(submitted as a requirement for my Specialized Writing: Review class wherein writer, playwright, and UST historian Jose Victor Torres was my professor)
CAN THE living find refuge in a place full of dead people?
In the chilling new children’s novel “The Graveyard Book” (Harper Collins, 2008), author Neil Gaiman takes his readers on another adventure-packed journey, even more promising than “Coraline,” with a boy who lives to tell his share of tales from the crypt.
Equivalent to “The Jungle Book’s” Mowgli by Rudyard Kipling, Nobody “Bod” Owens was adopted by a ghost couple in a graveyard after the toddler managed to escape from clutches of his family’s murderer, a man named Jack. He was then raised in the company of ghosts and his guardian, an undefined creature of the night named Silas.
As he grows up, he encounters a few odd characters from both the worlds of the living and dead such as befriending a witch, dealing with a black market trader and dancing with a lady suspected to be Death herself. He also learns a few tricks in the graveyard such as opening and closing a ghoul gate, Fading as the dead faded and Haunting as the ghosts haunted the living. He utilized these lessons in a final face-off with the man who killed his family, but will it be enough to defeat a skilled assassin?
Compared to Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book,” Gaiman’s new novel was more interesting and much more insightful as choosing a setting such as a graveyard will inevitably lead into subtle hints of discussions involving life and death.
Silas points out the infinite possibility a living, breathing human being has to Bod, who, at one point, did not care anymore if his pursuer would kill him as he said that “all of my best friends are dead” and didn’t understand what difference would his death make.
Just like the “Jungle Book” that used the animals as anamorphic symbols of different kinds of people, Gaiman did not moralize in his discussions of life and death but instead focused on his narration on sending out the importance of living to readers. Needless to say, he lets the readers realize the morals behind Bod’s story through his storytelling.
Although the novel began with a foreboding plot and ended with a resolution of that failed murder, what would get readers hooked in the book is the middle part which is where the meat of Bod’s adventure lies. A reader becomes interested in how the young boy would be able to escape as captive of the ghouls before he rots in Ghulheim or what would Bod get for a headstone to mark his witch friend’s grave. In fact, Bod’s adventures are so gripping that they can stand on their own as separate short stories. But being the typical master storyteller that Gaiman is, he weaves each story into a unified whole. All stories seemed to have a significance save for Chapter Five which is the Danse Macabre. A scrupulous reader can’t help but get the feeling that this was just a filler chapter because none of its elements were introduced in the beginning nor was any mentioned in the end.
Common for any book that has a child for its protagonist, there will always be this wise elder who will take in the hero for his apprentice and teach him the ways of the good. In this novel, Bod’s guardian, Silas, was this wise voice. He becomes Bod’s longest connection to the world of the living for Silas is neither living nor dead and knows much more of each than anyone does. Gaiman did not overuse this character though as he also utilized the old age, dating back to the Renaissance period, of some of the graveyard’s resident ghosts as a source of the book’s quotable quotes.
Mother Slaughter, for instance, tells of the ivies that blossom once in every few decades, “Things blossom in their time. They bud and bloom, blossom and fade. Everything in its time.”
But even though the book has the depth that can be enjoyed by mature readers, the voice of Bod as a child is retained throughout the narration. When he was small, he was inquisitive with the graveyard-folk. As is the nature of every child, he was stubborn and was eager to learn everything. When he grew up to become a teenager, he has grown accustomed to the ways of his home and had accumulated considerable knowledge about the world of the living. He had also been more distant to the child ghosts he used to play with, he had become more contemplating often expressing concern that he wants to go out and venture into the world.
Doing a good job with Bod’s character was not the only thing to be applauded in the book, the content of the book itself was well-researched. It gave historical tidbits about the ghosts who lived and died in different eras. It told of the history and the ancient magic that pervaded in England even before the Romans conquered the land.
However, there were also some cons that needs to be noted about the novel. Firstly, it was not clear where this graveyard was in the beginning. Although it was good that Neil Gaiman made the reader think based on his knowledge of world history (as England was occupied by Romans and before that, the Celts), it would have been better if he just said somewhere in the text that the setting was in England for the readers might find that the graveyard could also be in Scotland.
Secondly, being a growing kid, isn’t it harmful for Bod’s health to have an irregular sleeping pattern? When does he sleep anyway? He’s awake at night when the ghosts of the graveyard wake and he’s also awake during the day when he guards the graveyard or plays with Scarlet, a living friend of his when he was young and who he will meet again when he’s grown.
Thirdly, one can’t help but ask the question, why do the ghosts wake only during the night?
But these small inconsistencies can be forgiven as the book can easily conceal these because it has more to offer.
For children, “The Graveyard Book” is a delight. For more mature readers, it is a novel that makes them realize the worth of life and how one should make the most out one’s time.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Reality of "Jay"
(submitted as a requirement for my Catholic Journalism subject wherein Phil. Daily Inquirer Arts and Books editor Joselito Zulueta was my professor)
HOW REAL is reality television?
Taking a risk in exposing what the camera lens intentionally did not capture, the 2008 award-winning Filipino independent movie “Jay” reveals the authenticity of reality television shows which records life as it supposedly happens.
Under the direction of Francis Xavier Pasion, the movie kicked off with a narration, in a documentary format, of how Flor, Jay’s mother, wakes up in the morning of Ash Wednesday with a bird as an omen in her window. In the afternoon, she was ambushed by a crew from a television program and was asked by these people to bring them to her home where she learned from a news break that her son, Jay, was murdered the night before. The documentary then followed the grief of Jay’s family and colleagues during the wake. It also showed the hunt for justice by investigating the motives of the crime and catching the man who murdered Jay.
After the documentary, viewers might be confused as the rest of the movie goes back to the scenes that were on the documentary and the focus shifts into how it was made rather than explain the story of Jay. Then it will become apparent, at least to people who have discerning abilities, that the heinous crime done to Jay was not the tale of the tape of the movie but rather more of someone who goes by the same name. As a broadcast journalist working for a reality program, Jay Santiago (Baron Geisler) is the one who calls the shots – literally – in the documentary.
As the film’s strongest character, Jay’s role in the movie is more than a broadcast journalist who conducts interviews and writes a story about it but more importantly, he acts as the puppeteer of this fragment of live tragedy. He sets the stage as shown by how he wants the scenes to be filmed, controls the characters by telling the mourning family members how to act and directs the situation as seen by how he makes things happen such as asking for a news break in the afternoon so that he can capture in a dramatic fashion the family’s discovery of their kin’s death.
This untimely death of Jay and the agony it caused to the victim’s loved ones are aspects of human life that the journalist Jay’s show conveys to their viewers. Yet at the process of filming the program, everyone, Jay’s mother included, is more focused on what will look good on camera and what will benefit the show rather than mourning for the dead or even Jay himself. The humanity of the show that was supposed to touch the hearts of viewers was in fact, in itself a show.
