Cinema One Originals 2009: Fantasy is welcome

Of the very few cash-granting film festivals present in the Philippines, the Cinema One Originals Movie Festival seems to be the boldest when it comes to picking up screenplays from the many aspirants vying for the now-one million peso grant for the production of their films.

While Cinemalaya does a good job producing ten feature films a year which can serve as alternatives to the mainstream, it seems as though—some Pinoy film enthusiasts would agree—it is beginning to box itself in a certain type of genre others would call “the mainstream indie,” or the “typical indie.” That is to say, realistic stories that give emphasis on humanity.

This used to be a good thing because most of the mainstream films produced back then by gigantic studios were purely imagined, ranging from formulaic romantic flicks to slapstick comedies.

Wanted: Creative Imagination

Then came the next problem—the marginalization of creative imagination. Addicted to seemingly true-to-life stories, we have forgotten that humanistic issues can also be artistically expressed in genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, and even experimental, whatever this genre is.


My favorite “political film” for instance is not a period film or a docu-drama type of work that boasts of a true-story basis. It’s “V For Vendetta,” a cult action-thriller film. It’s social science fiction set in Britain in the year 2038 where the country has come under totalitarian rule. The lead character, V, is a seemingly superhuman anarchist wearing a Guy Fawkes mask attempting to end the fascist dictatorship.

With lines that get quoted even in my Sociology 10 class in UP Diliman, such as “We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail; he can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world,” and “...artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up,” the movie has found its way in my Favorite Movies in both Friendster and Facebook.

Enter the Gothic

It is fascinating how films like “Dilim” and “Yanggaw” have made it to the list of finalists in the past Cinema One Originals. The official synopsis of “Dilim” goes: Dilim is an enigmatic creature that roams the streets at night and does vigilante work, saving innocent victims by literally devouring the villains. Conflict ensues when a do-good policeman goes hot on his trail.

I personally haven’t watched “Dilim,” but the synopsis itself proves that it’s not your typical indie film boxed in the world of realism. Whether “Dilim” has literary and philosophical strengths or not is another issue, but Cinema One’s willingness to produce such type of film is laudable.


“Yanggaw,” a Hiligaynon word for ‘infected,’ is an Ilonggo horror film exploring the life of a family with one member, the daughter, mysteriously becoming sick—she uncontrollably transforms into an aswang crunching on random people in the village every night. Under this dark and fantastic packaging is the screenplay’s tackling of Filipino issues of kinship and community. I was able to watch “Yanggaw” weeks ago at the Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival in the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and “Yanggaw” was an impressive alternative to the “mainstream indies.”

Struggle of new fantasy and sci-fi

Our ancestors used to have a lot of interesting stories to tell—from celestial gods that warred in the heavens to a mighty deity that wove the universe like a net, and from a fire-breathing monster tortoise burrowed under Mt. Pinatubo to witches that can burst into flames at will. Even “Ibong Adarna,” which was a required reading back in High School, is of the fantasy genre.

With the risen popularity of socio-realism in literature, the biggest propagator probably being Jose Rizal (although at closer look, Rizal’s novels can be categorized as social science fiction), fantastic fiction has been pushed to the kiddie world, comic books, mainstream television, and that endless series of True Philippine Ghost Stories. Queer works have even become “more mainstream” than fantastic or science fiction. Fantasy that is as praiseworthy as “Lord of the Rings,” or science fiction like “The Matrix” are lacking in bookstores and literary celebrations.

Literary fantasy is slowly being explored in the country though, albeit some have the tendency to go neo-colonial by pretending to be anime fan fiction writers instead of creating new local fantasy. But while speculative fiction is a genre slowly being popularized in certain literary circles, the annual Palanca Awards chose to remove science fiction from its categories, with reasons I am clueless of.

Literary fantasy is showing signs of penetrating movies, mostly alternative ones, as seen in some entries to the Cinema One Originals Movie Festival, but an almost impressive attempt was “Nieves, The Engkanto Slayer,” the third act in “Shake, Rattle, & Roll X.”

Currently, Pinoy science fiction and urban fantasies are rare, and I look forward to seeing films and literary pieces under these genres.

March 13

The deadline in submitting screenplays to the Cinema One Originals 2009 has been extended up until March 13. See cinemaone.tv for details.

Scarcity of Young Kapampangan Storytellers

Scarcity of Young Kapampangan Storytellers
Kapampangans at the Taboan Philippine Int’l Writers Festival
By Jason Paul Laxamana
Urban Kamaru
Central Luzon Daily

Last February 11 to 13, literary writers from different provinces gathered in Quezon City to attend the first ever Taboan Philippine International Writers Festival. The gathering is the offering of the Committee on Literary Arts of the NCCA (National Commission on Culture and the Arts), which for the first time celebrated a non-Manilacentric National Arts Month.

‘Taboan’ is a Visayan word meaning assembly, marketplace, meeting place, or rendezvous. In the Kapampangan language, the closest translation is ‘tabnuan’ or ‘sasmuan.’


True to the title’s meaning, the festival gathered both young and old writers from the regions to attend various discussions on topics ranging from writing for a living, literature and publishing in the provinces, new forms of publishing, children’s literature, language and literature, building literary careers, emerging genres of fiction, to transforming literature to stage and screen plays, the non-reading youth, experimental poetry, feminism in literature, and writing for an international audience.

Delegates from the province were Kragi Garcia, representing the older generation, and yours truly, the younger generation, both accompanied by UP Pampanga Directress Prof. Juliet Mallari, who happens to be part of NCCA’s Literary Arts Committee.


Decentralizing Pinoy lit

Like Philippine Cinema, Philippine Literature has often been Manila/Tagalog-centric. The ongoing history of national literature has always put the spotlight on the writers from the center, not taking into account the developing—or perhaps, even the long-existing—literary scenes from the regions.

In my elementary and high school years, all the literary works we were required to read for our Filipino class were Tagalog pieces, rendering me ignorant of works from other provinces and even of Kapampangan literature. Only during my self-imposed literary journey have I been exposed to the works of Jose Gallardo, Juan Crisostomo Soto, and other Kapampangan luminaries.

English and Tagalog literature have for a long time occupied for themselves the box called Philippine or National Literature, that is why non-Tagalog and non-English works settled for their respective regional titles—Cebuano Literature, Waray Literature, Kapampangan Literature, Ilonggo Literature, etc.

If logic be applied, then it means Cebuano Literature is Cebuano Literature, not Philippine Literature, same way as having to coin the term Bisrock for Bisaya Rock, when there’s already Pinoy Rock. This is because Philippine Literature has always been associated with Tagalog and English.

With the organization of Taboan, however, this might begin to change eventually. Any Filipino work, regardless whether it is in Ilokano, Kankanaey, or Maranao, will be called Philippine Literature. If the language be needed to be emphasized, we’ll call a Kapampangan work “Philippine Literature in Kapampangan.”

The undocumented present

By listening to the stories of other people about their respective regions’ contemporary literature, I’ve realized that the Kapampangan literary scene is more endangered than I thought.

It’s not about the dispute over orthography—although this is still a problem. It’s probably not even about the illiteracy of young Kapampangans in their native language. For me, it’s the scarcity of this generation’s authentic storytellers—using whatever medium—that poses the biggest problem.

I was in the Angeles University Foundation last week delivering a lecture about contemporary Kapampangan culture to Communication students. I asked the audience if there were writers among them. No one was raising a hand—not until I complained about the pekat-pekat attitude of my fellow youth, which I said was a disgrace to our mighty ancestors.

