Up to this point, the issue of showing the movie version of the controversial The Da Vinci Code novel of Dan Brown is still a hot topic among Filipino leaders.  Everyone itches to say something to make the showing of the movie such a very big deal.  No less than Malacañang’s Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has given his bias against the movie.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) is also now the subject of scrutiny in its job to classify the movie and while it does not normally ban foreign movies, the Board is now being pressured by several sectors to ban the film. 

But what is the big fuss about the movie that it is the subject of verbal biases right now?  Does not everyone know that it is based on a novel with the same title?  And are there so many ignorant Filipinos about the fact that a novel, much less a movie based on a novel, is a work of fiction?  Is the claim of the novel that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene had a sexual union something so new to Filipinos as to make it so shocking and will shake the very foundation of their faith?

I have some things to share which might be of help to many.  First, the novel in its book form is largely a sales product and as such its author and publisher are motivated by profit more than anything else.  In the game of story-writing especially with regard to novels, an author’s quest is to make it big in the bestseller list.  One thing an author can do to join the list is to come up with a story that’s controversial because this will likely jack up the sales.  Readers want to find what  the controversy is all about so even if they don’t intend to buy the novel, they will take the opportunity when they see one.  Dan Brown expertly made his novel so controversial with his claim for “Fact” in a page before the main story.  That was his “magic” of making his product a bestseller.  The publisher thought this strategy would work and all it has to do is to bring media attention to it and “Boom!” is the sound for the profits.

The Filipino is a predominantly Christian nation with a large portion of the Christian population being Catholics.  Their devotion to their faith is one of the strongest in the world and anything that smudges their faith is branded as sacrilegious.  This is not the first time that a thing like this came to their experience but just like in the earlier occasions, the same reaction was given.

What is then the best thing to do in relation to the movie based on The Da Vinci Code?  From the perspective of law, there is nothing that prohibits the writer and the movie producer to come up with their craft.  They brought it here passing through all the legal channels, then they have a right to their creation. 

From the perspective of religion, it is to be noted that faith is tested by circumstances.  The presence of this movie in the land of the faithful is a challenge to face.  Those who voice their opinions against the movie or the book or both have that freedom as their manner of facing the challenge.  The faithful who find nothing in the movie to shake their faith and who express their approval for the public to see the film have that right as well.

Whatever is your position on the matter, that’s how you decide to face the challenge.  May it never be the case that someone will encroach into that freedom of yours.