When a rolling film is involved, mixed with the sorrow of having lost a loved one and the pity for those the deceased had left behind are the benefits the parties involved can get out of the story. Flor wondered if she can get money out of being featured, she acted out the scene when she supposedly saw the corpse of her son for the first time. On the other hand, the journalist Jay didn’t care if was violating the privacy of others whether it was letting the family have a moment alone upon hearing the news of the crime or leaving out the secrets of the deceased’s ex-lover (Coco Martin). To him, nothing is private.
Both Jays turn out to be gay and aside from sharing names, they also share the same love interest for the man played by Coco Martin. But the gay love triangle plot was not developed in the film.
Looking at the bigger picture, Jay demonstrated how much power the media, as gatekeepers of information, has on a story. He showed how he can twirl the story in his fingers. Such a strong persona demands a strong actor. Thankfully, Baron Geisler gave justice to the character. In fact, he portrayed Jay so well that he won the Best Performance for a Male Actor in the Cinemalaya 2008.
In the same year, the movie has also won the Best Picture in the Cinemalaya and was shown in several international independent film festivals after.
And with the observations stated above, it was not hard to see why film critics love “Jay.” The movie exposed the reality of reality TV, a territory where no rolling camera has ever dared to brave before.
HOW REAL is reality television?
Taking a risk in exposing what the camera lens intentionally did not capture, the 2008 award-winning Filipino independent movie “Jay” reveals the authenticity of reality television shows which records life as it supposedly happens.
Under the direction of Francis Xavier Pasion, the movie kicked off with a narration, in a documentary format, of how Flor, Jay’s mother, wakes up in the morning of Ash Wednesday with a bird as an omen in her window. In the afternoon, she was ambushed by a crew from a television program and was asked by these people to bring them to her home where she learned from a news break that her son, Jay, was murdered the night before. The documentary then followed the grief of Jay’s family and colleagues during the wake. It also showed the hunt for justice by investigating the motives of the crime and catching the man who murdered Jay.
After the documentary, viewers might be confused as the rest of the movie goes back to the scenes that were on the documentary and the focus shifts into how it was made rather than explain the story of Jay. Then it will become apparent, at least to people who have discerning abilities, that the heinous crime done to Jay was not the tale of the tape of the movie but rather more of someone who goes by the same name. As a broadcast journalist working for a reality program, Jay Santiago (Baron Geisler) is the one who calls the shots – literally – in the documentary.
As the film’s strongest character, Jay’s role in the movie is more than a broadcast journalist who conducts interviews and writes a story about it but more importantly, he acts as the puppeteer of this fragment of live tragedy. He sets the stage as shown by how he wants the scenes to be filmed, controls the characters by telling the mourning family members how to act and directs the situation as seen by how he makes things happen such as asking for a news break in the afternoon so that he can capture in a dramatic fashion the family’s discovery of their kin’s death.
This untimely death of Jay and the agony it caused to the victim’s loved ones are aspects of human life that the journalist Jay’s show conveys to their viewers. Yet at the process of filming the program, everyone, Jay’s mother included, is more focused on what will look good on camera and what will benefit the show rather than mourning for the dead or even Jay himself. The humanity of the show that was supposed to touch the hearts of viewers was in fact, in itself a show.
When a rolling film is involved, mixed with the sorrow of having lost a loved one and the pity for those the deceased had left behind are the benefits the parties involved can get out of the story. Flor wondered if she can get money out of being featured, she acted out the scene when she supposedly saw the corpse of her son for the first time. On the other hand, the journalist Jay didn’t care if was violating the privacy of others whether it was letting the family have a moment alone upon hearing the news of the crime or leaving out the secrets of the deceased’s ex-lover (Coco Martin). To him, nothing is private.
Both Jays turn out to be gay and aside from sharing names, they also share the same love interest for the man played by Coco Martin. But the gay love triangle plot was not developed in the film.
Looking at the bigger picture, Jay demonstrated how much power the media, as gatekeepers of information, has on a story. He showed how he can twirl the story in his fingers. Such a strong persona demands a strong actor. Thankfully, Baron Geisler gave justice to the character. In fact, he portrayed Jay so well that he won the Best Performance for a Male Actor in the Cinemalaya 2008.
In the same year, the movie has also won the Best Picture in the Cinemalaya and was shown in several international independent film festivals after.
And with the observations stated above, it was not hard to see why film critics love “Jay.” The movie exposed the reality of reality TV, a territory where no rolling camera has ever dared to brave before.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A Thomasian's to-do list before graduation
(published in the February 6, 2009 issue of The Varsitarian)
Some seniors may already be eager to leave the classroom to venture into the corporate world without realizing, perhaps, that this will be their final chance to enjoy the life of being a student.
“You will miss UST when you graduate. Six or seven months from now you will want to come back,” UST historian and alumni Jose Victor Torres said.
But before the graduating students march up the stage to receive their diplomas, which will mark the end of their college days, there are places and things that they should get a taste of first during their life a UST student.
“There are a lot of things that have to be experienced in the campus before one graduates,” Torres told the Varsitarian.
Enumerating a few of these things, three Thomasians shared what they think a Thomasian must try or should have gone through before he finally graduates from the University.
Take a stroll around the campus. Part of being a student of any school is having knowledge of the school’s hangouts, canteens and places to get resources for research from. Although it seems impossible, there had been students who graduated without ever setting foot in the library or the UST Museum. Exploring the campus grounds will help you find more things about the University. In the course of your wandering, you might discover shortcuts such as the one at the right side of the Santisimo Rosario chapel that leads to the botanical garden. You might also see ghosts or experience supernatural occurrences when you try to roam around the main building in the evening.
“Always try to go around UST. Visit the places that you have never been in. There are students who only get to tour the campus when they have PE classes,” Torres said.
Go star-gazing at the football field. When you happen to walk around the football field at night, you might notice the groups of students or couples huddled together. That is because, despite the clouds caused by the city’s pollution, the night sky adorned with distant stars is a sight to behold when you are lying in the grass with your friends. Having someone play the guitar would also make the experience all the more unforgettable, suggested Carlo Matignas, a batch 2007 graduate of BS Information Management. The act might strike as corny for some but for many, it is a time they can look back on in the future.
“My friends and I were a bit tipsy when we went to the field to gaze at the stars. We were so noisy but since the field was huge, nobody minded us. It was fun,” said Matignas.
Eat out. If you are looking for a place to eat other than the usual fast food chains, better ask the seniors where you can find a good meal or the best servings of street food. Chances are, they already know where the best-tasting sisig is served or where you can eat to your stomach’s content for half the price of a fast food meal.
