Rita Daniela gets one of the most demanding roles in her career playing a dedicated teacher in a remote village in Joel Lamangan’s “Madawag ang Landas Patungong Pag-asa,” an advocacy film that pays homage to teachers in far-flung areas who are overworked but underpaid.
In the story, she faces a lot of opposition from parents who don’t want their kids to go back to school. She visits their houses one by one to personally talk to them.
“Iba-iba ang dahilan nila and it’s hard to explain the importance of education to them. In one instance, may isang nanay na hahabulin pa ako ng taga kaya nagtatakbo ako, natapilok pa ako at nadapa. Walang ibang teachers na gustong magturo sa bayan nila kasi ‘yung previous teacher and principal, napatay sa enkwentro ng mga rebelde at militar.”
She has two leading men in the movie: Jak Roberto as a soldier and Albie Casino as a rebel. How does it feel being paired with other actors now that her regular “RitKen” ka-love team, Ken Chan, is also paired with another leading lady, Bianca Umali, in “Mano Po Legacy 2: Her Big Boss”?
“Akala nung iba, nagtatampo ako but, the truth is I’m very happy for him. Bago pa man kami nag-click sa ‘My Special Tatay,’ dati na naman siyang ipinapareha sa iba. And sinabi naman ‘yun ng GMA management sa amin, don’t expect na kami na lang lagi ang magkasama, kasi we have to grow as actors with separate careers.”