Comedians Ai Ai delas Alas and Dolphy ruled this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines by winning the top acting awards. Ai Ai won the best actress trophy for her role in “Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To” where she played the role of the country’s former president who copes with family problems and battling corruption. Ai Ai was the biggest winner because her movie also won eight other trophies: best picture, best director for Wenn Deramas, best story and screenplay for Mel Mendoza del Rosario, best supporting actress for Eugene Domingo, best child actress for Xyriel Manabat, best musical score for Jesse Lasaten, and most gender sensitive film.

The actress bested nominees Carla Abellana for “Shake, Rattle and Roll 12” and Marian Rivera for “Super Inday and the Golden Bibe.” An emotional Delas Alas dedicated her award to her three children and to two actresses whom she deemed as her co-nominees (but are said to have been surprisingly “snubbed”): her “Friendship” Kris Aquino (“Dalaw”) and Jennylyn Mercado (“Rosario”). “Si Friendship Kris, si Jennylyn… si Jennylyn ang mahigpit kong kalaban. Jennylyn para sa’yo din ‘to. Pasensya ka na, eh, tutal matanda ako sa’yo, ibigay mo na ‘to sa’kin, bibigyan kita ng marami next time! Friendship sabi mo asa ako, ayan o nanalo ako!” exclaimed Delas Alas, sending the audience cheering. The film predicted to win the most awards, “Rosario,” which stars Jennylyn Mercado and directed by Albert Martinez, won only as second best picture award.

Ironically, the Cinema Evaluation Board that rates the quality of films it screens, gave “Rosario” an A rating and did not find anything in “Tanging Ina” worth rating about, according toobservers like Mario Bautista, a columnist and showbiz authority. “Rosario” also won other awards: best float, best production design for Joey Luna and Miki Hahn, best cinematography for Carlo Mendoza, best editing for John Wong, best dressed stars for Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo, and the Gatpuno Cultural Award.

Dolphy was also a big winner because he won two acting awards, best supporting actor as the grandson of Rosario who acts as the film’s narrator and as best actor in the title-roler in “Fr. Jejemon.” Dolphy, now 82 and reported to be sickly, failed to attend the awards night at the Meralco Theater. He first won a major award in the filmfest 20 years ago in 1990 for his role in “Espadang Patpat.” He intimated earlier that “Fr. Jejemon” would be his last movie for the filmfest. Dolphy was earlier lambasted by some quarters for making fun of the Holy Communion in some scenes in “Fr. Jejemon.” Many die-hard Catholics even called for a boycott of the movie, prompting Dolphy to re-adjust the movie and Chairperson Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares of the Movie, Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to put it under a new screening.

Later, the MTRCB chief appealed to the viewers not to boycott Dolphy’s movie. The animated film, “RPG: Metanoia,” won several awards: third best picture, special citation as most gender sensitive film (animation), best sound (a tie with “Super Inday and the Golden Bibe”), and best theme song for “Kaya Ko”. The fantasy action-comedy “Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote” which stars Bong Revilla and Vic Sotto, the heir apparent of Dolphy, won the box office, topping the ticket sales by a mile, although it garnered only awards for best make up, best visual effects for Rico Gutierrez, and “Face of the Night” special awards for Bong Revilla and Sam Pinto. In the special independent film category, winner is Adolfo Alix Jr.’s “Presa.” He won P100,000 in cash prize. This year’s festival chairman, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino, disclosed that this year’s film fest earned P90 million, beating last year’s first-day record of P77 milion. The first-day gross of movies: (1) “Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote,” P31 million; (2) “Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To,” P20 million; (3) “Dalaw,” P12.5 million; (4) “Shake, Rattle and Roll 12,” P11.8 million; (5) “RPG: Metanoia,” P5.1 million; (6) “Super Inday and the Golden Bibe,“ P4.7 million; (7) “Rosario,” P3.2 million; and (8) “Father Jejemon,” P1.4 million. Here is the complete list of winners: Best Indie Film: “Presa” (Adolf Alix, Jr.)

Best Child Performer: Xyriel Manabat (“Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ‘To”) Best Production Design: Joey Luna and Miki Hahn (“Rosario”) Best Sound Recording: Ditoy Aguila (“Super Inday and the Golden Bibe”) and Sandy Aguinaldo and Co. (“RPG: Metanoia”) Best Musical Score: Jesse Lasaten (“Tanging Ina”) Best Theme Song: “Kaya Mo” (“RPG”) Best Make-Up: Nestor Dayao and Co. (“Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote”) Best Visual Effects: Rico Gutierrez and Co. (“Si Agimat at Si Enteng”) Best Editing: John Wong (“Rosario”) Best Cinematography: Carlo Mendoza (“Rosario”) Best Festival Float: “Rosario” Special Citation for Most Gender- Sensitive Film with Animation: “RPG” Most Gender-Sensitive Film: “Tanging Ina” Best Supporting Actor: Dolphy (“Rosario”) Best Supporting Actress: Eugene Domingo (“Tanging Ina”) Best Story: Mel Del Rosario (“Tanging Ina”) Best Screenplay: Mel Del Rosario (“Tanging Ina”) Best Director: Wenn Deramas (“Tanging Ina”) Gat Puno Cultural Award: “Rosario” Best Picture (all movies are nominated): 3rd, “RPG,” 2nd, “Rosario,”1st, “Tanging Ina” Best Actor: Dolphy (“Father Jejemon”) Best Actress: Ai Ai delas Ala(“Tanging Ina”) Special Awards given that night were: Male and Female Faces of the Night: Bong Revilla and Sam Pinto Best Dressed Male and Female Celebrities: Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado. {jathumbnail off}