But, if in your four or five years in the University you have lived only on fast food, now is probably the time to lay off the preservatives and open your taste buds to the home-cooked meals of canteens like Mang Tootz in P. Noval St. or Hapag Kainan in V. Concepcion St. Or if you have less time in between classes to eat, the street food haven along Asturias St. will satiate your appetite in bite-sized servings.
For those who want to maximize their time, there are some shops where you can buy burgers and shakes from open-air shops while you are having your readings photocopied.
“Fast food has always been part of a student’s life but the eateries and street food beyond the fast food, I think, has always been a part of being a Thomasian,” Torres said.
Salute to the University Hymn. When you were in freshmen and you were taught the UST cheers by members of the Yellow Jackets during you PE class, you were probably one of the many who were clueless on what to do when the UST Hymn was played and everyone was starting to do the clench-fisted salute. If not, then you will still get the chance to do the hand gesture on your graduation day.
“The act of collective salutation while the UST Hymn is being somehow boosts school spirit because the school appears to be united,” an officer of the Faculty Arts and Letters’ theater organization and fourth year Communication Arts senior Michelle Ngu said.
Climb the top of the Main Building. Ever wanted to take pictures near the martyrs at the roof of the Main Building, but you were afraid you won’t be allowed to? The good news is you can climb up the roof deck and enjoy the view of the campus from the top of the earthquake-proof building. The bad news is that’s as high as you can go because the tower is said to be unstable and is bound to crack anytime.
Brave the university flood. Among many things, UST is famous for the floods around its whenever heavy rain falls. Almost everyone in the University has his or her own stories to tell when asked to share about the flood.
Although the rainy season is over, Torres, Ngu and Matignas all agreed that every Thomasian must have experienced struggling to get in and out of the island that is their school.
“What you thought was an ongoing joke in your freshmen year about the UST flood is true and you will experience it. It was both annoying and funny,” Ngu said.
If you are a graduating student, these are just a few of the things you can do, if you have not done them already, to make the most out of the few weeks you have left in the University.
But more than landmarks to visit, meals to try and things to do, what most Thomasians will really miss about UST is the feeling of being a Thomasian.
Some seniors may already be eager to leave the classroom to venture into the corporate world without realizing, perhaps, that this will be their final chance to enjoy the life of being a student.
“You will miss UST when you graduate. Six or seven months from now you will want to come back,” UST historian and alumni Jose Victor Torres said.
But before the graduating students march up the stage to receive their diplomas, which will mark the end of their college days, there are places and things that they should get a taste of first during their life a UST student.
“There are a lot of things that have to be experienced in the campus before one graduates,” Torres told the Varsitarian.
Enumerating a few of these things, three Thomasians shared what they think a Thomasian must try or should have gone through before he finally graduates from the University.
Take a stroll around the campus. Part of being a student of any school is having knowledge of the school’s hangouts, canteens and places to get resources for research from. Although it seems impossible, there had been students who graduated without ever setting foot in the library or the UST Museum. Exploring the campus grounds will help you find more things about the University. In the course of your wandering, you might discover shortcuts such as the one at the right side of the Santisimo Rosario chapel that leads to the botanical garden. You might also see ghosts or experience supernatural occurrences when you try to roam around the main building in the evening.
“Always try to go around UST. Visit the places that you have never been in. There are students who only get to tour the campus when they have PE classes,” Torres said.
Go star-gazing at the football field. When you happen to walk around the football field at night, you might notice the groups of students or couples huddled together. That is because, despite the clouds caused by the city’s pollution, the night sky adorned with distant stars is a sight to behold when you are lying in the grass with your friends. Having someone play the guitar would also make the experience all the more unforgettable, suggested Carlo Matignas, a batch 2007 graduate of BS Information Management. The act might strike as corny for some but for many, it is a time they can look back on in the future.
“My friends and I were a bit tipsy when we went to the field to gaze at the stars. We were so noisy but since the field was huge, nobody minded us. It was fun,” said Matignas.
Eat out. If you are looking for a place to eat other than the usual fast food chains, better ask the seniors where you can find a good meal or the best servings of street food. Chances are, they already know where the best-tasting sisig is served or where you can eat to your stomach’s content for half the price of a fast food meal.
But, if in your four or five years in the University you have lived only on fast food, now is probably the time to lay off the preservatives and open your taste buds to the home-cooked meals of canteens like Mang Tootz in P. Noval St. or Hapag Kainan in V. Concepcion St. Or if you have less time in between classes to eat, the street food haven along Asturias St. will satiate your appetite in bite-sized servings.
For those who want to maximize their time, there are some shops where you can buy burgers and shakes from open-air shops while you are having your readings photocopied.
“Fast food has always been part of a student’s life but the eateries and street food beyond the fast food, I think, has always been a part of being a Thomasian,” Torres said.
Salute to the University Hymn. When you were in freshmen and you were taught the UST cheers by members of the Yellow Jackets during you PE class, you were probably one of the many who were clueless on what to do when the UST Hymn was played and everyone was starting to do the clench-fisted salute. If not, then you will still get the chance to do the hand gesture on your graduation day.
“The act of collective salutation while the UST Hymn is being somehow boosts school spirit because the school appears to be united,” an officer of the Faculty Arts and Letters’ theater organization and fourth year Communication Arts senior Michelle Ngu said.
Climb the top of the Main Building. Ever wanted to take pictures near the martyrs at the roof of the Main Building, but you were afraid you won’t be allowed to? The good news is you can climb up the roof deck and enjoy the view of the campus from the top of the earthquake-proof building. The bad news is that’s as high as you can go because the tower is said to be unstable and is bound to crack anytime.
Brave the university flood. Among many things, UST is famous for the floods around its whenever heavy rain falls. Almost everyone in the University has his or her own stories to tell when asked to share about the flood.
Although the rainy season is over, Torres, Ngu and Matignas all agreed that every Thomasian must have experienced struggling to get in and out of the island that is their school.
“What you thought was an ongoing joke in your freshmen year about the UST flood is true and you will experience it. It was both annoying and funny,” Ngu said.
If you are a graduating student, these are just a few of the things you can do, if you have not done them already, to make the most out of the few weeks you have left in the University.
But more than landmarks to visit, meals to try and things to do, what most Thomasians will really miss about UST is the feeling of being a Thomasian.
Lilia Pedrialva: Keeper of stories and treats
(published in the July 31, 2008 issue of The Varsitarian)
Revisiting history could be an exhausting walk down memory lane. But for Lilia Pedrialva, the only way to appreciate the beauty of the past is to take it sitting down, literally.
At 55, UST’s resident “candy lady” for over three decades now not only sells sweets from her wooden rectangular box. She’s also a silent and patient listener of stories by young Thomasians who stop by her space near the Dapitan gate even for a while.
