producers: Butch Jimenez (Jose Rizal), Tony Gloria (Crying Ladies, La Visa Loca) and Tony Tuviera (Eat Bulaga); actors Maricel Soriano, Cesar Montano and Robert Arevalo; and entertainment executive, Bobby Barreiro of ABC 5, all waived their fees for GK. The production staff and vendors behind the movie likewise sacrificed and did their own share of GK padugo (bleed for the cause) in getting the Gawad Kalinga movie made.

Paraiso features three stories of ordinary people who have answered the call to be a hero for others, and how GK has touched, inspired and transformed their lives forever.

The story of Rudy Abad portrayed by Montano speaks of how a man turns his tragedy into victory for other people when he donated the insurance money he received from the 9-11 tragedy to build a village in GK Baseco in the memory of his wife.  Veteran actor, Robert Arevalo plays Rudy’s father.

Actor-comedian Michael V. provides a lighter, comic twist to Jerome Paler’s story.  Paler is the GK provincial head of Southern Leyte, who while helping GK along with his adopted son and his eldest child experienced healing in his own family.

No less than the Diamond Star, Maricel Soriano stars in the poignant story of the Leyte mudslide victims, who continue to return to the scene of the tragedy as they try to find closure with their loved ones who were buried alive in the mud. In a moving scene, Soriano’s character relives what happened during the night of the tragedy. Like what the mudslide victims would do, she lays her head upon the earth as if to say a proper goodbye to loved ones who have been buried alive. In the end, she finds renewed hope upon receiving a GK house where she and her two remaining children were given a new lease on life.

These stories of hope, heroism and honor, bring to center stage the mission and vision of GK in reshaping the image of the new Filipino, cultivating, transforming, tilling its centuries-old mindset, and calling and challenging everyone to reach out, to a higher, nobler cause of rebuilding a nation by rebuilding each other. Hence, the GK battlecries of "Less for Self, More for Others, Enough for All", "No more Poverty, No more Slums, No more Violence" and "No One Left Behind."

Paraiso is slated for a grand premier in Manila on June 12, 2007 Independence Day at the SM Mall of Asia.  This timing proves to be fitting for a nation-building movement that is Gawad Kalinga — a movement uniting a country truly without borders. Still represented by the masses, the revolution this time is not against a person, a government or a sector of society but against a mindset, a lifestyle and poverty as a way of life.

Building a Paradise for all by reshaping an image, cultivating the mindset and reaching out to a higher calling of being a hero is what Gawad Kalinga is all about.

Paraiso has already been shown in more than 12 cities in the US, in Australia and New Zealand since March 2007.

I was brought into Gawad Kalinga by my sister in America, Maricel Villanueva. She's part of Couples for Christ and also of GK as part of GKOM, the group's communications arm.  Being in the broadcast media, she always consulted with me and I would give her ideas that she and her fellow GK workers seemed to like.

When ANCOP USA Executive Director Rose Cabrera came to Manila in January of 2006, Maricel arranged a meeting between us to bounce off several ideas for promoting GK in the US.  They had an idea of a multi-city variety show that would be beamed via satellite in the Philippines and abroad.  I told her that it had been done before and had little relevance to GK and so Rose asked me what my idea was.  I told her it would probably be nice to make a movie.

At that time, the fad was in "indies" or independent films.  They weren't that expensive to produce and we could premiere it worldwide.  I warned Rose though that I had not yet made a film and in my life and that what I do are television shows.  I worked with GMA7 and now with ABC5 but film making is a very different discipline.  The movie will take a lot of preparations and a long time to complete.

We pitched the idea to then GK Executive Director Tony Meloto and he liked it.  I asked then who did they think can implement the idea to which Tony replied, "well, who else but YOU!" Maricel, who was also in that meeting told me that in GK, when you think of something, you better be ready to implement it yourself.

Tapping into a Network of Friends

The idea of a trilogy came about because there were so many stories in GK that you cannot do just one story.

I enlisted the help of Tony Tuviera, the producer of the longest running noontime show in the Philippines, Eat Bulaga. When I approached him that time, he said, "Alam mo kakabasa ko lang sa diyaryo nung si Tony Meloto.  Naiintriga ako dun sa mamang maputi ang buhok na nasa lahat ng gasulinahan.  Sige, sali ako dyan, gusto ko yan." (You know I had just read about Tony Meloto in the newspaper.  I am intrigued by that white-haired man whose picture I see in all the gasoline stations.  Ok, count me in.)

I also asked Butch Jimenez, Senior Vice President of PLDT and an awardee of the Agora Awards, the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), and Ten Outstanding Persons of the World.  He had produced the award-winning films Jose Rizal, Muro-ami and Death Row. He agreed to produce one of the stories despite his already full schedule working with his team before and after office hours.

I then approached Tony Gloria, owner of Unitel Production Company, Optima, a pioneer in digital film production and one of the best producers in the country.  Gawad Kalinga was not knew to him having participated in a GK build.  He responded in a similar way to Tony Tuviera saying, "O sige, sali din ako diyan." (Ok, count me in as well.)

The small independent film that was initially envisioned evolved into something greater with some of the best industry professionals and biggest stars shot on film. Jun Lana, Palanca Award Hall of Famer and writer of the epic films Jose Rizal and Muro Ami was enlisted by Tony Tuviera to write one of the stories in trilogy.  As for actress Maricel Soriano, I've never seen any person so nice and easy to work with given her stature in the industry.  She waived her talent fee.  She even joined the game show "Deal or No Deal" to raise money for Gawad Kalinga.  

There was a hand guiding us, telling us that this is the way to go.  The message was, "Don't sell GK short."

In behalf of all the people who took part in the movie, we would like to thank you for allowing us to tell the world about the Gawad Kalinga story. Maraming salamat po!