Film Development Council of the Philippines Chair and CEO Jose “Direk Joey” Javier Reyes recently delivered a special lecture entitled “Ravages of War: Filipinos in Peacetime, Conflict, and Its Aftermath in Oro, Plata, Mata” at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati City.
Audience members gathered last October 24 for a rare look into a ledger of quietly lost humanity, recorded in the choices made when civilized life collapses.
The event was co-presented by the Lopez Museum and Library, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the FDCP, with support from Power Plant Mall and ABS-CBN Sagip Pelikula, also known as the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project.
Following Direk Joey’s presentation, attendees were treated to a special screening of the digitally restored film, attended by original cast members Joel Torre and Ronnie Lazaro.
Before assuming leadership of the FDCP, Direk Joey established himself as one of Philippine cinema’s most versatile and insightful creative voices. An accomplished director, playwright, and educator, he wrote the screenplay for the film early in his career, shaping a story that would become a cornerstone of national cinema.
During the lecture, Direk Joey drew directly from extensive historical research and personal family accounts of World War II. He detailed the creative processes behind writing the film, providing a vivid window into how real-world historical memory was translated into narrative art.
“Oro, Plata, Mata,” released in 1982 and directed by the late Peque Gallaga, is regarded as a masterpiece of Philippine cinema. Set in Negros during the Japanese occupation, the narrative traces the fortunes of two aristocratic haciendero families as they flee the advancing conflict.
The title refers to a traditional architectural superstition regarding stair steps, counting off “Gold, Silver, Death,” which serves as an allegory for the family’s decline.
The film examines the psychological warfare within human hearts when violence disrupts society, rather than focusing solely on battlefield combat.
Direk Joey emphasized throughout his lecture that the central tragedy of war is not merely physical destruction, but the sacrifice of social propriety, manners, and moral decorum in the pursuit of self-preservation. As the characters retreat further into isolation, traditional boundaries collapse, exposing the raw instincts beneath cultured surfaces.
Highlighting critical final sequences, Direk Joey explained Gallaga’s ultimate message that a nation cannot escape or outrun the trauma of its ancestors by refusing to confront tragic history. Understanding the past requires acknowledging the compromises and scars that continue to influence contemporary identity.
“We should put greater value on looking at our past, because the past is the foundation of who we have become here and now,” Direk Joey stressed.
For the students and film enthusiasts in attendance, the event served as a poignant reminder that looking at history directly is the only way to understand who we are today.