Lilia, who started selling candy at the age of 25, in the same corner was perched on her stool, when I chanced upon her on the humid afternoon of July 6. True enough, she was surrounded by candies.
Every few minutes, students would stop by the shaded entrance to drop a few coins into the plastic container on the upper left corner of her box in exchange for a handful of sweets.
“I initially thought about selling candy because it fitted my capital,” she said.
Ironically, the Willy Wonka female incarnate does not have a sweet tooth.
“I don’t like sweets that much. I just chew on some gum when I have nothing else to do,” she said.
Before she became a mainstay at the Dapitan gate, one of her friends, who also sold candy inside the campus, encouraged her to sell flowers along the UST rear entrance. That same friend, whose husband worked at UST, helped her obtain a permit allowing her to run her business inside the grounds.
During that time, the massive gate in front of the central library was the only entrance to UST along the Dapitan strip. It was where Lilia first marked her spot. Students often visited her stall and chatted with her while buying candy.
“There was time to talk back then because there was a lot of space by that gate. Here, we do not get to talk too much anymore,” she said, pertaining to the cramped gateway where her stall is now situated.
From her post by the entrance across MiniStop, Lilia has been a silent observer to the events that were marked on the University’s records. She could attest that, unlike the violent rallies of the Marcos era, the rallies held inside the University were “organized and solemn.” She also had a ticket to see Pope John Paul II when the late Pontiff visited UST in 1981 but she forfeited her chance since classes were suspended during that day.
Lilia has also witnessed changes in the University and in the former students who came back as professors.
When she first sold candies in UST, the female students of the colleges of Medicine and Commerce donned shorter skirts than the ones worn by the students today. Lilia would be reminded of her teenage years when she looked at the maidens as they passed by her stall.
She became closer to the boys of that generation though since they also ranted to her about their professors and lessons while buying candy and cigarettes. Back then, UST had not implemented its smoke-free policy yet.
She would also sell flowers during Valentine’s Day, getting her bundle of long-stemmed roses from her husband who worked in a flower shop.
Hemlines and environment-friendly rules were not the only ones tweaked over time. Lilia also modified her goods, subtracting flowers from what she sells.
The rise of the flowers’ prices and the death of her husband from diabetes seven years ago caused Lilia to drop the buds that once adorned her wooden box.
“(His death) was a big detriment to the family. But the money I earn from selling candy is enough. When I have extra income, I buy a piece of clothing or two,” she said.
Due to Dapitan’s heavy floods, there are also times that her earnings are a few bucks short. When the street transforms into a river as it accumulates rain water, no one can buy candy from her because most of her customers are stranded. As a result, she would just leave early.
When it is not raining heavily, she just wields her umbrella to shield herself and her goods from getting wet.
“We can’t do anything about the rain so I just make up for the amount that I lost on the next day,” she said.
On that particular Saturday that I talked to her, however, the air was hot enough to drain all the liquids from one’s body. I wondered how she could tolerate sitting still for hours with that temperature.
“I’m used to the heat. I just always keep a fan handy,” she said as she offered me her fan.
Not letting the opportunity slip by without having experienced what it feels like to be in her shoes, I asked Lilia if I could take over her post for a while.
At first, I was excited to sell candy but apparently, the students trust only the real keeper of treats.
In between my conversation with Lilia, students would buy candy but would not give me their money, handing it to Lilia instead. She would then look at me behind her black-rimmed glasses, amused.
For the next few customers I made a point of opening my palms before them while asking politely, “Ano ‘yon?”
The ones who always bought candy from Lilia ignored my question, picked a few pieces of their favorites and just tossed their coins into the container. In the past, some students even would drop dollar coins instead of peso coins into the container, much to her surprise.
As the minutes passed, I could not help but ask her if she ever got tired and thought about quitting her job.
“I never thought about quitting because selling candy is my life. Besides, I am happy whenever people pass by my stall,” she said.
For the past three decades, Lilia, indeed, has seen thousands of faces of passersby and still continues to see hundreds of new faces everyday. She has witnessed the boys and girls, who were then college students, become men and women who become successful in their respective fields.
Every now and then, they still make it a point to buy candy from Lilia whenever they come to the University. Who knows? The ones who bought candy during my brief moment with Lilia might be the next lawyers, doctors, and professors that Lilia would be pointing to in the near future as she says, “That person used to buy candy from me!”
Revisiting history could be an exhausting walk down memory lane. But for Lilia Pedrialva, the only way to appreciate the beauty of the past is to take it sitting down, literally.
At 55, UST’s resident “candy lady” for over three decades now not only sells sweets from her wooden rectangular box. She’s also a silent and patient listener of stories by young Thomasians who stop by her space near the Dapitan gate even for a while.
Lilia, who started selling candy at the age of 25, in the same corner was perched on her stool, when I chanced upon her on the humid afternoon of July 6. True enough, she was surrounded by candies.
Every few minutes, students would stop by the shaded entrance to drop a few coins into the plastic container on the upper left corner of her box in exchange for a handful of sweets.
“I initially thought about selling candy because it fitted my capital,” she said.
Ironically, the Willy Wonka female incarnate does not have a sweet tooth.
“I don’t like sweets that much. I just chew on some gum when I have nothing else to do,” she said.
Before she became a mainstay at the Dapitan gate, one of her friends, who also sold candy inside the campus, encouraged her to sell flowers along the UST rear entrance. That same friend, whose husband worked at UST, helped her obtain a permit allowing her to run her business inside the grounds.
During that time, the massive gate in front of the central library was the only entrance to UST along the Dapitan strip. It was where Lilia first marked her spot. Students often visited her stall and chatted with her while buying candy.
“There was time to talk back then because there was a lot of space by that gate. Here, we do not get to talk too much anymore,” she said, pertaining to the cramped gateway where her stall is now situated.
From her post by the entrance across MiniStop, Lilia has been a silent observer to the events that were marked on the University’s records. She could attest that, unlike the violent rallies of the Marcos era, the rallies held inside the University were “organized and solemn.” She also had a ticket to see Pope John Paul II when the late Pontiff visited UST in 1981 but she forfeited her chance since classes were suspended during that day.
Lilia has also witnessed changes in the University and in the former students who came back as professors.
When she first sold candies in UST, the female students of the colleges of Medicine and Commerce donned shorter skirts than the ones worn by the students today. Lilia would be reminded of her teenage years when she looked at the maidens as they passed by her stall.
She became closer to the boys of that generation though since they also ranted to her about their professors and lessons while buying candy and cigarettes. Back then, UST had not implemented its smoke-free policy yet.
She would also sell flowers during Valentine’s Day, getting her bundle of long-stemmed roses from her husband who worked in a flower shop.
Hemlines and environment-friendly rules were not the only ones tweaked over time. Lilia also modified her goods, subtracting flowers from what she sells.
