PEOPLE'S CULTURE AND THE ARTS



IBALONG, the “Bikol Folk Epic Fragment” by Dr. Merito B. Espinas, came alive in a musical that had its series of performances on August 21-22, 2013 in the City of Legazpi for the week-long Ibalong Festival. 

Ibalong is Tanghalang Pilipino's dance theater musical of the Bicol epic adaptation for the stage by playwright Rody Vera and directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio. The musical Director is Carol Bello, choreography by Alden Lugnasin, and costume design by Leeroy New.

The play starts with Baltog (Nicolo Magno), of  Botavora in India, and of the brave clan of Lipod, who came to the rich land of Ibalong (the Bicol Peninsula) when many monsters were still roaming in its very dark forests.   Baltog and his men were the first to cultivate the land and planted it with "linza" (taro or gabi).  However, a monstrous boar called "Tandayag (Red Nuestro)", or "Opon" (wild boar) in the musical, destroyed the crops.  Baltog hunted Tandayag and although it was huge and had very long fangs, he was able to pin it down and break its jawbones.  Thus, Tandayag fell and died.



Baltog's Battle with Opon (Tandayag)

 

 

Battle with Monsters

The second hero who came to the land of Ibalong was Handyong (Myke Salomon). Together with his men, he had to fight thousands of battles and face many dangers to defeat the monsters (Aswang or vampires, Tambaloslos, Okot, etc). As warriors, they first fought the one-eyed, tree-necked monster in the land of Ponong. 

 

Other monsters that  Handyong and his men fought were the giant flying sharks called Tiburon which had hardy flesh and saw-like teeth that could crush rocks and the crocodiles which were as big as boats; they also tamed the wild carabaos and drove away the giant Sarimao which had very sharp fingernails.

 

For ten months, they fought without rest until all the monsters were killed. The rivers and swamps of Ibalong turned red with blood from all these killings.

Oryol's Father

The serpent Oryol was the hardest to kill.  Having a sweet voice, Oryol could change her appearance to deceive her enemies.  Handyong tried all ways to kill Oryol (Jenine Desiderio of Ms. Saigon fame) but the latter always managed to escape.



Oryol in the Dark Forests of Ibalong

Handyong followed the beautiful voice of Oryol and was almost enchanted by it in his pursuit. Days and nights passed until Oryol came to admire Handyong's bravery and gallantry. Then the serpent helped the hero to conquer monsters, thus restoring peace to the entire Ibalong.

  

Fight of Handyong and Oryol

The golden period of Ibalong under Handyong's leadership in the town he built in an area called  Ligmanan began.  Slaves and masters were treated equally under his laws, the people planted rice, the first boat to ride the waves of Ibalong seas was built, and the first loom for weaving abaca clothes was invented by Hablom. Dinanghom, an Agta, created the stove, earthen jars, and cooking pots.  Kimantong made the plow, harrow, and other farm implements.

 

 

It was also during Handyong's reign that Sural, who brilliantly thought of syllabary, started writings on a marble rock.

Suddenly, there came a big flood with terrifying earthquakes caused by Unos. The volcanoes of Hantik, Kulasi, and Isarog erupted. Rivers changed their direction and the waves of the sea rolled high. Destruction was everywhere. Soon, the earth parted, mountains sank, a lake (Lake Buhi) was formed, and many towns in Ibalong were ruined.

Then appeared the giant Rabot (Marco Viaña), half-man and half-beast with awesome and terrifying powers.  Everyone who looks at Rabot's eye turns into stone.

Battle with Sarimao and Other Monsters

 

Bantong (Nicolo Magno), the third hero and a good friend of Handyong was called to kill Rabot.  Bantong took with him one hundred warriors.  But he did not attack right away, and studied Rabot's ways.  As the giant loved to sleep during the day, it was easy for him to be killed while he was fast asleep.

So Ibalong was at peace again.

