MANILA KINGPIN: THE ASIONG SALONGA STORY 2011

directed by: tikoy aguiluz

starring:       jeorge estregan

                      carla abellana

                      philip salvador

                      john regala

this film was an entry to the metro manila film festival 2011. it was produced by scenema concept international and was released by viva films. it was actually based on the story of the notorious gang leader in tondo. his name was nicasio a.k.a. asiong salonga. his true-to-life accounts have been portrayed in some versions since the 1960's. during the 1960's it was the first filipino film that was produced in black and white in the 21st century. it was starred by the former president joseph estrada, followed by the great rudy fernandez during 1977, next version was starred by george estregan jr. during 1990 and on 2011, it was once again reborned by jeorge estregan. 

this film that was starred by jeorge estregan was the fourth version of asiong's life into film. nicasio "asiong" salonga is a 27 year old toughest guy in tondo. tondo was the ancient gangland during the 1950's, and also during that era, gang wars were definitely in. for them, violence is the main game. the gangsters carry their thompson's and greased guns with them in their bayongs and the policemen were too tough that resulted to bloody encounters. but asiong was so smart that he managed to slip away from the policemen and had reigned as king of tondo. he was the youngest and toughest public enemy #1 tondo had ever bred. he had a lot of women surrounding him. he was feared and admired by many for he is generous to the poor. for that he gained the title of robin hood in his town. he was close to his town mates but at the same time, respected as their head and leader. he married fidela (carla abellana). after their marriage his criminal acts vastly increased. his brother domeng (philip salvador) was a policeman. his brother was a big help to asiong because he became influential, that even political parties would compete for his good graces and most of all, his endorsements.  unfortunately, his enemy totoy golem (john regala) was not as pleased as his people. totoy golem wants to kill asiong for good. there have been consistent shoot outs but asiong still survived.  unfortunately he was sent to prison but luckily, he became friends with the the cell block mayor (jay manalo) who helped him escape but he was caught again. later on, he was propositioned to foil an assassination plot against a local liberal party who carried enough political influence to give him a parole. asiong tried to destroy some of his enemies but he failed to conquer the entire tondo. several survived him and even went on the extent of betraying him and killing him eventually. he had to accept the fact that there were traitors in his clan. he knew that erning (baron geisler) and the others eventually did it to him. asiong was a sanitary inspector, he had several brushes with the law with 12 charges of mostly illegal possession of fire arms. his name had been linked to several murder and homicide cases but somehow had always managed to squirm out. he reached the end of his shady career when he was shot to death in coral street in tondo while in a drinking session. 

actually i have never seen any of the early versions of this story. but then, as i have understood, the story is an autobiography of a man who claimed respect and gained trust from the people who vested their lives to. i am amazed by the way the film was presented by using black and white. it brought back the old times to life. i liked the shots taken on street scenes and gangster fight scenes with asiong. there have been many artistic shots and scenes that were inspired by international films. no wonder why they aimed for an international quality film. however there are also downfalls with regards to the production. from the controversies up to the awards. i know for a fact that all they want to happen is to regain the old glory days of filipino films with this film as a start. they would want to introduce to the young people the value of the historical films that are meant to last. but unfortunately, it was not enough. though all the presentations were great, the story was the one who suffered. it was not totally told the way it should be told compare to the other versions. but of course i admire their courage in coming up with an expensive and effort dying film as such. with regards to the actors, of course, veteran action stars all through these years are very comfortable with these types of films and that made them more effective. on the other hand, the toughness that jeorge had is nothing compare to others who i think deserve the role more.

as what i've mentioned earlier, i have realized, that this is not just a story to be told but a biography of a brave man who managed to have his crown as king up to his very last breath. to many he may be a criminal and a sinner a parasite to the society. but to others, he is a leader, a father and a big help to his kingdom. for a person to be such a great leader needs to extend him self to his people to gain their trust and loyalty. this is what he did.

