Brief Explanation

Safeguard believes in the power of parenting to help protect a child’s health and well-being. In the Philippines, parents give 'pabaon'--a term that means provisions or teachings that protect children in the world outside. This local insight led to Safeguard's campaign, “Pabaon sa buhay” (Protection for life). We found the perfect expression of this idea in the inspiring true story of Norman King and his mother, Warlita. They are part of an indigenous tribe in the Philippines called the Aeta. Today, they live secluded from the rest of the country and often fall victim to discrimination. The film showcases how Warlita’s "pabaon sa buhay" became Norman’s protection from blows to his indigenous identity. Ultimately, Warlita's lessons gave Norman the confidence to become the first ever Aeta graduate of the Philippines' premier state university.

To help authentically tell Norman's story, we travelled to a remote mountainous village to cast real-life Aetas. They have little to no acting experience so the process was full of interesting anecdotes. For instance, to cast the youngest Norman, we asked a grade school teacher to refer her most obedient pupils. We then subjected them to an acting work shop where we discovered Borjack's emotive eyes. Jonathan, the teenage Norman, was chosen because he actually shed tears during auditions. Later on he confessed that he cried because the bullying scene was a true-to-life experience. For another role, when the original cast backed out, we literally pulled a passer-by, Rocky who played the 18-year-old Norman, to the set. We used Norman and his real-life mother to play themselves. The actress who played the young mother, Jonalyn, was our biggest discovery. She gave a powerful performance that dictated the film’s mood.