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Redeem Her Honor

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Redeem Her Honor
Directed byMarilou Diaz-Abaya
Written byRicky Lee
Based onIpaglaban Mo!
by ABS-CBN Entertainment
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byAtty. Jose C. Sison
CinematographyEduardo Jacinto
Edited byJesus "Jess" Navarro
Music byNonong Buencamino
Production
company
Star Cinema
Distributed byStar Cinema
Release date
  • March 29, 1995 (1995-03-29)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

Kapag May Katwiran... Ipaglaban Mo!: The Movie, also known to its international title Redeem Her Honor, is a 1995 Philippine legal drama anthology film written by Ricky Lee and directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. It is the film adaptation of the legal drama Kapag May Katwiran... Ipaglaban Mo!, aired on ABS-CBN. Presented and narrated by Atty. Jose C. Sison, the presenter of the mentioned television program, the film is divided into two separate segments, both tackling real-life criminal cases of rape. The first segment stars Sharmaine Arnaiz, Ronaldo Valdez, Nida Blanca, and Elizabeth Oropesa while the second and last segment stars Chin Chin Gutierrez, Joel Torre, Ricky Davao, and Gina Alajar.

Produced and distributed by Star Cinema, it was theatrically released on March 29, 1995, and it became a box-office success and actor Ricky Davao won two accolades for Best Supporting Actor at the Gawad Urian and FAP Awards. It also premiered in Japan on September 14, 1995, as one of the film titles exhibited under the Excellent Films of Asia section for the 5th Fukuoka International Film Festival.[1]

A sequel, Kapag May Katwiran... Ipaglaban Mo!: The Movie - Part 2, was released in 1997. In 2018, the film was digitally restored and remastered by ABS-CBN Film Restoration and Central Digital Lab. The restored version was released on March 17, 2022, on KTX.ph, as part of the commemoration of Ricky Lee's contributions to Philippine cinema.[2]

Plot

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Atty. Jose C. Sison presents two separate cases of rape in the court: one is about qualified seduction, committed by Rosendo de Castro to her niece by marriage, and one case of rape, committed by Alan Delos Santos to his ex-girlfriend who is already married.

Qualified Seduction (Case No. 23450)

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Maria Saldaga was just a 17-year-old girl when she was sent by her mother Feliza to work as a house helper at the house of her maternal uncle-in-law, Rosendo de Castro, and his wife Magdalena, to pay off the debts that her deceased father left behind. She was accepted by her aunt and uncle-in-law. Rosendo was struck by his niece's beauty when she was doing the laundry at the riverbank. Later at night, while his wife Magdalena is sleeping, Rosendo sneaks into the room and begins seducing Maria, who begins to feel startled and horrified by her uncle's immoral act. She tries to escape the room but never succeeds as the seduction continues. On the following day, Maria attempts to leave the house but Rosendo forbids her and bribes her with amounts of money. Every time, without being suspected by Rosendo's wife, Rosendo continues to do indecent acts to Maria and it lasted for two months.

One day, while Maria is preparing the table, Rosendo seduces her again and Maria begs to stop. Moments later, Magdalena heard the noises and she caught her husband seducing Maria. Rather than blaming her husband, she blames and hurts her niece for doing an act that disgusts her, leaving Rosendo to witness them remorselessly. Because of this, Magdalena grabs and cuts Maria's hair violently and then, expels her out of their house. On the same day at night, Feliza discovers her daughter and notices her hair being cut. Later on, Feliza began threatening them violently because Maria told her mother that she was seduced and raped by Rosendo, whom she called an "animal" for the thing he had done to her daughter.

On the following morning, Maria and Feliza went to the town's police station to report the crime against Rosendo and later gained a lawyer who would handle the case against him. The lawyer said that the case would be stronger if Rosendo committed "qualified seduction", which is an act where an offender commits sexual intercourse with a minor by abusing the power of the elder or the higher even if she agreed. Later on, Rosendo receives a subpoena. Knowing that her sister filed a case against Rosendo, Magdalena assures her husband that they will this battle.

