By Sophia Angeline G. Delantero
Cinemalaya films have always been known for creating pieces that depict the discomfort and pain of the Filipino people.
One of the entries this year was released nationwide on October 14, starring Marrietta “Pokwang” Subong (Sylvia), Joey Marquez (Ramon), Zaijian Jaranilla (Denver), and Meryll Soriano (Mercy), who perfectly personified their respective characters that tears came before the audience even realized it.
It confronts the reality of staying in a public hospital ward, surrounded by other patients, and the cruelties of the country’s healthcare system. Other than that is the process of obtaining an Identification (ID) card just so Sylvia can claim the money sent through a remittance center by Ramon’s aunt who views their relationship through the lens of “utang na loob.”
Sylvia had to turn to politicians, expecting to receive ayuda that could provide enough money to buy at least five tablets of medicine for Ramon who is suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). She also had to go through countless queues and fill out forms without knowing what to write, desperately awaiting for someone that could teach her what to put inside those grueling boxes, just as Ramon said at the beginning of the film, “Wala naman nagturo sa atin paano gawin ito.”
Covered in sweat, she had to wait for four to five days for her IDs, while her husband is now also waiting for death.
Sylvia, who patiently endured the exhausting process, eventually acquired both a Postal ID and a Voter’s Certificate to verify her identity as the recipient of the money. Yet, despite everything she had gone through, she still failed to get the medication Ramon desperately needed. What makes it even more heartbreaking is how the hospital system itself worsened their situation. What kind of hospital requires patients to buy their prescribed medicine outside the institution simply because it is out of stock?
Throughout the film, the characters hold on to “awa ng Diyos” and “lakas ng loob” because, after all, Filipino people are known for their resilience. Whatever disasters or circumstances come their way, we are expected to endure, to rise above our struggles, and to keep going despite everything.
2 Valid IDs is showing nationwide, and I hope those who take the time to watch this film realize how much dignity is stripped away when people are forced to navigate a system that treats their suffering as just another procedure. There is something profoundly dehumanizing about choosing the wrong people to occupy positions of power and stand on podiums.
This piece is for the life of Philippine cinema and for the rights of every Filipino people. **
