Rebecca Lusterio
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Lusterio is a Gawad Urian
and FAMAS award-winning Filipino
actress.
). Bikay who grew up in the Balicasag Island, the movie Muro Ami depicted her prowess in swimming. The film is depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo is the ruthless captain of 150 Muro Ami divers. The illegal fishing is done by pounding and crushing corals underwater to scare the fishes and luring them towards the nets. With a high quota to meet, Fredo forces the divers mostly children, to accomplish at least eight dives a day to meet their goal before the millennium. Tired and harassed after the burdening task being given to them, the children have to make do in subhuman conditions in the Aurora, the Muro Ami boat. They sleep in rat-infested bunks and are fed only twice a day. Life above the boat is much worse than the suffering the children encounter beneath the sea. For every dive, a child's life is perilously in danger. For her role, she was hailed as the Philippines best child actress by the FAMAS and STARS Awards.
She had TV appearances in Manila
but she got frustrated by some producers’ false promises and decided to go home to Bohol to continue her studies at the Saint Augustine Academy in Panglao
.
Five years after, she was wowed viewers with her role in the Visayan movie Panaghoy sa Suba
(The Call of the River), a romantic film shot in Bohol with Visayan dialogues, Cebuano to be exact, with English subtitles during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.
In 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival
(MMFF), she grabbed the Best Supporting Actress Award over veteran screen actors Jacklyn Jose, Angelu de Leon and Caridad Sanchez.
In Panaghoy, Bikay is one of the most moving characters - as the brave and obedient younger sister of Duroy (Cesar Montano) who closes the film with poetry. For an actor who never had any formal acting workshop, Bikay delivered a powerful performance, not allowing herself to be overshadowed in any scene by the more experienced ones like Daria Ramirez and Montano, who also directed the film. Even just her cry of “Nanay!” (mother) haunted everyone in the audience.
According to Ricky Lo
, in his Funfare column on January 5, 2005, he reported why Bikay didn’t make it to get her award. “ It would have been her moment of glory, a victory over heavyweight opponents, but where oh where was Rebecca Lusterio during the 2004 Metro Filmfest’s Gabi ng Parangal last Dec. 29 at the Aliw Theater where she was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cesar Montano’s Panaghoy sa Suba? She was in Bohol, selling seashells in her native Balicasag Island in Panglao. According to Funfare contributor and jorunalist Leo Udtohan, Rebecca, whom he fondly calls Bikay, would have loved to be at the awards night but, sob and sigh, she didn’t have the money to buy a ticket (plane or boat fare) to Manila and a nice enough dress to wear in an affair where everybody displays his or her sartorial best – or worst.”
Bikay is the fourth among five children of a poor couple. Her father, Verano, is a fisherman
; while her mother, Helen, makes souvenir items out of seashells which she and Rebecca sell at the Alona Beach (Panglao). Bikay and her family temporarily stayed in a P600
rented house in Tawala, also in Panglao
. They left Balicasag for greener pastures.
Because Bikay is low-key and self-effacing, hardly anybody knows that she’s an award-winning
In 2004, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran through the Rev. Fr. Edwin A. Lao, O.P., rector and president, offered a full-scholarship to Bikay after she was appeared in Ricky Lo’s column. She is now a 4th year Masscom student. Bikay commutes from Bacoor (Cavite) to the Letran campus in Intramuros
during school days.
In 2005, under CM Productions again (Cesar Montano with wife actress Sunshine Cruz) was part of the movie Ligalig as a film entry in the MMFF 2006. Like perhaps a lucky charm, Rebecca is once again in the festival-Cesar Montano film.
Bikay finally got her degree in AB Communication Arts last April 27, 2010 at SMX Mall of Asia as a scholar of Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila.
for Panaghoy sa suba (The Call of the River) (2004).
.
• Cesar Montano always casts her in films he produced. Cesar was impressed with Rebecca when they did Muro-ami (1999).
• She appeared in a musical video prepared by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation headed by SK National President Jane Censoria Cajes. The musical video pays tribute to the young Boholano achievers in the Bohol Youth Week on May 26, 2008.
Gawad Urian Awards
The Gawad Urian Awards are annual film awards in the Philippines held since 1977. It is given by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and is currently regarded as the counterpart of the United States' New York Film Critics Circle....
and FAMAS award-winning Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
actress.