 

Gugurang

In the musical Handyong and Oryol became lovers and bore a son, Makusog (Cheeno Macaraig).   Oryol, out of her love for Handyong, has cut off her serpent's tail and assimilated the ways of humans.

Handyong, however, has become so proud to plunder on nature and challenged even the heavens.   Gugurang (May Bayot) was angry and to punish him, struck Makusog, Handyong's son, with a thunderbolt.

Death of Makusog

The death of his son left Handyong devastated and pleaded Gugurang to restore his son's life.   Gugurang relented but only in exchange for his life.

Thus, Handyong took his own life so his son may live.  The play ended with Mayon Volcano rising in the background and Daragang Magayon (beautiful maiden), who will be Makusog's sweetheart in another episode, is singing a love song.

Death of Handyong

The musical so well deserved the standing ovation it had at curtain call.  Truly "the best stageplay for 2013".

 

The City Government of Legazpi, sponsors and organizers also deserve deep appreciation for bringing the show to Legazpi at subsidized ticket costs of 100.00 Php to 300.00 Php, while they are at  800.00 Php at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The Young Daragang Magayon



Given the technical handicaps on acoustics and light effects posed by improvisations, the musical was a success, though some may have wished to watch it at the  Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines where the venue is designed as a theater.

 

Seldom do we have major shows and concerts here in the City and offered at an affordable price is rare. It was a double treat for Legazpenos - quality and affordable show for all.

Curtain Call



Art in its various disciplines or forms is meant to be the conversation of hearts and souls among mortals that its appreciation is not reserved for the rich and lettered.

 

People clearly appreciated the musical and followed the story, as the young swooned at the romantic interlude of Handyong and Oryol.  The audience clapped and was hushed at the right time.

Ballet, operas, and musicals are not exclusive to the upper societal stratum, with soap operas for the so-called "bakya crowd".

 

Art spares no one in eliciting delicate human emotions, irrespective of educational training or status.

Perhaps many are into telenovelas and stereotyped noontime television shows because they have no options for the finer things in life.  This opportunity for alternative and exposure to the arts is commendable of the Local Government Units and organizers.

The play has not only entertained but has informed Bicolanos of their rich cultural heritage as the epic recounts.  Many still have thought that Ibalong is a character rather than a place, but after the musical, they have sheepishly admitted their misconceptions.

There were off-tangent socio-cultural behaviors, however, that have been observed from the audience, from the funny to the irritating.

Writing about these observed eccentricities is not for the purpose of ridicule nor bias, but to focus on behavioral moulds of individuals as influenced perhaps by peers, family, or ethnic differences.

Class C to D audiences are not likely to come dressed up appropriately and any behavior out of the expected may be excused.   But on the contrary, it was those from the class A or B that displayed some digressions, like the family that all slumped on their seats and put up their feet on the rows in their front.  There was also this well-dressed guy who carried his chair over to the aisle to get a better view but lessened the enjoyment of others who have to crane their necks to see over him, and of course the institutional head who did not bother to change into a more suitable attire than a Boy Scout's uniform.

 

I still find it unacceptable for a lady to be wearing a Boy Scout's uniform.  Aren't ladies supposed to be Girl Scouts?  I am not sure if Josefa Llanes Escoda, the founder of the Philippine Girl Scouts, will not be turning in her grave.

So an "illiterate" public official that had become the butt of jokes was not kidding nor stupid when he allegedly said: "All Boy Scouts boys, form a line here.  All Boy Scouts girls, here."   Now I've seen a girl Boy Scout. 

It's far out of chauvinism to say that Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts are supposed to be a male activity or organization as there is the Girl Scout or Brownies for the girls.  

Ron Philippo, the Executive Director of the Indian Head Council, which includes eight counties in eastern Minnesota and four in western Wisconsin said that “the Boy Scouts of America for 12 years had successfully defended legal challenges over its policy of allowing only men as leaders but decided to drop the restrictions because the court challenges had become too costly” (AP, February 14, 1988).  

