With the end of Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency and his attacks on democratic institutions like a free independent press, some Filipinos hoped for a new beginning. In contrast, others yearned for even more autocracy and a return to an era before the People Power Revolution and the restoration of democracy just a generation before. Ramona S. Diaz’s latest documentary film, “And So It Begins,” now playing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, shines the spotlight on an initially unwilling presidential candidate whose deep love for country she likens to a mother’s love for her children.
The journey that follows, amid the smear campaigns and disinformation hurled her way by supporters of her political opponent, is a chronicling of a galvanizing fight for democracy in the Philippines’ own age of ‘alternative facts’.
As the filmmaker’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2020 documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” this film aims to shed light on the defenders of democracy in the age of post-truth Philippine media. And as more people become aware of the deepening threats to truth and democracy, “And So It Begins” becomes something more: a message of hope.
Contextualizing Philippine Politics, Featuring Marcos, Robredo, and Duterte
The film begins with a title card explaining the electoral process in the Philippines for the two highest positions. In the country, presidents and vice presidents are elected separately, with presidents being limited to one six-year term. In the national election of 2016, they were elected from opposing tickets; with Rodrigo Duterte sworn in as president, and Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo as vice president.
“And So It Begins” shows Robredo recounting that she wasn’t politically active during her college years. That apolitical nature, however, changed with the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino (a fierce critic of kleptocrat Ferdinand Marcos and whose death remains unsolved to this day).
Fast-forward to the 2016 election, and Robredo was in a tight race for vice president, this time against the late Marcos’ son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. While Robredo won the race, the next several years saw Marcos Jr. appealing his case multiple times, citing election fraud and demanding a recount.
Also, as vice president, Robredo caught Duterte’s ire on the regular. It didn’t help that Duterte (and, to a lesser degree, Marcos) boasted of a loyal base that found Robredo’s calm and amiable personality an easy target for verbal attacks.
At one point in the film, Robredo shares the challenge of working with an administration that not only tolerates but also promulgates sexism and misogyny, saying ‘it felt like undergoing fraternity hazing for five-and-a-half years’. Duterte, for his part, doubles down. Dismissing Robredo as a “colossal blunder,” the president says that “for all of these years, she has done nothing”; and that as a lawyer by profession, Robredo is ill-equipped to lead the country.
“You’re better off choosing a dictator in the likes of Marcos.”
Two Women Fighting for Truth
Diaz then revisits “A Thousand Cuts,” her documentary on Rappler founder and eventual Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa, and integrates elements of that film here. “And So It Begins” suddenly becomes a two-pronged story about two strong-willed women sharing the same skies, fighting to uphold democracy amid a sea of vitriol and fake news.
With footage of unrest during the dictatorial regime of the older Marcos interspersed throughout the film, “And So It Begins” is a deep dive into the country’s recent history. More importantly, Diaz shows how the digital age’s role in spreading misinformation renders its citizens highly susceptible to repeating history all over again.
Despite the cautionary tale, Diaz emphasizes the grassroots campaign in support of Robredo. Known as the ‘Kakampink’ movement (a portmanteau of the Tagalog word ‘kakampi’ and ‘pink’, which translates to ‘Allies in Pink’), these movers exert a collective effort to fight Bongbong Marcos’ presidential run.
Here’s why: More than the younger Marcos’ reticence to address his late father’s human rights record and the family’s ill-gotten wealth, his campaign was essentially built on an extensive social media campaign that capitalized on spreading disinformation against Robredo. “Last Week Tonight” even aired a segment centered on this particular election.
‘And So It Begins’: A Stirring Companion Piece to ‘A Thousand Cuts’
This is where “A Thousand Cuts” ties to “And So It Begins” in a neat way: Ressa wants to advocate freedom of expression without compromising the truth. Robredo wants to spearhead change rooted, not in fear and blind loyalty, but in the search for what is right and true.
Diaz certainly won’t gain new Marcos and Duterte supporters anytime soon. Certainly not, when your past documentaries featured a critique on Duterte’s extrajudicial killings, and a reflective Imelda Marcos arguably believing her own lies.
In this critic’s opinion, “And So It Begins” is Diaz’s most subjective work. There are no arguments for objectivity here, and surely there isn’t when truth is on the line. As a documentary, even the more politically ambivalent audiences would find it problematic. But at face value as an artform, this is great storytelling.
A fitting companion piece to “A Thousand Cuts,” “And So It Begins” is an insightful film that documents hope and the fight for democracy in a country mired by misinformation. Yes, Robredo ended up losing the election to Marcos Jr., who currently serves as the country’s president. But Diaz’s choice on how to end the film sings a hopeful tune, one that hopes the youth would learn this time—and for the better.
Ramona Diaz’s “And So It Begins” will screen at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 18 to 28, 2024. Follow us for continuing dispatches, reviews, capsules, and wrap-ups over the next few days.
