One of today’s top directors of the Philippine Cinema and Television is from Alicia, Bohol. Popularly known as Maryo J. de los Reyes, he was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila on October 17, 1952. He finished his primary education at Letran College as First Honor, and his elementary at Malate Catholic School as Valedictorian. He decided to give priesthood a chance by enrolling at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary, where he graduated Valedictorian.

He enrolled at the UP College of Mass Communication where he was privileged with two College Scholarships and one University Scholarship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Communication with Honors. While in school, he became active in PETA, the country’s premier theater group in the seventies. From 1965 to 1975 he joined almost all of the arts seminar and theater workshops either as participant, moderator, consultant, or instructor. He was chosen as a youth panelist at the UNESCO International Women’s Year in Mexico City in 1975. That same year he went to Paris, France at the International Theater Institute for a workshop in Theater Management and Administration.

Upon his return to the Philippines, he became active once again with PETA as a project director of its Summer Theater Arts Programs. He also became a professor/lecturer of UP College of Mass Communication; lecturer of the Fine Arts Department, College of the Holy Spirit and Curriculum Consultant, Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He has 38 television credits safely tucked in his artistic belt. His stage credits as a director include ten outstanding productions in different venues in Metro Manila. His recent films on love, sex, relationships and alternative lifestyles created disturbing effects in picturing the Philippine societal landscape. A film on homosexuality and accepted relationship was invited to the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Torino, Italy. His trilogy, Red Diaries fell into controversy with the PNP due to depiction of corruption and brutality. He also had a film on urban migration and moral corruption and his newest Magnifico in simple natural language revealing the heart of the eternal truth of goodness and grace. Through these, he proved to pierce the veil of things creating movies of global awareness.