The “legal battles” validate that I am not alone holding on to the traditions of scouting, and it was only the litigation costs that made the oppositors to drop the issue.

A member of the Boy Scouts of America for fifteen years calls the acceptance of women in the BSA as “a misadventure”.

To those who subscribe to a contrary view, that ladies may be in Boy Scout uniform, may I please ask if it is equally acceptable for boys to also sport a Girl Scout uniform. If a man is named an honorary woman, I am sure it is not required of him to wear a woman's attire.

 

Just to be different, just to get attention but without the prudence of not appearing ridiculous.

Concerts are usually priced according to seating arrangement.  The musical though had only three categories, ringside, lower box, and upper box and the audience who purchased ringside tickets expected to be seated accordingly, only to find out that almost half of the middle rows were cordoned off for public officials and VIPs.  They should have informed the public in advance and these VIPs were made to pay up more.

 

As in major theaters, a bell is sounded to countdown the start of the performance and for the audience to be seated and be quiet.  But no. Some well-dressed guys were still standing up front as if waiting for a bus ride.

Many are yet to be oriented on etiquette and decorum, and I wish more worthwhile shows would be brought in to expose people to the art world, and be cultured as to social protocols.

 

Art and culture may be synonymous in historical perspectives, but culture may be differentiated in the arts.

 

 

 

 

THE CALL OF HOME

Early Sunday morning, one by one they come. 

"... how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?"                                   
                                                 - Bob Dylan

MIGRANT FILIPINO WORKERS, they are everywhere world-wide, said to be well loved, well sought by foreign employers, but often abused and misunderstood even by their own countrymen.
 

They are viewed by many as well-off, counting their wages in dollar equivalents... Not a few have been ill-treated or  killed, or is left with no option but to take one's life  and all they get is a sigh of sympathy that is soon forgotten as they join the growing statistics.

                                                                                 

Even in foreign shores, attire reflects one's faith

Truly one can only speculate and chose to remain     insensitive to what they have to endure in foreign shores unless you see, listen and immerse with them in their Sunday day off. 

We tend to ignore them, take them for granted and see them as just ordinary workers like all of us struggling to make a living, however failing to see the difference of being uprooted from one's socio-cultural turf. 

They say that the greatest pain is not from torture nor illness but from being isolated from loved ones.  Keeping this family link alive is one of the greatest burdens they have to endure.

Home is near through communication technology, Filipino food, friendship of compatriots and faith in God, and they derived strength from the hope of a better life for their family.  

They come in droves that Conaught Road, Queen's Road, Pedder St, Des Voeux Road, the subways, the parks are filled by Filipinos that you'd think you are but in Manila.  Cantonese is rarely heard on Sundays, just Tagalog and other Philippine dialects, as if the native Chinese were bullied into silence (or the Chinese are all home to care for children and do house chores as their house helps take a break?)

I wonder why Manila has taken so much fuss in the Chinese incursions of the Scarborough Shoal when Filipinos have already invaded and effectively occupied Mainland China and its New Territories.

It would be interesting to research on how Filipinos have influenced the Chinese cultural or social fabric, given the Filipino spirit of persistence.

I was not spared from the temptation to rub on our culture on the Chinese. While shopping a store owner was wide eyed as I gave pointers that a brisk sale can be coached by waving the day's first sales over the merchandise.  Incidentally several customers came and bought.  Did she believe me? I can only guess and muster an impish smile. 

There's so much more about our OFWs but one  has to listen with  his heart to really understand them; and be moved to emotions as they re-tell sad stories from home, or be amused on how they reach out to the call of home.

"It is with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince".)

World-Wide Place and MTR Central, a favorite meeting
 place of overseas Filipino workers  in Hongkong

I remember my high school reading, "Where's the Patis" by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil which touches on the uniqueness of Filipinos abroad manifested in gastronomic preferences.   Even in these contemporary times Filipinos  are easy to assimilate foreign trends and culture, but they have not shed off characters uniquely Filipinos  and preferences of the palate.