At the court, testimonies began to be told including the discovery by Dr. Ramon Layug, the medical examiner, that Maria sustained numerous hymenal lacerations as a result of Rosendo's numerous times of seduction and rape and Maria demonstrated how she was seduced and raped by Rosendo. When Rosendo, Magdalena, the mayor, and others arrive at Feliza's house, Rosendo gives the money to stop their hostility, with the help of the mayor. Feliza accepts it but only to be thrown in the burning stove, further angering Rosendo. The court battle between them became an embarrassment for them by the townsfolk. At the despedida party, Rosendo and Magdalena are among the guests who attend when Maria and Feliza show up. On that same occasion, Feliza exposes the dirty crime of Rosendo to every guest of the party and calls her sister a "hypocrite" for siding with her husband over her blood relative. Feliza assures that she and her daughter will win the case.

At the court, the arraignment continued as Maria and Feliza's lawyer asked Rosendo how Maria became a house helper at their house, how much debt her family owed from him, how much of Feliza's salary was being deducted, and so on, much to the Rosenda's lawyer's annoyance. Later on, when Maria and Feliza's lawyer asks Rosendo if he is responsible for Maria being a house helper and seducing her because he mentioned the word "responsibility" in his preceding statements, Rosendo admits his responsibility. Because of this, his confession to the court left him dumbfounded and in shame for his actions.

Rosendo de Castro, who pleaded not guilty to the crime of qualified seduction filed by Maria and Feliza, was found guilty by the court. He was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 20,000 pesos worth of damages to the family of Maria. The part ends with Maria and Feliza overjoyed by the decision of the court against Rosendo.

Rape (Case No. 538842)

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Gilda Cuevas is a high school teacher who is currently engaged to Daniel, a manager of a rural bank. However, when she left her workplace, she was followed by her ex-lover, Alan Delos Santos.

On December 18, 1990, Alan raped Gilda. On the same night, while Gilda was unconscious due to the effects of the drug poured into her drink by Alan, he raped her. As a result of the rape, she became pregnant and she admitted to her husband about it.

Alan Delos Santos, who pleaded not guilty to the accusations of the crime of rape filed by Gilda, was found guilty by the court. He was sentenced to prison.

Cast

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Besides Atty. Jose C. Sison, actor Cris Daluz appeared in both segments as the court judge.

Qualified Seduction (Case No. 23450)

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Rape (Case No. 538842)

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Production

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After film and television director Marilou Diaz-Abaya finished directing Ang Ika-11 na Utos: Mahalin Mo ang Asawa Mo in 1994, Charo Santos-Concio, the executive producer of Star Cinema and one of the programming heads of ABS-CBN, asked the director if she has seen Kapag May Katwiran... Ipaglaban Mo!, a legal drama that dramatizes real-life criminal cases, and if she wanted to direct the film version of the show. The director accepted the offer because she had seen the show. Later on, she and Ricky Lee, her screenwriting collaborator, chose two legal cases where women were abused. This film project would later become part of Marilou Diaz-Abaya's string of films that advocated for the rights of women.[3]

Release

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Redeem Her Honor was released in Philippine theaters on March 29, 1995, by Star Cinema.

Reception

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Accolades

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Ricky Davao, who played Alan in the second part of the film, won his first award at the Gawad Urian Awards for Best Supporting Actor.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Focus on Asia Archives: 1995 (5th)". Fukuoka International Film Festival. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ^ ABS-CBN Corporation Communications (March 16, 2022). "Sagip Pelikula celebrates the legacy of Ricky Lee with Spotlight series on KTX.ph" (Press release). Quezon City, Metro Manila: ABS-CBN Entertainment. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "MARILOU DIAZ-ABAYA, OBSESSIONS AND TRANSITIONS: A BIOGRAPHICAL SURVEY (4/6)". Asian Cinevision. July 23, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  4. ^ Francisco, Butch (July 17, 2004). "Why Ricky is among the best on my list". The Philippine Star. Philstar Daily, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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