The rise of the flowers’ prices and the death of her husband from diabetes seven years ago caused Lilia to drop the buds that once adorned her wooden box.
“(His death) was a big detriment to the family. But the money I earn from selling candy is enough. When I have extra income, I buy a piece of clothing or two,” she said.
Due to Dapitan’s heavy floods, there are also times that her earnings are a few bucks short. When the street transforms into a river as it accumulates rain water, no one can buy candy from her because most of her customers are stranded. As a result, she would just leave early.
When it is not raining heavily, she just wields her umbrella to shield herself and her goods from getting wet.
“We can’t do anything about the rain so I just make up for the amount that I lost on the next day,” she said.
On that particular Saturday that I talked to her, however, the air was hot enough to drain all the liquids from one’s body. I wondered how she could tolerate sitting still for hours with that temperature.
“I’m used to the heat. I just always keep a fan handy,” she said as she offered me her fan.
Not letting the opportunity slip by without having experienced what it feels like to be in her shoes, I asked Lilia if I could take over her post for a while.
At first, I was excited to sell candy but apparently, the students trust only the real keeper of treats.
In between my conversation with Lilia, students would buy candy but would not give me their money, handing it to Lilia instead. She would then look at me behind her black-rimmed glasses, amused.
For the next few customers I made a point of opening my palms before them while asking politely, “Ano ‘yon?”
The ones who always bought candy from Lilia ignored my question, picked a few pieces of their favorites and just tossed their coins into the container. In the past, some students even would drop dollar coins instead of peso coins into the container, much to her surprise.
As the minutes passed, I could not help but ask her if she ever got tired and thought about quitting her job.
“I never thought about quitting because selling candy is my life. Besides, I am happy whenever people pass by my stall,” she said.
For the past three decades, Lilia, indeed, has seen thousands of faces of passersby and still continues to see hundreds of new faces everyday. She has witnessed the boys and girls, who were then college students, become men and women who become successful in their respective fields.
Every now and then, they still make it a point to buy candy from Lilia whenever they come to the University. Who knows? The ones who bought candy during my brief moment with Lilia might be the next lawyers, doctors, and professors that Lilia would be pointing to in the near future as she says, “That person used to buy candy from me!”
Ang buhay-sining ni Teo Antonio
(published in the November 21, 2007 issue of The Varsitarian)
MAGKAKAIBA subalit magkakahalintulad. Sa mga salitang ito maaaring mailarawan ang pagpasok ng makatang si Teo Antonio sa mga larangan ng pagpipinta at panulaan. Aniya, dahil magkakahalintulad ang mga nababasa niyang istilo sa sining at panitikan, kapwa niya nabigyang ng pansin ang parehong larangan.
“’Yung pag-aaral ko ng fine arts at pagbabasa ko ng movement ng art, pareho rin sa panitikan, (kaya) parehong kilusan. Ginagamit diyan ang surrealism at mga symbolism kaya nagtugma ang aking pag-aaral ng fine arts at panitikan,” ani Antonio.
Pagbabago ng landas
Subalit bago magsimulang humabi ng berso si Antonio, una niyang pinangarap ang maging isang pintor. Paliwanag niya, hindi niya napagpasiyahang sundan kaagad ang yapak ng kaniyang ama na si Emilio Mar. Antonio, ang tinaguriang “Hari ng Balagtasan” sa Bulacan noong dekada 50. Sa halip, ninais niyang tularan ang tiyuhin niyang pintor. Kaya noong 1964, pumasok siya sa Unibersidad upang kumuha ng kursong Advertising sa dating College of Architecture and Fine Arts.
“Nagsusulat na ako noon pero hindi pa seryoso. Pangarap ko talagang maging pintor,” ani Antonio. “Hindi naman kami mayaman kaya ang kinuha ko, Fine Arts major in Advertising. Matapos ka man o hindi, mapupunta ka (rin naman) sa advertising,” dagdag niya.
Habang siya ay nag-aaral, naranasan din ni Antonio ang buhay ng isang working student nang maging draftsman siya sa Manila City Hall. Umangat naman ang kaniyang posisyon sa pagiging building operator nang matapos niya ang pag-aaral sa Unidersidad.
Subalit napilitang huminto si Antonio sa pag-aaral, isang semestre na lamang bago ang kaniyang pagtatapos, nang magkasakit ang kaniyang ama at kinailangan niya itong alagaan.
Muling bumalik sa pag-aaral si Antonio noong 1970. Ayon sa kaniya, nais niyang kumuha ng kursong Political Science sa University of the East subalit napilitan siyang talikuran ito nang ideklara ang Batas Militar. Sa halip, kumuha na lamang siya ng AB Filipino sa nasabing unibersidad na, aniya, ang siyang naging daan upang talikuran niya ang pagpipinta at tahakin muli ang landas patungo sa pagiging isang manunulat.
Impluwensiyang modernista
Ayon kay Antonio, isa sa mga nagtulak sa kaniya upang muling magsulat ng tula ay ang pagbabasa niya sa mga pitak ni Virgilio Almario sa pahayagang The Weekly hinggil sa pagsusuring pampanitikan at pati na rin sa mga tula ni Alejandro Abadilla, ang kinikilalang “ama ng modernismong panulaan sa Tagalog.”
Aniya, “Dahil sa kakabasa ko (ng mga pagsusuri at tulang ito) naimpluwensyahan ako ng kanilang kilusang nagtataguyod sa modernong panulaan. Dati kasi sukat at tugma lang (ang namamayani rito, subalit) ngayon naging moderno na rin ang panulaang Pilipino.”
Paglalahad pa ni Antonio na sa kaniyang pagbabasa kina Abadilla at Almario, naimpluwensyahan din siyang basahin ang mga isinalin na tula ng mga Europeyong makata gaya nina Federico Garcia Lorca ng Espanya at Salvatore Quasimodo ng Italya.
Paglingon sa tradisyon
Bagaman lumaki si Antonio sa panahong namamayani ang tradisyonal na pananaw hinggil sa panulaan, naniniwala siyang kailangan din matutunan ng isang makata ang mga makabagong istilo sa panulaan. Aniya, dito nasusukat ang husay niya sa pagsusulat ng tula.
“Kailangang marunong ka sa lahat kapag manunulat ka at dapat pag-aralan mo ang lahat ng istilo (para magawa ito).”
Subalit idinaing niya na hindi katulad sa ibang bansa, mabagal ang naging pagtanggap sa modernistang panulaan sa Pilipinas dahil na rin sa aniya’y malakas na impluwensiya ng tradisyunal na panulaan sa mga mambabasa.
