Catholic group endorses 'Pedro Calungsod'
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)is endorsing the Metro Manila Filmfest (MMFF) entry “Pedro Calungsod, Batang Martir,” based on the life of the teenaged saint who gave his life for his faith.
In a recent letter addressed to CEAP-accredited schools and universities in the country, the CEAP’s Narciso Erquiza said that Calungsod is an inspiration to Filipinos. He expressed hopes that the film will bring the saint closer to the youth.
Erquiza’s letter in full:
“On behalf of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), I would like to endorse the movie ‘Pedro Calungsod, Batang Martir’ which will be shown during the Metro Manila Film Festival this holiday season.
“CEAP fully supports spreading the message of Pedro Calungsod’s life to the youth of today.
“Last October 21, 2012, the second Filipino saint, Pedro Calungsod was canonized. He was an exceptional young man who started as an ordinary boy with extraordinary faith and died a martyr proclaiming his faith.
“Saint Pedro Calungsod has many more attributes that the young Filipinos can emulate and values that they can live out courageously today.
“We would like to ask for your cooperation and partnership in promoting ‘Pedro Calungsod, Batang Martir’ to the youth and Filipinos by sharing his life story and faith through this movie depicting his life.
“We hope that Saint Pedro Calungsod will be an inspiration for the Filipino people, with the message that we can reach sainthood through our everyday lives especially since all of us can relate to him for he was a youth, a Filipino, an OFW, a catechist, a missionary and a faithful friend.
“We hope to bring Saint Pedro Calungsod closer to the students through new media evangelization such as this film.
“With all our collaborative efforts, we can inspire more children and young students to be heroes and saints today.”
Meanwhile, the film’s executive producer Ida Tiongson also announced that the MMFF Playdate Committee has agreed to continue showing “San Pedro Calungsod” in more cinemas starting January 2 to 7, 2014, to give in to requests from schools, which by then would have resumed regular classes after the Christmas break.
The film, which is now showing in theaters nationwide, stars Rocco Nacino in the title role. It is written and directed by Francis O. Villacorta.
