Film director Jacco Groen (left) narrates the story behind his film about the struggles of a 10-year-old child commercial sex worker as Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale listens. (CDN PHOTO/DORIS BONGCAC)
Growing up in Manila’s slum area, Lilet had dreamed of becoming rich and famous. But her parents pushed her to become a commercial sex worker, leading her to a lifetime of waste and rebellion despite the intervention of an international social worker.
The life of a 10-year-old prostitute is depicted in the film Lilet Never Happened which will be screened in Cebu in time for Children’s Month this October.
Written and directed by Springfilm Foundation executive director Jacco Groen, the film shows the life of a child who thinks that prostitution is the only way to survive.
“I first visited the Philippines 25 years ago and I was confronted with the problem of children on the streets. When I came back 11 years ago, I felt that nothing much has changed,” said the Dutch director.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said that the screenplay complements a provincial ordinance she had sponsored that penalizes child sex tourism and other acts of exploitation of children.
The ordinance which the Cebu Provincial Board passed on Sept. 8 imposes one-year imprisonment and/or a fine of P5,000 on violators.
“This will help push for advocacy in the protection of Cebuano children,” Magpale said.
Magpale and Groen appeared together in a press conference yesterday to formally launch the Children’s Month celebration.
They also showed the trailer of Lilet to disseminate information on its screening scheduled at the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus on Oct. 4.
They were joined during the new conference by Dr. Alwin de Leon, Philippine country manager for Terre des Hommes Netherlands which is launching a worldwide campaign against exploitation on children.
De Leon said that with internet accessibility, cyberpornography is now becoming a “main issue” in the Philippines.
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