With good feedbacks from the 2025 Manila international film fest in LA and good notices from another film mecca, one braced for a special screening of King Palisoc’s Song of the Fireflies more out of curiosity than with excitement.
On the whole, this is the story of Loboc Children’s Choir in Loboc town in Bohol under its homegrown mentor, Alma Taldo.
The choir has logged more than 40 years since its founding in the early 80s. In the 90s, I heard the choir for the first time in the company of actor Cesar Montano who shared the outstanding Boholano award with the choir.
A brief encounter with Teacher Taldo gave me the instinct she was a gentle homegrown music teacher who wants to share love for music with everyone, young and old.
From the screenplay of Sarge Lacuesta, one learned there were no rigorous auditions to select the best choristers. Everyone was welcome provided they go through the rigorous rehearsal requirements.
In the opening scene showing their last stint with the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), Ms. Taldo (played by Morisette) is gently edged out as conductor in favor of the well-dressed, “classically trained” benefactor Madame Pequet played by Rachel Alejandro.
They only placed third in that national competition. For the provincial choristers and their teacher, it was a big letdown.
Madame Pequet set out to boost the morale of the choir reminding them that not winning first place is not the end of the world. But they can work hard to be the best by going through strict regimen of choral discipline.
Indeed, the kids take to rehearsals seriously from breathing exercises to vocalizations.
It’s the choristers’ lives outside of music that help you connect with the film. One chorister played by Noel Comia, Jr. was in search of his father on top of going through vocal transition from kid to young adult. Then there are these two choristers in the early stages of young love.
Musical scoring is minimal but the songs of Ryan Cayabyab, Louis Ocampo, Raimund Marasigan and Jazz Nicolas tied the story together.
The choir was also an excellent acting ensemble on top of having heavenly voices.
Morisette portrayed the choir mentor Alma Taldo with quiet but commanding presence. The “classically trained” Ms. Pequet was essayed well by Rachel Alejandro. She provided a good contrast between homegrown and cosmopolitan musicians.
The direction by Palisoc was competent.
Moreover, it is the screenplay of Sarge Lacuesta that humanized the story of young musicians and their mentor. It is their lives outside of music that gave the film a good connection between art and life.
According to Lacuesta, Song of the Fireflies with its long gestation period happened before An Errand. Celeste Legazpi reached out to him upon the recommendation of her daughter, visual artist Lala Gallardo.
The writer recalls: “I had heard of the Loboc Children’s Choir then, but could never have imagined how beautiful their story was. I should say that toward the completion of the film, Celeste and I bonded creatively. Such a joy to work with her. Like many writers, I choose projects based on how much they resonate with me and what I wish to say. But I must add that it’s not for reasons of ego—it’s because I find it very difficult to write about something that I can’t find myself emotionally involved in — my experience, my struggles, my failures. So, the first thing I do is look for myself in any project that presents itself.”
The big challenge of doing Song of the Fireflies was finding a clear narrative that would drive the story forward. “The story of the Loboc Children’s Choir is a story of triumph against massive odds, but the story of the film needed to be more than that. I realize that it could be a growing up story—not just for the kids in the choir, but for choir master Alma Taldo herself. Apart from that, there was also the story of ‘country versus city’ — something I am very much acquainted with, having spent much of my childhood outside Manila. In this manner, too, I felt that the movie became a personal story.”
The writer isn’t totally strange to choirs having been a member of the Onofre Pagsanghan’s Dulaang Sibol back in his high school days. “I was an active member of our choir (I was tenor 1). So, I was quite familiar with the elements of choral singing—from the rigorous practice hours to the terror and thrill of performing in front of an audience. Speaking to past and present members of the Loboc Children’s Choir during the research stage of writing gave me even more insight. Yes, it was a far cry from An Errand, but so much closer to my youth as a choir member and a lover of music.”
Moreover, the writer also enjoyed writing the song lyrics set to music by people he has looked up to since he was young. “It brought me back to my student days playing and singing in bands in the very first Club Dredd and the old Cabooze. I never thought those days would come back. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how these guys could turn my words into music so effortlessly. I guess I learned how much I loved writing songs—a very liberating process. Working with different songwriters meant working with people who had very different processes—each a masterclass on its own. Mr. C (Ryan Cayabyab) did not modify a single syllable or word. Whatever you gave him would be put into the song, as though he had written the lyrics himself. Unbelievable. Raimund Marasigan applied a riff-based approach: the songs became instant earworms that you could listen—and sing to—again and again. Jazz Nicolas uncannily absorbed the vibe of the period and magically turned my wife Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta’s lyrics into something straight out of early 80s radio. And Louie Ocampo turned my meandering words into an emotional river that went straight to the heart. My only regret is not having been able to write more songs for these guys. It was quite an experience.”
The lessons from doing Song of the Fireflies: “I learned to respect the process of screenwriting which is longer and drawn-out, and more considered. Where creating a story or a novel involves a lot of building characters and narratives as the writing happens, writing a movie means having the rigor and discipline to map out action and character arcs before the actual storytelling—the filmmaking—begins. The late director
Marilou Diaz-Abaya once told me that a film is a juggernaut—it moves on massive amounts of money and manpower. Thirty years later, I finally understand what she meant, especially in relation to filmmaking.”
For fictions writers who want to try screenwriting, this is his advice: “I advise them to watch a lot of films—films they like, films they don’t like—and understand what comes together in a film to make it work as a literary cinematic experience—not a novel, not a story. I’ve mentioned before that more writers ought to watch movies, just as more filmmakers ought to read books. I also wish to warn writers who are used to doing solitary work: understand that filmmaking requires working, creating, and negotiating ideas with others. And suffering others, too. I’ve been treated harshly and have had my work rejected several times. Part of the work is understanding that this is all part of the process of filmmaking.”
He is not one to attach the word screenwriter in his name. “I don’t consider myself as a screenwriter yet. I have too much respect for all those who have made a landmark career out of writing solid screenplays. I probably describe myself best as a learner. I am still trying to create a language in my script and story work that is unique and distinctive, and that is authentically Filipino.”
(Song of the Fireflies with script by Sarge Lacuesta stars Rachel Alejandro, Noel Comia Jr., Krystal Brimner, alongside Chai Fonacier, Via Antonio, Cai Cortez, Tommy Alejandrino and Alex Medina. It features music by renowned composers Ryan Cayabyab, Louie Ocampo, Raimund Marasigan, Jazz Nicolas, and Krina Cayabyab. Directed by King Palisoc, the film is produced by Culturtain Musicat Productions with MQuest Ventures, in cooperation with Quezon City Film Development Commission, CMB Film Services, and Hartman Communications. Song of the Fireflies swept the 2025 Manila International Film Festival with multiple wins: Audience Award for Best Picture, Best Actress (Morissette), Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Alejandro), Best Supporting Actor (Noel Comia Jr.), and a Special Award. It also won the Platinum Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. It opened in cinemas last June 25.)