BEST ACTRESS Ai-Ai delas Alas breaks into tears as she accepts the Best Actress trophy during awarding ceremonies of the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival. ARNOLD ALMACEN

MANILA, Philippines—The comedy franchise “Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ’To” has bagged most of the major awards, including Best Picture, in the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival that ends on January 7.

The flick, which centers on the life of the fictitious former president Ina Montecillo and her 12 kids, also won for Wenn Deramas the Best Director award.

The third and final installment of the series produced by ABS-CBN collected seven of the 21 awards handed out at the “Gabi ng Parangal” held at the Meralco Theater and aired on GMA 7 on Sunday night.

“Tanging Ina” star Ai-Ai delas Alas was named Best Actress. The other nominees were Marian Rivera of “Super Inday and the Golden Bibe” and Carla Abellana of “Shake, Rattle and Roll XII.”

Dolphy won the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards for “Father Jejemon” and “Rosario” respectively.

In her acceptance speech, Delas Alas acknowledged Jennylyn Mercado, star of the epic drama “Rosario” as her “toughest opponent.” Mercado was widely expected to win the award but failed to get a nomination.

Addressing “Dalaw” lead actress Kris Aquino, Delas Alas said: “You told me, ‘Asa ka pa’ (You wish). Well. here’s my award now.”

“Tanging Ina” also won the Best Supporting Actress and Best Child Performer trophies for Eugene Domingo and Xyriel Manabat, respectively.

It copped the Best Screenplay and Best Story honors for Mell del Rosario, and the Best Musical Score plum for Jessie Lasaten.

Second best

“Rosario,” one of the most expensively made movies in the festival, won the Second Best Picture award.

The absence of nominations for Mercado and its director, Albert Martinez, elicited comments from supporters in the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

Set in Manila in the 1920s, “Rosario” won for Carlo Mendoza the Best Cinematography award, for John Wong the Best Editing award, and for Joey Luna and Mikki Hanh the Best Production Design award.

The “Rosario” team joined the Christmas Eve “Parade of the Stars” with a float inspired by the Manila Carnival, a festival celebrated yearly from 1908 to 1939. It bagged the Best Float award, as well as the Gatpuno Antonio Villegas Memorial Award.

3rd best and others

The computer-animated feature “RPG: Metanoia” by Star Cinema, Ambient Media and Thaumatrope Animation was given the Third Best Picture award.

“The movie is not just for Filipinos but also for the world,” executive producer Eloisa Gutierrez said in her acceptance speech. “This movie proves that we Filipinos are not just artists for hire. We are also very capable of coming up with our own production.”

“RPG” received the Best Theme Song award for “Kaya Mo,” as well as the Best Sound Editing award for Ditoy Aguila and Lyle de Mesa.

The Adolf Alix Jr. drama “Presa” received the Best Independent Feature award and a cash prize of P100,000. It is one of five independently produced films screened as a prelude to the 10-day festival that began on Christmas Day.

Top grosser

The fantasy-adventure film “Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote” is this year’s top-grossing film, earning P31 million on Christmas Day alone.

Directed by Tony Y. Reyes and Rico Gutierrez, the film is a collaboration of previous Festival Box-Office Kings Vic Sotto and Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.

It bagged the Best Visual Effects award for Gutierrez, Riot and Post Manila, and the Best Make-Up award for Nestor Dayao and Bobby Balising.

The Star Cinema thriller “Dalaw,” starring President Aquino’s youngest sister and directed by Dondon Santos, did not get a single nomination from the festival’s 11-person jury chaired by Mr. Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

The jury members were Emmanuel Borlaza, Deedee Siytangco, Robert Arevalo, Ricardo Trofeo, Butch Francisco, Mae Paner, Baby Villegas, Arnold Cabaluna, Justin Jared Binos and Milton Medina.

“Super Inday,” a remake of the 1980s original that featured Maricel Soriano, failed to bring home an award for its producer Regal Entertainment.

The same can be said for the horror trilogy “Shake Rattle and Roll XII,” also by Regal.