An Mga Ribongribong Sa Bagacay

Kun sain ako nagdakula—duman nag-iristar, nagralakaw-lakaw, asin nagurukit nin kadakul-dakul na memorya sakuya an nagkapirang mga ribongribong. An mga agi-agi sagkod buhay-buhay kan mga tawong ini kasing pamoso kaidto ni Mr. Moonlight sagkod ni Zimatar.

Haros sa kada zona kan Bagacay igwa nin turikturik. Atid-atida baya—sa Zona 1, Iraya, si Jim; sa Zona 2, Baybay 1, si Ness; sa Zona 3, Baybay 2, si Pax; sa Zona 4, Parada, si Eric; sa Zona 6, Banat, si Joe. Dangan igwa pang duwang dayo—si Gelyn na magsalang
taga-Buyo, taga-Cut 12; sagkod si Bulldog na minsan taga Zona 4, 5 or 6, o minsan nakakaabot sa Naga kalalakaw hali sa Kinali.

SI BULLDOG A.K.A. BULLS AQUINCE
Siisay an dai makakabisto ki Bulldog a.k.a. Bulls Aquince? Kun pararabas ka sa bisita pag ma-fiesta na sa Bagacay, pirmi mong mahihiling si Bulldog sa may Triangle o sa kun sain gigibohon an Amateur Singing Contest. Para sa mga organizers kan contest—kun sain
nanggana an tiyaon kong si Manay Lisa ta’ kinanta niya an “Even If” ni Jam Morales sarong mainiton na hapon—si Bulldog iyo pirmi an pwedeng mag-front act o minsan natao kan kulang na intermission number.  

Sa anuman na tiripon sa barangay, siya an masasabi tang life of the party—ta’ siya “pa-oonrahan” kan mga organizers—na magkanta kan saiyang mga favoritong covers—“Boulevard ng Pag-ibig” o mga Rey Valera classics—o minsan dai. Kun maboboot an mga organizers, siya makanta nin Tagalog o English song, all in tattered outfits [basa: bara’ba an maong na pantalon, kurupas sa pirang bulan na mayong karigos, an parong
dai mo maintindihan o pero minsan maiintindihan mo—sabi ngani kan iba—“kargadong alungaang”—] tapos kun masuwerte siya, matata’wanan man nin kun anong consolation prize kan mga aki kan kapitan dangan duduhulan man nin litson sa libod kan Irmano Mayor sa may Pantalan.

Bako man talagang dakilang tambay si Bulldog. Siya garo sana sarong bisita kan kada harong kaidto. Ini man an istorya na naisabi na sana man sako kan tugang kong si Nene. Pinahawan daa ni Mama si Bulldog sa natad mi para tandanan pagkatapos. Natapos man gayod si paggabi niya pero ginuno niya sa sarosarong atis na bunga sa may natad mi. Nagutom na siguro pagkatapos maggabi kaya kinua si prutas dangan kinakan. Ano pa
garo naanggot saiya kaidto si ina mi [siguro ta’ dai man lamang nagpaaram]. Sa ina kong sarong maestra, kasa’lan nang gayo an siguro simpleng bagay. O tibaad para sa ina ko, si Buls gayod sarong normal na tawo. Siguro man gusto pa giraray tukduan ni Mama an
paragabi nin Good Manners and Right Conduct [GMRC]. Baad nagibo ni kan ina ko ta’ estudyante niya dati si Bulls—anong aram ko? O ‘baad exchange student sa Bagacay Elementary haling Buyo o Kinali. Magayon makaulay si Bulls ta’ sa pag-uulay nindo
mahihiling mo an pagkakaiba mo saiya. M aririsa mo na ika mas turikturik palan kaysa saiya. Kun sinusugot mo siya, o iniiinsulto kan kasingbata’niyang mga kaakian mga hoben sa kun sain haraling zona sa Bagacay, mahihiling mo man nanggad na sinda, an mga nagsosogot saka nagtutuya-tuya—bako si Bulldog—an mga rungawrungaw. An dai aram kan mga rungawrungaw na ini an turik na si Bulldog naiintindihan an saindang mga
katurikan. Tama. Siguro tinataram niya puro daing kamanungdanan—ta’ turikturik baya’ siya—kaya an makikiulay saiya kaipuhan maging turikturik man. Pero ano man baya an aram ta kun ano an laog kan halipot daang pag-iisip na ini?

Ta’ diyata sinusugot ta siya o dinudurulagan—dai pigtatratong normal ta’ aram tang “he’s out of our league” o “He doesn’t speak our language”. Pero mas makangirit baga kun maaraman mong mas dakul an katurikan kan ibang mga tawo sa palibot kaysa sa
sarong arog ni Bulls.

SI JOE, SARONG HENYO
Bistuha nindo si Joe, kadto daa sarong matalion na estudyante na—dakul nagsasabing si Joe, si Lena Upan, sagkod si Jim kabilang sa saro sanang batch sa Bagacay Elementary School kaidto. Sinasabi nganing an batch na ini iyo an golden batch kan eskuwelahan dahilan sa tolong henyong ini na nagkasarabay mag-iriskuwela sa satuyang alma mater. Kun dai ako nasasala, sinda na-under-an pa kan sakong mga magurang na parehong
nagtukdo sa eskuwelahan na ini—pero ini saro pang dakulang hapot na an mismong mga gurang sa Bagacay an makakasimbag sako. 

Pag bangging bulanon—ini bakong iri-istorya sana kundi totoong istorya man nanggad—an ngisi ni Joe hali sa may bintana nindang capiz makakapangirabo man nanggad
sa siisay na aking gusto man magluwas mag-iba sa Aurora pag nag-agi na pasiring sa Banat. Dai man nang-aano si Joe, yaon sana siya sa may bintana, naghohorop-horop, garo iniirisip man an mga gabos na nag-aaraging kairiba sa prusisyon—mga mag-irilusyon na
nagmimirilagro sa likod, mga kantorang sirintunado sagkod garo gurutom na an boses, mga butalnak na paralak-palak na sa inutan kan andas dara-dara dangan kinakarawatan an mga karabang giribo sa daso’.  

Bako lamang siyang maribok. Dai ko lamang siyang nadangog magtaram nin kun ano. Maski makasabay ko pa siya pagsakdo nin inuman na tubig sa bombahan kan mga
Bañas perang beses, mayo siya nin girong. Dakula an tulak ano pa naapod logod siya nin Bundat, katamtaman an langkaw, mataba, maitom, si Joe mayong girong pero dakul ginigibo. Mahihiling mo pa siya minsan masimba nin Domingong aga sa kapilya, puwerte an bulos, kaiba an ina niya. Tapos diretso uli sa harong ninda. Pag hapon, mahihiling mo na lang nagluluon nin mga lapang dahon kan mga star apple sa libod ninda.

Pirmi akong natatagalpo kada mahiling ko si Joe. Kan sadit pa ako—huna ko nangkukua siya nin aki tapos tinatao sa niya sa mga magibo nin tulay ta’ duman bubunu’on tapos an dugo ninda iyo an pinapanhalo sa sementong ibubuhos para daa maging pusog an tulay. Ngonyan na nahihiling ko pa siya, ginigibo an dati niya nang ginigibo—sa hiling ko an gabos na takot na idto mayo nin basehan. Sa kahaluyi kan panahon, na nakiagi man ako sa libod ninda pagsasakdo ko nin inuman.

An silencio ni Joe garong nakapagpamondo man sana saiya. Ano man daw an nasa isip niya kun nagdudurulag kami parayo saiya ta’ aram ming siya si Joe? Baad gusto man sana kaidtong makiulay pero mayong nagrarani siya ta’ turikturik ngani daa siya. Ano man daw an namamati kan sarong arog ni Joe? Siguro nasobrahan daang adal o basa, sabi kan saro kong kaklaseng taga-Banat, mayo siyang ibang makulay kundi sadiri niya. Ano man daw an namamati niya kun rinarayuan siya nin kadaklan na normal na tawo? Siguro namomondo siya. O mas nabubuabua ta’ mayo nang nakikiulay saiya, apuwera kan pirang tawong aram na puwede man siyang kaulayon siring sa sarong normal.