So one girl raised her hand and I asked her what she writes. Fictional prose and poetry, she said. Then I asked her to recite the synopsis of her favorite among her own works. She told me the story of a Mindanao-residing boy affected by the war in the Middle East and in Mindanao—or something like that.

Then I asked her if she has ever written anything with a Kapampangan as a main character. She shook her head. “How about a story set in Pampanga?” I received the same answer. It didn’t surprise me though.

Of course she’s just one girl, and I know that to conclude based on the account of one person is illogical—but really, I have been encountering this case as if it’s the norm—a scary one—for the Kapampangan youth, even the supposedly bright ones. Aside from refusing to use their native language in literary writing, they write about stuff happening either nowhere or elsewhere, anywhere but never their homeland.

If one is to get a feel of the Kapampangan region through literature, the present decade and probably the 90s would be murky “mirrors of society.” Or probably, they would be “mirrors of society in the eyes of the elders.” The perspective of the young storyteller has gone missing.

Mystery of the rappers

This might come as a surprise, but, actually, local underground rappers are probably the only consistent homeland-rooted storytellers of my generation. Their rap tracks are available only through the web or through pirated CDs in Angeles City, but if you listen to their lyrics, albeit usually not in Kapampangan, you’ll get the impression that they are writing about their immediate surroundings—something not done even by most erudite college publication writers in the province.

The topics of their rap songs of course are not the type that would win Palancas or even the Buwan ng Wika writing contests, but you can somehow detect the local storyteller within them.

The mainstream example would have to be Apl De Ap’s “Bebot” song. Apl De Ap of the Black Eyed Peas is from Sapang Bato, Angeles City, and in spite of his international fame, some of his compositions still mirror his Kapampangan life. Take for example an excerpt from “The Apl Song.”

Listen closely yo, I got a story to tell
A version of my ghetto where life felt for real
Some would call it hell but to me it was heaven
God gave me the grace, amazin' ways of living
How would you feel if you had to catch your meal?
Build a hut to live and to eat and chill in.
Having to pump the water outta the ground
The way we put it down utilizing what is around
Like land for farming, river for fishing
Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can
We makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin'
That's how we be survivin' back in my homeland

How to solve

I don’t have the antidote to this dilemma, but I can share my thoughts. First of all, schools play an important role in making students aware of the culture, history, and literature of the Kapampangans. I think if our young storytellers were exposed more to homeland-rooted literary works, they would be somehow swayed to that direction.

Being chained to the past would most likely be the next problem. If these storytellers only read works that speak of life in the peaceful meadows, Japanese period struggles, and other pieces where all female characters are Maria Claras, they might end up writing about the past, the way they imagine it, instead of writing about their own time.

We are a unique generation compared to our predecessors. We are the MTV generation, the DIY generation, the anime generation, the digital generation, the global village generation, and many other things, such that only we can probably write about directly from the heart. We are a generation addicted to social networking simultaneously having Friendster, Multiply, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and probably even Xtube accounts, while keeping diverse contacts in our phone books—and to not include these things, along with other “strange” concepts that cause our fights with our parents, in our generation’s literature will be a great denial of reality. Literature then fails.

Also, perhaps we should promote Creative Writing more in our province. I wonder why we don’t have annual writing workshops like those of Cebu, Negros, and Baguio. And how come we don’t have a Kapampangan category for the Palanca Awards? Or better yet, why don’t we have local literary contests, aside from the oral poetry (pamigale) contests where elders dominate?

Creative Writing has always been limited to the school publications, making it seem as though it’s the grandest thing a young Kapampangan literary writer can achieve locally—to be published in the school paper.

Send reactions to sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph

The Curious Case of Kapampangan Cinema

A personal account of a Cinema Rehiyon participant
By Jason Paul Laxamana
Urban Kamaru
Central Luzon Daily

Cinema Rehiyon was held last week at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It is the NCCA’s (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) Cinema Committee’s event for the then-called National Arts Month, now Philippine International Arts Festival (PIAF).

Cinema Rehiyon is the first ever film festival in Manila that puts the spotlight on independent films from the regions. Since the concept of Philippine Cinema has for long been Manila-centric, it is now time to decentralize it and take note of the more politically correct perception of Philippine Cinema—a collection of films from every corner of the archipelago, may they be indie or mainstream.


No Kapampangan participation

I make this personal joke—unfunny to some, probably—about Kapampangans naturally lacking the letter H in their speech. Despite this, it is ironic that they seem to be more involved with the Hearts’ Month during February instead of the Arts Month.

When the press release for the lineup of events for the PIAF was released, along with the focused provinces and cities of Cinema Rehiyon, I felt very bad because Kapampangan had zero participation.

“This is a showcase of nascent cinema from the regions. From the highlands in and around Baguio to the heart of Bicolandia that is Naga City; across the thriving Visayas cities of Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo; and through Mindanao between Cagayan de Oro and Davao, a new generation of artists is telling stories of their own cultures and people in cinematic form.”

Being a Kapampangan indie filmmaker, I at once called the NCCA Cinema Committee and inquired whether the Kapampangan region can be represented by one of our short films—Ing Bangkeru (The Boatman).

No solid block

After more than a month of deliberation, they decided to include our film in the lineup, albeit categorized under the ambiguous “Short Films from Various Parts of Luzon” block. Our film shared space with a Laguna short film, a Batangas short film, and a Nueva Ecija short film—all Tagalog entries.

Enviable are the regions/provinces/cities that enjoyed a more definite block: Cebu short films, Bacolod short films, Cagayan De Oro short films, Central and Western Mindanao short films, Davao short films, Bicol short films, Baguio short films, and Iloilo full-length films.

Being the only Kapampangan during the festival, I actually felt lonely, seeing Cebuanos, Dabawenyos, Bicolanos, etc. come in numbers with lots of films to offer for the festival, speaking with one another in their respective languages.

It’s really tragic because Kapampangans have always played their part in national history (two sunrays in the Philippine flag are Kapampangan provinces), even in the field of arts. The CCP, where the festival was held, even has two areas named after two Kapampangan artists: Vicente Manansala and Aurelio Tolentino. Yet during Cinema Rehiyon—a historical event in the history of Philippine Cinema, I must say—we looked like a dying cultural minority, despite being one of the major ethnolinguistic groups of the country, and being one of the most progressive provinces in the country to date.

Alive after all...

Come to think of it though, an exclusive Kapampangan block could have been made. Aside from our “Ing Bangkeru” and our numerous other works (documentaries and music videos), there’s “Pupul” (Harvest) by Nicolette Henson, which bagged best narrative in her production class under Pam Miras at St. Scholastica’s College. It also made it to the Top 10 of the Short Narrative category of the Ateneo Video Open 10.

Then of course we have Mark Dela Cruz’ “Misteryo Ng Hapis” (Sorrowful Mystery), a full Kapampangan short film which enjoys several titles under its sleeve, including Best Picture in a recent year’s PBO Digitales, Best Thesis during its time at the UP Film Institute, Finalist in Cinemalaya 2007’s short film category, and Finalist in a recent Ateneo Video Open. It also competed in Cinemanila years ago. Following the trend is UP Film student Jacqueline Nakpil’s “Ke Lual Ning Kulambu” (Outside the Mosquito Net), her production thesis in 2007

Kapampangan full-length films are also existent. We have the internationally award-winning Kapampangan films of Brillante Mendoza like “Masahista” (The Masseur; City of San Fernando), “Kaleldo” (Summer Heat; Guagua), “Manoro” (The Aeta Teacher; Sapang Bato, Angeles City), and “Serbis” (Service; Angeles City). Although Mendoza’s Center Stage Productions is Manila-based, most of his actors and staff are his kabalen when he does Pampanga-based films. I should know; I have worked for him.

