FLOR CONTEMPLACION

I. OBJECTIVES
 to inform the readers about the content and the quality of the film
 to get more insight about the movie
 to provide analysis feature in order to explain impression of the film, consider how well the film
utilizes formal techniques and thematic content.

II. FINDINGS

Flor Contemplacion, a 42 year old Filipina maid, was convicted by a Singaporean court of killing
another Filipina maid, Delia Maga and Nicholas Huang, the three year old Singaporean son of her
employer on May 4th, 1991.
She had originally confessed to the murders. It was, however, later claimed that she made the
confession under duress, and it has also been claimed that she was of doubtful sanity at the time they
were committed, although this seems unlikely.

She was hanged by Darshan Singh, at 6.00 a.m. on Friday, the 17th of March 1995 together with three
male drug traffickers, amidst scenes of unusually tight security. Eight policemen, including two armed
with machine guns and wearing flak jackets, stood outside the prison gates with two dogs. Police cars
and motorcycles patrolled the street continuously, apparently to deter protests by the estimated
75,000 Filipinos working in Singapore.

Anger swept the Philippines as the news of the execution broke. Leftist and feminist groups, human
rights activists and the media denounced Singapore as a barbaric, tyrannical and totalitarian state with
no respect for human rights. The Roman Catholic Church called Singapore a state without mercy.

 Diplomatic wrangling.
The execution caused a major diplomatic row between Singapore and the Philippines, after Singapore
rejected an appeal from the Philippines President, Fidel Ramos. There were protests outside the
Singapore Embassy in Manila.

Flor had said, on the eve of her execution, that she was ready to die after final pleas for clemency and a
new trial had been rejected. The Philippine Foreign Secretary said that she had thanked Filipinos for
their efforts in trying to save her, but had said that if the stay of execution will only delay the carrying
out of her sentence, she preferred to have an early end to everyone's suffering instead.
Flor was visited in Changi prison daily by her children, a 21-year-old son, a 17-year-old daughter and
15-year-old twin boys who had last seen their mother in 1989, but her husband Efren didn't visit her
because, "I could not bear to see her and not be able to touch her or embrace her after seven years."
He had made an emotional appeal a week earlier for help in saving his wife.
 She was informed of the date and the time of the hanging on the Tuesday (14th March) before the
execution, as is customary in Singapore and apparently took the news calmly. "She was resigned to her
fate and she tried to be strong and told the children to be strong and love one another."

The Philippine government had requested a stay of execution. Solicitor-General Raul Goco, in a letter
to the Singapore government, asked for this "to put all doubts to rest before the case of Mrs.
Contemplacion comes to a final conclusion." He had urged Singapore to defer the hanging "on
humanitarian considerations."
Philippine President Fidel Ramos had personally asked Singapore to postpone the execution until new
evidence, testimony from another Filipino maid had been evaluated. But the Singapore government
said it "carefully investigated this new evidence and found it to be untrue." Therefore, the Singaporean
President, Ong Teng Cheong, found there was no basis to justify a stay of execution.

At least two maids came forward during the week prior to the hanging to suggest that the little boy
drowned during an epileptic fit in a bathtub and his father killed Mrs. Maga and framed Flor in a fit of
rage.
One, Virginie Parumog, said in an affidavit she had shared a cell with Flor and had evidence of her
innocence. In her affidavit, Parumog said Flor told her that, "Della immediately phoned her employer
about the incident. Her male employer immediately rushed home. Very angry, the employer strangled
Della's neck." Then the employer called the police and implicated Flor in the double murder.

"These claims are pure fabrication," a Singaporean Home Affairs Ministry statement said. "The wild and
baseless allegations of Virginie Parumog are yet another attempt to stir up controversy over the Flor
Contemplacion case, without any regard for the truth."
The Home Ministry said Parumog claimed Contemplacion told her that when visiting Della Maga, the
two maids had discovered Nicholas had drowned. According to the Ministry, when the police arrived,
Contemplacion was not at the house. She was traced later through entries made in Della Maga's diary.
In addition, it was not the boy's father who phoned police, it was the mother.
The Ministry statement also dismissed other claims made by Parumog, including that Flor had
undergone electric shock treatment while awaiting trial and had been drugged. They said she was
given two electro-encephalogram (EEG) tests, one of which was ordered by her own defence
psychiatrist and was given medication only for headaches and a sore throat.
The statement also pointed out that Flor had had ample opportunity to protest her innocence while in
jail and had chosen not to do so. "During her imprisonment Flor Contemplacion had nine visits by
Philippine embassy officials. The government did not receive any representations regarding complaints
of ill treatment or claims to Contemplacion's innocence," the ministry said. "Are we to believe that if
Flor Contemplacion felt that she was innocent she would chose to say so only to a prostitute in prison,"
it added.