SI JIM, SARONG ERMITANYO
Si Jim sarong parasira na taga Iraya. Sarong heartthrob kan kapanahunan niya—an dungo sa mestizo, an mata sa Intsik, nakasulot pirmi nin itom na T-shirt—bara’ba’, dangan an short na maong na tinarabas—mayong kapareho an style niya nin huli ta’ an barungot niya tugmang-tugma sa mga tursidong rinaralayog kan duros pag na-lakaw na siya sa may
tinampo. Fashion model an lakaw ni Jim—dawa bara’ba an saiyang bado. May tindog kumbaga; tapos an lakaw niya, saiya lang talaga. An pagbaya’ kan wala niyang bitis
sa toong bitis, mayo nin kapareho. Lean an hawak ni Jim, an itsura niya mayong pinagkaiba sa mga Shaolin Master sa nadadalan mi sa Betamax kaidto ka Auntie Felia. An buri niyang kopya bara’ba man. Fashion-wise, consistently elegant sagkod stylish an su’lot ni Jim. Totoo—maati siyang hilingon ta’ an itsura niya garo pirang aldaw nang dai nagkarigos pero dai ka—ta’ minsan an itsura niya—garo pirming bago siyang karigos.

Dai ko pa nabakalan si Jim kan sira niyang tinitinda pero nahihiling ko siyang nagpapara lakaw-lakaw na garong linilibot an barangay—minsan nakapamulsahan sa maong niyang shorts, nakaduko na garo kadakuldakul siyang iniisip—kadakuldakul an saiyang iniisip na dai mo siya makaulay ta’ okupado baya an payo niya. Minsan nasabatan ko siya kaidto—dai ako natakot maski ngani aram kong turik daa siya. Palibhasa dai man nang-aano;
dai ako nagdalagan parayo o nag-iwas saiya. Daradakula na man kaya palan ako kaidto, pero nahiling ko na man kaidto na maboot si Jim. Serene and composed kumbaga.
Kayang darahon an sadiri. Garo ermitanyo an hiling ko saiya kaidto, maski ngonyan. Ibang klaseng ermitanyo ta’ kairiba siya kan mga tawo.

Pag nag-aagi siya sa may parada, dai man napupugulan kan mga tawong hilingon an itsura niya, dangan an mga gurang masarabi sa mga pastidyong aki, “Hala, kun dai ka mapondo, ipapadara ta’ ka ki Jim. Kukuanon ka niya, kaya alo na.”  An aki pusngak pa pero aram na niya an pagkatawo ni Jim. Nungka pa man maipalaiwanang ni Jim sa saiya na ‘baad man sana iba an iniisip niya.  
Matino siguro si Jim. Haloy-haloy nang panahon arog siya kaiyan—parasira, paratinda nin
sirang pigpangkehan—nakakaraos man na mabuhay. Digdi ta mahihiling na maski an mga turikturik dai ligtas sa ekonomikong realidad—na kaipuhan magtrabaho ta nganing igwang kakanon—mag matino ka o mag tinurik ka man. Puwede mong masabi na kaya si Jim naturik ta’ dai niya maako an realidad na an ibang mgatawo mayayaman—nakaistar sa mga garo simbahan na mga harong—pati an saindang mga gadan—ilinulubong sa mga
harong na garong mga subdibisyon. Makabua bagang maray.

AN MAYONG PAGAL NA SI PAX
Sarong hoben [pero an itsura niya gurang na] na lalaking taga-Baybay na may Down’s Syndrome, iba man an itsura ni Pax sa mga inaapod na mongoloid. Siya maitom, dakulang lalaki, wi’wi’ an nguso, may su’lot na bandana, nagpaparasakdo nin inumon na tubig sa
Burabod para sa mga taga Baybay.

Siya sarong oripon na may dignidad. Dai mo sana maaraman kun pirang litrong tubig siguro an utang saiya kan mga taga babybay na nagpapasarakdo saiya sa Kalye Maribok. An padyak niya na tinauhan kan mga partidaryo niyang mga Nacorda iyo an pinapansustinir niya sa solo solo niyang buhay. Magngalas ka man nanggad kun mas may kaya si Pax ki Bulldog, dawa ngani mas hagbang asin purusog an hawak ni Bulldog saiya.

Si Pax magalang, nagbibisa sa mga gurang, nakikikawat sa mga aki, maski ngani pigpapara-rawrawan si Pax kan mga mas buang daing karakarigos na mga kahobenan sa
Triangle. Pirmi man nagsisimba sa kapilya kun Domingo. Pero kan naging bihira na an misa sa Bagacay ta’ an barangay daa sabi kan padi sakop pa kan mas dakulang parokya kan Manguiring, arog kan ibang parasimba sa Iraya, nagkararaya na man sana dangan dai man nanggad maibalik an dating numero kan mga nagsisirimbang Katoliko. Masakit man siguro kun mapa-Manguiring pa si Pax para sana magsimba. An hadit kan partidaryo niya
dai mo man masimbag.

SI ERIC A.K.A. KABAKAB
Kun ki Eric mo maibabagay an kasabihan na “Aki pa, gurang na; gurang na, aki pa,” saiya mo man giraray masasabi na “an aki kun pag dakula aki pa man giraray an pag-iisip sarong biyaya sagkod grasya hali sa Mahal na Diyos.”

Naka-pajama, nagraralaway, sagkod mu’riton an lalawgon, kulot an buhok, birilot magtaram pero sige sanang taram ta’ dai man pula. An mga pinsan kong
babayi an durulag pirmi pag nagdadalagan na si Eric, nagpaparapanhapag nin babayi para man sana suguton. Pero pag-inanggotan man kan gurang, napapakiulayan man
baga. Palibhasa aki pa kaya dawa ngani tinedyer na man.  Kaidad ko sana si Eric—kuta na mag-aaagom na man siya ngonyan na mga taon. Minsan pa ngani pigsusurugot
mi sinda na ipapadis mi Ki Eric kun dai mauruli sa harong pag oras nin orasyon. Si Eric nagbibisa sa mga gurang, nagtataong-galang sa anuman na tiripon kan mga gurang—lamay sa gadan, novena ki Santa Maria, o miski maprusisyon para ki San Antonio de Padua.

Arog kan ibang mga aki—minsan ngani bakong arog kan ibang mga aki diyan—si Eric bibong aki. Daing palta siya kaiba an ibang kaakian—nagchachacha o nagirikid-ikid sa baylihan sa sinasabayan an “Ice, Ice, Baby” o “You’re My Heart You’re My Soul” kan Modern Talking, o kun ano man na disco tune ni Ken Laszlo kaidto. Siempre pagal-pagal na man si Eric kababayle bago pa man magsaraksakan an mga dayong taga Tigman o Mananao sa laog kan baylihan sa Triangle. Dai man ako mangalas kun pati ngonyan, sinasabayan pa ni Eric an Destiny’s Child o Black Eyed Peas pag pinatugtog sa bagong baylihan sa covered multipurpose hall sa pantalan. Arog na sana kaiyan an pagka-sociable ni Eric.

Nasasabotan ni Eric an kultura kan Bagacay—sa kahaluyi kan panahon natuod na man siya sa mga Katolikong ritwal kan mga gurang sa barangay. Nahihiling an biyaya nin Diyos sa arog niya kun mahihiling mo siyang nagpapangadyi sa kapilya kun Domingo—kaiba kan saiyang mga magurang. O minsan sa Flores de Mayo kan lolahon ko, amay na amay pa yaon na sa atubang kan altar, may darang mga gumamela, kanda, o manlaen laen na
burak—arog nin iba pang aki. Ogma na pagkatapos kan pangadyi sagkod rosaryo, an tandan na galleta, tanggo, o sopas na maaskad bastante na sa kaogmahan kan aking arog niya. Naggugurang na an hawak ni Eric pero dai naghihira an pag-iisip niya. Sa prusisyon pag fiesta, kun yaon siya sa baylihan kan bisperas, pagkaaga yaon man siya sa prusisyon para sa patron—minsan may darang kandila o minsan naiinot sa gabos na nag-puprusisyon, garo bagang siya an giya [marshall] kan paganong ritual na ini. Sa mga
religious activities, pirmi nang mas perfect attendance si Eric kaysa sa ibang mga aking kairidad niya.