The Cinemalaya Best Picture of 2008 “Jay” (Bacolor), directed by Francis Xavier Pasion, can also be included. Even though the Manilenyos’ participation in the creation of the film was inevitable, most, if not all, actors actually hail from the province, as the auditions were held at DHVCAT in Bacolor. Even the lead actors, Baron Geisler (Angeles City) and Coco Martin (San Fernando), are Kapampangans.

But here’s the problem...

Despite the presence of these Kapampangan films, which are just as good as—or even better than—the other blocks I’ve seen during my three-day viewing of Cinema Rehiyon blocks, why have the organizers failed to detect us?

I know why. It’s because these Kapampangan films are not organized, unlike in Davao, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, and other areas. Kapampangan productions sprout here and there, in various competitions, in various places, from Manila to Pampanga. They have all been individual efforts by various filmmakers who represent only themselves or their schools, not their homeland; filmmakers who are not yet well organized into a Kapampangan film community.

Most of the time, the people behind these Kapampangan films don’t even know the presence of other Kapampangan films, because each filmmaker is busy with his own career, flying solo either to Manila or abroad to propagate his/her own film, without thinking “I’m representing Kapampangan cinema.”

Is selfishness the root of this? I actually don’t think so.

The root

With conviction, I believe that the root of this is the deterioration of our people’s sense of being members of the Kapampangan community. The Kapampangans’ imagination of themselves as an equally distinct group like the Warays, Ilocanos, and Cebuanos is fading away, with Kapampangans, especially the talented ones, preferring to join the so-called Filipino community, which is actually just the Manila community.

While Kapampangan Cinema is a thing yet to be born, Kapampangans are actually not newbies in the industry. Manila has always employed the skills of Kapampangans—whose homeland is very near—in developing their film industry (and other industries as well): from Rogelio Dela Rosa to Gracita Dominguez; from Gregorio Fernandez (directed “Asahar at Kabaong,” “Senorita,” and “Higit Sa Lahat,” which won for him Best Director at the 1956 Asian Film Festival and also at the FAMAS) to Lea Salonga.


From Elwood Perez to Brillante Mendoza; from Patsy to Chuck Perez; from Lito Lapid to Liza Lorena; from Sharon Cuneta to Judy Ann Santos; from Paquito Diaz to Rodolpho “Dolphy” Quizon (born to Kapampangan parents in Pampanga but raised in Tondo); from Alma Moreno to Jaclyn Jose; from Hilda Koronel to Rosita Noble.

From Melanie Marquez to Dong Puno; from Dante Rivero to Rufa Mae Quinto; from Efren Bata Reyes to Lorna Tolentino; from Rudy Fernandez to Jean Garcia; from Nanette Inventor to Donita Rose; from Glydel Mercado to Rico Puno; from Ronnie Liang to Aljur Abrenica; and many more, and still progressing in number.

These are probably things not even national historians of Kapampangan descent like Ambeth Ocampo would be interested in tracing.

Local brain drain

While it seems nice that Manila has catapulted our kabalens to “national” status in the entertainment industry, what suffered actually is the Kapampangan community in general, as these Kapampangans who have been absorbed by Manila mostly have become assimilated to Tagalog culture, stripping away their “Kapampangan-ness” and their potential to represent the Kapampangan people.

A vivid example is probably Rogelio Dela Rosa, discovered by no less than the Father of Philippine Movies Jose Nepomuceno. Dela Rosa had a problem when the era of silent films was through—he had a very strong Kapampangan accent when delivering his Tagalog lines. But Dela Rosa worked so hard to master the Tagalog language, and later on, he was given a new break in the movie “Diwata sa Karagatan,” the first Filipino feature film sold outside the country.

It’s time for Cinekabalen

We have served the Manila film industry well and became instrumental in the propagation of Tagalog culture and language through cinema. Now, I guess it’s time to look back, even just a little, to our dear Kapampangan homeland and try to keep up with the rest of the country in producing local films—even just indie—that genuinely depict our native culture (both rural and urban) and imagination, using our own “de-Manila-tized” perspective. Because if Kapampangans won’t do this, no other region will do it for us.

This August, the first Cinekabalen Philippine Film Festival will be organized. It will not only exhibit existing Kapampangan works but also place in competition fresh Kapampangan works from participants, may they be students, professionals, mere enthusiasts, or ex-patriates. The mechanics can be found at http://cinekabalen.multiply.com.


To expose the Kapampangan audiences—most of whom believe that being assimilated to Manila’s pop culture is the way to go—to the impressive indie filmmaking efforts of other regions, Cinekabalen will also screen selected films from other regions in the Philippines, like Cebu, Davao, Bicol, Iloilo, Kalinga, Eastern Visayas, Bacolod, and Muslim Mindanao.

Actually, student short film competitions have been held in key colleges for the past years already, such as the Holy Angel University and Systems Plus College Foundation. Some have been technically competent. A major problem however is their “cultural confusion.” Their stories are not rooted to their homeland. They echo the stories of Manila, the way they see them on Manila and foreign TV shows and movies. The writers imagine too much melodramatic things and fail to see the beautiful local stories unfolding around the neighborhood.

All their characters speak Tagalog and English, and deliberately eliminate Kapampangan out of the picture because subconsciously Kapampangan is not as prestigious as the two official languages for them. Language is important in any cultural product that involves language. This is especially true for Kapampangan; anthropologist John Larkin mentioned in his book “The Pampangans” that Kapampangans share a lot of common culture with nearby ethnic groups, and their distinct language is one of the things that strongly sets them apart from the others.

Cultural farsightedness

I was chatting once with a college IT student, asking him to participate in the Cinekabalen short film competition this August. He said he would love to join, but told me he is not a good writer and does not know how to make stories.

So I chatted with him about life in general, until he casually revealed to me that he is a Muslim, converted from Christianity back when he was young. Within the Muslim community, however, “Muslims since birth” tend to regard themselves higher than “converted ones” or the so-called “Balik Islam.” Also, even though he was Muslim, he attended Catholic schools.

Then I told him—“There’s your story! You don’t have to imagine a lot of things in order to come up with a beautiful work.” I sounded sensible to him, and he got all excited about the concept (which came from him anyway), and told me that he WILL be participating. He got even more excited when I told him that the Muslims of Pampanga have never been tackled in any Kapampangan film.

This “cultural farsightedness” by budding writers and filmmakers is shared by many Kapampangans. For example, in the school paper of one university in Angeles City, a writer came up with the major highlights of the Year 2008. He cited the victory of Obama, the release of this Hollywood movie (“Twilight”), the end of season two of that TV show, the new album of this artist, the Eraserheads concert, Pacquiao’s victory over Dela Hoya, etc.

He didn’t consider the major happenings in Pampanga as highlights of 2008—the recall move against Governor Eddie Panlilio which has been getting national attention, the celebration of the first ever province-wide “Aldo Ning Amanung Sisuan” or Kapampangan language day, the release of the first ever Kapampangan rock album, the rise of Ara Muna (“O Jo, Kaluguran Da Ka”) to national fame, the production of the first ever Kapampangan TV drama (“Kalam”), the Cannes Film Festival participation of the Angeles City film “Serbis,” and the winning of “Jay” in Cinemalaya 2008, to name a few.

A reward-system shift

The question now is: how do we cure this illness? I believe it will take the introduction of a Kapampangan-glorifying trend to Kapampangans themselves for this to happen. Hopefully, Cinekabalen will contribute to the propagation of this trend.

