WHETHER GAY OR GHOULISH, in good times or in bad, they never failed to bring holiday cheer.

But someone’s conspicuously absent in the colorful parade of stars marking Thursday’s opening of the 35th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

“Where’s Krista?” some spectators naughtily asked.

The float for “Wapakman,” a superhero flick starring seven-time world boxing champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, instantly became a crowd favorite during the traditional Christmastime spectacle—as though reprising the parades mounted in his honor whenever he returned victorious from his blockbuster fights abroad.

Unlike two years ago when he skipped the MMFF parade, Pacquiao kept a promise to attend this year and was visibly pleased at the adulation of fans who have followed him from the ring to tinsel town.

“He had a great time and was very appreciative of the crowd’s excitement,” said Wapakman producer Wilson Tieng of Solar Entertainment.

Out-of-town

Still, the crowds craned their necks for a glimpse of Krista Ranillo, Pacquiao’s controversial costar whose rumored romantic liaisons with the multimillionaire fighter added a spicy aftertaste to his latest ring conquest in Las Vegas last month. Both the fighter and the actress denied the rumors.

A Solar insider said “Krista was supposed to join (her costars) on the float, but backed out because she would be coming from an out-of-town trip.”

Pacquiao, however, didn’t complete the parade which lasted for about four hours, starting from the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City and ending at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

He got off the float on Quirino Avenue reportedly to catch a private plane to General Santos City and make it in time for the noche buena feast with his family.

Despite a rough year marked by natural calamities, economic hardships and political violence, the MMFF continued to be a source of delight for movie fans as it gathered the country’s most popular stars.

Film entries

Seven films made it to this year’s festival.

These include “Ang Panday,” an action-fantasy film starring Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. The actor-politician came out in costume—as a mythical swordsmith—and mounted a float that featured a mockup dragon named “Bagwis,” his movie sidekick.

Comedian and perennial crowd-drawer Vic Sotto finally shed off his familiar “Enteng Kabisote” persona and went for a horror-comedy flick this year with “Ang Darling Kong Aswang.” Vampires and werewolves joined him on the float.

Fans called out to their “Bossing”—Sotto’s show biz moniker—as the float went by.

Another horror entry, Regal Films’ “Shake, Rattle & Roll XI,” prepared a float designed like a crumbling stone temple haunted by ghosts and monsters.

The second Regal entry, “Mano Po 6: A Mother’s Love,” had an Oriental motif complete with red Chinese lanterns and a “piece” of the Great Wall of China.

“Nobody, Nobody But … Juan,” top-billed by comic legend Dolphy, hewed closely to its “bodabill meets Wowowee” storyline—with its proscenium stage and red curtains.

Like bouquet of roses

The float for the romantic drama “I Love You, Goodbye” was designed like a bouquet of roses. The film is directed by Laurice Guillen and stars comebacking leading man Gabby Concepcion.

Early in the parade, the SMX went abuzz on whether Concepcion would bump into ex-wife Sharon Cuneta, lead star of “Mano Po 6.”

“Only KC is missing here,” Concepcion told the Inquirer, referring to his daughter with Cuneta, when asked about a possible encounter with his ex-wife.

“I never imagined my comeback movie would be a film fest entry. It’s a big honor,” Concepcion said.

Guillen said she hoped the MMFF organizers would come up with additional competition sections, as well as a film market, “like in Cannes, to make the festival more exciting.”

Guillen graciously attended the parade even though she had just lost her actor-husband and former MMFF screening committee member Johnny Delgado to cancer last month.

As the saying goes, “the show must go on.”

And it also went on for Cuneta, who was still mourning the death of longtime nanny Loreta Benitez who passed away on Saturday.

“It’s a happy time. It’s a time to celebrate. It’s Christmas. It’s as if the entire entertainment industry is revitalized in spite of the economic downturn,” Cuneta said in an earlier interview. “It’s a time for everyone to get together for the industry.”

Revilla pointed out that it was important to mount the annual festival because it’s a chance for the local movie industry to showcase its products without competition from Hollywood movies.

Revival mode

“Mano Po” costar Zsazsa Padilla agreed: “I think we should organize more festivals all year round. I know that there are festivals for digital movies like Cinemalaya and Cinema One, but I hope there’ll be more … because it’s really expensive to produce movies nowadays.”

It’s also a time to unite the entire industry under a common cause, she said.

Also, this year, the country’s top networks, ABS-CBN and GMA 7, fielded entries.

Star Cinema, ABS-CBN’s film arm, has “I Love You, Goodbye”; while GMA Films, in tandem with Revilla’s Imus Productions, has “Ang Panday.”

“The film fest is a big deal for producers because the holiday season offers the best play dates in the year,” noted Cuneta.

Malou Santos, Star Cinema producer, described the company’s entry as “our little gift to the millions of Filipino families and avid viewers. We want to ensure that our entry will uphold this yearly tradition.”

Ric Camaligan, MMFF executive committee member, explained that “it’s important to push through with the parade because it signals the start of the festival and allows moviegoers to see the stars in person.”

Julie Borje, MMFF screening committee chair, concurred: “Showcasing the stars in a parade would encourage moviegoers to watch the films. The fest is very timely. It will hopefully provide entertainment to the masses” in these difficult times.

Camaligan said that the fest hoped to meet its target of P .5 billion in box-office earnings this year.