Gayumpaman, naniniwala pa rin si Antonio na kinakailangan munang mahubog ang isang makata sa mga tradisyonal na tuntunin sa pagsulat ng tula. Paliwanag niya, pangunahing pagsasanay ito upang maging maingat ang makata sa kanyang pananaludtod. Ginawa niyang halimbawa ang pagsusulat ng tanaga, isang uri ng tulang Tagalog na may apat na taludtod at pitong pantig naman sa bawat taludtod.
Sa pamamagitan ng pagtalima sa tradisyunal at pagtangkilik sa modernismo nabigyang papuri ang mga akda ni Antonio. Nagwagi na siya sa mga patimpalak gaya ng Centennial Literary Prize noong 1998 para sa epikong ”Piping Dilat” na patungkol sa buhay ng peryodistang-bayani na si Marcelo del Pilar. Nakuha rin ni Antonio ang karangalang-banggit sa Talaang Ginto ng Surian ng Wikang Pambansa noong 1969, bukod pa sa kanyang pagwawagi sa National Book Awards noong 1982, 1991 at 1992. Inimbitahan din siya noong 1996 sa isang poetry reading sa Malaysia na kung saan kanyang binigkas ang tula niyang “Ang Presidente.” At noong 2002 naman, iginawad sa kaniya ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) ang Gawad Alagad ni Balagtas bilang pagkilala sa kanyang naging ambag sa panulaang Filipino.
Mababakas naman ang ganitong istilo sa mga linya mula sa tulang “Airbrush” kung saan mapapansin ang kanyang paggamit ng mga simpleng salita:“Dahil moderno na ang teknolohiya/ sa larangan ng potograpiya;/ kahit kasama ka sa retrato/ madaling mabubura ang mukha mo.
Tungkulin ng makata
Naniniwala naman si Antonio na isa ring tungkulin ng makata ang mailarawan ang mga karaniwang pangyayari na may malalim na epekto sa buhay ng mga tao. Para sa kanya, nagdudulot ito ng malalim na pag-unawa hinggil sa kabuluhan ng pang-araw-araw na gawain.
“Makikita mo sa mga tula ko ‘yung mga nangyayari sa lipunan. May tungkol sa OFW, may tungkol sa manggagawa, may tungkol sa kabayanihan ng mga ordinaryong bagay (ang mga tulang ito) na nagbibigay ng insight sa kahalagahan ng tao at pagkatao ng tao,” ani ng makata.
Matapos ang halos apat na dekada sa panulaan, patuloy pa rin si Antonio sa paglinang ng mga berso. Ayon sa kaniya, dulot ito ng kanyang pagnanais na makahikayat pa ng marami pang taong upang magsulat ng tula sa wikang Filipino.
“Kailangang ipagpatuloy ang pagsusulat ng tula dahil ang tribong ‘yan, pakaunti na ng pakaunti,” paliwanag ni Antonio.
Sa kasalukuyan, abala si Antonio sa pagtatapos ng dalawang koleksyon ng mga tula na kung saan ang isa ay epikong patungkol sa labanang naganap sa Bulacan sa pagitan ng mga Katipunero at mga Kastila. Bukod pa rito, nagbibigay rin siya ng panayam sa mga guro at mag-aaral ng iba’t-ibang paaralan tungkol sa panitikan at wikang Filipino.
Naipakita ni Teo Antonio na sa anumang uri ng sining, mahalaga ang pagsubok sa iba’t ibang istilo at paraan upang manatiling sariwa ang diwa sa pagpahayag ng mga saloobin.
MAGKAKAIBA subalit magkakahalintulad. Sa mga salitang ito maaaring mailarawan ang pagpasok ng makatang si Teo Antonio sa mga larangan ng pagpipinta at panulaan. Aniya, dahil magkakahalintulad ang mga nababasa niyang istilo sa sining at panitikan, kapwa niya nabigyang ng pansin ang parehong larangan.
“’Yung pag-aaral ko ng fine arts at pagbabasa ko ng movement ng art, pareho rin sa panitikan, (kaya) parehong kilusan. Ginagamit diyan ang surrealism at mga symbolism kaya nagtugma ang aking pag-aaral ng fine arts at panitikan,” ani Antonio.
Pagbabago ng landas
Subalit bago magsimulang humabi ng berso si Antonio, una niyang pinangarap ang maging isang pintor. Paliwanag niya, hindi niya napagpasiyahang sundan kaagad ang yapak ng kaniyang ama na si Emilio Mar. Antonio, ang tinaguriang “Hari ng Balagtasan” sa Bulacan noong dekada 50. Sa halip, ninais niyang tularan ang tiyuhin niyang pintor. Kaya noong 1964, pumasok siya sa Unibersidad upang kumuha ng kursong Advertising sa dating College of Architecture and Fine Arts.
“Nagsusulat na ako noon pero hindi pa seryoso. Pangarap ko talagang maging pintor,” ani Antonio. “Hindi naman kami mayaman kaya ang kinuha ko, Fine Arts major in Advertising. Matapos ka man o hindi, mapupunta ka (rin naman) sa advertising,” dagdag niya.
Habang siya ay nag-aaral, naranasan din ni Antonio ang buhay ng isang working student nang maging draftsman siya sa Manila City Hall. Umangat naman ang kaniyang posisyon sa pagiging building operator nang matapos niya ang pag-aaral sa Unidersidad.
Subalit napilitang huminto si Antonio sa pag-aaral, isang semestre na lamang bago ang kaniyang pagtatapos, nang magkasakit ang kaniyang ama at kinailangan niya itong alagaan.
Muling bumalik sa pag-aaral si Antonio noong 1970. Ayon sa kaniya, nais niyang kumuha ng kursong Political Science sa University of the East subalit napilitan siyang talikuran ito nang ideklara ang Batas Militar. Sa halip, kumuha na lamang siya ng AB Filipino sa nasabing unibersidad na, aniya, ang siyang naging daan upang talikuran niya ang pagpipinta at tahakin muli ang landas patungo sa pagiging isang manunulat.
Impluwensiyang modernista
Ayon kay Antonio, isa sa mga nagtulak sa kaniya upang muling magsulat ng tula ay ang pagbabasa niya sa mga pitak ni Virgilio Almario sa pahayagang The Weekly hinggil sa pagsusuring pampanitikan at pati na rin sa mga tula ni Alejandro Abadilla, ang kinikilalang “ama ng modernismong panulaan sa Tagalog.”
Aniya, “Dahil sa kakabasa ko (ng mga pagsusuri at tulang ito) naimpluwensyahan ako ng kanilang kilusang nagtataguyod sa modernong panulaan. Dati kasi sukat at tugma lang (ang namamayani rito, subalit) ngayon naging moderno na rin ang panulaang Pilipino.”
Paglalahad pa ni Antonio na sa kaniyang pagbabasa kina Abadilla at Almario, naimpluwensyahan din siyang basahin ang mga isinalin na tula ng mga Europeyong makata gaya nina Federico Garcia Lorca ng Espanya at Salvatore Quasimodo ng Italya.
