Apayao student filmmakers win four awards at DAR-CAR PelikulAgraryo 2026

LUNA, Apayao – A film inspired by the life of a local farmer earned student filmmakers from Apayao State College (ASC)-Luna Campus four awards in their first participation in the Department of Agrarian Reform-Cordillera Administrative Region’s (DAR-CAR) PelikulAgraryo 2026.

The film, titled Bulyo, competed in the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) Category and received awards for Best Teaser, Best Poster, Best Actress for Robelyn G. Gangan, and a Recognition Award during the awarding ceremony on November 3, 2026, at the Newtown Convention Center in Baguio City.

In an interview with Guru Press on November 5, film adviser Marcel B. Tomas said the film was inspired by the story of Mr. Larito, a farmer, husband, and father whose experiences moved the students to share his story with a wider audience.

“Bulyo started from knowing the background story of Mr. Larito. We thought that it would only talk about what farmers do and the hardships they feel but it's not. It was beyond expectations, wherein the story of Mr. Larito already captivated us even before writing.

Upon writing Bulyo, it was not just about for the competition but the emotion already established between being a farmer and being a loving husband and father, that inspires us to push through and share the story of Mr. Larito to everyone,” Tomas shared.

Tomas said the film also portrays the realities of farmers who cultivate land without full legal ownership, while highlighting how interventions from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) can help improve their lives.

“The true story of a farmer taking care of his field that's not fully on his own on legal basis but due to the programs and intervention of the DAR-Apayao then everything went smoothly. Its quite good to share such story down to our younger generation because it portrayed how goverment agencies can clearly change someone’s life… the role of our silent heroes feeding the country three (3) times a day needs to be appreciated and it starts activities like this, it could serve as an eye-opening to everyone to recognize the importance of our most noble profession,” he added.

He said the film’s recognition serves as a stepping stone for ASC’s student filmmakers and a standard they hope to uphold in future competitions.

Tomas added that the team initially had no high expectations of winning, but the support of fellow Apayao residents encouraged them to hope that their hard work would pay off.

“Its a stepping stone, a challenging standard that must be upheld in the next competitions to come. Apayao State College is a first timer participant in this PelikulAgraryo film competition of DAR, we did not expect too much but indeed hard works really paid off, we didn't expect for an award at first, but looking back on the support of our fellow yApayaos, it made us hope for our efforts to be paid off. And it did! Glory to God,” Tomas said.