It seems that Filipinos can never be "de-nationalized" when it comes to food, family ties,  warmth, traditions and other peculiarities like arm spreading to reserve seats on buses or subway for friends. 

On Sundays, sidewalk stalls are filled with all sorts of Filipino junk food, from "Boy Bawang" to chichacorns from Ilocos, pork rind chicharons to Richie snacks.  Call it the sari-sari store entrepreneurship of Filipinos.  They bring "delicacies" from home to sell to compatriots.   But I have yet to see "ukay ukay" (second hand clothing) stalls manned by Filipinos. Or did I saw one?

Even local merchants capitalize on the Filipinos' longing for home.   Phone dealers with signs in Pilipino also do well in retailing Philippine two-in-one SIM cards. 

The negative and positive aspects that we have home are the same that we experience elsewhere, like the culture of "libak" or talking negatively of another behind his back. 

At the McDonald outlet along Des Voeux Road, there were these four ladies apparently belonging to a fundamentalist congregation (firstly judging from their extra lengthy skirts and Bibles tucked in) who while having breakfast opened their Bibles, read verses and prayed holding each other's hand and with the usual closed eyes and matching tears.  But in a few minutes they were talking about how bad is a common acquaintance.  Not far from what we hear at home.

One thing that separates Filipinos from the rest of humanity is the smile on their lips upon seeing a compatriot, as if relieved in knowing that he or she is not alone, that they pull strings just to help.

At mid-day, the HSBC complex is just one of the
places where Filipino OFWs converge

Filipinos abroad are just too willing to assist compatriots, tourists or otherwise, and their smiles are genuine and reassuring of life's hopes, in contrast to the rare "thank you's" or "excuse me" from the locals.

In Macau, a hotel personnel even escorted us across the casino halls, with camera and all (when cameras and phones are a no no inside) just for us to have a shortcut to our ride to another hotel.

We've never seen gamblers before in shocked stares.

Comparing notes on wages and employers' treatment are but the stories one may overhear, including news of a spouse's infidelity as they gather and sit on cardboard made as mats.  It is not also too remote that extra marital or legitimate relations may develop in this atmosphere.  Call it advanced thinking or over imagination.

We used to think of them as enjoying a sweet life with all the dollar equivalent of their wages. But it is actually not much, and not even worth it unless one is jobless at home or is in dire need to augment family income. 

Other than the reality of being a domestic helper, life for an OFW is not a bed of roses, not even a bed made out of hay.  They have to be thrifty too. Even remitting home their hard earned money is not easy as they often have to stand in long lines at remittance centers.

If only children, spouses or kins knew of their sacrifices as OFWs maybe they would less squander on allowances and study hard.  Money doesn't grow on trees nor  are streets in Hongkong  paved with gold.   It is earned by their blood, sweat and tears. 

Lucky are those who have the opportunity to travel on leisure, but luckier still are those who learned from these travels and be sensitive to the plight of others. 

How do government agencies look into their welfare? I am just wondering if death or complaint precedes action, or they just rely on papers for solutions?  How many have listened with their hearts sans publicity for policy formulation?  


                                      "The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind.
                                       The answer is blowin' in the wind."



                                          - 

                                                     









FACE-OFF ON FACEBOOK

Facebook seems to have ceased to be just a social network site in the Philippines. It had become the Philippines' virtual bulletin board where everyone may post on everything.  Not only does it serve as a link in real-time of families and friends, but for some, it also has served as a "wailing wall" where one may pour out extreme emotions, or satisfy the itch of vanity to let everyone know what he has or what he does from the ordinary.

It became the archipelagic highway that binds us Filipinos. It is the quick bridge to home for overseas workers and an emergency lifeline to friends on foreign shores. Thanks to cheap mobile internet access, affordable android phones, tabs, and power banks.

I remember in our recent travel overseas when our roaming phone subscription suddenly ended and we have a friend to meet. Frantic, we tried  FB to communicate.  Funny, but practical, how many Filipino overseas workers keep their tabs and FB accounts open 24/7.

