Peninsula: Ilonggos found themselves in the character of Captain Jung-seok

Peninsula in Iloilo City, Ilonggos and Captain Jung-seok Feature
  • Iloilo City is the first city in the country to resume indoor movie showing since the lockdown.
  • Peninsula showed parallelism on the challenges that we face today under Covid-19.
  • Ilonggos who viewed the film saw themselves in the character portrayed by Jung-seok.

Iloilo City – Major cinemas across the metropolis held special advance screenings of Peninsula, a sequel of the 2016 Korean hit movie “Train to Busan.”

Peninsula was again a blockbuster in South Korea upon release last month. It earned the biggest number of viewers during its opening day with locals expressing excitement for the stars Kang Dong Won and Lee Jung Hyun.

The standalone sequel of the Train to Busan was also set for showing in the 2020 Cannes Film Festival but was later cancelled because of the pandemic.

The zombiefied story ironically mirror the challenges that the world is facing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a highly-anticipated film in the Philippines for its trailer have attracted excitement with its heart-stopping images, fast-paced sequence, and action-packed movement. On top of this, the heart-throbbing side of the story made the viewers emotional at the very end of the movie.

The advance screening of Peninsula is significant for Iloilo City for it is the first city in the country to resume indoor cinema movie show since the imposition of a lockdown four months ago.

The screening was held at SM City Iloilo and Festive Walk Mall Cinemas. The Ilonggos who missed watching movies, went all out and filled the 50% sitting capacity last August 1 and 2 to see the blockbuster and gain lessons from the film.

The two-day screening was considered as a cinema pre-run for the new normal with limited viewers. Regular public screening has yet to be determined by the management of the malls.

Local economy is adapting the new normal

The Ilonggos who attended the film screening were mixed age groups composed of students, cultural advocates, artists, professionals, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

This is a sector who are anticipating gradual improvement of the local economy.

A result of a survey conducted by the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED) among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and up to large businesses as respondents have revealed that the economy in Iloilo will continue to grow.

Although it will not occupy the same position before the pandemic, the economy is predicted to recover from the pandemic and become stronger under the new normal.

With businesses that are reopening again under a more regulated and restricted environment, Ilonggos are facing the adaptation challenge such as compliance with the new normal standards and cooperation with the authorities and different sectors.

The easing of the restrictions in the last two months have started businesses like restos, cafes, malls, to slowly regain foothold in their respective markets.

Small to medium scale events have likewise kicked-off. This type of gatherings has started to gain a momentum like the recently concluded Mercado Iloilo Weekend Market. The weekend market served like a kick-starter on how Ilonggos will adapt to health and safety protocols when attending live events, fairs and exhibits, and weekend markets.

These indoor and outdoor business activities have manifested the evolution of business operations in Iloilo City, showing resilience and hope.

These changes in local development brought about by the pandemic have displayed some parallelism in the movie Peninsula which carried an underlying message that it may not be the zombie or the virus that’s the enemy, but probably the resistance of human beings to change.

At the closing of the film, Ilonggos have found themselves in the character portrayal of Marine Captain Jung-seok, the main character in the movie as the fight against Covid-19 continues. He kept moving forward anticipating the very day he will survive and get out of Peninsula and finally escape the danger – the very theme of #PadayonKita campaign.

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