Si Eric produkto kan sarong kulturang Bikolano, Katoliko, relihyoso, sagkod pilosopo. Nakua niya an bansag na Kabakab sa saiyang ama—na nabansagan kan gabos na tawo sa barangay. Sa lugar man lang na ini nakukua niya an ugaling parasogot, para-po’ngot,
pasaway. Sinosogot siya kan konduktor ni Magan kun maagi siya sa pantalan, hinuhubaan kan mga hoben na parabasketbol hali sa Triangle, pig-iiwal kan mga aking habo siyang paayunon sa turubigan sa may tinampo. Aki baya, namamana man sana ni Eric an
kaanggotan sagkod an kakanosan kan kinaban. Sa komunidad man lang na iniidong-idongan kan saiyang halipoton na pag-iisip nakukua niya an mas halipot—ta’ abaanang kakipot kan—pag-iisip na ini. 

Kaipuhan niya man nanggad maging kabakab—sarong talapang na mahalnas, mabilis, sagkod maulyas—nganing makalukso siya parayo sa mabatang lapok na iniistaran
niya na iyo an Bagacay.

AN BABAYING SI NESS
An gayon kan babayi nahihiling sa pagdara niya kan sadiri sa tahaw kan mapantuyaw na komunidad—sa lugar na an lalaki na sana an kagdaog. Si Ness nagtitinda nin sira sa entirong barangay—mahihiling mo siyang naglalakaw luto-luto an nigong may laog nin la’bas na abo, langkoy, o minsan balaw. Nakapalda, maniwang, maitom, mahimpis an hawak—nagtitinda nin sira si Ness pag mahapon na.

Pero dai ko pa lamang siyang nadangog na nagkurahaw sa mga tawo para ialok an tinda niyang sira. An aram ko, pag yaon na siya nagdadangadang sa mahiwas na tinampo
sa Bagacay sa may highway pasiring sa may eskuwelahan, aram na na siya may tindang sira sa luto-luto niyang nigo. Minsan si May Biday an natatangro kan pirang atadong abo o pagotpot, kaya lugod an mga Buban, mga Belga, sagkod mga Panis presko an kosidong pangudtuhan pagkatapos magsaramba na Joshua sagkod ni Dorcas sa Protestanteng kapilya sa Banat.  

Kun may bagyo, an payag payag ni Ness harani sa may baybayon binabayo kan duros na garo baga sarong baraha sa ta’ta’ na pig-iiriwalan kan limang gurang na parasugal sa Iraya—dai pusog an nipa sagkod an posteng coco lumber. Haros iralayog an mga latang atop. Pero pagkatapos kan bagyong uminagi sa Bagacay, mahihiling mo si Ness sarong aldaw naglilibot nin sira—nagtatangro sa mga kataraid, para may maisira sa saindang kakanan.

O minsan daa, pagkatapos kan bagyo, madadangog si Ness kan mga kataraid na nagkakanta—magayonon an boses, sa ralabot nang harong, sa inaratong nang kasangkapan sa harong, yaon sana diyan—nagkakanta. Dai mo aram kun
siya nag-oomaw sa Diyos ta dai siya naatong asiring sa dagat, o tibaad linalamuda an duros sagkod an uran. 

SI GELYN, AN BABAYING NAKAPULA
May sarong Lady in Red na an pangaran Gelyn. Kun ta’no inapod ko siyang lady in red—maiintindihan nindo ngonyan. Sarong hapon, kan ako sinugong may bakalon na mirindalan sa tindahan na Bago, dai ako nakadagos sa may triangle ta’ yaon daa duman si Gelyn, nagpapasali, o napaparataram. Ano pa naghikap ako sa may tindahan na Lola Mimay sa atubangan na Agor. Takot-takot ako ta’ dai ako makakaagi sa Triangle. Habo kong mahiling si Gelyn ta’ ‘baad ano an gibohon sako. Dai ko na matandaan kun nakadagos ako sa bisita. An aram ko sana an takot ko ki Gelyn daing siring na sana—ta’ garo
pati naiimahinar ko an mata niyang burulakog nakahiling sakuya na garo ako kakakanon.

An aram ko si Gelyn hoben pang babayi na nakasulot nin makokolor na bestida—dati gayod na maputiputi pero nagparaitom na sana ta’ sige sana daang lakaw hali sa
bukid pasiring sa maski sain sain. Mayo na akong nadangog pang iba manongod saiya. Kan ako nagdakula na, dai ko naman siya nahihiling.

Siring kan Dose Pares, mga CAFGU sagkod CHDF, si Gelyn basang na sana man nawara sa Bagacay. Garo mayo ka na man madangog manongod saiya. O arog kan ibang mga dayong negosyanteng nagtirinda sa Triangle kaidto tapos nagkawarara na sana kan kasagsagan kan mga Dose Pares saka mga nagroronda sa mga NPA, hain na man daw
si Gelyn ngonyan?

Sa gabos na mga buhay kan mga tawong ini, an deskripsyon na “halipot na pag-iisip” para sa sarong turikturik sarong misnomer, o salang pag-apod sa mga arog nindang nagkasarambit asin an mga dai ta’ pa mangaranan na mga turikturik na nagparalakaw lakaw sa magayonon, madoroson, asin mahiwason na Bagacay kun sain ako nabuabua kadudulag, kakadalagan parayo sainda. Aki pa ako kaidto. An paghiling ko sainda
mayong pinagkaiba sa paghiling ko sa mga mumu pag banggi na sa may Banat, na naghaharapag sakuya pag sinusugo akong magbakal ni bitsin para sa kinusidong
abo’ ni Manoy. An dai ko aram kaidto—sa pagdulag ko sainda ta’ ako aki pa—nagdulag ako sa sarong posibilidad na puwede man sanang gibohan nin paagi tanganing ma-apreciar o maintindihan.

“Ta’no daa ta’ dai na man sana daa pabayaan an mga turikturik na maging turikturik?” Pati privacy man ninda dai na lamang daa ginagalang—nin huli ta’ sinda turikturik na, iyo na yan sinda kaiyan—dai mo na man daa dapat pang ilangkaba sa intirong komunidad na sinda man nanggad turikturik. Igalang na man daa dapat an pagigi nindang turikturik. Mas kapakipakinabang gayod na itratong tama an mga turikturik kan mga tawong mas matitino. Kun dai, an mas matitinong tawo an totoong buabua.

Sa sarong kanta na pigpapara-interpretar nin ribong [ribong na] beses kan mga contestants sa Miss Bagacay, Miss Tinambac, Miss Hinagyanan, o Miss Karangkang, o maski gayod Miss Cadlan, an parakanta naghahapot, Sinong dakila?/Sino an tunay na baliw?/Sinong mapalad? Sinong tinatawag mong hangal?/Yaon bang isinilang/Na an pag-iisip ay ‘di lubos/O husto an isip/Ngunit sa pag-ibig ay kapos?

Iyo man nanggad, ano? Sarong dakulang katurikan na an talento na puwedeng ipahiling kan sarong magayon na daraga iyo man daa an magbinua. Apuwera kan magkakan
nin kalayo, o magsapa’ nin bonot, bako na man gayod talento an magpanggap na dai ka man daa bua, bakong iyo?

