Despite rains, 2M turn up for Parade of Stars

Credit to Author: ED VELASCO| Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2018 16:45:22 +0000

More than two million people braved heavy rains on Sunday for the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival’s (MMFF) Parade of Stars, but floats of seven movies got stuck in mud, delaying the start of the parade.

At the starting point alone at Shopwise Santana Grove in Sucat, Parañaque City, an estimated 300,000 people waited for the parade to begin as early as 11 a.m.

WET PARADE Kim Chui, star of ‘One Great Love’ (left) and Vice Ganda, the lead star of ‘Fantastica,’ wave to the crowd that gathered to watch the Parade of Stars, an annual event to kickstart the Metro Manila Film Festival. PHOTOS BY JUSTINE BITANCOR AND J. GERARD SEGUIA

Only one float, “Fantastica,” starring Vice Ganda, was able to leave at 1:25 p.m. as it was at the end of a muddy portion of a vacant lot beside Shopwise, fueling speculations that other movie floats were “sabotaged.”

“What kind of organizing committee MMDA [Metropolitan Manila Development Authority] and Parañaque have? We’ve been waiting for hours here but no tow truck has arrived,” Ronnie Dizon, designer of the “Otlum” float, starring Jerome Ponce and Ricci Rivero, told The Manila Times.

According to Dizon, it was important that the floats of the eight movies entered in the film festival be seen by the public so that they can be promoted and given free publicity.

As of 3:30 p.m., only the floats of “Fantastica,” “The Girl in the Orange Dress” and “One Great Love” had left the starting point.

The floats of “Mary, Marry Me,” “Jack En Popoy,” “Aurora” and “Rainbow Sunset” were also stuck in mud.

The floats of the MMDA and the Parañaque local government were not seen at the starting point.

The 2018 Parade of Stars was planned to traverse12.3 kilometers from Sucat Road to Bradco Avenue.

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