Biography
Rebeca Lusterio or Bikay for short, made an abrupt transition to show business when was cast in the movie Muro-Ami in 1999. She was chosen out of the many kids who auditioned for the role of Kalbo, the sister of Fredo (played by actor Cesar MontanoCésar Montano
Cesar Manhilot, known by his screen name Cesar Montano, is a multi-awarded Filipino actor and film director.He started in show business as a stuntman. He played roles in numerous B movies...
). Bikay who grew up in the Balicasag Island, the movie Muro Ami depicted her prowess in swimming. The film is depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo is the ruthless captain of 150 Muro Ami divers. The illegal fishing is done by pounding and crushing corals underwater to scare the fishes and luring them towards the nets. With a high quota to meet, Fredo forces the divers mostly children, to accomplish at least eight dives a day to meet their goal before the millennium. Tired and harassed after the burdening task being given to them, the children have to make do in subhuman conditions in the Aurora, the Muro Ami boat. They sleep in rat-infested bunks and are fed only twice a day. Life above the boat is much worse than the suffering the children encounter beneath the sea. For every dive, a child's life is perilously in danger. For her role, she was hailed as the Philippines best child actress by the FAMAS and STARS Awards.
She had TV appearances in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
but she got frustrated by some producers’ false promises and decided to go home to Bohol to continue her studies at the Saint Augustine Academy in Panglao
Panglao
Panglao may refer to either:*Panglao, Bohol, or*Panglao Island, on which the above municipality is located....
.
Five years after, she was wowed viewers with her role in the Visayan movie Panaghoy sa Suba
Panaghoy sa Suba
Panaghoy sa Suba, titled "The Call of the River" in English, also referred to as "Cry of the River" is a 2004 film produced, directed and starred by Filipino actor Cesar Montano. It features Filipino actors Juliana Palermo, Jackie Woo, Phil Anthony, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Daria Ramirez,...
(The Call of the River), a romantic film shot in Bohol with Visayan dialogues, Cebuano to be exact, with English subtitles during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II.
In 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival
Metro Manila Film Festival
upright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
(MMFF), she grabbed the Best Supporting Actress Award over veteran screen actors Jacklyn Jose, Angelu de Leon and Caridad Sanchez.
In Panaghoy, Bikay is one of the most moving characters - as the brave and obedient younger sister of Duroy (Cesar Montano) who closes the film with poetry. For an actor who never had any formal acting workshop, Bikay delivered a powerful performance, not allowing herself to be overshadowed in any scene by the more experienced ones like Daria Ramirez and Montano, who also directed the film. Even just her cry of “Nanay!” (mother) haunted everyone in the audience.
According to Ricky Lo
Ricky Lo
Ricardo F. Lo, more popularly known as Ricky Lo, is an entertainment writer, showbiz commentator from the Philippines. He is of Chinese descent.He was born on April 17. He is a native of Las Navas, Northern Samar, where he finished grade school...
, in his Funfare column on January 5, 2005, he reported why Bikay didn’t make it to get her award. “ It would have been her moment of glory, a victory over heavyweight opponents, but where oh where was Rebecca Lusterio during the 2004 Metro Filmfest’s Gabi ng Parangal last Dec. 29 at the Aliw Theater where she was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Cesar Montano’s Panaghoy sa Suba? She was in Bohol, selling seashells in her native Balicasag Island in Panglao. According to Funfare contributor and jorunalist Leo Udtohan, Rebecca, whom he fondly calls Bikay, would have loved to be at the awards night but, sob and sigh, she didn’t have the money to buy a ticket (plane or boat fare) to Manila and a nice enough dress to wear in an affair where everybody displays his or her sartorial best – or worst.”
Bikay is the fourth among five children of a poor couple. Her father, Verano, is a fisherman
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
; while her mother, Helen, makes souvenir items out of seashells which she and Rebecca sell at the Alona Beach (Panglao). Bikay and her family temporarily stayed in a P600
P600
The P600 is an event-related potential , or peak in electrical brain activity measured by electroencephalography . It is a language-relevant ERP and is thought to be elicited by hearing or reading grammatical errors and other syntactic anomalies...
rented house in Tawala, also in Panglao
Panglao
Panglao may refer to either:*Panglao, Bohol, or*Panglao Island, on which the above municipality is located....
. They left Balicasag for greener pastures.