SEGUNDA MANO 2011

directed by: joyce bernal

starring:       dingdong dantes

                   angelica panganiban

                   helen gamboa

                   kris aquino

the film was an entry in the 2011 metro manila film festival. it was produced by star cinema together with mjm productions and agostodos pictures.

segunda mano is a spanish term for second hand. filipinos now a days are known for buying second hand items especially branded ones, for they're cheaper and still looks as if new. the film was about a woman named mabel (kris aquino) who owns an antique shop. she has a best friend named anna (bangs garcia) who happened to sell second hand bags that are branded too. the two are fond of shopping and selling second hand items. mabel had a sister, who is marie who have been gone missing after being washed by the sea waters a long time ago. she didn't have any idea that marie was still alive all along not until mariela (angelica panganiban) passed away, and the haunting have begun to happen. she never knew that marie and mariela is the same person. mariela had an affair with owen (rico blanco). she was wed to ivan (dingdong dantes) and they had a daughter named angel (sofia millares). mariela loved her daughter so much even if she decided to go with owen, she refused to, because she couldn't afford to leave her daughter. they had a big fight along the road beside marikina river and after that incident, she have gone missing and was never to be found, for she have already died. on the other hand, adela (helen gamboa) never get tired of trying to find and reach out for her daughter marie. even if she thought that she could be possibly dead, she would still want to see and talk to her. as months pass by, ivan happened to meet mabel accidentally. without knowledge of the history, mabel and ivan fell in love. angel didn't like mabel for she's still longing for her mom. she wouldn't get in touch with her and she doesn't want her around. the ghost of marie and mariela happened to show up after the fight that mariela and owen got into. there have been many chances that mariela and marie showed up back in her houses both with adela's and ivan's. everything was going well between the two until samantha (bettina carlos) happened to see mabel and ivan in a restaurant. samanatha was mariela's best friend who happend to have an obsession with ivan. she have tried to seduce and flirt with him even when mariela was still alive. when mabel finally gave in to her jealous self, anna helped her to have a make over. together with that make over is a shopping galore in their favorite stores filled with second hand items. she had this red prada bag which was previously owned by mariela. she had the feeling that she saw mariela on that shop but she didn't know that the bag was mariela's. ivan didn't like her make over and her friend anna, angel claimed that the bag was her moms upon seeing mabel holding it and apparitions of mariela started haunting mabel, their friends and even their mom. next to the bag, she bought a dress which unknowingly owned by mariela as well. the haunting continues until she realized that the bag and the dress was marielas. each person close to mabel started dying and was declared killed by the ghost of mariela.the esperitista who happened to help adela and mabel in making contact with marie before happened to reveal meaningful advises about how to make the ghost go away. if before mabel doesn't believe in her, because as far as they've been calling the ghost of marie, no one responded, now that she's being haunted, she tried to seek the esperitistas help. they have tried to throw away mariela's stuffs but they kept coming back, for what the esperitista said, the ghost will remain until she's holding to something or someone precious to her that's why she's protecting it. mabel was completely puzzled why mariela kept coming back for her.  as mabel and anna assumed that mariela was killing the people related with ivan and mabel, they concluded that mariela doesn't want mabel to take her place that's why she's doing those killings. they have tried what the esperetista have said but still mariela won't go away. mabel has been trying to tell ivan about it but he won't listen, he gets mad whenever mariela was brought to the conversation and start to act weird and bitter due to his wife's infidelity. but mabel couldn't take the killings anymore that's why she have tried to break up with ivan. but unfortunately, she love him so much so she often end up going back to him, and every time she goes back to him the killings are becoming more extremes. until she finally had the worst apparition, anna bought the car which was previously owned by mariela, mabel took the car and she was supposed to go to ivan and make him believe that mariela has been haunting her by making her have all of marielas belongings. unfortunately mariela showed up, took mabel where she died and made her know everything that had happened. mabel found out that it was ivan who killed mariela. she wanted to escape together with her mom, but then it was already too late and ivan already got adela in his house pushing mabel to come to him. mabel went to his place and that's where adela found out that mariela was marie when mariela tried to save adela and protect her. mabel and adela were both fighting for their lives as ivan would want to kill them because ivan wouldn't let mabel go. mariela did her best to save them and that lead to ivans tragic end. ivan was a psycho, he had this mental disorder since he was a child due to his past experience with his stepmom who betrayed his dad, causing his dad to commit suicide. ivan was dead, mabel and adela took angel with them and finally get to find the remains of marie/mariela and eventually that lead her to peace. 

