MANILA -- This UP student's film goes beyond a mere requirement for his undergraduate thesis—it carries his hope to preserve a significant part of his town’s history, which he fears may soon be forgotten. 

Vrian Pamatmat, a film student in University of the Philippines - Diliman, took on the endeavor of immortalizing the story of the Calamba massacre through a narrative, experimental, and musical short film titled “Doce de Pebrero.”

“Sa maliit kong paraan... gusto kong mapagpatuloy ‘yung kwento kasi hindi po talaga siya nagpapatuloy. Maaari po siyang mamatay, ‘yun po ‘yung pinaka-worry ko na at some point dahil hindi namin, kami, ‘yung mga henerasyon namin na may kayang gawin ... kung hindi namin gagawin yung part namin na magkwento, maaaring  at some point, sa generations to come, hindi na nila alam,” he said. 

(In my own little way, I want to continue telling this story [Calamba massacre] because it’s possible that it may die in time. That’s what I am worried about the most. If our generations, who have the capability to do something, will not do our part in retelling this story, it may come to a point that the generations to come will not know about it.)

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Inspiration

Every year, Calamba, Laguna observes Doce de Pebrero, the massacre carried out by Japanese soldiers that killed 2,000 men on February 12, 1945. 

Calamba annually commemorates this event through a play spearheaded by the Samahang Doce de Pebrero, a group organized by survivors and families of the slain men.

The play is written by the late Dr. Eulogio T. Tañala Jr., a former Department of Education supervisor in the city and whose father was among the fallen men. He also became president of the Samahan when the older members died. 

Pamatmat, a thespian since he was a child, recalled participating in the play during its 70th commemoration in 2015 and how his fascination with it stayed with him ever since. 

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Reaffirmation of the Philippines’ tragic past

Drawing inspiration from Tañala’s play, Doce de Pebrero depicts the story of an imagined survivor named Lino, set 30 years after the massacre, and how he deals with “the shadows of his past—memories of violence and fear that refuse to fade, forcing him to confront the lasting scars of his trauma.”

Pamatmat said retelling Calamba’s tragic past reaffirms the atrocities the country suffered under the Japanese occupation. 

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

“Sinubukan ng mga Hapon na ipakalimot pa rin sa atin ito. Sinusubukan nilang i-downplay ‘yung mga ginawa nila pero hindi natin maitatanggi na itong war crimes na ito na ginawa hindi lang sa amin, hindi lang sa community namin, ‘yung war crimes na ginawa sa buong bansa natin ay totoo,” he said. 

(The Japanese tried to make us forget about this. They tried to downplay their abuses but we cannot deny that these war crimes, which not only happened in our community but in the whole country, truly took place.)

“Kung nangyari ito sa amin, malamang sa malamang, nangyari din ito sa mas marami pang lugar at maaari ding maraming-marami sa mga iyon hindi na naikukwento, hindi na nagsu-survive ‘yung mini narratives nila. So para sa akin po, mahalaga ito (pagkukwento ng Calamba massacre) kasi kahit hindi kayo taga-dito, kwento pa rin ito ng mga Pilipino. Kwento pa rin natin itong mga Pilipino sa kamay ng mga Hapon,” he added.

(If this happened to us, it most probably happened to other places as well. It is possible that most of those have not been retold, and that their own mini narratives have not survived. So for me, retelling the story of the Calamba massacre is important because even if you don’t hail from Calamba, it remains a story of the Filipinos. It’s our story under Japanese rule.)

Asked if he believes the Calamba massacre holds relevance in modern times, Pamatmat said history will never be irrelevant. 

“Nakikita ko po talaga siya na sobrang relevant kahit 80 years na ‘yung nakalilipas kasi ‘yung kasaysayan ay never magiging irrelevant dahil dito tayo natututo kung ano ‘yung kailangan natin gawin, ano ‘yung nagyayari sa atin,” he said. 

(I still see this as relevant even if it happened 80 years ago because history will never be irrelevant. This teaches us what we need to do and what made us what we are today.)

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

He also said this mirrors the state of the country in recent times, especially during the drug war under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, as pointed out by his creative consultants. 

“Nakikita talaga nila ‘yung parallels ng kwentong ito sa kwento natin ngayon, kung nasa’n tayo ngayon, most especially sa kwento ni Duterte, sa kwento ng pamamaslang niya, walang habas niyang pamamaslang. So hindi po siya magiging irrelevant hangga’t–wala, wala hangganan, I think, kasi kasaysayan natin ito bilang Pilipino,’ he said. 

(They really see the parallels of the Calamba massacre to the story of our country today, most especially in the story of Duterte and his merciless killings. So its relevance would have no end because this is part of our history as Filipinos.)

Reviving the story in Calambeño’s consciousness

As years pass, fewer people retain knowledge of this bloodshed 80 years ago, and this results in fewer Calambeños passing on this story to the younger generation.

