The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Comedienne Pokwang should be emulated for her taking risks in experimenting on role playing, particularly in the movies.
We take off our hats to her when she accepted the challenging role of Sylvia, a wife who braved the bureaucratic red tape to secure an ID just to claim a remittance money to pay for her husband’s hospitalization in the socially biting film, Ma-an Asuncion Dagñalan and Abet Pagdagdagan Raz’s “2 Valid IDs,” an official entry to the 2026 Cinemalaya where she won the Best Actress and shared it with one of the most decorated Cinemalaya actresses, Ruby Ruiz in the absurdly melancholic tale, Vahn Leinard Pascual’s “Status: Rejected.”
Versatility is Pokwang’s other name aside from sporting her real name, Marietta Subong, in the pubmat.
If I were Pokwang, I would insist that my original screen name be in the billing to prove that I could also command box-office stature on dramatic mold.
True enough, “2 Valid IDs” was the Cinemalaya 22 top grosser that earned the film the Audience Choice Award.
Even on the last day of the Cinemalaya screenings, tickets to the film were all sold out.
Martin del Rosario should also be praised for his courage to breathe life to a gay partner who stood by his lover dying of the dreaded HIV which won him the Best Actor plum for David Corpuz’s “Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam.”
The screen roles of Pokwang and Martin are the saving factors of the local film industry in doldrums because they attract moviegoers—her combined drama and comedy images and his following among the LGBTQIA+ that enrich the earnings of queer stories treated differently.
Philippine cinema should often produce films like “Mag-iina,” this year’s Cinemalaya’ Best Film to mirror the social ills of the country; Dustin Celestino’s “A.ni.mal” to echo and reflect on corruption in government and in the daily quotidian; “Ganggang” to expose horrors of authoritarianism symbolically among kids; “Hand of God” to choose peace over war; May-i Guia Padilla’s “Tirik” to examine the immorality of EJKs and “Kaka sa Yawan” to reminisce the good vibes of the past.
It’s high time the Filipinos should watch no-nonsense movies.