MANILA – As if having three Filipino “Colonels” wasn’t enough, a new, high ranking official has thrown his hat into the ring just in time for the holidays. John Arcilla, dressed in garb reminiscent of his turn as Antonio Luna in 2015’s memorable historical picture Heneral Luna, usurps the presence of Ronaldo Valdez, Pen Medina, and Leo Martinez in a new ad by Ogilvy & Mather Philippines.
As he announces the KFC Colonel’s Christmas Feast, Arcilla presents why he is willing to go lower in rank and deserves a shot at being a KFC Colonel as well. He presents his many medals and awards, he is looked up to, idolized, is strong, courageous, has credibility, is intelligent, has many friends, possesses a heart of gold, and has a charming moustache. Since it is indeed the Christmas season, Heneral Arcilla also says that he doesn’t have as short a temper as he used to and that he now has no enemies.
With his four soldiers surrounding him, the Heneral then proceeds to state some pun-heavy sentences. “Feast be with you.” “All we want to say is give Feast a chance.” “Feast of cake.” This leads to the Heneral telling his soliders to dig in to the Feast, before he exclaims, “Mga traydor! Inubusan niyo ako?!” He quickly takes it back, however, with a sly smile while saying, “Joke!”
After presenting the three aforementioned actors’ individual takes on being a Colonel, seeing Arcilla’s “Heneral” making his case during the holiday season is jarring, to say the least. In contrast with the three actors’ mimicking Col. Harland Sanders’ all-white suit, Arcilla goes for a more Heneral Luna-type of outfit complete with sash, hat, and medals. The result sets Arcilla apart from his three counterparts, making the KFC Colonel’s Christmas Feast also different from the usual KFC fare.
Click here for Leo Martinez’s turn as the Colonel, here for Pen Medina’s take, and here for the previous story announcing Valdez emerging as the first Filipino colonel.