Also, it would be highly appreciated if our public officials, academes, and successful entrepreneurs financially aid indie filmmakers who would knock on their doors for the production of their respective Kapampangan works. I believe part of the impressive output of Davao indie filmmaking community is due to the support of the more financially-blessed citizens of their place, like Mayors and businessmen.

Please email reactions to sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph

Old photos of Kapampangan stars care of Alex Castro.

5-day "Balangingi" full online screening

For a period of five days, we will be screening Balangingi in YouTube. After that, we will already be taking it down.

Balangingi (Nosebleed) is a Kapampangan short film that takes a peek into the life of Xoo, a young Filipino "pilosopo" who is forced to attend a blind date set by his nephew. He attempts to suppress his intellectual side but gives in and shows his true color to his date.

An Honest Review of ‘Dayo’

By Jason Paul Laxamana
Urban Kamaru
Central Luzon Daily

One of the offerings of the Christmas season, along with New Year, is the annual screening of entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival, a long-running showcase of what Filipinos can offer in the field of mainstream cinema.

With the trailers I have viewed through the Internet and the synopses I have read here and there, I have finally been enticed to watch two—only two—entries to the film fest, which I both watched last December 25th. They’re the historical war love story ‘Baler’ starring Jericho Rosales and Anne Curtis, and the animated fantasy film ‘Dayo: Sa Mundo Ng Elementalia,’ featuring the voice of Nash Aguas. The cinema featuring ‘Iskul Bukol’ had the most people lined up to watch though.

For this article, I would like to make a review of the Mark Quilao-directed ‘Dayo,’ which has received raves from various sources. In fact, the Cinema Evaluation Board, which was established “ to formulate and establish a set of standards and criteria and procedures for the Cinema Evaluation System, subject to the approval of the Council, primarily based on but not limited to the following: Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Music Scoring, Sound, and Acting Performances...” has given it a Grade A rating, so I got really intrigued with this project that has made a battalion of nationalists prouder to be Pinoy.


Growth of Animation in RP

As people who have been used to watching imported cartoons both from the United States and Japan (with its plethora of animé), the thought of having animation with Pinoy content is truly revolutionary and another step toward what I would call “de-neo-colonization.”

The first time that I was truly impressed with animation was with the band Mojofly’s all-CGI 3D music video for its song ‘Tumatakbo,’ which told the cute story of friendship (that can turn into romance) between a circus-going hunchback (who was all along a winged man hiding his wings on his back like Alwina of ‘Mulawin’) and “The Amazing Luisa na Tumutulay sa Miswa.” The music video is actually the first of its kind in the local music video scene, and its quality, although basic compared to those of Pixar and Dreamworks, is what I would say “Puedi ne.”

Then of course we have the now defunct Culture Crash Comics, which although just a comic book, reminds readers of animé, but with all-Pinoy original content—‘One Day, Isang Diwa,’ ‘Pasig,’ ‘Cat’s Trail,’ ‘Solstice Butterfly,’ and ‘Kubori Kikiam.’ The comic book was gaining a fan base, and I was actually dreaming of the stories being turned into real 2D animation, but alas, after more than 10 issues, the creators decided to stop.

Other small-time animations came and passed, including those of Tuldok Animation, until earlier this year, we had an animated movie about Pangasinan’s legendary princess. ‘Urduja’ was produced by APT Entertainment, Seventoon, and Imaginary Friends, featuring the voice of Regine Velasquez as the warrior princess.

And now, the latest, ‘Dayo,’ which featured impressive animation from Cutting Edge Productions and creative and entertaining renditions of Pinoy folklore characters such as the manananggal, tikbalang, kapre, nuno, sirena, and syokoy. We used to only see foreign culture in our TV and movie screens, but now, we get to see sorbeteros, sari-sari stores, capiz windows, bamboo foliages, billboards of local products, the Last Supper hung somewhere in the dining room, Catholic figures, mean trannies, and elementary school uniforms, Pinoy style.

However, I found something untrue—that the film will be enjoyed both by the young and the old. It turned out, when I watched the film, it was, for me, just bound to entertain the kids. For a story-conscious and film-critiquing person like me, I have found two areas of the film which I found, well, “not to be proud of”—story and direction.

The usual flaw

Before I proceed with my critique, I would like to make a disclaimer for fanatic nationalists who can’t distinguish critiquing from criticizing.

Don’t get me wrong: I am delighted with the gradual emergence of original Pinoy animation, but as a moviegoer, I have the right to comment about what I have seen. Before anyone brands me a perpetuator of crab mentality, know that I am allergic to crab and other seafood, causing my lips to swell upon gorging. By all means, I recommend Pinoys to watch ‘Dayo’ and be one with the rest of the country in rejoicing with the fact that we now have a growing animation industry, but then again, there’s still room for improvement, and allow me to be the first (?) media practitioner to be honest (with good intentions though).

‘Dayo’ suffers from one of the usual flaws of most mainstream Pinoy movies—poor story. Or could the story have been nice, but not the plot? Or could the plot have been pleasant, but not the script? Or is it in the direction?

I’ve read from one blog the comment of one person saying that ‘Dayo’ is at par with the Walt Disney cartoons that our generation grew up with. You know, ‘Pocahontas,’ ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Mulan,’ and ‘Aladdin,’ to name a few. The animation can keep up, yes, but story-wise, I would beg to disagree.

First of all, the main protagonist, Bubuy, is confused with his goal in the story (I’m using creative writing lingo here). Is it to fly? Is it to save his grandparents? In fact, the minds behind the film are not very decided on what message they would like to focus on—is it being brave for the people you love? Is it taking care of the environment? Is it being friendly even to those who are not like us, or as the title suggests, to ‘dayos’?
What I was also looking for as an adult moviegoer is the bigger picture of the story. Small picture is not evil, but the lack of a bigger picture and the missing problematic sketch of the society makes ‘Dayo’ fit for television, like High School Musical, but not for cinema.

Some might counter-argue that it’s for the kids; why should it be ‘deep’? Well, it needs not be deep. But it shouldn’t be shallow either, i.e., if non-kids are also being catered. Kids loved Walt Disney cartoons in spite of them having big topics like racism, war, political turmoil, and sexism, while not forgetting those that would make Christian Living teachers happy—friendship, the prevalence of good over evil, respect, bravery, and other virtues, which flicks like ‘Enteng Kabisote’ and ‘Exodus: Tales of the Enchanted Kingdom’ would also possess.

‘Pocahontas’ is set during the time when Englishmen set their foot in America. While the main focus of the story was the romance between a native American girl and a white-skinned soldier, it also tackled history, the perspective of native Americans versus those of whites (“you think you own whatever land you land on / the earth is just a dead thing you can claim / but I know every rock and tree and creature / has a life, has a spirit, has a name”), and the war between the two nations.

‘The Lion King’ on the other hand is about a lion prince named Simba deceived to abandon the pride after his uncle Scar, with the help of the hyenas, conspired against King Mufasa. After learning about the truth, Simba sought to dethrone his uncle and lead Pride Rock properly again like his father. The movie also offers classic African philosophies as embedded in the songs ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘Hakuna Matata,’ an actual Swahili song originating from Kenya.

No, I’m not a perpetuator of colonial mentality, but I know a good story when I see one. Not even nationalism can impair my judgment of a good story. ‘Dayo’ on the other hand suffered from a shallow story which chose to focus on a small picture when in fact, the big picture is already there, just unexplored—the humans’ destruction of Kalikasan. We only learned about this after past half of the movie, and the sole sequence that established this motivation of the giant antagonist, was when Bubuy performed a harmless ‘kaingin’ in the forest by bully force.

A lot of scenes don’t have momentum, too, like that ‘Lipad’ Lea Salonga song which just emerged out of the blue, when Bubuy was worrying about his missing grandparents.