Siisay pa man daw an mas bua sa sarong daragang taga-Irayang nagpabados sa may agom nang taga-Baybay? Siisay man nanggad an buabua? An closet na bakla na
nan-abuso kan saiyang sobreno? An kuraptong kapitan? An kagawad na igwang sambay sa Tigman? O an pusikit na palpal sagkod parasugal na Irmano Mayor?  

Sa saiyang Madness and Civilization, nabuabua an sarong Pranses na si Michel Foucault sa kasasabing an mga turikturik bako an mga bata’ kan sarong komunidad kundi iyo an biktima kan mga kapalpakan kaini. Kun sa Europa kan mga panahon sagkod ngonyan, an mga turikturik priniriso—kinurulong ta’ sa hiling kan matitinong gobyerno mayo sindang lugar sa publiko—sa Bagacay an mga turikturik nagkairibahan kan mga normal
na tawo—asin ta’ an mga taga-Bagacay iyo logod naapektuhan, nagkaurulakitan kan kakapayan ka mga turikturik na ini.

Halimbawa, an mga aking arog mi nagdarakula bagang tarakot saindang mga persona.  Saradit pa kami—tinatarakot kami kan mga turikturik na garo dai man, kan mga multong marayo man. Nungka kami sinarabihan na an mas likayan iyo an kapitan na gumon
sa ilegal na mga aktibidades sa barangay. Na dapat mas paghandaan an madadayang paratinda nin alang sa talipapa’. Na dapat mas likayan an mga adik na rinarasyunan nin shabu sa Baybay—o mga NPA na puwedeng mag-aragi sa likod kan harong mi paduruman sa Katangyanan pagkatapos i-salvage an sarong informer na nagbalik-loob na. Sala baga an itinurukdo samuya.

Hinarabon na sa mga lumbod ming isip an posibilidad na an turikturik mas maboot sa normal na tawo. An trabaho mi iyo an halion an salang pagpagamiaw na ini. Iyo ni
an nakapagpogol sa mga ideya mi, sa mga isog ming kaipuhan lalong lalo na ngonyan na mga panahon na kun bako kang maisog o desidido sa sarong bagay—mayo kang
magigibong kapaki-pakinabang sa buhay mo. Dangan interesanteng pagparausip-usipon ini ta’ sa kahaluyi kan panahon mayo sa sainda an ipinaintriga man lamang
sa sarong mental institution. Ma-bilib ka sa mga kapamilya ninda ta’ dai man lamang o winaralat sa kun sain an saindang tugang, aki, tiyuon o hijado na aram
nindang igwang diperensya an pag-iisip.“He aint heavy; he’s my brother” sabi ngani kan sarong folk song—tama, nin huli ta’ kadugo ko siya, dai ko siya puwedeng
pabayaan o ipaubaya na sana sa ibang tawo. 

Sa Bagacay naipagamiaw sakuya na an kinaban kan mga turikturik sarong kahiwasan nin pagkadakuldakul na posibilidad. Sa mga buhay-buhay kan mga arog ni Joe, Gelyn, Jim,
Bulldog, Pax, asin an riboribo pang ribongribong sa Bagacay, dakul na mga bagay an puwedeng mangyari—dakul an puwede tang mahiling, puwede tang madangog, puwede
tang masabi, asin—magtubod ka sa dai—puwede tang maintindihan.

King of Pain

I saw Pepeng Kaliwete starring Fernando Poe, Jr. when I was a first-grader.  In those days, Mother was fond of movies that on weekends, she would bring her children to downtown Naga and there we watched all kinds of movies—in Emily, Bichara, Alex or Vic—the movie theaters owned by the Bicharas in Naga City.

Nothing reminds me of the movie except cringing at the sight of Pepe’s hands being twisted by a moving wooden motor—by the goons of the kontrabida led by the proverbial villain Paquito Diaz. Who can ever forget the ngilo just watching that scene? Since then, I have looked forward to watching FPJ’s movies.

Enough said.

Some thirty years later, I feel fine because it is now official. This year, President Benigno Aquino III conferred a posthumous National Artist award to the late Fernando Poe, Jr., King of Philippine Movies.  Aquino’s Proclamation No. 435 only confirmed an earlier declaration of Poe as National Artist in 2006, two years after Poe’s death. But at the time controversy took over.

I recall the award was refused by FPJ’s family from then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom they thought, rigged the 2004 elections in which FPJ ran for president. This year, the family has accepted the recognition from the current president.

I suppose the national recognition of this prolific artist is appropriate. For one, a National Artist is one who has helped “build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works.”  Through some 50 years of his career in the movie industry, FPJ had been a household word for his honest portrayals of the plight of the Filipino, particularly the underprivileged and the marginalized.

An average Filipino like me knows an FPJ movie or the role he portrayed simply because he portrayed the life of the ordinary people, who compose the lot of the population. Whether in film biographies—from Pepeng Kaliwete to Eseng ng Tondo or other movies he produced, directed and acted in, it's he who sacrifices for the other person.

Up to his sixties, FPJ’s roles had been consistently that—particularly favoring the underprivileged or defending the marginalized, but all the while lionizing the good. If at all, FPJ’s movies melodramas helped define the generation to which I belong. But because his roles have been mimicked and parodied by other fellow actors, it only goes to show they touched a chord in the Filipino everyman.  

In some 250 movies where he probably punched all the thugs and gave back the stolen candy bars to their rightful owners, his character was not only our muscle but also our soul, a Robin Hood of sorts in our part of the world who delivered justice for the poor because it was denied them by the privileged and the greedy. His manner of delivering justice the Christian way did not only save us from boredom or tedium, but also “redeemed” us.  And for this, FPJ can hardly be replicated.

We confer on him the award because we seek to immortalize a paragon of the good—whose pains and struggles inspire us to always seek what is just. We choose to do this because we humans need a(nother) Christ-like figure whom we can emulate.  We take to placing one FPJ as such only because we need to remind ourselves that in everything we do, or despite our perennial struggles, we can always choose to do the good.

The Grey

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

Sa "The Grey" na binidahan ni Liam Neeson ngonyan na 2012, an walong survivor sa nagbagsak na eroplano haling Alaska— kabali an karakter niyang si John Ottway—nagkagaradan man giraray pagkatapos.

Guardia kan sarong oil drill team sa Alaska si John Ottway. An apod niya sa trabahong ini—“job at the end of the world,” kun sain an kairiba niya mga “fugitives, ex-cons, assholes, men unfit for mankind.” Kadaklan na mga yaraon duman mga pusakal, tibaad mga hinarabuan kan sociedad ta nagdulot sinda nin danyos bako sana sa propriedad kundi pati moralidad.

Patapos na an kontrata ni Ottway, pinapauli na siya. Alagad kan solo-solo siya sarong banggi, nagsurat siya sa agom niya, dangan nagprobar siyang maghugot. Kan babadilon niya na an sadiri nin shotgun sa kadikloman kan niyebe, nag-alulong an mga lobo (wolves). Nakulbaan siya kaini. Dai siya nadagos maghugot.

Pauruli na sinda kan kairiba sa drill team; tapos nag-crash an eroplano. Sa gabos na sakay, walo sana sainda an nagkaburuhay. Sa wreckage, an ibang nagkaburuhay naghaharadit nagngungurulngol ta nagkagaradan sa impact an mga pag-iriba ninda. Si Ottway nakaapon sa harayo. Pero pagkagimata niya, hinaranap niya si iba. Nakabalik siya sa binagsakan.

Dinulok niya si Lewenden, sarong kaibahan na nagtuturawis an dugo sa tulak. Naghaharadit na an ibang mga amigo ninda. Nagngunguruyngoy. Hinapot ni Lewenden si Ottway kun ano an nangyayari. Sabi ni Ottway saiya na magagadan na siya. Pinabagol ni Ottway an luong kan lalaki. Kinaulay niya ni kag pighapot kun siisay an saiyang namomotan. Kinaulay niya pa astang dai nagdugay, nautsan na ni.

Dai naghaloy, pinangenotan ni Ottway an grupo. Hinambal niya sa ilang maggibo sinda nin kalayo, nganing dai sinda magkaragadan sa lipot. Magharanap pagkakan dangan magharali sa crash site.

