Photos, reels, texts, oral stories, opinions etc. of showbiz people, events and places (pep talk, for you, what else?) relative to the celebration of International Women's Month this March have been flooding traditional as well as unconventional media.
Two of them are the Anne Curtis vs Quezon City Fourth District Congressman Jesus "Bong" Suntay brouhaha and the "Cine Filipina" retrospective.
The controversy regarding Anne and Bong is about the solon's pronouncements when he compared and made an analogy between what he termed as just "imagination" of the charges of sedition, insurrection and political destabilization, three grounds on Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment case and the physical body of the Fil-Aussie actress as a stimulus of sexual fantasies.
On the other Women's Act is the rescreening of the film "Ekstra," a 2013 collaboration between Quantum Films and Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival as a component of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)'s educational project at the Metropolitan Theater in Plaza Lawton in Manila.
As a movie, "Ekstra" is a quintessential storytelling project on film, television and multimedia women bit players, menial jobbers and entertainers.
Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos stars in the Jeffrey Jeturian masterpiece as a mom dabbling as a movie bit player who has to contend herself with the web of the entertainment industry's foibles, flaws and malpractices.
As a female bit player, Vilma's character is a symbol of exploitation if not female subjugation and the only thing she has to do is work within the specific subculture of the lives of extras who also have its own labor and ethical work problem they have to contend with but still rise above the bigger scenarios in the hierarchy of creative industry workers for survival.
In a way, Santos as the personification of this reality wants to change her fate.
"Kailangang itaguyod natin ang mga babaing manggagawa sa pelikulang Pilipino (We should promote the interest of women workers in the Philippine movie industry)," she said when asked during the talkback session after the screening of "Ekstra" about her reaction of the plight of bit players.
On the same note, Santos also rubbed in her sentiments about the misogynistic behavior of men towards women as in the case of Suntay looking at Curtis as a sex object.
"Dapat, inirerespesto ang babae (A woman should be respected)," quipped Vi at the forum.
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