According to the Home Ministry, Parumog had been arrested in Singapore on June the 25th, 1992, and
had signed a statement saying that she had come to the island republic for prostitution and "was
charging Singaporeans $100 ($70) per sexual entertainment." (Clark,1995)

 After the execution.

Flor Contemplacion's body was released and flown back to Manila and was greeted by the President's
wife, Amelita, at the airport. Perhaps, extraordinarily for a country that was actively trying to restore
the death penalty itself at the time, President Ramos and the Philippine people saw Contemplacion as
a heroine. Some mourners waved white handkerchiefs and others clenched their fists and carried
 placards saying "Justice for Flor Contemplacion" as her funeral cortege passed through Manila's
streets.
Thousands jammed into the small town of San Pablo where she had lived to pay their last respects to
Flor. More than 5,000 town residents and supporters from Manila and nearby areas flocked round her
one-room house to try to catch a glimpse of her body in its open white coffin.
Roman Catholic Bishop Teodoro Bacani held a requiem mass in the town's crowded cathedral for her.
He told the congregation - "She is a symbol of millions of Filipinos driven by poverty to take their
chances abroad," "Their lot is pathetic. Their own government neglects them," he added, evoking
applause from the congregation.(Clark, 1995)

 The aftermath.
President Ramos set up an inquiry into the case and ordered the exhumation of Delia Maga's remains
to determine how she died. Her former husband complained that he and the family had never seen the
autopsy report on her. Conrado Maga said his wife's body bore bruises on the shoulder, neck and face.
"We will try to determine if these are still present and if these could have been caused by a female," a
Philippine detective, Maximo Reyes, said in a radio interview. He said they may have to rely on bone
findings since the remains have been buried for four years. "Doctors can tell in bone findings if there
are fractures or cracks. That means it is not possible for a woman to have done that. It could have been
someone stronger," said Reyes, who will initially examine the corpse.

This new inquiry seemed to conclude that the Singaporeans were right and that Flor Contemplacion
probably was guilty although many in the Philippines will never accept its findings.
Relationships between Singapore and the Philippines have slowly got back to normal.(Clark, 1995)

A.POSITIVE
1) Settings

 Changi Prison, Singapore- the actual setting where the Filipina domestic helper
was hanged
 San Pablo Laguna, Philippines- Flor Contemplacion born and live
 1995- (time element) Filipino maid, who was executed in that year for allegedly
killing a co-worker and a young boy.

EYE OPENER:
What I have mentioned above was the time and geographic location of a narrative or
the Flor Contemplacion story/movie. The setting was said to be in a positive or timely
relevant because it helped initiate the main backdrop and mood of the story. The
context was good which seen surroundings of the story. It also a time relevant because
they included the culture, historical period, and hour.
2) Story

The Flor Contemplacion Story is an effective, often stirring recreation of the true-life
story of a Filipino maid, who was executed in 1995 for allegedly killing a co-worker and a
young boy. A strong performance by movie star Nora Aunor dominates the film, which is at
once a touching family saga and a forceful case of social injustice. However, unrestrained
melodramatics and excessive running time undermine overall impact of a story whose facts
are still in dispute.

Extreme poverty and an accompanying sense of hopelessness have driven many Filipinos
out of their country, seeking employment abroad. The plight of women employed as
domestic workers has been a major problem as reportedly many have suffered in the hands
of their masters various forms of abuse, including torture, and rape.

A devoted mother of four, Flor Contemplacion (Aunor) went to Singapore to work as a

maid, where her employers treated her fairly. However, in March l995, she was arrested
and executed by hanging for allegedly murdering another maid, Delia Maga (Amy Austria)
and the Singaporean boy Delia was taking care of.

Framed as a mystery, the tale reconstructs in flashbacks episodes from Flor’s family life
before and after she left the Philippines. These episodes not only enrich the story, but
successfully move the film beyond a case of social outrage into a heart-wrenching
exploration of women’s inferiority in a patriarchal system. Indeed, Flor’s long absences from
home drove her weak hubby Efren (Julio Diaz) into an open relationship with a mistress and
forced her two older children into early marriages. In one of the film’s many touching
scenes, Flor visits her family, but she can’t distinguish between her twins.(Chard,1995)

According to the film, there’s no doubt that Flor was innocent and that her confession was
obtained through physical torment–her predicament brought an outpouring of sympathy
from her countrymen, who still refuse to believe her guilt. Director Lamangan offers political
background which implicates the Philippine government, from the President all the way
down to officers of the Departments of Labor and Foreign Affairs, with cruel negligence and
incompetence.
A prominent actress, Aunor invests her role with powerful emotions and utmost conviction,
showing how an innocent, humble, self-sacrificing mother became a victim of corruption
and abuse–and later, a national symbol adored by her countrymen. A title card informs that
in April l995 the Filipino government reduced diplomatic relations with Singapore.