Cultural differences are obvious in FB. It seems that only Filipinos use it to the maximum, to keep abreast with new trends, keep family ties, promote products, and political campaigns, and even just to tease or annoy somebody.

 

Well, that gives the color that is truly and uniquely ours. 

 

Unlike how subscribers of other ethnic groups when their posts are often limited to sharing photos of important family events or simple "hi" which I find so impersonal. 

 

It's us Filipinos who have given FB a new life, a new meaning, and a new purpose, or simply a new FACE far different from its conception in some U.S. college campuses.

Just recently FB was used in the admission of murder, complete with photos of the dead victim. Weird and repulsive.

 

In these contemporary times, if you want to really know a person, read his posts on FB.

Not a few view  FB as a waste of time.  Maybe yes and maybe no. Nobody has taken a survey so far.   That probably depends on one's perspective and purpose.  But definitely not a waste of time for a homesick soul desperately clinging to home,  to family, never mind if Facebook, Inc. has to continuously add memory storage in their servers in Oregon, California, or elsewhere.

I'm Thinking of writing a short book out of my FB posts and of friends. A book that you may want to read while waiting for your flight or while your plane is experiencing turbulence (to keep your mind out of it). 

"FB Thoughts", as I plan to call it, aims not only to amuse but to give the reader new insights into life's realities, from how ordinary people think or what they think of in the middle of the night... to how they react to social or personal events or on their friend's experiences in life. The short book will also be a silent tribute to the Filipino spirit that is so resilient to life's painful challenges.  For so long I have kept the "manuscripts" of two other books written in my mind, only that I do not have the luxury of time to write them. I hope I could do this one. Then FB will really become a book. 

 

SAYING GOODBYE TO THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

                       

A friend posted/shared this on Facebook the quote from the Honorable Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Albert F. Del Rosario, on the "great sacrifices" in joining the government service.

Not a few have served in the bureaucracy and left "to make a living".  I have great respect and admiration for the honesty of these few, to accept that the yellow brick road is nowhere in the government service (where there seems to be nothing but the howling dogs of politics.)

Would the venerable Albert del Rosario carry the Foreign Affairs portfolio if he was much younger and better off in business? 

I can't help but think of my own experiences in government service.

My first job was in the DPWH where unpleasant experiences abound because of principles. Sometimes I am "borrowed" by other Agencies to assist in special tasks that I was exposed to various bureaucratic idiosyncrasies.  

Disgusted, I left to join the rat race in the corporate arena in one of the top Philippine corporations and earn well enough as a middle management government worker.  While enjoying the city life of a yuppie, everything came sweetly and passed but was devoid of deeper meaning.

I was somewhat well off when I was in the private sector. Yes, I became "poor" after I was asked to join the government shortly after EDSA 1.  I was endorsed  (or was I forced?) to the bureaucracy to keep alive the spirit of militancy.

But I didn't mind as I was living a relatively comfortable life then as we had a small family business (which I have to divest after my parents died) and I have generous relatives anyway.

I was not in need as my pay envelope remains unopened until the next payday. Or was it because there was not much to expect?  Look, in the middle eighties, our company gives us P 130.00 per day as travel allowance, while TEV in the government was pegged at P 30.00 or something. Modesty aside, our basic pay then was higher than many bank workers. The Salary Standardization Law for government workers came much, much later.

So much has to be done in the government sector then (and even now), to modernize, rehabilitate its old image, and to conform the idealisms of post-EDSA I. But entrants from the private sector are met by hostilities by old-timers who refuse to modernize and adopt corporate efficiency.

Many old timers desperately cling on to cob-webbed practices and theories.  Reminds me of Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up.

Even in correspondence, the stereotyped to the absurd abounds. Common were communications that always start with "I have the honor....", and the errant entry in disbursement vouchers "To payment for".   Shouldn't it be "In payment for" or "To pay for.."? 