Pagharanap ninda nin mga nagkataradang kakanon sa wreckage sagkod mga bagay na magagamit, nahiling ni Ottway na ginuguyod kan lobo an sarong pasaherong babae, nag-uungol pa ni kan sagpangon kan layas na ayam. Sinaklolohan kuta ni Ottway alagad gadan na an biktima. Dinulak niya an ayam kaya kinaragat siya kaini. Nagkadarangog kan iba kaya nasaklolohan si Ottway. Kinarne kan lobo an tuhod niya pagkatapos.

Sabi ni Ottway na tibaad kuta nin mga wolves an lugar kun saen nag-crash an saindang eroplano. Piggagadan kan mga hayop na ini an mga tawong nararabay sa saindang balwarte. Hambal pa ni John Ottway sa iba, dai man kinakakan kan mga sapat na ini an mga tawo. Kinakaragat man lang ninda, sagkod ginagadan, sabi niya. Sa layas na kadlagan, tibaad mayo sindang ibang madalaganan.

Minaray logod nindang magharali, magparalarakaw maghanap nin rescue ta harayoon an saindang natubragan. Bago sinda naghali sa crash site ta nganing madulagan an mga wolves na nag-atake sainda, nanganam si Hendrick, sarong doctor. Iyo ni an sabi niya, “I feel like we should say something. I feel like with all these bodies all people have died, it doesn’t seem right for us to walk away. “God bless these men. Some of them are friends we could be lying here with them.” Nagtingag siya dangan naghambal, “Thank you for sparing us; and helping us. O, and keep that up, if you can.” Alagad, sa katapusan kan istorya, mayong naginibo an pangadie kan sarong survivor na doctor. Gabos sinda sa dalan nagkagaradan.

Sobra sa kabanga kan pelikula, nagparararalakaw nagparadurulag nagparatarandayag an mga survivor parayo sa mga lobo; alagad bago man ini natapos, saro saro sindang nagkaurubos. Kan saiya nang toka pagbantay pagka enot na banggi, inatake kan lobo si Hernandez pag-ihi kaini. Siya an enot na nagadan sa grupo. Kaya sabi ni Ottway magharali na sinda duman. Pagparalarakaw kan grupo parayo sa crash site, nawalat man si Flannery sa tahaw kan yelo kawasa dai nakayahan an lipot sagkod an halawig na lakaw. Nawalat-walat siya dangan inatake kan mga lobo.

Pag-camping na ninda sa taas kan kabukidan, nahangog sa halangkaw na altitude an negrong si Burke. Sa saindang pigtuytuyan, magdamlag nagparaduros nin makusogon. Pagkaaga, nakua si Burke kan pag-iribang saro nang yeladong bangkay. Si Talget napilay kan makasabit ni sa kahoy pagrulukso ninda pabalyo sa halangkawon na salog. Kan buminagsak na siya sa daga, hiniribunan tulos siya kan mga ayam dangan ginuruyod. Si Diaz napagal na sana man magparalakaw kaya nagpawalat na sa may gilid kan suba.

Sa kadudulag sa naghahapag na mga lobo, naglumpat si Hendrick sa suba tapos nagpaatong sa sulog, nakairarom siya sa dakulang gapo saka duman nalamos. Si Ottway iyo an nakahampang kan alpha male, an pinakahade kan mga wolves sa mismo kaining kuta. Dai na pinahiling an saindang pagdinulak, kan inatake ni Ottway nin kutsilyo an ido. Sa huring ritrato kan pelikula, nakahandusay si Ottway, sagkod an maisog na hadi kan mga ido.

Sa pagdulag kan mga survivor, ginuyod ninda an pamimilosopiya kan kagsurat kan istorya. Linangkaba kan pelikula an konseptong naturalismo na pinadaba kan Pranses na manugsulat na si Emile Zola, sarong pagtubod na an tawo oripon kan saiyang sadiring natura. Mayo nin magigibo an inaapod kan ibang free will, o fighting spirit. Para ki Zola, sagkod sa mga nagsurunod saiya, mayong ibang minapaitok sa buhay kan tawo kundi an saiyang Kalibutan, an gabos-gabos na mga bagay-bagay sa saiyang kinaban. Garo man sana sinabi kaini na mayo nin kapas an kalag na magpapangyari para an tawo maparahay o mabanhaw an saiyang kaugalingon sa katibaadan.

Linangkaba man kan pelikula an vulgarized na konsepto kan survival of the fittest. Sa naturalistang kinaban, an hadi kan kadlagan iyo an layas na ayam. Garo daing kapas an tawong lampas an an isog kan mga hinayupak na mga ayam. Dawa gurano kaisog kan tawong hampangon an saiyang kaiwal niyang ini sa kadlagan, magagadan siya ta magagadan.

Sa climax kan sugilanon, nagprobar si Ottway na tampadan an bagsik kag an isog kan mga lobo. Nagtrayumpo man kuta siya alagad, kawasa an tawo sagkod hayop parehong nagadan, lininaw sa pelikula na nungka madudulagan kan tawo an ungis kan kadlagan, an layas na kabihasnan, kun sain tibaad an hayop, bakong an tawo—an hadi kan kagabsan.


Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon
nakulbaan, nakilaghanan
kag, sagkod
sa ilang, saindang
naghambal, nagsabi
naglumpat, luminukso
manugsulat, parasurat
mabanhaw, masalbar
kaugalingon, sadiri
sugilanon, istorya

Ehersísyo

Buot silingon an pisikal na pag-ehersisyo, nalangkaba na man na marhay kan iba. Siring kan ibang tawo, an mga inaapod na atleta o mga parakawat, nagkakagaradan man—bako man talagang mas haralawig an buhay ninda. Pwede nganing mas amay sindang magadan kawasa kan ehersisyo. Dangan kalabanan, bako man sindang orog na mabaskog ukon mas maogma kaysa sa iba. Matuod nga mas marhay gayod an pamatyag ninda—mas marhay an pagturog sagkod normal an timbang ninda.

Alagad mas orog na may kwenta an maayo nga pamatyag sang kalag. Marhay-rahay na mag-unat kita kan kalamias ta, alagad orog na igwang saysay an mag-unat kita kan satong panumduman, o paayuhon an salud kan satong kalag. Orog na igwang balor an magin baskog an satong kalag sa atubang nin Dios asin tawo.

Pansegunda sana digdi an gabos na ehersisyo kan lawas. Igwang merito sa baskog na lawas, alagad mas igwang biyaya sa mabaskog nga kalag. Kadakul sa makukusog na tawo mga berdugo; darakula mga kalamias ninda alagad an ugali daingdata.

Sa pag-ataman kan lawas, bastante na gayod na sa araaldaw, nakakapamus-on ka; kag nagpapalas ka kan kuko mo kun an mga ini haralaba na.

 

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

buot silingon, gustong sabihon

kalabanan, kadaklan na beses

ukon, o

matuod, tama

nga, na

maayo, marhay

pamatyag, pagmati

sang, kan

paayuhon, pakarhayon

baskog, marahay an salud

baskog, makusog

nakakapamus-on, nakakaudo

Susog sa “Exercise” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner. New York: Viking Penguin, 1990, 100.

Paghâdit

Úkon muya mo sang mas námî nga terminolohiya—angst—(hambál sa Aleman), saro sana ining normal na ugali kan tawo. Sa katunayan, susog ki Martin Heidegger, sarong pilosopong Aleman, kaipuhan ta man nanggad an maghâdit sa satong buhay. Siempre an sobrang paghâdit—dawâ ano man na bagay na sobra o labaw, bakong marhay. An marhay kaiyan, susog sa sako nang inagihan, kun kita naghahâdit, maghâdit lugod kitang sagad. Kumbaga, sa modernong paghambal, career-on ta an paghâdit. Sabihon ta sa sadiri ta na naghahâdit ako ngonyan, dangan paurogon ko gid nga mayád an paghâdit na ini. Nin huli ta nag-aaram kitang marhay na naghahâdit kita, tulostulos ini malalampasan ta. Nagiging kabudláyan an paghâdit kun madangog kita sa ibán nga nagasilíng indî kita magparápanumdóm. An matúod sinâ, maghâdit ka kun gusto mo, alagad magparahâdit kang mayád sagkod na mag-abot an tiempong dai ka na naghahâdit.