Regional Content

As an advocate of additional regional presence in things perceived to be “national” or “Pinoy,” I am happy that the makers of ‘Dayo’ had a wee bit of regional consciousness, as manifested through that Tinguian song Salidummay (which turned Sexbomb Dancers-esque after Ana sneezes), provincial Tagalog accents, and the Binisaya-speaking kapre.
I was reminded of last year’s racial fiasco in the ‘Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo’ movie where Rafa was criticized for learning Binisaya from his yaya, which time and again, was made to be Bisaya. At least, in ‘Dayo,’ I saw no ethnic slur; just an abuse of unfunny Taglish lines by the manananggirl, in my opinion.

‘Dayo’ though could have used less invented folklore characters and adapted into screen folklore characters from other ethnolinguistic communities.

Conclusion

When it comes to story matters, it is not an excuse that we are a developing country, because coming up with a good story (and directing it properly) does not require huge loads of money, unlike technology.

With that said, I congratulate Cutting Edge Productions for contributing to the growing set of Pinoy animated content. My article may or may not reach them, but for those who will be able to read this, I’m not a big-time expert, but I beg you to avail of any teensy weensy wisdom that my writing may offer. Kudos to the animation, but not yet on the story. I believe it takes both to come up with a classic movie.

And, yes, the Filipino, indeed, can!

Please write me at sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph

'Kalam' episode 2 now on the works

After what seemed like a "production standstill" due to minor obstacles, 'Kalam' is once again on the works, as the production of its sophomore episode titled Tagimpan Da Ring Makariking (Ambition of the Secondary) is now halfway done.




In the second episode, the character of Rhodskie, played by Raco Del Rosario will be introduced. He is the ex-boyfriend of Dette -- played by Reachel Mucho and also making her first appearance in the show after her foreshadowing in the first episode -- in the story and is bound to add color to the Kapampanganovela.

Official Kalam MTVs now out!

The music videos for the opening and closing theme songs of Kalam are finished! They were screened at the Francis De Javier Theater of Holy Angel University yesterday before the technical preview of the Cinemalaya 2008 Best Picture, Jay (Francis Pasion), but are aired regularly at Infomax-8.

You may also view them in YouTube:

Official music video of ALANG ANGGANG SUGAT by 5 Against the Wall featuring Ramcos Nulud (vocalist of Nora Aunor Fans' Club band) and violinist John Canlas of Mabalacat. Song written by Jason Paul Laxamana, with excerpts from poems of Jose Gallardo (Malikwatas, Biye Alang Bakas) and Mariano Sigua (Aduang Curan). DIRECTOR: Jason Laxamana, ASST. DIRECTOR: Diego Dobles, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Joven Mallari, EDITOR: Jason Laxamana, Diego Dobles, PRODUCTION DESIGNERS: Jon Tanganco, Nhoel Austria



Official music video of Mernuts' original Kapampangan composition, Oras. Used as closing theme song. DIRECTOR: Jason Laxamana, ASST. DIRECTOR: Diego Dobles, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Joven Mallari, EDITOR: Jason Laxamana, PRODUCTION DESIGN: Roland Quiambao, SET MAN: Jon Tanganco

Kalam: A Gift Of Our Times

By Jade Pangilinan
IN RETROSPECT
Punto

I have always been a big fan of fantasy books and games. From JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth to CS Lewis’s Narnia; from Magic the Gathering cards to Dungeons and Dragons role-playing; from Harry Potter movies to Arnold Arre’s Mythology Class.

And coming soon in Pampanga is an urban fantasy made for tv series that is the first of its kind: Kalam. Kalam, which means “gift” in the vernacular, is something that should be close to a Kapampangan’s heart as this telenovela will tackle the supernatural and mythological in the context of contemporary times.
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I have seen the sample clips of this Kapampanganovela on Youtube where they have been generating a lot of views, interesting feedbacks and comments, especially among the Kapampangan youth. Kalam is set to revolutionize Kapampangan tv.

It helps that the cast in itself is stellar as it brings together the freshest faces and most promising talents in Pampanga, such as the pretty and witty beauty queen and model Niket Henson and versatile theater actor Alex Tiotuico to name a few. I take pride in the Fernandinos who are part of the cast of characters, such as Reachel Mucho, Edith Chu (grew up in Guagua), KC Aldana (already replaced by Magalang's Peter Danganan; see Kalam blog for news) and Jayvie Dizon (grew up in Angeles City). More than the face value, more consideration was given to talent and Kapampangan language skills.

Add to this the continuing advocacy of Infomax 8 in producing Kapampangan shows that give us the heightened sense of belongingness and community spirit.

Knowing director Jason Laxamana and his passion for preserving Kapampangan heritage, especially in the linguistic and literary fields, expect Kalam to be well-researched and authentic. The fantastic characters we will meet will be straight out of the wealth of folkloric tradition that our noble Kapampangan ancestors have passed on through generations. For those who grew up in rural Pampanga, I am pretty sure that the characters will be very familiar although the story takes place in the urban setting.

Jason, at a very young age, exhibits an uncommonly keen understanding of Kapampangan culture and uses popular media such as rock music (for the breakthrough Rockapampangan project) and the telenovela to promote our often peripheralized intangible heritage in the mainstream and inculcate among the people, young and old alike, vestiges of our culture which we do not want to fade away or die.

Kalam shows promise to bring back into Kapampangan consciousness the nearly forgotten lore of old: mythical creatures of our ancestor’s imagination (e,g, elementals such as laman labuad) and folk beliefs that have been set aside as hear say and unscientific in these post-modern times, but are vital ingredients of what makes our culture truly Kapampangan.

Kalam gives us something to look forward to. It is a good way for non – Kapampangans to see for themselves and understand Kapampangan culture. More importantly, in this day and age when the use of the Kapampangan language is decreasing, Kalam just might be a gift that will give us a better sense of appreciation of what we have as a people before we totally lose it.

Check the Kalam sample sequences on youtube or visit their blog at http://kalamtv.blogspot.com. Watch out for Kalam at Infomax 8 this coming August.

Infomax interested to produce 'Kalam'

Last Wednesday, Diego Dobles (Asthma band / Academy of Performing Arts), Alex Tiotuico (APA), Jon Tanganco (5 Against The Wall) and I went to the office of Infomax to pitch our TV series concept, Kalam. Aside from that, we also expressed our advocacy for the Kapampangan people and culture, that Kalam is not merely a TV series, but a project spawned by our big ambitions for our balen.

These were our five-fold advocacies:

Broadcasting. To place a mark in the ongoing history of Philippine broadcasting by introducing the first ever regionally-produced Kapampangan TV series and, in so doing, make Kapampangans prouder of their ethnicity

Amanung Sisuan. To further intellectualize the Kapampangan language by showing to people, especially the urban youth, that it is an equally competent language appropriate for use in other forms of TV shows.

Kalalangan. To further showcase and develop what the Kapampangans can offer in fields linked with TV series production—direction, acting, production design, music, and scriptwriting for television. (A lot of Kapampangans boast of their seemingly inborn artistry; but why can't we showcase these wonderful gifts? Because we have not a lot of venues.)

Kultura at Turismu. To subtly promote Kapampangan culture and the province itself by incorporating local customs and traditions, by featuring places and other popular landmarks, and by showing cultural products like Kapampangan dishes and crafts in the episodes. (Read: Kimchi was made more popular by the Korean entertainment wave).

Pambansa at Pang-Yatu. To make an attempt in showing to the rest of the Philippines and of the world, if reachable, that Kapampangan culture—both traditional and pop—is a potential player in the rising culture industry.