Paglingon sa tradisyon
Bagaman lumaki si Antonio sa panahong namamayani ang tradisyonal na pananaw hinggil sa panulaan, naniniwala siyang kailangan din matutunan ng isang makata ang mga makabagong istilo sa panulaan. Aniya, dito nasusukat ang husay niya sa pagsusulat ng tula.
“Kailangang marunong ka sa lahat kapag manunulat ka at dapat pag-aralan mo ang lahat ng istilo (para magawa ito).”
Subalit idinaing niya na hindi katulad sa ibang bansa, mabagal ang naging pagtanggap sa modernistang panulaan sa Pilipinas dahil na rin sa aniya’y malakas na impluwensiya ng tradisyunal na panulaan sa mga mambabasa.
Gayumpaman, naniniwala pa rin si Antonio na kinakailangan munang mahubog ang isang makata sa mga tradisyonal na tuntunin sa pagsulat ng tula. Paliwanag niya, pangunahing pagsasanay ito upang maging maingat ang makata sa kanyang pananaludtod. Ginawa niyang halimbawa ang pagsusulat ng tanaga, isang uri ng tulang Tagalog na may apat na taludtod at pitong pantig naman sa bawat taludtod.
Sa pamamagitan ng pagtalima sa tradisyunal at pagtangkilik sa modernismo nabigyang papuri ang mga akda ni Antonio. Nagwagi na siya sa mga patimpalak gaya ng Centennial Literary Prize noong 1998 para sa epikong ”Piping Dilat” na patungkol sa buhay ng peryodistang-bayani na si Marcelo del Pilar. Nakuha rin ni Antonio ang karangalang-banggit sa Talaang Ginto ng Surian ng Wikang Pambansa noong 1969, bukod pa sa kanyang pagwawagi sa National Book Awards noong 1982, 1991 at 1992. Inimbitahan din siya noong 1996 sa isang poetry reading sa Malaysia na kung saan kanyang binigkas ang tula niyang “Ang Presidente.” At noong 2002 naman, iginawad sa kaniya ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) ang Gawad Alagad ni Balagtas bilang pagkilala sa kanyang naging ambag sa panulaang Filipino.
Mababakas naman ang ganitong istilo sa mga linya mula sa tulang “Airbrush” kung saan mapapansin ang kanyang paggamit ng mga simpleng salita:“Dahil moderno na ang teknolohiya/ sa larangan ng potograpiya;/ kahit kasama ka sa retrato/ madaling mabubura ang mukha mo.
Tungkulin ng makata
Naniniwala naman si Antonio na isa ring tungkulin ng makata ang mailarawan ang mga karaniwang pangyayari na may malalim na epekto sa buhay ng mga tao. Para sa kanya, nagdudulot ito ng malalim na pag-unawa hinggil sa kabuluhan ng pang-araw-araw na gawain.
“Makikita mo sa mga tula ko ‘yung mga nangyayari sa lipunan. May tungkol sa OFW, may tungkol sa manggagawa, may tungkol sa kabayanihan ng mga ordinaryong bagay (ang mga tulang ito) na nagbibigay ng insight sa kahalagahan ng tao at pagkatao ng tao,” ani ng makata.
Matapos ang halos apat na dekada sa panulaan, patuloy pa rin si Antonio sa paglinang ng mga berso. Ayon sa kaniya, dulot ito ng kanyang pagnanais na makahikayat pa ng marami pang taong upang magsulat ng tula sa wikang Filipino.
“Kailangang ipagpatuloy ang pagsusulat ng tula dahil ang tribong ‘yan, pakaunti na ng pakaunti,” paliwanag ni Antonio.
Sa kasalukuyan, abala si Antonio sa pagtatapos ng dalawang koleksyon ng mga tula na kung saan ang isa ay epikong patungkol sa labanang naganap sa Bulacan sa pagitan ng mga Katipunero at mga Kastila. Bukod pa rito, nagbibigay rin siya ng panayam sa mga guro at mag-aaral ng iba’t-ibang paaralan tungkol sa panitikan at wikang Filipino.
Naipakita ni Teo Antonio na sa anumang uri ng sining, mahalaga ang pagsubok sa iba’t ibang istilo at paraan upang manatiling sariwa ang diwa sa pagpahayag ng mga saloobin.
Sa likod ng karaniwang buhay (Suring-basa: Buhay-Pinoy ni Fanny Garcia)
(published in the September 26, 2007 issue of The Varsitarian)
MAY NATATAGONG kuwento sa likod ng bawat mukha ng Pilipino, anuman ang panahong kaniyang pinanggalingan, tanyag man siya o karaniwan.
Sa Buhay Pinoy (UST Publishing House, 2007), isang kalipunan ng mga artikulong naisulat noong dekada 70, sinisikap ni Fanny Garcia na isalaysay ang buhay at saloobin ng mga Pilipino na hindi madalas naitatampok sa mga babasahin ng mga panahong iyon. Unang isinulat ni Garcia, isang premyadong manunulat at propesor ng Filipino sa De La Salle University, ang mga artikulo para sa seksiyong ”Taong-Bayan” ng magasing Sagisag. Ginamit niya rito ang estilong “modern journalism” na kung saan pinaghahalo ang estilo sa pamamahayag at pampanitikang naratibo.
Nahahati ang libro sa dalawang bahagi. Nakalaan sa unang bahagi ang pagtalakay sa buhay ng mga ordinaryong Pilipinong may makukulay na pagkatao at karanasan. Halimbawa nito ang “Mariang Hilot” na kung saan isinasalaysay ang patuloy na pagsunod ng isang hilot sa mga tradisyonal na paraan ng pagpapaanak at panggagamot. Bunga ito ng paniniwala ng hilot sa talentong namana raw niya mula pa sa kaniyang lola at ang kaniyang paniniwalang higit na mainam ang panghihilot kaysa mga makabagong teknolohiya at kaalaman sa medisina
Makikita rin ang kapangyarihan ng tradisyon sa “Sa Bayan ng mga Panata” kung saan inilalahad ang kuwento ni Mang Akin at ang kanyang pananalig sa penitensya. Ayon sa kaniya, naniniwala siya na gagaling ang anumang sakit niya o ng kaniyang pamilya kung mangangako siyang magpapasan ng krus tuwing Biyernes Santo. Paliwanag naman ni Garcia ukol dito, “Ayon sa kanilang paniniwala, may isang Diyos na didinig sa kanilang paghingi ng kalinga, kapalit ang pagsugat at pagpapahirap sa kanilang katawan.”