Elmer Borlongan, “Grass Fire” 

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

úkon, o

sang, nin

námî, marháy

nga, na

hambál, apód

gid, nanggád

mayád, marháy

kabudláyan, sákit

ibán, ibá

nagasilíng, nagsasábing

indî, daí

magparápanumdóm, magparahâdit

matúod, totoó

sinâ, sa árog kaiyán

Susog sa “Worry” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner. New York: Viking Penguin, 1990, 38.

Airport on Mactan Island

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Leoncio Deriada

In Leoncio Deriada’s “Airport on Mactan Island,” a family who has lived near the Mactan airport for a decade, is presented with a number of dilemmas.

One day, the mother, unable to stand the noise of the “steel monsters” or airplanes, frets and desperately wants to leave their house. The father’s dilemma is caused only by the dilemma of the wife. His wife pressures him to consider moving out despite the lot’s sentimental value to him. He is torn between leaving the land—which he inherited—and helping his wife ease her troubles. Their son, meanwhile, is caught up with his own problem. He is exploring the possibility of getting a job in the factory and at the same time is helping his father sell guitars. He is more inclined, though, to get the job rather than help his father.

After I asked my juniors class to stage it in the classroom, three students turned in noteworthy insights, clarifying a number of realities raised by the literary work.

In a piece titled “Just the Way It Is,” Irene Grace Lim begins, “In a usual family setup, the man’s decision is final. At times, his decision is unchangeable. We see the same in Deriada’s “Airport on Mactan Island.”

“The husband’s decision was still the final decision for their family. And although the wife was already starting to lose her mind, out of desperation she wanted to get out of that place, the husband still stood with his unshakeable decision to stay. For him, there’s nowhere to go and there’s no one interested in their land. The man said they could get used to the noise of the airport just like the way he did.

“Though his wife was already desperate, driven to leave the house and even the man she married, the man stood by his decision, which shows that essence that while woman wavers, man maneuvers, then prevails.”

Lissa Angela Suyo, meanwhile, focused on the wife’s character, labeling the piece as a matter of “Faith vs. Fate.” She writes, “Like most Filipino Christians in Cebu, the mother’s faith in the Divine Being is on the Sto. Niño. She prays fervently to the statue so that their condition will improve and so that her son’s job away from their place could somehow change their fate. Unfortunately, faith alone did not help her get what she hoped for. With her husband not cooperating, her son getting rejected, with their home daily bombarded daily, she broke down. She lost faith even in her own self that she could maintain her sanity. She was disgusted with her fate. She hoped that by being a wife, her life would change. She wanted to change their fate, but she did not take action to do that. All she did was to complain.

“The wife was so desperate for a new life that she fell apart when she found out that her son, their last chance, didn’t get the job. She believed that to live in poverty was their fate. She thought that by having faith in the Sto. Niño, her fate will change. In the end, she broke apart...she has lost faith in the Sto. Niño, which strengthened her belief that this was, indeed, her fate.”

Then, in a more sweeping effort to read the piece, Casten Guanzon writes, “Leoncio Deriada opens our eyes to some of the more overlooked aspects of the marginalized poverty, what goes on in the home. The play does not focus on poverty or exploitation but rather the domestic scene in a family whose lives have been twisted by progress. The play starts building momentum when the wife and the husband are left alone in the house and it is here that we see two things in contrast: desperation and action.”

For Guanzon, “Desperation is displayed by the wife who nags the husband to leave the place, eventually hating him as much as the airport and its demonic noise. Her husband, almost her exact opposite, is always controlled and calm in his replies except for some emotional peaks on his part. In the end, she breaks down when the Sto. Niño fails to help her son get the job ultimately failing to deliver her from her own hell. She is distraught and unstable, eventually driven to attempt desecrating the statue as her final act to stop the noise.

“But what of action? After all, is it not the wife who starts making plans and suggesting other places? Yes it is; but it is the husband who has done something and, having failed, focuses on adapting to the airport and improvising for anything in their life it has changed. The husband is the one portraying action here. He is practical. Having tried and failed to sell the land, he focuses instead on maintaining their status of life. The wife, on the other hand, is prepared to make blind leaps in her eagerness to escape that hundredth circle of hell filled with its unholy abominations of steel. She is blind to her husband's reasoning because she, in her state, does not or chooses not to see its sense.”

While Lim and Suyo recognized the distraught character in the wife and the composure of the husband, Guanzon saw the play’s binary opposites—the husband’s action and the wife’s desperation.

All of them agreed on how the dilemma of the wife, which embodies the tragedy designed by the author, is not resolved at all.

Servicio

“Ich dien,” iyo ni an panáta kan prinsipe kan Wales—maserbe ako. Sabi ni Jose Ortega y Gasset sa libron Invertebrate Spain, kadtong panahon an pagserbe bako sanang kagalang-gálang sagkod magayon gibohon kundi iyo sana ini an paagi ta nganing an tawo makapadágos, ta nganing an katawohan makaantos. Ngonyan na sana man an servicio bako nang gustong sabihon regalo,  kundi sarong kontrata; ngonyan saro na sana ining obligayon na an katumbas kwárta. Ngonyan na sana man an inaapod na servicio igwa nin presyo—kadaklan na beses halangkáwon pa an singil sa kagamáy na gibo. Alagad an totoong kantidad kan servicio sa tawo bako sanang kwarta, kundi an saiyang kalipayan, an saiyang kaogmáhan. An ginasiling tang servicio nagi na sana ngonyan isa ka produkto—ginapangdalok kun bagaman ipabakal, kaya tinatawad, binabarát—parating linalangkába sa mga karatula sagkod media na dai na man makatutubod.

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

kagamay, kadikit

kalipayan, kaogmahan

ginasiling, sinasabi

isa ka, saro na

ginapangdalok, pinapan-imot

Biligaynon [Binikol sagkod Hiniligayon] kan “Service.” Yaon sa Worldy Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes A. Gaertner, Viking Press, 1990.

Beautiful Monsters

Save for one poignant scene in Richard Somes’s Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang, the rest of the movie leaves a number of unresolved settings, let’s call them clutter, that only puzzle the audience.

This scene involves Erich Gonzales’s Corazon fleeing the townsfolk and Derek Ramsey’s Daniel escaping the personal army of the landlord Matias (Mark Gil) in the post-World War II sakadas, most probably in the vast lands of Negros. (Immediately this mention of probability is only one among the many unresolved elements that cloud the essence of the movie. Aside from the landlord-tenant relationship which was prevalent elsewhere in the post-war Philippines, no other elements in the movie can make us infer it happened particularly there.)

In the village of Magdalena, Daniel, the loving farmer husband of the innocently beautiful Corazon, has just murdered the landlord Matias in his own mansion after the couple’s house was burned down by the goons. And the wounded Corazon, after being shot by Matias when she devoured his daughter Melissa in her bed, has also been found (and found out) by one of Daniel’s friends to be the one responsible for the killings of children in the village.

Both Daniel and Corazon are fleeing the enraged townsfolk who want to kill the village murderer. The scene rips your heart because both characters are rather fleeing their own created monsters. Daniel has murdered the landlord in retaliation for having burned their house; while Corazon has just been found out responsible for having devoured the children in the village. What rips your heart more is that the couple only wanted to have a child but the wife’s devotion to San Gerardo failed them—after Corazon delivered a stillborn. So the reality of a dead baby drove the main character Corazon (the could-have been mother) to curse God and throw her faith away to the dark.