honestly i found the story predictable. the links that the characters have were obvious. but the production wise, since modernization is at our midst today, there have been various effects that are good but somehow were overused. but the clarity and the quality was good. the characters, it was already given that ms. kris aquino and angelica panganiban have been to horror films so i don't find it much interesting anymore. i've seen them act and they just did the same. what i was amazed is how dingdong dantes played his role as a not obvious psycho. the changes in his moods and emotions were great, no wonder he won the best actor award. 

for me the very lesson of the story is the value of family. with regards to the horror or supernatural part, it showed in the film that family is everything to a person, not even death can take away that love for the family regardless how long they have been apart. it was mariela's so much love for her family that saved each and everyone of them. it was her love for her family that brought her back to protect them from the man who is dangerous and mentally retarded. even if he has been the father of her daughter and the man that she married. aside from that, i have come to realize that people who are mentally disable have the tendencies to get that from their past and their childhood traumatic circumstances. in this film. they have opened up the minds of the people that there are cases to consider when a person has this sickness. that this is not just something to ignore but it is a fact that should be given attention to. so the very point in this film is not the horror factor but the  value of life, family and relationships.

HIMALA 1982

director: ishmael bernal

writer:    ricardo lee

starring: nora aunor

              veronica palileo

              spanky manikan

the film was directed by the great ismael bernal and was written by the famous ricardo lee. himala was actually based on a true to life story about a young lady from cabra island in occidental mindoro during the 1960's. the film was premiered on 1982 during the metro manila film festival. during 1983 it became the first filipino film included in the berlin international film festival. on the other hand during 2008, himala won the title of the viewer's choice award for the best film of all time from the asia-pacific region in the 2008 CNN asia pacific screen awards.

it is a story about a girl named elsa (nora aunor) who had had an apparition of the blessed virgin mary at the top of the hill during the solar eclipse. the area where she had the apparition was the very same place where her adoptive mom found her. after that incident she started healing sick people and people came to cupang to seek for her healing hands. the people was convinced that it was miracle and the curse of drought was already lifted. as the healing progresses people took advantage of putting up businesses in relation to elsa's fame and miracles. film makers also came to see for themselves how elsa heals people. one of them was orly (spanky manikan) who happened to have his career on the edge. he went to cupang to make a documentary about elsa and her life. during that time elsa's childhood friend nimia (gigi dueñas) went back to town. elsa and nimia were not in good terms, if elsa was in the good side nimia was in the otherwise making her put up a cabaret. eventually, elsa's followers did not let nimia run her business for a long time and had it closed. elsa had many followers and many patronized her for her power. unfortunately, all of these came to doubt when elsa and her friend chayong (laura centeno) was raped during one time when they went to the hill to pray at 3 in the morning. that sexual assault was documented by orly. he saw the whole incident but he kept quiet and continued filming instead of saving the two ladies. out of guilt, he confessed to the priest about what he saw that moment. later on, elsa and chayong have been disgusted by themselves and produced doubts on their faith. illness spread through out the town leaving number of deaths. chayong out of shame killed herself by hanging because of the sexual assault. those unfortunate events made the authorities close elsa's house and have it quarantined. elsa couldn't take it anymore and started to blame herself for everything. she stopped from healing and the people stopped coming to cupang and to her. later on, elsa felt that she was pregnant. it was actually because of the rape incident, but mrs. alba (veronica palileo) claimed that it was immaculate conception and proclaimed that elsa was truly blessed. after that, thunder and lighting stroked and rain started to pour down. the people was amazed and they rejoiced. again, they were convinced that it was a miracle and that the curse was again lifted. mrs. alba called everyone to go to elsa and eventually the people were told to go to the hill. that was the time when elsa pledged her plea that there were no miracles. there were no apparitions and that it was only the people who invents their gods, miracles and curses. while speaking elsa was shot and there was a stampede. many were injured and there was a mass hysteria. elsa was carried by her adoptive mom as she gasped her last breath. film makers including orly documented these events. people were crying as they walk towards elsa, as they lift her body towards the ambulance, the people had her positioned as a crucifix. the crowd were all over elsa. sepa (ama quiambao) shouted that elsa was a saint. that she was a martyr for her own suffering. then she started praying hail mary with the people as elsa was taken away by the ambulance. 

as what i've seen, the film was again a testament of time. it was one of the best filipino films that was ever created and the awards speak of that. since the film was already old, i don't want to be biased. of course there are technical problems already due to its oldness. however, the lighting the shots and every meaningful scene was greatly presented and very well emphasized. every important detail was clear and all actors were at their best to portray their role, making the film more effective. the story was well written and the script were delivered finely. 