Our concept:

Like other Philippine regional communities, Kapampangans possess a rich and colorful collection of folklore. We, at some point in our lives, especially during our younger years, have heard of stories about the magkukutud, the Kapampangan equivalent of the Tagalog manananggal; the kapri, tree-dwelling ogre-like elementals; the patianak, miniature elementals that dwell on earth mounds; the maglalage, the untamed and unsatisfied ghosts of the deceased; and other supernatural characters.

Also, without most modern Kapampangans knowing, we have a wide range of healers and sorcerers apart from the popular magkukulam and mambabarang, each with their own functions, methods, and specialties. There is the magkukusim, who can project his soul from his body to bewitch people across distances. There is the katulunan, who can directly contact the spirits and elementals. We also have the uple (illusion makers), manlalasun (venom experts), ukluban (equivalent of the Tagalog hukluban), mamalian (spirit channels), manggagawe (herbal experts), and many other strange, magical characters that continuously add color to our local culture, but are sadly being forgotten, being replaced by foreign monsters like the Bogeyman, vampires, and mummies.


In Kalam, we wish to propagate once more in detail our local folklore, which, although in the brink of dying from the minds of the people, still rings a bell for people who spent their childhood listening to the rural legends of Apu.

However, instead of portraying these magical characters in their conventional barrio setting, we will be portraying them in the modern, urban world, dissolving the gap between science and superstition, technology and magic, the contemporary and folklore, and the traditional and the modern.


Imagine mangkukulam, magbantala, and mangguguna living with us in the city as seemingly normal people who dress up like us, listen to the same songs we patronize, watch the latest rock concerts, occupy seats in the government, attend in well-known schools in the province, fall in love with the heartthrob next door, and occupy normal jobs in banks and malls.

This is the conceptual world of Kalam, where contemporary drama meets folkloric fantasy. END


They were impressed with our concept and sample videos (see previous entry). They said they are more than willing to produce it. According to them, they have long been dreaming of making a Kapampangan TV series, but they were just waiting for the right concept/story and people to come along, and Kalam seems to be interesting enough.


Like any other television production, the challenge here will be, as you might have guessed, money. Budget. Capital. Calculating the least possible amount, at least 50,000 pesos will be needed for every episode's production to make them appear decent in spite of their being low budget (yes, 50K is still low budget). Much of the cost will go to the talent fees of the cast and crew, food, transportation expenses, production design, and probably location-related contracts.

Infomax might not be able to sustain our budget per episode, so I guess we have to look for corporate sponsors in order to be able to tape.

I, who used to be a media practitioner in Quezon City, feel like an astronomer, in that I have to know a lot of things simultaneously in order to deliver. This roots from the lack of "media creatives" in Pampanga.

You'll find a small number, if not zero, lighting directors, screen writers, professional actors of diverse ages, production designers, etc. That's one challenge. I hope Kalam will start the ball rolling and convince Kapampangans to consider Kapampangan broadcast media, especially TV, as a possible career path.

An immediate problem right now is the unestablished pool of Central Luzon-based Kapampangan actors. The circle of zarzuela actors of old had not been sustained, so what we have today is an emerging circle of teenage actors such as members of the Academy of Performing Arts and ArtiSta. Rita. We don't have adult/old Kapampangan actors like Caridad Sanchez, Lorna Tolentino, and Eddie Garcia.

For commercial viability, we also lack "perfect actors." That is, actors having them all: good looks, impressive acting skills, professionalism, and most importantly, fluency in Kapampangan. Let's not deny that they are essential in making the TV show more pang-masa. The whole cast doesn't have to be all pretty and gorgeous; but at least, the main protagonists.

It's not wrong to look for actors with these qualities; what is pathetic is relying on such actors to pull the ratings up without looking at the quality of the story, script, direction, and even the acting of the talents, and this often happens in Manila TV.

I don't want the first ever Kapampangan TV series to resemble the Visayanovelas (search "Kapalaran ABS-CBN Cebu" on YouTube). No offense to Visayans; I admire their ethnic fervor, but they should really strive for global quality in their media-related cultural products. That is how we, the subordinate regions, can challenge the media-related cultural products of Imperial Manila.

Actually, I don't want Kalam to resemble even the Manila teleseryes we see on TV every evening (where fantaserye characters look like children's party mascots). I want Kalam to be locally appreciated and at the same time, globally exportable. I want Kalam to take part in the global cultural industry, and it's not impossible.

The Kapampangan stereotype of being mapanyisti (mean critics) will be a challenge here. I don't see it as something negative. It somehow pressures us to do our best in everything we do. Imagine if we make a mediocre Kapampangan TV series. Not only will Kapampangan children hate and feel inferior with their ethnicity, Kapampangan screen actors, being newbies in the field, will also be traumatized. If the TV series turns out to be corny or baduy, these actors probably won't ever want to be known in public for a long time, and we have to find a new set of actors again!

I know not if it's the same with other regions but Kapampangans don't necessarily support everything that is Kapampangan. If a Tagalog or Visayan TV series is better, they will choose to support those instead of that of Kapampangan.

That's how mean and hard-to-please most Kapampangans are, but I have learned to turn that seemingly negative trait into something positive and productive.

Will Kalam--if ever, the first ever Kapampangan TV series--create a shift in the long-existing Kapampangan culture of Tagalog and foreign TV series patronage, even just for a small number of people? That, we have to look out for.

These are our main characters. Who will take the roles once we start producing Kalam? (If you know Kapampangan people based in Central Luzon who have had acting experience, or are bibo enough to pursue acting for TV, have them submit their biodata/resume and photos through email: sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph ).

Yubs, the Nursing student who discovers that he has healing skills (positive kulam).

Dette, the smart, wealthy, and feminist photographer/filmmaker who can see supernatural entities (lagayan) through the camera lens.

Kulubasa a.k.a. Kool, the comic and punky Kularyut (tree elemental) who serves as Yubs' guide in the cryptic world of people with Kalam.

Albina, the more than a hundred year old ukluban who seeks to regain the buried glory of witches; maintains her youth through magic and human sacrifice

John Joy, the mangguguna who makes a living out of selling potions and charms; his suave moves and cool personality make Yubs insecure, especially since Dette has a huge crush on him

Rhodskie, Dette's non-magical ex-boyfriend (a Kapampangan who grew up in Germany) who loves hiphop and street dancing; sees Yubs as Dette's reason why she broke up with him

Universe of Kapampangan Witches

To make Kalam -- that TV series we are planning to pitch to local TV executives (see previous entry for video samples) -- more culturally rooted, we researched on the different classifications of witches, classified them according to function, and added our own creative touch to make them more interesting and nuanced. Here's a list we made:

The Healers

Magkukulam (+) - can spiritually cure people in his immediate surroundings within his radius of sight; Mágbantala - has the ability to create prayers which people can use to protect or cure themselves even without the presence of the magbantala; Magkukusim (-) - Has the ability to send his spirit out of his body in order to heal people regardless of geographic distance

The Sorcerers

Magkukulam (-) - Can spiritually damage people in his immediate surroundings within his radius of sight; Mambabarang - has the ability to command insects to bring harm to his target; Magkukusim (-) - Has the ability to send his spirit out of his body in order to harm people regardless of geographic distance

The Spirit Channels

Lágáyan - can sense the presence of supernatural entities; Mámalian - has the ability to embody supernatural entities and their powers; Katulunan -can directly interact with spirits

The Deceivers

Mánuple - can create tagibulag or illusions of objects and individuals; Manlilingu - can create false realities in the minds of the people they bewitch