The man-on-the-road element in this work of fiction is rendered well in this climactic scene, with the score swelling as the couple flees their pursuers heightening the drama and resolving it to the conclusion—as in the French term denouement (day-no-man)—when the couple vanish in the dark. So there.

Notes on Camp

In the 1960s, American writer Susan Sontag was brought to the world limelight after she pinpointed that camp is the “love of the unnatural, the artifice and exaggeration.” Well, we have seen camp movies proliferate in the horror flicks of the Filipino directors in the 80s—Shake, Rattle and Roll series and tons of other films in the same vein that entertained the generation of that decade. Through time, we have seen tendencies of Filipino movies to make use of camp, which refers to the effects that the film made to scare the audience by propping monsters and supernaturals so they look hideous or horrible only to make them appear outrageously odd or simply outrageous.

In Corazon, these include madwoman Melinda’s (Tetchie Agbayani) over-disheveled wig which rather exaggerates Diana Ross’s afro look. When I saw this, prizewinning fictionist critic Rosario Cruz-Lucero came to mind. In cases like this, Cruz-Lucero hints at the creative sense that an author needs not “overkill” the essence of what he is portraying by overdoing descriptions and attributes that have already been established.

The movie was trapped in the premise that a madwoman must really appear overly unkempt and dirty with her tattered outfit, teeth and all—or totally taong grasa so audience knows she is mad. And mad. And really mad. But there is just no need for Agbayani’s Melinda to appear this ridiculous so she could portray her Sisa character [she’s looking for her daughter who disappeared during the war]. I suppose Agbayani is fairly a good actress that her delivery of lines or a dramatic monologue alone could make us infer without a doubt she is a Sisa who was driven mad because she lost her child to the war.

Furthermore, we cannot see the relevance of Eric Gonzales’s Corazon putting on a baboy-damo mask to cloud her real intentions that she is the village monster preying on the innocent victims. What is Corazon’s reason for doing that? In the first place, where did she get the mask? Even the metallic effect of the face of the mask strikes us like it was stolen from the set of Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld which is too European to be accepted into the Filipino sensibility. Or talk of the masks used by  gladiators in Ridley Scott's Gladiator. Employing all these is more than camp, but more appropriately a rushed second-year high school drama production.

The movie also badly suffers from the complicated plot which requires more show time for them to be unraveled and resolved. Questions. Is Melinda the lost mother of Matias’s daughter Melissa? Or is Corazon the lost daughter of Melinda? We do not know. But it seemed as if the movie showed we knew they were. While it could have just dwelt on the legend of the aswang, or how the first human-eating human being came to be—initially called halimaw in the film—the movie touched on other sensibilities and opened territories where the other characters dwelt but which it did not pursue or explore at all.

Both Beautiful and Monstrous

At the time the halimaw devours the village children one by one, Corazon contorts her head like the way it is done in the Asian horror flicks that became the norm made popular by the Japanese original Ring in early 2000s. Sadly, the movie reeks of this hackneyed style which looked fresh only the first time it’s done in those days.

While the supporting characters of Mon Confiado’s and Epy Quizon’s are comfortable, Maria Isabel Lopez’s Aling Herminia is a revelation. Her portrayal of the relihiyosa in the less-than-two-minuter scene as the partera (quack midwife) is eerie and astonishingly original. The rest is unmemorable.

In some instances, also, both of the main characters deliver their intense scenes well. For one, Erich Gonzales’s childbirth is more convincing than other women who fake their ires and arrays in most films; while Ramsay’s macho tendencies and naturalness are without question.

The mestiza face of Erich Gonzales may be deemed realistic because she was said to be the love child of her mother and an American soldier during the war. But the placing of Derek Ramsay as the farmer Daniel, whose roots we barely know, is farcical. If at all, the movie does not make clear the background of Daniel. He is too sculpted to be just a humble farmer in the barrio—he hunts boars after he works out in the Fil-Am-Jap bodybuilding gym. Funny. Mon Confiado would be the more believable Daniel. Their metropolitan or cosmopolitan twang, could have been reworked to render their rustic characters more realistic. Talk of George VI doing the entire movie reworking his tongue in The King’s Speech. The lead actors are too beautiful to be monstrous because they look too polished for these rustic roles. Ultimately they appear ridiculous. Sadly camp.

“Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang”

Erich Gonzales, Derek Ramsay, Mark Gil, Epi Quizon, Maria Isabel Lopez, Tetchie Agbayani

Directed by Richard Somes

Skylight Films, 2012

Pagtaóng-gálang

Sang naglígad, amo ini an satuyang panukol o palatandaan kan sarong tawong maáyo an pagpadakula. Dai naghaloy, nawara na sana sato an pagtaóng-gálang. Sa katunayan, kadaklan na beses, naoogma pa kita kun mayo ni, na garo logod ini pakaraot o pakitang-tao sana. Dai.

Igwang tiempo kadtong an pag-“tabi-apo” sa mga lugar na sagrado, an pagtaóng-gálang sa mga banal na tawo, an pagdungog sa yaon halangkaw sa puwesto, sa igwang kaálam, sa gurang, sa maboot, sa mabini, sa matali, sa magayon an ugali, nagparahay bako sana sa nasambit nang ta(ma)wo o grupo, kundi mismo sa tawong nagtaóng-gálang. Sa pagtataóng-gálang, an duwa nagakalípay, napapamarhay.

Saro ning pagbisto sa mga nakakalangkaw, nakakamarhay, hapós kag udok sa boot na ginahatag kan tawong pareho man ninda kagalang-galang, pareho man ninda kamarhay.

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

sang naglígad, kan nakaagi, kadto

amo, iyo

maáyo, marhay, magayon

kaálam, kaaraman, kabatiran

tamawo, tawong lipod

nagakalípay, naoogma

hapós, pasil, madali

kag, sagkod

ginahatag, tinatao

Susog sa “Respect” yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 74.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang

Rating:	★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Horror

Erich Gonzales, Derek Ramsay, Mark Gil, Epi Quizon, Maria Isabel Lopez, Tetchie Agbayani
Directed by Richard Somes
Skylight Films, 2012

Save for one poignant scene in Richard Somes’s Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang, the rest of the movie leaves a number of unresolved scenes, let’s call them clutter, that rather only puzzle the audience.

This scene involves Erich Gonzales’s Corazon fleeing the townsfolk and Derek Ramsey’s Daniel escaping the personal army of the landlord Matias (Mark Gil) in the post-World War II sakadas, most probably in the vast lands of Negros. (Immediately this mention of probability is only one among the many unresolved elements that cloud the essence of the movie. Aside from the landlord-tenant relationship which was prevalent elsewhere in the post-war Philippines, no other elements in the movie can make us infer it happened particularly there.)

In the village of Magdalena, Daniel, the loving farmer husband of the innocently beautiful Corazon, has just murdered the landlord Matias in his own mansion after the couple’s house was burned down by the goons. And the wounded Corazon, after being shot by Matias when she devoured his daughter Melissa in her bed, has also been found (and found out) by one of Daniel’s friends to be the one responsible for the killings of children in the village.

Both Daniel and Corazon are fleeing the enraged townsfolk who want to kill the village murderer. The scene rips your heart because both characters are rather fleeing their own created monsters. Daniel has murdered the landlord in retaliation for having burned down their house; while Corazon has just been found out responsible for having devoured the children in the village.

What rips your heart more is that the couple only wanted to have a child but the wife’s devotion to San Gerardo failed them—after Corazon delivered a stillborn. So the reality of a dead baby drove the main character Corazon (the could-have been mother) to curse God and throw her faith away to the dark.

The man-on-the-road element in this work of fiction is rendered well in this climactic scene, with the score swelling as the couple flees their pursuers heightening the drama and resolving it to the conclusion—as in the French term denouement (day-no-man)—when the couple vanish in the dark. So there.

In the 1960s, American writer Susan Sontag was brought to the world limelight after she pinpointed that camp is the “love of the unnatural, the artifice and exaggeration.”