the story was indeed heart warming. for me i have seen the value of feminism and faith in this film. yes it is very evident that what you could first realize is that faith is the main issue in the film. yes that is correct. but other than that, i have also seen that the film was also trying to imply the value of females in our society, in the eyes of god and as human. yes it is true that this film taught us how to establish our faith in our god. that it is not about any person or any thing who and what could show us what to believe in. faith is believing in something and someone that we don't see. we don't need to have proof first before believing. for me, elsa was an instrument used by the blessed virgin mary that symbolizes females or woman to give value to faith in the lord. having elsa as an instrument made people believe that there was hope and that there were miracles. but the truth is that, it is us who chooses what and who to believe in. now a days many religious sects are around us, creating disciples and followers who eventually believes in one god but with different ways of expressions of beliefs. but still it is us who makes our path towards our own miracles and curses. we were given the free will by the lord to decide for ourselves what paths that we would want to take. yes, we do consult our god in every decision that we will make, believing that he will show us the way. this is how strong faith can outgrow a person. if you will use it right then you'll be blessed but if not, then perhaps you might as well be cursed. with regards to the value of feminism, blessed virgin represents pureness. she was a virgin when she had jesus in her womb. elsa was a virgin when she saw the apparition and started to make miracles with healing. it was on that era people are very much concerned with virginity and the morality of women. if we will look back, the film portrayed prostitution as a devils work. that women who sells their body is a sinful act and or that they should be despised. the morality and reputation of woman was given value. it shapes the woman as a person and her faith in the lord too, for if she was not a virgin anymore, she doesn't deserve to be treated right and to be loved by god and by the people. for this, i don't agree. i for myself believe that god is a merciful father and same as with his son. and every sinner has a right to repent and ask for god's grace for another chance. even if we females are not virgins anymore, we shouldn't be stereotyped or we don't deserve to be hated by people. we don't have any right to judge others. it is only god who can judge us. as a young adult woman, i am against to that thinking that a woman doesn't deserve much love, respect and acceptance when she had sinned and she was engaged to any sexual acts out of marriage. because i believe that any one could sin against god and against the eyes of the people but any one also deserves to be treated the way god wants us to treat each other. so what i'm tying to point out is, yes, as woman we should value ourselves as humans and as children of god, but in cases that we have committed sin and failed to do what is expected of us  to do and to be what is expected of us to be are not merely reasons for us to feel that it's the end of the world. so with relation to faith, i believe that god wouldn't let me suffer because he knows me better than any person in this world and he loves me for who i am and for who i am not. as human and as woman we have our rights to be treated with love, respect and acceptance by the society, by the people and by god. 

LET ME IN 2010

director: matt reeves
starring: kodi smit-mcphee
                chloë grace moretz
         richard jenkins

the film let me in is actually based on john ajvide lindgvist's novel entitled let the right one in. it was a best seller book in sweden and was now translated by ebba segerberg into english.the film was an adaptation of the novel and was a romantic horror inspired entitled let me in and directed by matt reeves. 

it is a story about a young boy (owen) who is continuously being bullied by his classmates. he came from a broken family and has been living his life with insecurities and fear. he happened to have a new neighbor which is a nice girl (abby) who came with her guardian. the two became close and started to establish a deep relationship to each other. nobody even owen knew what abby really is until her guardian died. as the number of murders increases, abby begins to grow vulnerable as well. however, in spite of those circumstances, their relationship became stronger. they happened to fell in love and have so much care for each other that they've been willing to protect each other. they have accepted each other for who they are and have been there for each other ever since. abby protected owen from the bullies and has made him feel secure to fight for himself. while owen protected abby from death and from hiding her real being as a vampire.  but for me, the real story in this film is not just about owen and abby but it's their bond, their relationship, their acceptance and trust on each other regardless of what is evil and what is not. 

at first, by the sound of the background music and the obb (opening billboard) there were police cars with screaming sirens giving the impression that there are violence depicted in the film. obviously, the film was made by holly wood so definitely it's production showcase is great. i don't really know who the actors and actresses were but, they did a great job. they have portrayed their characters well. considering that the main characters were children. i admire kodi smit-mcphee for accepting such role. it's hard to portray the role of a person who is being bullied and mocked.  about the characters  with minor roles like owen's mom and the guardian of abby, or should i say lover, i wanted to see more of their faces and facial reactions. i wanted to see more of their connections to the main characters. 


