Show business had been the main staple to entertain the public for decades and decades. Showbiz, however, has taken a back seat lately to the coverage of the hearings pertaining to the flood control program scandal.

The hearings, of course, have also become a source of entertainment to people. After all, some of the characters involved in this controversy are amusing — aren’t they?

Sadly, the joke is on us. The joke is on the taxpayers whose financial contributions to government coffers are pocketed by politicians and contractors, particularly those attached to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

But showbiz somehow was able to squeeze into public consciousness the other Saturday, 11 October, when the 48th Gawad Urian of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino was staged at the De La Salle University in Taft Avenue. The main sponsors were the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and, of course, De La Salle University.

The government network, PTV-4, was generous enough to have aired the event the day after. PTV-4 actually has a wider reach compared to some other television stations. So, thank you, People’s Television Network Inc. And thank you, too, Ms. Malou Choa-Fagar, who is the new general manager of the government network.

It was not the best time to stage an entertainment awards, but the 48th Gawad Urian had been scheduled way before the flood control program scandal broke out. And the awards show had to unfold following the series of earthquakes that ripped through the entire archipelago.

As a matter of fact, an earthquake occurred while the show was ongoing. Strangely enough, no one in the auditorium felt it. The acceptance speeches of the winners, however, were earth-shaking. Most of the winners condemned those involved in the flood control program scandal. Even the entertainment number provided by Arman Ferrer was about corruption. Truly a winner.

But who were the Urian winners again? This corner will do a recap and, more interestingly, The Butcher will reveal right here who were the actual close competitors of the final victors in the acting categories.

Best supporting actress — Nominated in this category were Bituin Escalante and Kakki Teodoro (Isang Himala), Ina Feleo (The Hearing), Kei Kurosawa (Crosspoint), Chanda Romero (Espantaho) and Rowena Sangher (Tumandok).

From the beginning, it was clear to the group that Kakki Teodoro was going to be the best supporting actress winner. However, in true Manunuri fashion, the group decided to carefully thresh out the performances of all the nominees. As the discussion went on, it was pointed out that Bituin, Ina and Rowena also turned in brilliant performances.

In the end, Kakki Teodoro emerged best supporting actress. Two actresses tied for second place: Bituin Escalante and Ina Feleo.

Kakki almost didn’t make it to the awards presentation. She was doing two shows that time at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She finished the matinee show at 5:20 p.m. and rushed to the La Salle campus. Thankfully, CCP is not that far from La Salle. She made it in time for her proclamation as best supporting actress and gave the exhilarating speech in that awards presentation.

Best supporting actor — The nominees in this category were Art Acuna (An Errand), Nor Domingo (The Hearing), David Ezra (Isang Himala), Felipe Ganancial (Tumandok) and Takehiro Hira (Crosspoint). Two actors again tied for second place: Nor Domingo and David Ezra. But the eventual winner was Felipe Ganancial as the chieftain in Tumandok. Unfortunately, Felipe Ganancial passed last May. His daughter, Cathy, though was present at the Urian and gave a very emotional speech. It was a bittersweet moment for her.

Best actress — The nominees were Mylene Dizon (The Hearing), Arisa Nakano and Gabby Padilla (Kono Basho), Lovi Poe (Guilty Pleasure), Jenaica Sangher (Tumandok) and Aicelle Santos (Isang Himala). 

During the selection of the nominees, everyone in the Manunuri group thought that Lovi Poe would end up as the winner. She really gave an impressive performance as a lawyer in Guilty Pleasure. And it’s about time she won an Urian because she is one of the finest actresses of her generation.

But during the final deliberations, she was left out in the race. Were the outfits she wore in the film too distracting? Someone in the group pointed that out, but, surely, that comment wasn’t taken seriously.

In the final voting, two actresses fought it out and it was a close fight between them: Jenaica Sangher and Arisa Nakano. In the final tally, Jenaica lost by one vote to Arisa who was declared best actress.

Arisa is a young Japanese actress who is best known for her work in Perfect Days, which was entered in the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Her co-star in the film, Koji Yakusho, won the best actor prize in that Cannes film competition.  

After the announcement of Arisa’s name as best actress, everyone started to ask: Can a foreigner win in the Urian?  The answer is yes. 

Kono Basho is a film collaboration between Japan and the Philippines and that made anyone involved in the movie eligible for the Urian. In the list of nominees, there are a lot of Japanese names because of Kono Basho and Crosspoint, which is another film collaboration between the Philippines and Japan. 

The very first foreigner who got nominated in the Urian, however, was the French filmmaker and distributor Pierre Rissient. He was nominated for best sound in 1985 for Kapit sa Patalim (Bayan Ko), which he co-produced with Tony Gonzalez’s Malaya Films.

Arisa Nakano, however, made film history by being the first foreigner to win the Urian. She had planned on flying to the Philippines to take part in the Gawad Urian, but the recent earthquakes here made her change her mind. That’s strange though because in Japan there are supposed to be tremors every day. But then, structures in Japan obviously have better integrity because those were not within reach of our DPWH.

Best actor — Nominated were Carlo Aquino (Crosspoint), Baron Geisler (Dearly Beloved), Ronnie Lazaro (Phantosmia), Sid Lucero (Outside), Ruru Madrid and Dennis Trillo (Green Bones) and Enzo Osorio (The Hearing). 

It would have been wonderful to see Carlo Aquino and Baron Geisler win an Urian because they have yet to win in this awards body. They are both great actors who deserve to bring home an Urian, except that they often fall short of a few votes every time they are nominated.

This year, the runaway winner for best actor was really Dennis Trillo. In second place was Sid Lucero, while Ruru Madrid ranked third. 

It’s about time Dennis Trillo won an Urian. He had been in the running many times over, but like Carlo and Baron, he would often fall short of a few votes. But this year, he finally got it. Dennis Trillo is now an Urian winner. 

Below are the other winners in the 48th Gawad Urian: 

Best picture — Alipato at Muog

Best director — Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico for Tumandok    

Best screenplay — Arden Rod Condez and Arly Sweet Sumagaysay for Tumandok

Best cinematography — Dan Villegas for Kono Basho

Best production design — Marxie Maolen Fadul for Green Bones

Best editing — JL Burgos for Alipato at Muog

Best music — Paolo Almaden and the Ati people of Kabarangkalan and Nagpana for Tumandok

Best sound — Jannina Mikaela Minglanilla and Michaela Docena for The Hearing

Best documentary — Alipato at Muog by JL Burgos

Best short film — Bisan Abo, Wala Bilin by Kyd Torato

Natatanging Gawad Urian — Dante Rivero.