Well, we have seen camp movies proliferate in the horror flicks of the Filipino directors in the 80s—Shake, Rattle and Roll series and tons of other films in the same vein that entertained the generation of that decade.

Through time, we have seen tendencies of Filipino movies to make use of camp, which refers to the effects that the film made to scare the audience by propping monsters and supernaturals so they look hideous or horrible only to make them appear outrageously odd or simply outrageous.

In Corazon, these include madwoman Melinda’s (Tetchie Agbayani) over-disheveled wig which rather exaggerates Diana Ross’s afro look. When I saw this, prizewinning fictionist critic Rosario Cruz-Lucero came to mind. In cases like this, Cruz-Lucero hints at the creative sense that an author needs not “overkill” the essence of what he is portraying by overdoing descriptions and attributes that have already been established.

The movie was trapped in the premise that a madwoman must really appear overly unkempt and dirty with her tattered outfit, teeth and all—or totally taong grasa so audience knows she is mad. And mad. And really mad. But there is just no need for Agbayani’s Melinda to appear this ridiculous so she could portray her Sisa character [she’s looking for her daughter who disappeared during the war]. I suppose Agbayani is fairly a good actress that her delivery of lines or a dramatic monologue alone could make us infer without a doubt she is a Sisa who was driven mad because she lost her child to the war.

Furthermore, we cannot see the relevance of Eric Gonzales’s Corazon putting on a baboy-damo mask to cloud her real intentions that she is village monster preying on the innocent victims. What is Corazon’s reason for doing that? In the first place, where did she get the mask? Too implausible. Even the metallic effect of the face of the mask strikes us like it was stolen from the set of Kate Beckinsale’s Underworld which is too European to be accepted into the Filipino sensibility. Employing all these is more than camp, but more appropriately a rushed second-year high school drama production.

The movie also suffers from the complicated plot which requires more show time for them to be unraveled and resolved. Questions. Is Melinda the lost mother of Matias’s daughter Melissa? Or is Corazon the lost daughter of Melinda? We do not know. But it seemed as if the movie showed we knew they were.

While it could have just dwelt on the legend of the aswang, or how the first human-eating human being came to be—initially called halimaw in the film—the movie touched on other sensibilities and opened territories where the other characters dwelt but which it did not pursue or explore at all.

At the time the halimaw devours the village children one by one, Corazon contorts her head like the way it is done in the Asian horror flicks that became the norm made popular by the Japanese original Ring in early 2000s. Sadly, the movie reeks of this hackneyed style which looked fresh only the first time it’s done in those days.

While the supporting characters of Mon Confiado’s and Epy Quizon’s are comfortable, Maria Isabel Lopez’s Aling Herminia is a revelation. Her portrayal of the relihiyosa in the less-than-two-minuter scene as the partera (quack midwife) is eerie and astonishingly original. The rest is unmemorable.

In some instances, also, both of the main characters deliver their intense scenes well. For one, Erich Gonzales’s childbirth is more convincing than other women who fake their
ires and arrays in most films; while Ramsay’s macho tendencies and naturalness are without question.

The mestiza face of Erich Gonzales may be deemed realistic because she was said to be the love child of her mother and an American soldier during the war.

But the placing of Derek Ramsay as the farmer Daniel, whose roots we barely know, is farcical. If at all, the movie does not make clear the background of Daniel. He is too sculpted to be just a humble farmer in the barrio—he hunts boars after he works out in the Fil-Am-Jap bodybuilding gym. Funny. Mon Confiado would be the more believable Daniel.

Further, the lead actors' metropolitan or cosmopolitan twang, could have been reworked to render their rustic characters more realistic. Talk of George VI doing the entire movie reworking his tongue in The King’s Speech. They are too beautiful to be monstrous because they look too polished for these rustic roles. Ultimately they appear ridiculous. Sadly camp.

Pagtábang

Kun an tábang líbreng itinaó (mas marháy kun iyó), dángan man binísto kan nangaípo kainí, masasábi tang sarô ning kláse nin pagkámoot; dángan kun síring, iyó na gayód ni an pinakamarháy na giníbo kan tawo pára sa saíyang kápwa.

An mga darakulang táwo daí man nakakaántos kun sindá nagsosoroló-sólo. Alágad an mga pigádong nagtatarabáng-tábang, dawâ anóng óras nakakásaráng. Pero bakô man gabós na pagtábang marháy. Dai ka man maoogmá kun sa pagtábang mo napipirítan ka saná. Kun minatábang ka man na naghahalát nin balós o karíbay, mababaldê ka sana.

Kalabánan gánî, an pagtábang sa kapwa máyong naitataóng marháy. Kan áki pa daá si Hitler, naherákan siya dángan tinabángan kan nagkápirang mabobóot na Hudyó. Kan siya nagdakúla, naungís siya saindá dángan pinagaradán niya an pagkadakúl-dákul na mga Hudyó.

Sa pagtábang mo sa ibá, hingowáhon mong daí na siya giráray magsárig saimo. Magtábang kang sarô o duwáng beses saná, dai na diyan labí pa. Daí ka man maghalát nin anó man na balós. Kun iká man an natabángan, magpasalámat ka tulos; ma-ogmá ka. Dai man paglingawí an sábi kan mga guráng—kun an búlig itinaó mo sa oras mísmo nin pangangaípo, dóble an tábang na naitaó mo.

 

Sinurublían sa Hiligáynon

nakakaántos, nakakatíos

nakakásaráng, nakakaráos

kalabánan, kadaklán na béses

gánî, ngánî

búlig, tábang

Susog sa “Help” yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 111. 

Pakikiúlay

Iyó gayód ‘ni an kahulugán kan búhay. Kadaklán na béses, kitá nagtatarám o nakikipag-úlay: trangkílo tang kinakaúlay an sadíri ta; kun sa ibáng táwo man, nadadangóg kan ibá.  Kun kitá man minaísip, iniistoryá ta an sadíri ta, alágad bakô na ‘ni an kíha kun igwá kitáng ginigiromdóm o nagahímo nin áwit o komposisyón. Háros tanán na impluwénsya ta sa ibá ukón an gahúm náton na mapahúlag silá kawásâ sa áton nga pag-inistoryá. Sunód sa pagbása, mas dakúl kitáng naaaráman kun kitá nakikipag-úlay, bágay na mas kabaló kunó an mga báyi. Sa matúod lang, kaipúhan ta nga makipag-úlay. Makatakóton an búhay kun máyong istoryahánay. Atíd-atídon ta na saná an istórya kan bartolína, o an daíng pagtirînúhan sa saróng iribáhan, o bisán an daíng tararáman sa laóg kan presohán. An tawo nakikiibá ta ngáning may maistoryá. Kun kís-a, daw matak-án kitá sa mga inistórya, tibáad kayâ bastós an nagtatarám, waáy-pulós an ginahambál, máyong kamanungdánan an yinayamútam. Sa húsay na istoryahánay, an kalág ta nagkakamálay, an ísip ta naliliwanagáy, kitá nalilípay, nagsusûpáy.

Sinurublian sa Hiligaynon

iníistoryá, kinakaúlay

nagahímo, naggigíbo

tanán, gabós

ukón, o

gahúm, kapangyaríhan

náton, niyáto, ta

mapahúlag, mapahirô

silá, sindá

áton, satúya

Nga, na

Pag-inistoryá, pagtarám, pakikiúlay

kabaló, áram

kunó, daá

báyi, babáye

matúod, totoó

istoryahánay, urúlay

bisán, dáwa, maskí

maistoryá, makaúlay

kís-a, kadaklán na béses

daw, garó

matak-án, nasusúyâ, nababangít

inistórya, uruláy-úlay

waáy-pulós, máyong sáysay

ginahambál, tinátaram

húsay, marháy

nalilípay, naoogmá

Susog sa “Talk” na yaon sa Worldly Virtues: A Catalogue of Reflections ni Johannes Gaertner. New York: Viking Press, 1990, 56.