The Prophets

Mánula - has the ability to see multiple probabilities of the future but cannot detect which is most likely to happen; Siak - mind has direct access to the future

The Herbologists

Manggagawe - uses plants to cast spells; Mangguguna - has skill in using and mixing plants and extracts in order to make potions, teas, charms, and artifacts, each with specific functions

Cross-Disciplinary

Mánawas - psychic detectives and investigators; mixture of healing/sorcery abilities and spirit channeling; Tawak - antidote makers, snake bite healers, and serpent charmers; mixture of healing abilities and herbology; Manlalasun - stealthy venom makers; mixture of skills in sorcery and herbology; Mambabanis - uses body fluids like saliva and sweat to improve health or cure any form of ailments, especially those who were meyasug; a tawak with exposure to basic sorcery, or a manlalasun with exposure to basic healing

The Masters

Ukluban - a witch that has mastered all disciplines; he can either be on the good, bad, or neutral side; Ustuang - a highly spiritual and skillful witch who has the ability to sacrifice his life and kaladua to cause a huge, destructive explosion of fire; so rare is their existence in that they are sometimes considered by the witches themselves to be mythical

Kapampangan version of Matsuura's message

My Kapampangan translation of the message of Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO in the celebration of the International Year of Languages 2008, was officially used by the Komisyon Sa Wikang Filipino and UNESCO in their blog. Check it out keni.

It was a challenge translating an English piece containing lots of social-scientific sentences into Kapampangan. It just goes to show that Kapampangan is not yet that intellectualized, as it still finds it hard to walk in the path of the social sciences. Eventually though, it will get the hang of it.

Cultural diversity in Kapampangan, anyone?

The Power of the Writer

I believe the measure of how godly someone can be comes with the ability to transform things into useful stuff like energy, a piece of art, a tool, food, source of income, etc.; to animate value in things which are otherwise static, boring, and useless if left alone without the tapping of humans.

From both scientific and occult perspective, energy is embedded in everything. However, if we remember our elementary science, energy comes in either potential state or kinetic state. A medium-sized rock planted still on the ground has potential energy; it has energy stored within its mass that can be turned into kinetic, if, say, one picks it up and throws it at the lousy contestant in an amateur singing contest. The potential energy of the rock, fused with the physical energy from the thrust of the arm in throwing the rock, is turned into kinetic.

Or something like that. I am no science expert. Plus, I'm too lazy to check my readings again and go down memory lane. Full of painful memories in elementary, like that time when my English teacher kept insisting to me that the word seize is pronounced saiz instead of seez and that time when our Filipino teacher banned the use of any form of Kapampangan verbal communication in her class. But you get what I mean anyway regarding energy.

With my latest re-realization regarding the god meter I was talking about, I realized yet another thing again: I have underestimated the godliness of a writer. I am in awe of this realization because it is too beautiful to not philosophize about. Consequently, it also gave me a confidence boost during these days I feel a bit low due to my almost-three-year-old frustration in acquiring my ideal body weight.

It's too beautiful that I cannot not use pamamoesya to express my latest finding. So, without further ado, pagdamutan ye ing kanakung kawatasan a makipamagat a...

Ing Upaya Ning Talasulat

Nung lalawen tamu king panimanman ning Apung Ginu
Ing upaya na ning nanu man makasalaleng tutu
King kagiwan nang taginan ing kaya makapalibut
At gawan na pang kapaki-pakinabang keti yatu
Anti mo ring keraklan karing balu tamung tanaman
Dirian dang silbi ing gabun, aslag ning aldo, at danum
Pati pangisnawang tau, nung kekatamu kamandag
Ila sisingapan dang malalam, karela e lasun

(If we put ourselves in the shoes of the Supreme Being
The power of anything truthfully depends
On its ability to wield everything that surrounds him
Make them valuable and useful in this world
Exempli gratia, most of the plants we know
They give use to earth, sunlight, and water
Even the air we exhale even if poisonous to our lungs
They inhale deeply, to them it's not venom)

King Gerona na mu pin ketang lalawigan ning Tarlac
Ating pipanganan karin, Isdaan ing kayang lagyu
Pánakitan da ing mua ring tau, karela mamayad
Para mamasibas platu kabang mánagkas taksiapu
Sukat mung ring kabalenan pati aliwalas diren
Dang pakinabang; espasyu mu ing karelang puhunan
Kukua lang abli karing bisang manyabit patalastas
‘Nya ring negosyanti pati espasyu pisasamsaman

(There in Gerona in the province of Tarlac
There's a restaurant that goes by the name Isdaan
They earn money from the angst of people who pay
To throw plates at a wall while cursing "taksiapu"
Let's not forget the cities that make use of space
Mere space is their capital in this industry
They earn from people who wish to put up billboards
Explains why even businessmen fight over space)

Dapot pangaratang naman karing tau keti sulip
Nung atin ku man yausan bukud iya pin ing talasulat
Pauli ning kayang upayang masakit apantayan
Nung pagisipan me ping malalam tutung makagulat
O ninu pa ta karing sablang mabibiye kening yatu
Makikagiwan dian pakinabang ing keganagana
Puhunan mu kabud kabiasnan king metung a amanu
Mapagumasid a pusu’t isip, papil ampong tinta

(But when it comes to humans here on earth
If there's someone most distinct, it'd be the writer
For his power seemingly unmatched by anyone
If you'd think about it seriously, you'd be in for a surprise
O who among the human beings in this world
Has the ability to give value and use to everything
All it takes is skill in a certain language
An observant heart and mind, paper and ink)

Ing metung a talasulat ding anggang árapan king biye
Mayumu man o mapait, mabanglu man o mabuluk
Mabakanti ya mu oras makalalang neng salese
Nung magaling ya pa, ay, agyu na kang awitan buntuk
Daptanan me mang karawakan, laraman meng maragul
Sapituan me mang masikan, ita ngan adian nang silbi
Ing anggang kapalpakan na manibat pa ‘nyang kebaitan
Ganakan na mung misan, makapanyulat na yang tambing

(Out of all that the writer encounters in his life
May they be sweet or bitter, fragrant or rancid
He can produce an artwork in his vacant time
And if he's really good, he can even enslave your head
Do him harm, tell him a great lie
Slap him hard, all of these he can turn useful
All of his failures beginning from his birth
Once he decides to reminisce, he can already write)

Nung bisyu na’ing miminum, pati ing pamipangunyuran
Ukuman ne man ning meto ketawan bilang salbahi
E bali; pangauli na, pantunanan na mung santing
Ing daraptan na at saka na ipoesya king papil
Kuentu ning kaluguran, saingsing ning kayang kasaman
Ing balita king radyu, pati katak nang Kris Aquino
Tipunan ngan king memorya’t idapuk king kamalayan
Lalangan na king MS Word pota nang misan a aldo

(Even if drinking is his vice, along with philandering
Even if society labels him an infernal person
No big deal; when he comes home, he'll find beauty
In the things he does and transmute them into poetry
The tale of a friend, the complaint of an enemy
The news on radio, including Kris Aquino's blabber
All of these he'll gather and store in his mind
Then make use of them using MS Word one day)

At potang ing realidad makasawa’t alang kule
Gamitan ing waga, mapaglalang a isip paganan
Migut inspirasyun pati king pantasyang agyang dirit
E mu isip-isipan malyari keti kapilan man
Akit mu pati ing ala agyu nang saksakanan biye
At makapatalakad ya pa ping yatu nang sarili
Karing nobela kontroladu na la ngan ding gaganap
Kalinangan a pinupul na ‘bat king kayang paligid

