Bishop criticizes Dolphy's 'Fr. Jejemon' film

Unamused with some of the scenes of "Fr. Jejemon" – the latest movie of comedy king Rodolfo "Dolphy" Quizon – a senior Catholic Church official has called for public criticism of the film. But at least another bishop also said Catholic priests and laity can gain a reminder of sorts from the film to be properly dressed at Mass, and to be more careful in administering the sacraments. “The movie does not give a good reflection on the priesthood," former Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and Jaro (Iloilo) Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said in an article posted on the CBCP news site. Lagdameo also urged the laity to "speak up" and to be "most articulate in concerns like this" even if the supposedly objectionable portions of the film had been cut. He issued the call as the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) was to hold a second review of the film Tuesday. The CBCP quoted MTRCB assistant information officer Ida Diompoc as saying the second review will be held in the afternoon. Meanwhile, the film’s producer RVQ Productions, Inc. has already decided to voluntarily cut the offensive scenes. Dolphy said his objective was to make people happy, and it was not his intention to offend anyone. The comedy king himself requested that the offensive scenes be deleted from the movie. "Puwede ko raw ipaglaban, sabi ko 'wag na natin ipaglaban. Ayokong makalaban ang mga pari," Dolphy said in an interview on 24 Oras Monday night. Still, Dolphy was saddened by the criticism, saying Fr. Jejemon might be his last movie. "Ako ay mapagmahal sa Diyos...mamamatay na nga ako, sa Diyos lang ako sasandal. Sapagkat ako, wala na akong nilalaan sa buhay ko eh kung 'di pagdasal. Pagkatapos, maaaring huling pelikula ko na ito eh. Tapos gaganyanin pa ako, kakalabanin ko pa ang Diyos. Susmaryosep," he said. He added that critics are making too big a deal of it. It's just one scene. The "24 Oras" report said Dolphy voluntarily pushed to remove the controversial scenes.
But while Lagdameo said he received information that the objectionable parts of the movie had already been deleted, he still called on the laity to be “most articulate over the matter" because it trivializes the sacredness of the Eucharist and the priesthood. Meanwhile, Caloocan bishop and CBCP public information head Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. lamented the film was "offensive" in the sense that it tried to elicit laughs from the audience at the expense of Catholic sacraments. A portion of the movie, an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), shows a priest giving communion to a woman with the Host falling into her cleavage. Another scene shows the Host getting stuck in the dentures of a communicant. Also in the CBCP article, Lagdameo said the movie could have been a good campaign for vocation as he remembers the “King of Comedy" has an uncle who was a priest. Iñiguez, on the other hand, said the film can impart some "lessons" for priests and faithful. A report on dwIZ radio quoted Iñiguez as saying that some of the scenes can be regarded as reminders of sorts. He said the scene where the Host falls on the cleavage of a woman should be a reminder for women to "dress properly" in church. As for the scene where the host getting stuck in a man's dentures, the bishop said priests should be reminded to be more careful in giving the Host to recipients. — with Carmela Lapeña/LBG, GMANews.TV