Because Bikay is low-key and self-effacing, hardly anybody knows that she’s an award-winning
In 2004, the Colegio de San Juan de Letran through the Rev. Fr. Edwin A. Lao, O.P., rector and president, offered a full-scholarship to Bikay after she was appeared in Ricky Lo’s column. She is now a 4th year Masscom student. Bikay commutes from Bacoor (Cavite) to the Letran campus in Intramuros
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
during school days.
In 2005, under CM Productions again (Cesar Montano with wife actress Sunshine Cruz) was part of the movie Ligalig as a film entry in the MMFF 2006. Like perhaps a lucky charm, Rebecca is once again in the festival-Cesar Montano film.
Bikay finally got her degree in AB Communication Arts last April 27, 2010 at SMX Mall of Asia as a scholar of Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila.
Awards and achievements
Lusterio won five awards and one nominations.- 2000 Won FAMAS Award Best Child Actress for: Muro-ami (1999).
- 2005 Gawad Urian Awards Nominated Gawad Urian Award Best Supporting Actress (Pinakamahusay na Pangalawang Aktres) for Panaghoy sa subaPanaghoy sa SubaPanaghoy sa Suba, titled "The Call of the River" in English, also referred to as "Cry of the River" is a 2004 film produced, directed and starred by Filipino actor Cesar Montano. It features Filipino actors Juliana Palermo, Jackie Woo, Phil Anthony, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Daria Ramirez,...
(The Call of the River) (2004). - 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival Won Festival Prize Best Supporting Actress
for Panaghoy sa suba (The Call of the River) (2004).
- 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Child Performer for Muro-ami (1999).
- 2000 Star Awards for Movies Star Award Child Performer of the Year for Muro-ami (1999).
- 2000 Star Awards for Movies New Movie Actress of the Year for Muro-ami (1999).
Facts
• Discovered by Marilou Diaz-AbayaMarilou Diaz-Abaya
Marilou Diaz-Abaya is a multi-awarded film director in the Philippines.She is the founder and current president of the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center, a film school based in Antipolo City, Philippines....
.
• Cesar Montano always casts her in films he produced. Cesar was impressed with Rebecca when they did Muro-ami (1999).
• She appeared in a musical video prepared by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation headed by SK National President Jane Censoria Cajes. The musical video pays tribute to the young Boholano achievers in the Bohol Youth Week on May 26, 2008.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2006 | Ligalig | Rowena |
| 2004 | Panaghoy sa Suba Panaghoy sa Suba Panaghoy sa Suba, titled "The Call of the River" in English, also referred to as "Cry of the River" is a 2004 film produced, directed and starred by Filipino actor Cesar Montano. It features Filipino actors Juliana Palermo, Jackie Woo, Phil Anthony, Caridad Sanchez, Joel Torre, Daria Ramirez,... |
Bikay |
| 1999 | Muro Ami Muro Ami Muro Ami is a Filipino film that depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo is the ruthless captain of 150 Muro Ami divers. The illegal fishing is done by pounding and crushing corals underwater to scare the fishes and drive them towards the nets... |
Kalbo |
TV appearances
- Kool Ka LangKool Ka LangKool Ka Lang is a mixed action and situational comedy television show in the Philippines. It aired Tuesday evenings on the GMA Network from 1998 to 2003. The show was part of the network's GMA KiliTV block.-Plot:...
, GMA 7 1998 - eh Bote Nga, GMA 7 1998
- Mel and JoeyMel and JoeyMel & Joey is a Filipino television talk and lifestyle show that airs every Sunday evenings by GMA Network.It replaced the previous talk show, Partners with Mel Tiangco, where Mel Tiangco hosted when Jay Sonza ran for election to the Senate of the Philippines under the party, Aksyon Demokratiko,...
, March 2005 - Rated KRated KRated K is a magazine show broadcast on ABS-CBN. It is hosted by Korina Sanchez. The program is similar in style and presentation with the defunct magazine program Balitang K which was also hosted by Sanchez.-Awards and nominations:...
, ABS-CBNABS-CBNABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
, 2008
Sources
- http://www.answers.com/topic/muro-ami
- http://www.pep.ph/guide/142/Action-and-suspense-movies-compete-in-this-year&
- http://starsinamillion.blogspot.com/2006/05/famas-best-child-actress-1963-2005.html
- http://filmacademyphil.org/?p=114