(When the time when reality's boring and colorless comes
Use one's imagination, ignite one's creative mind
Draw inspiration even from fantasy which not one bit
Cannot happen in real life, no siree
You see, he can even give life to nothingness
He can even erect his own world
In novels he controls the lives of every character
Sensibilities he harvested from his environment)

E ya mu king mílabas malyaring manyaklung istorya
At ali ya rin king ngeni mu malyaring magumasid
Ding posibling maganap king bukas apakinabangnan
Nostradamus, Herbert Wells ding ditak a malyaring ‘sambit
Ing kesikan na pang upaya ning metung a susulat
Obra na makikagiwan yang mabiye kabang panaun
Ambuski pa mete ne ing mengudta atiu pa mu rin
Anting bining daragul ding kalalangan nang dinaun

(Not only from the past can he extract a story
And it is not only the contemporary he can observe
Even the possibilities in the future he can wield
Nostradamus, Herbert wells, to name a few
What makes the writer much more powerful
His work has the ability to live through time
Even if the author is dead, still it lives
His art like a seed that grows as time passes by)

At ngening panaun nung nu ing pamiyuyugnayan da
Ring marakal a sosyedad sisikan uli ning IT
Gawa ning talasulat aparala ne Amerika
Asable ne Internet anti ring dakal a MP3
At dening anggang kukudta ning metung a talasulat
Makikagiwan lang magpagalo isip da ring tau
Nung pati kiliti ring sablang mámasâ kayang balu
Agyu nong bayuan biye gamit ing masanting a amanu

(And in this period when the communication
between several communities is enhanced through IT
A writer can send his work to America
He can upload through the Internet like many MP3s
And all the works of an author
Have the potential to influence the minds of the people
If he knows even the approach in attracting readers
He can change their lives using beautiful words)

Ini ing upaya ning metung a biasang talasulat
Upayang masákit sukdan, upayang e ra tanggapan
Kalam a malyaring e balu ‘buski ning makitagle
Upayang king yatung ini e makaying papansinan
Ing kawatasan ku pung ini ing kayang pakinabang
Gisingan la kaladua ring kapara kung talasulat
Ipabalu ku karela ing tatalanan dang sikan
Gamitan da sang masalese para makapamulat

(This is the power of a skillful writer
Power that is hard to measure, power they won't accept
A blessing that might not be known even to the owner
Power that in this world is often neglected
This poem I wrote, this is its use
Wake up the souls of my fellow writers
Make known to them the potential they hold
May they use their power well to wake up more people)

Mother Tongue

By Michael Tan
Pinoy Kasi
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- I learned, only two weeks ago, that there's an International Mother Language Day (IMLD), celebrated on Feb. 21. Initiated by UNESCO in 2000, IMLD commemorates an event back in 1952.

At that time people were still reeling from the partition of India and Pakistan. The main language in Pakistan was Urdu but there were also many people, in what was then East Pakistan and now Bangladesh, who spoke Bangla. There was a demonstration on Feb. 21, 1952, in support of the right to speak and use Bangla. The police fired on the crowd and three people were killed, martyrs for a mother language.

A mother language is different from a national language. In the Philippines, we have a national language called Filipino, which is supposed to draw from different languages in the country but which is still largely Tagalog-based. Tagalog is the mother language of many Filipinos, mainly those living in Central and Southern Luzon.

But for many other Filipinos, the mother language is Cebuano (probably outnumbering Tagalogs), Ilokano, Ilonggo and more than a hundred others. Even the Tsinoy (Chinese-Filipino) can say that Filipino is our national language, but Minnan (or Hokkien) is their mother tongue.

The idea of a mother language is purely cultural, a way of marking our identity. A mother language can be powerful, which is why governments sometimes try to suppress, even eradicate, the use of minority languages. Often, this is done because of the mistaken notion that national identity depends on having only one language throughout the country.

Today, we know that multilingualism can contribute to nation-building. When people are allowed to nurture their mother language, at home and in schools, they learn to appreciate not just their own local culture but also that of the nation.

Compare a national TV or radio broadcast, in English or Tagalog-based Filipino, with a regional or provincial station where the discussions are in the local language and you'll find the latter is much more animated, the analysis more in-depth. There's much more interaction, with more nuances captured, and national issues become more real to the local population.

During the last two weeks, the Inquirer has published several articles on another aspect of the use of mother language, this time for education.

There was the two-part article by Diane and Greg Dekker of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and another article by UP linguistics professor Ricardo Nolasco, all pushing for the use of the local language (sometimes called L1, or first language) in schools, citing research to support the contention that classroom instruction in an L1 makes it easier to learn other languages (in the Philippine context, Filipino and English) as well as science and mathematics.

Maranaw

All this is not new. Even in the past, without conducting elaborate experimental research, educators noted how the use of a local or mother language could facilitate learning. Let me share an account from "The Lanao System of Teaching Illiterates, " written by Frank Laubach and which appeared in "Tales of the American Teachers in the Philippines, " edited by Geronima Pecson and Maria Racelis.

The Americans were recruiting teachers to handle public schools in Lanao but found only a small percentage of the population was literate. Those who could read and write were using Arabic and the Americans realized that the local language, Maranaw, was only spoken, without any written system. So they devised a writing system for Maranaw and began to transcribe local songs, prose and poetry. There was certainly no lack of local oral traditions waiting to be transformed into print.

Laubach noted that there were "at least 35 long epic poems that would range from 20 to a hundred printed pages in length," "many prose stories resembling those of the Arabian nights," "kisas," or stories from ancient prophets, and thousands of lyric poems "about the harvest, the rain, the clouds, the sunset, love, despair ... everything in their lives."

Using these printed texts of Maranaw folk literature facilitated the literacy campaign, because people were intrigued by the idea of being able to read their own literature. In the first four months of 1931, when the Americans first launched their program, they were able to teach 3,000 new individuals each month to read and write. Eventually, the Americans gained as well, by translating English materials on "health, government, history, geography, business, morals and religion" as well as Philippine laws into Maranaw.

We don't seem to have learned from that experience in Lanao. English remains the preferred medium of instruction, using English textbooks, and we like to imagine a time when, supposedly, Filipinos spoke proper English. We forget fluent English was a function of class, of people who could use English both in schools and at home, and with their social circles. For the majority of Filipinos, English and, later, Filipino was, and still is, distant.

If Laubach returned to Lanao today, he'd be shocked to find that literacy levels have plummeted again, even as the schools struggle with new requirements to promote English. Everywhere in the country, our textbooks, vital public documents and, generally, books on science are often produced only in English. Many Filipinos are deprived of access to important information needed to participate in civil life.

Reading Laubach's account about the Maranaw also reminded me that our preference for English and now, a skewing toward Tagalog-based Filipino, has contributed to the stunting of regional languages and cultures. Some years back, in one of my graduate classes, a student noted how thrilled he was when he first saw Kapampangan printed literature. Suddenly, the folk tales, the riddles, proverbs that he heard as a child became more real, and more certain of being preserved for future generations.

He is lucky that there is printed Kapampangan literature. For many of our other languages, we only have oral traditions, many of which are in danger of dying out because no one is passing them on.

At the University of the Philippines, the Department of Filipino sees the importance of exposing students to all these languages, and their literature, offering courses that deal with literature from all over the country. Similarly, the Department of Linguistics is beginning to offer classes in Cebuano.

We need a national language, no doubt, but the current policy is worrisome because it promotes English first, Filipino second -- both at the expense of other mother languages. We should allow Filipinos to nurture their own mother language and share this with other Filipinos or even the world.

As we begin to appreciate the rhythms and cadences, the humor and the wisdom, in each of our many languages, we just might be able to overcome our parochialism and regionalism and build a nation strong in its multicultural foundations.