it's already given that the production did a great job, considering that i wanted to see more of the other characters faces and participation on their role, i understood that matt reeves has his own intentions why he did that, he wanted to focus on the main story only and the main characters that portrays it. minor characters were only used to support the character of owen and abby. other than that, most of the scenes were during night time, well of course for a fact that abby is a vampire and that she cannot live under sunshine. she will burn to death if that happens. other than the camera shots and the lightning to emphasize each one's character, the visual effects were just enough. not too much and not less to be appreciated. 


just like i've mentioned, for me the story isn't just simply about two children who happened to fall in love at the age of 12. they were two different and special children. as what i can see here, i am very much amazed on how they valued their relationship. starting from friends in spite the fact that from the start, abby has told him to not befriend her. from there, it grew, so fast that they have found each others comfort zone in each others presence. abby has taught owen to fight for himself, to stand for himself  and be brave, that made an impact on owen that made him hooked with abby. he appreciated her so much that, she have brought something new and something that made him feel good about himself after 12 years of his existence. for that, owen has been there for abby too. yes, he liked her so much for what she have done for him. but the greatest challenge is that, if he would still like her and accept her for who she really is. at first, he had assumptions and had kept wondering about abby. from walking barefooted, her funny smell that didn't even make him turn away and skin as cold as ice that didn't stop him from holding her. when he finally knew what she really is, of course he was shocked. he tried to stay away from her but when abby decided to come to him and owen asked if she could come into his house, owen had second thoughts. trying to find out what will happen if he won't let her in, she bled a lot. but of course he couldn't take any chance of losing her and he made her come in. because of that he stayed for her, fought for her and took care of her. even if he has to take somebody else's life just to make her live. she too can't stand a moment without owen, especially because she knows that there's no one to protect him when she's gone. so eventually, abby went back for him and owen chose to be with her, he left his somewhat normal life for something that is totally not. that's how much he loves her. willing to give up what he has for her and so as abby. willing to risk her life just for owen. 


we are aware that vampires couldn't be trusted. we think that they are evil and viscous. all they care about is to feed themselves and live. but in this story particularly, i have learned that not all vampires are unworthy of trust. and still even if they are dead people, they too have emotions and feelings, that can build trust and love all at once. it doesn't make a big difference between vampires and humans when it comes to the value of acceptance and  trust. these two are important. and for us humans, in real life, we should always be aware on who to trust and who to have faith with. we should have good reasons to do so. picking somebody to be a part of our lives is a big challenge, we have to learn to accept someone's imperfections and know when they're being real and true to themselves. for we will never be the same again once this persons became a part of lives. it's not bad to take a risk in establishing a relationship with a person. but be sure that you know, that in your life, you have chosen to let the right one in.

KISAPMATA 1981

director: mike de leon

starring: charito solis

             jay ilagan

             vic silayan

             charo santos

the film kisapmata is one of the classic filipino films that made a big impact on philippine movie industry during the 80's. the film is actually based on a true story from one of the articles written by the famous nick joaquin. the article was entitled "the house on zapote street." 

it is a story about a filipino family who had incest issues between the father and daughter. the father (sgt. diosdado caradang) was a retired police officer positioned as a sergeant. he is mean and abusive. the houlsehold is very afraid of him. the mother (adelina carandang) is a plain housewife and the only daughter (milagros carandang) is a bank employee. the family have a lady helper (onyang) who have patiently served them well before she was thrown out of the house. the daughter have a boyfriend (noel manalansan) who later on became her husband who is also an employee from the bank where she's been working. he had a father (peping manalansan), a friend (ernie) with his brother (mario) who is with his wife (cynthia) who continuously support him. there have been mysterious circumstances that have been happening within the family. many have wondered but nobody else knew anything about the truth but the family only. excluding the husband noel and his family. the secret was kept hidden until the tragic incident happened. nobody knew the truth that it was sgt. carandang who got his own daughter pregnant and that he has been raping her for a long time, causing him to be so possessive and psychotic in keeping his daughter for himself. 