Pamatmat believes that the story should not only be confined within the memories of the few whose recollections would eventually fade. 

“Kahit po sobrang, sa lapit, sa distance, hindi po siya naikukwento, hindi po siya napagkukwentuhan kaya gusto ko rin na itong pelikula na ito, mag-spark ng discussions para lumawak pa ‘yung may alam dahil nga kwento namin ito. Kwento po ito ng bayan namin,” he said.

(People don’t talk about the massacre even in the towns close to where the killings took place. That’s why I want this film to spark discussions so that more people would learn about this because this is our story. This is the story of our town.)

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

He shared that even his own family was not keen on passing on this story even though they had relatives killed in the massacre. 

“Nalaman ko lang po na meron akong kamag-anak na namatay nung nakausap ko ‘yung lola ko about this and that was just three weeks ago, na hindi ko pa po malalaman na meron akong kamag-anak na namatay noon kung hindi dahil sinabi ko sa kaniya, napagkwentuhan namin,”

(I just learned that we had relatives who died in the massacre when I talked to my grandmother about this story and that was just three weeks ago. I would not have known about it had I not opened the topic with her.)

“Hindi po siya generationally nasasabi pero ‘yun po, lalo po akong naging passionate to make this film kasi nalaman ko po na meron akong kadugo na pinaslang nung araw na ‘yun,” he added.

(It is not passed on in every generation. I became more passionate about making this film when I learned that I had relatives who died that day.)

As part of the younger generation, Pamatmat deems it their responsibility to keep its storytelling rolling. 

“Kami po, bilang mga susunod na henerasyon ng may alam at may kakayahan na ipagpatuloy itong kuwento ng Doce de Pebrero sa mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga Calambeño, parang napunta sa amin ‘yung pressure and privilege na ipagpatuloy na maisalin itong kuwento na ito sa mga bata, sa mga susunod pang henerasyon,” he said.

(As the next generation who has the knowledge and capability to pass on the story of Doce de Pebrero to the next generations of Calambeños, it’s like we have pressure and privilege in our hands to keep its storytelling alive.)

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

As the writer and director of the film, Pamatmat sees this as a full-circle moment before he leaves the academe, as he values this story as one of those that capture his essence as an artist. 

“Importante sa'kin ‘yung kwento na ito dahil ito ‘yung isa sa mga unang kwento na pinanghawakan ko bilang artista... Kwento namin ito bilang tao, bilang komunidad, at kwento ko ito bilang isang artista.,” he said. 

(This story is important to me because it’s one of the first stories that I held on to as an artist. This is our story as a people, as a community, and this is my story as an artist.)

What to expect

Pamatmat said that while the film was guided by the historical details of the Calamba Massacre, he executed his creative freedom in writing its screenplay. 

Four original songs composed by southern Tagalog artist Rafiel Talatala will be played in the 20-minute short film. Talatala, who is also a theater practitioner, also had an acting role in the film. 

Viewers can also watch out for the performance of filmmaker and actor DMs Boongaling who starred in “Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon” (2022), “Leonor Will Never Die” (2022), “GomBurZa” (2023), and television series “Suntok sa Buwan” (2022), among others. 

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Funding

As of this writing, the crowdfunding for Doce de Pebrero is still ongoing.

Charlotte Hermosa, the film’s producer, stressed that garnering funds and sponsorships for the project is especially hard since they are still students. 

“Mahirap talaga makalikom ng funds for a big-scale project like this, unlike noon sa “Paging Elise” na may market talaga kami dahil sikat ‘yung kwento,” she said. 

(It’s really hard to collect funds for a big-scale project like this unlike with “Paging Elise” since we really had a market for it because the story is popular.)

“Paging Elise,” the first period short film produced by Hermosa, is based on a popular internet lore set in 1997. 

Read more about it here: Kwentong internet: Nahanap na ba ni Kuya Marlon si Elise?

She said producing Doce de Pebrero has been challenging even with the help of industry professionals on board. 

“Making this film happen hasn’t been easy, but our love for cinema and the arts continues to drive us forward,” she said. 

Click on this link for the crowdfunding details. 

Photo taken during the shooting of Doce de Pebrero on April 19, 2025. 📸: Nina Angela Cruz, ABS-CBN News

Where to watch

Doce de Pebrero will be shown in UP Film Institute’s student film festival Likha Adarna on May 20-21, 2025.

However, Pamatmat said his ultimate goal is to bring the film to Calamba. 

“Napakahalaga po sa akin bilang direktor ng pelikula na ito na bumalik itong kwentong ito kung saan siya nanggaling which is sa Calamba. Gusto ko siyang mapanood [doon] dahil ‘yun naman talaga ‘yung pinakarason kung bakit ko ginagawa ito,” he said.

(It’s really important for me as the director of this film to bring it home to Calamba. I want it to be screened there because it’s the main reason why I made this film.)

Pamatmat said he is also crossing his fingers to showcase Doce de Pebrero in more film screenings.