The Flor Contemplacion Story” is an often stirring re-creation of the true-life story
of a Filipino maid who was executed in Singapore in 1995 for allegedly killing a co-worker
and a young boy. A strong performance by movie star Nora Aunor dominates the film,
which is at once a touching family saga and a forceful look at social injustice. However,
 unrestrained melodramatics and excessive running time undermine overall impact of a
story whose facts are still in dispute.

Extreme poverty and an accompanying sense of hopelessness have driven many Filipinos
out of their country, seeking employment abroad. The plight of women employed as
domestic workers has been a major problem, with many reportedly suffering torture, rape
and other abuse from their masters.

A devoted mother of four, Flor Contemplacion (Aunor) went to Singapore to work as a

maid, where her employers treated her fairly. However, in March 1995, she was arrested
and hanged for allegedly murdering another maid, Delia Maga (Amy Austria), and the
Singaporean boy Delia was taking care of.(Levy,1995)

The Flor Contemplacion Story is a 1995 film produced by Viva Films about the
story of the Filipina domestic helper who was hanged in Singapore for allegedly killing her
fellow maid. The story was chronicled in a film which operates on various personal, social
and political levels. Both controversial and critically acclaimed, it has brought Nora Aunor
numerous citations for her intense portrayal as the fallen heroine of the story.
(Wikipedia,1995)

EYE OPENER:
The story of Flor Contemplacion have a deep roots and recognised in modern
society for hundreds of years. The story was a true-life of a Filipino who had a unpleasant
experience in other country. The story of her defined with a work as personal experience,
which was conceivably and more natural.
It is rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character,
scene,setting and firing on all cylinders to make a fim worth repeated viewing.

3) Character
Cast
Nora Aunor as Flor Contemplacion
Julio Diaz as Efren Contemplacion
Jacklyn Jose as Neneng
Ian De Leon as Xandrex Contemplacion
Vina Morales as Russel Contemplacion
Jon-Jon Contemplacion as Himself
Joel Contemplacion as Himself
Tony Mabesa as Philippine Ambassador in Philippine Embassy Singapore
Ali Sotto as Spokensperson of Philippine Embassy Singapore
 Rita Avila as Evangeline Parale
Amy Austria as Delia Maga
Charito Solis as Lydia Montilla (Flor's fellow Domestic Helper in Singapore)
Gloria Sevilla as Flor's mother
Caridad Sanchez as Flor's mother-in-law (who also became an OFW in Singapore as
Domestic Helper)
Ronaldo Valdez as Atty. Romeo Capulong (1935-2012)
Bennette Ignacio as Nicholas Huang

Nora Aunor
Vina Morales
Julio Diaz
EYE OPENER:
The three bullets above are the characters that I chose as an effective actor/ actress that
embodied the person. They really get into character, they gave their best. They are such a good
actor/actress that they pull you into their world and leave you on the edge of our seat. They
have their acting skills. They are great actor/actress, they show strong emotions that will
captivate your audience or the viewer. They know how to personifies and the plot twist and
every detailed. It also shows that the artist contributing to the themes in the project, then listen
to their ideas that is why they accurately portrayed their characters.

4) Visual effects
EYE OPENER:
The visual effects are good where cameras never leave their faces, show how
much they convey nothing but their eyelids, the visuals made it.They have some effects
in the movie that make the movie more convincing yet natural. Visual effects are often
integral to a movie's story and appeal. Although most visual effects work is completed
during post-production, it usually must be carefully planned and choreographed in pre-
production and production. While special effects such as explosions and car chases are
made on set, visual effects are primarily executed in post-production with the use of
mult.iple tools and technologies such as graphic design, modeling, animation and similar
software. A visual effects supervisor is usually involved with the production from an
early stage to work closely with production and the film's director design, guide and lead
the teams required to achieve the desired effects. Also the cinematography was good.
 5) Audio Effects
EYE OPENER:
Giving credits, the audio effects was good if we don’t compare it nowadays
effects. It gives life to the movie the sound and even though their dubbing. It was
balance as they convey with nothing but their eyelids, and not even barely cracking their
voice.

6) Acting
EYE OPENER:
They are such a good actor/actress that they pull you into their world and
leave you on the edge of our seat. They have their acting skills. They are great
actor/actress, they show strong emotions that will captivate your audience or the
viewer. They know how to personifies and the plot twist and every detailed. It also
shows that the artist contributing to the themes in the project, then listen to their ideas
that is why they accurately portrayed their characters. And to give credits for the best
performance its Nora Aunor she won several awards like (FAMAS Filipino Academy of
Movie Arts and Sciences Awards)Circle of Excellence, Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri
ng Pelikulang Pilipino) Best Actress, and many more. Jacklyn Jose also won some Best
Supporting Actress.