at the beginning you'll already know that the film has been a testament of time. at first, i thought i'd be watching a horror film. i expected that because of how the obb (opening billboard) was shown. but unfortunately it came out to be not a horror film at all. as the film goes on, i started to keenly focus on the characters and understand the roles that they portray. by just taking a look at them and their gestures i knew that they have effectively shown and portrayed the characters assigned to them. director mike de leon have picked the appropriate actors for the film that made it also a success. 

the production as a whole was great. every scene was carefully shot and every shot was carefully angled. every lightning has it's purpose and intentions on how and why it was done and applied. but besides the goodness on camera shots and lighting, it created some confusion on why and how it was done. but if you know how to appreciate it, you'll understand. on the other hand, the audio was somehow fluctuating due to its oldness. aside from that, the background music was somewhat fear-provoking. but as far as i have observed most especially on classic movies, kisapmata's background music is the common background music of films on either psycho, suspense-drama and suspense-action films which are usually with gore and violence. but the quality, especially for the dialogue's audio was good. director mike de leon knew how to handle his production team and he himself was not just the director but also a big part of the production crew as well. 

the story was a foretold truth. only that, there have been some changes but the essence of the story remains. in our society as filipinos, family deficiencies has never been new. there are circumstances such as the rapture of husband and wife relationship and marriage, a consistent feud between parents and children, early child bearing and marrying at young age and even incest and crime within the family. this could not be considered as shocking or surprising at all. unlike during the 80's serious immoral family circumstances or issues are very much a concern. during those times, people are conservative or liberated. yes, there will always be a choice of doing immoral and moral. however due to conservatism and fear of embarrassment, people opt to choose moral doings. today, people are more prone to doing what is immoral and express their wants and needs while disregarding others' opinions and points of view. it seems like it's not the person or the people who adapts in the society, it's the society that adapts itself to the people. instead being the person to pull others for good it's the others who pull the person or the people to do bad and be just one them. 

all this time, filipino culture has been known for family ties and close relationships. other than that, conservatism was established on the early days that made moral values as a complete concern. our grandparents will often tell us, that in their younger years or during their time, there are a lot of don'ts and limitations because it is the way they're raised due to the traditions and culture. these has been pass on to the descendants up until today. BUT! there's a huge difference. the filipino culture today is gradually being taken for granted. yes, family ties and close relationships are still observed at most of the filipino families, but the number of broken families are increasing. in addition to that, the number of crime incidents, harassment, abuses and incest are also increasing. those were not considered as part of the culture or any of the filipino traditions at all. morality is now being taken for granted, people have been more selfish and have been acting like not in their correct mind settings. culture has been bi-passed. it's been selfishness that keeps them away from doing what is proper and right. the concept of family and the sanctity of marriage has been disregarded by many and that causes for our filipino culture to fade away. 

for me, family is the principal institution for the socialization of children. it must work as a whole to be called as such. having it broken by various reasons can not be considered as a family. i, for myself strongly value family relationships. that each member must respect one another and must value each other. if those factors and values were lost, a family will be dysfunctional. a right establishment and foundation will result to a moral and proper raising of children. what is being done inside the family will be adapted by the children. and as family members become a part of the society, their upbringing will have an impact in the society based on how they'll treat people. it is normal to have various of family problems and conflicts. but if there's proper guidance to each member and with faith to the lord, it is not impossible to mend any broken relationships and circumstances. we as filipinos must always put in mind that our families help us to establish ourselves as a person. being in an ideal family is quite hard to build but we can achieve it if we choose and strive to have it. parents must know how to be responsible for they are the ones accountable to their children. children must know how respect and obey their parents for it is a commandment given by the lord. but in the kind of situation kisapmata have showed, children must also learn to know to respect themselves and fight for their rights as humans. yes children must obey their parents at all times but they should know how to value themselves as persons not just being children alone. parents must be respected by children but children must be respected by their parents as well. there's a saying that respect begets respect. in a family, it is important to have this kind of value in order to maintain its wholeness and sacredness as a family joined by god and to produce respectable and inspiring members of the society who deserves to be praised and not to be mocked by others. kisapmata is an eye opener. for me, it made me realize that family, culture, values and society correlates with one another; and for that, we must start to do what is right with ourselves. do our parts as members of the family to prevent these kinds of circumstances from happening and to establish a good example to others.