The documentary features some people of Danao being involved in the manufacturing of firearms, specifically one-handed guns. They narrate their experiences on their venture.
The film employs a lot of close-up shots particularly on the main subject of this documentary, the guns themselves. One can see how nearly accurate their manufacturing is, like how they nail the shape and look of the gun, whether it be the pistol, revolver, Tec-9, and others. But, of course, only real gun enthusiasts can really spot the differences in especially small details between a real kind of firearm and those made by the Danaoans. Although I am no gun enthusiast myself at all, I can somehow distinguish. Not to offend the manongs behind the manufacturing of those guns shown in the film but in terms of quality, they don’t compare well with those manufactured in, say, Germany, by well-known companies that really specialize in firearm making and other related paraphernalia—but it should be expected anyways, as we all know, the familiar concept of cheap versus expensive. Not to mention the illegality of the manongs doing the gun manufacturing without any official permit or license.
At first glance of the film, upon seeing that the setting takes place in the rural, mainly low-class areas of Danao, my impression was quite pessimistic, that it may encourage people who especially have low tolerance/patience in life, or those engaging in illegal ventures, to do crimes—to engage in indiscriminate shooting since they have easier access to such weapons. And as such, my expectations were really met—that according to the data from the PNP here in Cebu, of crimes involving firearms, 95% of which were from unlicensed perpetrators. That data just goes to showcase that scary scenario.
But one of the gun manufacturers in the documentary, who, obviously, favors this cheap gunmaking venture, defends that as long as a gun is handed to the right person, it should not be a problem at all. However true he may say, unfortunately the PNP data, again, shows otherwise. What people need to control this problem is self-regulation, but it may seem hard for some people to do such a thing so that is where the requirement of a firearm license comes into play—since those wishing to acquire firearms must undergo some form of education and orientation to assure they know what is right and wrong.
The scene that got my attention was during the interview with the man in his blue sando—I must say this is my most favorite scene in this film where somebody warns of a raid incoming—it was epic, the audio was recorded, although there was no scene shot on camera for the crew’s fear of possibly being victims of the raid for interviewing with illegal gunmakers. Nevertheless, he hid the guns in a very secretive place, out of sight from the police, and the interview continued well along. The crew was said to maintain formality and composure during the incident.
Prevalent in the film are back-to-back B-rolls of the guns and the manufacturers, as well as the manufacturing processes, during interviews with those manongs. A warehouse was also present, and telling from the angle of that shoot, it was shot with an ultra-wide lens, for I can see some distortion on the sides. Formal interviews were done steadily, although there were some handheld shots especially with those who showcased their creations, as in the man in stripes, probably the “coolest” of them all—the one who only finished until 2nd year of high school as he ventured into gunmaking at the age of 16.
Despite the illegality of the venture, the local Danaoans of that far-fetched barangay still see it as their livelihood, even the vice-governor of that time, Agnes A Magpale, is somehow sympathetic to their situation, calling for better opportunities for them.
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