Last Tuesday, Mother Lily set up a special presscon just for his contract signing with Regal. He will be doing Regal’s Metro-Manila Filmfest entry, “Mano Po 7: Chinoy”. “Yes, it's definite na, we will join the filmfest,” says Mother Lily. “This will be shot partly in China. It will show the struggle of Chinoys who are born here in Manila but somehow feel discriminated against even if they are Filipinos through and through. As of now, ang sure na kasama sa casting are Jean Garcia as Richard’s wife, Janella Salvador and Enchong Dee as their children. We also want to get Kim Chiu
kasi Chinese din siya, so sana ipahiram sa amin. We will get another top actress pa to play the role of Richard's other woman. I’m so proud, happy and excited na nakuha namin si Richard for the new ‘Mano Po’ movie. If ever I would be reincarnated, I want to be the next Mrs. Richard Yap.” “I’m also happy and proud to be a part of this very successful film franchise,” says Richard. “Napanood ko yung ibang ‘Mano Po’ movies before, like the one with Zsa Zsa Padilla and Sharon Cuneta. I never thought that someday, I will be a part of a new ‘Mano Po’ movie. May advantage lang ako sa ibang actors na nakasama before sa cast ng ‘Mano Po’ movies kasi totoong Chinese ako.
Nakita ko ang naging life ng parents ko, ng uncles ko, yung traditions nila as Chinese families. Ako mismo, I defied our tradition kasi they want me to marry a Chinese girl pero pinili yung misis ko, who’s Filipina. Dahil dito, hindi ako naisali sa mga negosyo ng family namin. But before my parents passed, nagkaayos rin kami uli kasi I had a son. E, ako lang ang nagkaroon ng anak na lalaki sa mga kapatid ko kaya naging okay ako sa kanila.”
The first “Mano Po, My Family” was made by Joel Lamangan in 2002 and won most of the awards in the Metro filmfest that year. This was followed by “Mano Po 2, My Home” in 2003 directed by Erik Matti, then by “Mano Po 3, My Love” with Vilma Santos in 2004. “Mano Po 4: Ako Legal Wife” came in 2005 with Zsa Zsa Padilla. “Mano Po 5: Gua Ay Di” in 2006 is more of a rom-com with Richard Gutierrez-Angel Locsin. “Mano Po 6: A Mother’s Love” starred Sharon Cuneta in 2009. “Mano Po 3 to 6” were all directed by Joel Lamangan.Now, after 7 years, the new “Mano Po 7” will have a new director, Ian Lorenos, a Fil-Chinese filmmaker raised in our local Chinatown who gave acting awards to LJ Reyes for “The Leaving” in Cinemalaya 2010, Jericho Rosales for “Alagwa” in Urian 2011 and Matteo Guidicelli and Rayver Cruz for “Saturday Night Chills” in Cinema One 2013. We ask Roselle why they’re entrusting the direction of a hit franchise with a relatively new director like Ian.
“I’ve seen the works of Ian and he’s very talented,” she says. “I’m confident that he will come up with a new ‘Mano Po’ that is very different from the previous ones, kasi pareho sila ni Richard na of Chinese ancestry so ibang sensibility and perspective naman ang maipapakita nila rito.”