Even the other acceptable letter forms were a no-no, like the hanging or block.  The indented is the sole acceptable form. 

I am not aware of any administrative law that curtails or supersedes the rules of English grammar or the need to modernize.  Global competitiveness was not earlier anticipated that we are lagging behind due to the late start.

The great difference I have noted between government and private service is that the former is closely hierarchal, that is, who is right is always the one on top and nobody dares to question.  Robotic if not idiotic civil service I should say.   In the latter, there is much consultation and new ideas are welcome from everyone.

Through the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in its thrust to professionalize the bureaucracy, and the efforts of organized Human Resource Management practitioners, we have seen great improvements in the past decades. 

Everyone wants to see meritocracy institutionalized and functioning, beyond Inaugural and State of the Nation Addresses,  and beyond Career Executive Service Board (CESBoard)  issuances. But to this day it remains not unlike the romantic blue moon.

The general lamentation is that in biblical times "even dogs have to eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table", but now even dogs may be appointed to key government positions, with not a few instances widely publicized in the mass media.

Having third-level eligibility is not a guarantee of promotion.  Never mind if (prior to the unified third level examination) the two-stage Career Executive Service Examination (CSEE) is one of the most difficult government examinations, with a passing rate of 4% when I took it, compared to the four (4) stage Career Executive Service Examination with a usual passing rate of 100%, so says former CSC Chair Carina Constantino David.

Security of tenure solely seems to be in those days the honey that attracts the "bees" to the government, never mind the call of public service.  Add to this the mass migration of teachers to non-teaching jobs in the civil service attendant to the waning budget for education.

 

The spirit of public service?  What is that? Is it still in vogue? No, Let Juan de la Cruz fend off for himself!

Of course, the Bureau of Customs and the Land Transportation Office, among others, are often viewed as a cake, icings and all, made as a reward to political supporters in any administration.  The "spoils system" is still very much alive in this contemporary or neo-feudal environment.

Both employments have their own tales of intrigues, and disgust, but there are fewer inept and sloppy people in the corporate world, that if government service is to be competitive in international relations the concept of meritocracy should be institutionalized in the recruitment and promotion process.

Merit and fitness should not be allowed to rot in senseless rhetorics and slogans.  The bureaucracy should be shielded from politics, for isn't it that the Civil Service Commission as the central personnel agency of the government was made a Constitutional body to be immune from legislative, executive and even judicial pressures?

The "Anti Padrino Law" conceived by Senator Merriam Defensor Santiago is laudable, provided all would abide.  The 8th Congress of the Philippines also came up with a House Resolution enjoining members of the House from interfering in the recruitment process in the bureaucracy which solons respected.

 

Many have eagerly joined the service to scavenge or plunder.   They think money is easy in some agencies, and like pirates, they swooped and kill.  Laughing money or crying money, it doesn't matter.  for this are mine, mine, and mine. Not far from many drivers who think driving is an absolute right and that recklessness is a way of life.

 

Little do these employees think that "Carmi Martin" or "Carmina Villaruel" as a gay proposed (Bad Karma, to be subtle about it) is swift to come.  Statistically,  diabetes is the number one gift that Ms. Carmi Martin bears.  How many have escaped administrative or criminal charges but have prematurely died of diabetes complications?   As Legal Officer and Resident Ombudsman for many years, I have come up with the numbers.  Yes, some have nursed lingering illnesses instead but lived miserable and shameful life.

Frustrating, irritating, and painful (the murder attempts, threats, and ridicule) it may have been but to be able to live a purpose-driven life has made me stay. Good men leaving the public service is nothing different from betraying the public trust.

Genuine commitment to public service and knowing that there are many in the bureaucracy who remain untainted by the system is the true reward that one can get.  The bureaucracy is not hopeless.   What is needed is the will, the leadership, and the opportunity to polarize the aspirations of good men.

We PITY, rather than envy those who have acquired great assets in just a few years in service for they have lost the respect of people, their dignity, and honor.  Much they have lost the moral right to live in a decent society.