Inilarawan naman sa “Hospicio de San Jose” at “Mga Labi ng Panahon” ang kalagayan ng mga sanggol, bata, at matatanda na iniiwan ng kanilang mga kamag-anak sa mga bahay-ampunan. Ipinakita rin sa mga artikulong ito kung paano pinangangalagaan ang mga naulila at iniwan sa ampunan at sa bahay ng matatanda.
Itinatampok naman sa mga artikulong “Paglilibing sa Luntiang Bukid,” “Batilyo… Batilyo,” at “Buhay-Peryante” ang buhay ng mga magsasaka at manggagawa at paano sila naaapektuhan ng ilang proyekto ng gobyerno. Isang halimbawa mga ito ang pagkawasak sa mga bukirin ng mga magsasaka sa Sapang Palay, Bulacan dahil sa proyektong pabahay ng gobyerno para sa mga residente na mula sa Kamaynilaan. Dahil dito, nawalan din ng kita ang mga magsasaka sapagkat hindi na nila naisalba ang lupang kinatatamnan ng mga palay.
Itinatampok naman sa ikalawang bahagi ng libro ang mga personalidad na nag-iwan ng tatak sa kasaysayan ng bansa, tulad nina Lino Brocka at Victor Wood na nakatulong sa pagpapayabong ng industriya ng pelikula at musika ng Pilipinas.
Mahihinuha sa pakikipagpanayam ni Garcia sa namayapa nang si Jaime Cardinal Sin ang ugat ng kaniyang pakikisangkot sa politika. Tinalakay sa artikulong “(Kontrobersyal) Cardinal Sin” ang pagkakaibigan ng dating arsobispo ng Maynila kay Corazon Aquino at ang pananaw ng nauna hinggil sa pagpapanatili ng mga base militar.
Kabilang rin sa mga piling artikulo sa mga personalidad na napasama sa libro ang tungkol sa buhay sa hard court ng Tomasinong basketbolista na si William “Bogs” Adornado kung saan binigyang-pansin ang pagpapakumbaba niya sa paglalaro.
Gayunpaman, minumulat ng Buhay Pinoy ang mga mambabasa na sa kabila ng paglipas ng mga dekada, hindi pa rin nagbabago ang kaugalian ng mga Pilipino. Tanging mga pangalan ng tao at lugar lamang ang nag-iiba.
MAY NATATAGONG kuwento sa likod ng bawat mukha ng Pilipino, anuman ang panahong kaniyang pinanggalingan, tanyag man siya o karaniwan.
Sa Buhay Pinoy (UST Publishing House, 2007), isang kalipunan ng mga artikulong naisulat noong dekada 70, sinisikap ni Fanny Garcia na isalaysay ang buhay at saloobin ng mga Pilipino na hindi madalas naitatampok sa mga babasahin ng mga panahong iyon. Unang isinulat ni Garcia, isang premyadong manunulat at propesor ng Filipino sa De La Salle University, ang mga artikulo para sa seksiyong ”Taong-Bayan” ng magasing Sagisag. Ginamit niya rito ang estilong “modern journalism” na kung saan pinaghahalo ang estilo sa pamamahayag at pampanitikang naratibo.
Nahahati ang libro sa dalawang bahagi. Nakalaan sa unang bahagi ang pagtalakay sa buhay ng mga ordinaryong Pilipinong may makukulay na pagkatao at karanasan. Halimbawa nito ang “Mariang Hilot” na kung saan isinasalaysay ang patuloy na pagsunod ng isang hilot sa mga tradisyonal na paraan ng pagpapaanak at panggagamot. Bunga ito ng paniniwala ng hilot sa talentong namana raw niya mula pa sa kaniyang lola at ang kaniyang paniniwalang higit na mainam ang panghihilot kaysa mga makabagong teknolohiya at kaalaman sa medisina
Makikita rin ang kapangyarihan ng tradisyon sa “Sa Bayan ng mga Panata” kung saan inilalahad ang kuwento ni Mang Akin at ang kanyang pananalig sa penitensya. Ayon sa kaniya, naniniwala siya na gagaling ang anumang sakit niya o ng kaniyang pamilya kung mangangako siyang magpapasan ng krus tuwing Biyernes Santo. Paliwanag naman ni Garcia ukol dito, “Ayon sa kanilang paniniwala, may isang Diyos na didinig sa kanilang paghingi ng kalinga, kapalit ang pagsugat at pagpapahirap sa kanilang katawan.”
Inilarawan naman sa “Hospicio de San Jose” at “Mga Labi ng Panahon” ang kalagayan ng mga sanggol, bata, at matatanda na iniiwan ng kanilang mga kamag-anak sa mga bahay-ampunan. Ipinakita rin sa mga artikulong ito kung paano pinangangalagaan ang mga naulila at iniwan sa ampunan at sa bahay ng matatanda.
Itinatampok naman sa mga artikulong “Paglilibing sa Luntiang Bukid,” “Batilyo… Batilyo,” at “Buhay-Peryante” ang buhay ng mga magsasaka at manggagawa at paano sila naaapektuhan ng ilang proyekto ng gobyerno. Isang halimbawa mga ito ang pagkawasak sa mga bukirin ng mga magsasaka sa Sapang Palay, Bulacan dahil sa proyektong pabahay ng gobyerno para sa mga residente na mula sa Kamaynilaan. Dahil dito, nawalan din ng kita ang mga magsasaka sapagkat hindi na nila naisalba ang lupang kinatatamnan ng mga palay.
Itinatampok naman sa ikalawang bahagi ng libro ang mga personalidad na nag-iwan ng tatak sa kasaysayan ng bansa, tulad nina Lino Brocka at Victor Wood na nakatulong sa pagpapayabong ng industriya ng pelikula at musika ng Pilipinas.
Mahihinuha sa pakikipagpanayam ni Garcia sa namayapa nang si Jaime Cardinal Sin ang ugat ng kaniyang pakikisangkot sa politika. Tinalakay sa artikulong “(Kontrobersyal) Cardinal Sin” ang pagkakaibigan ng dating arsobispo ng Maynila kay Corazon Aquino at ang pananaw ng nauna hinggil sa pagpapanatili ng mga base militar.
Kabilang rin sa mga piling artikulo sa mga personalidad na napasama sa libro ang tungkol sa buhay sa hard court ng Tomasinong basketbolista na si William “Bogs” Adornado kung saan binigyang-pansin ang pagpapakumbaba niya sa paglalaro.
Gayunpaman, minumulat ng Buhay Pinoy ang mga mambabasa na sa kabila ng paglipas ng mga dekada, hindi pa rin nagbabago ang kaugalian ng mga Pilipino. Tanging mga pangalan ng tao at lugar lamang ang nag-iiba.
Maka-Pilipino ba ang programa ni Kuya?
(published in the May 30, 2007 issue of The Varsitarian)
MULA nang ipalabas ang Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) noong 2005, maraming mga Pilipinong manonood ang sumusubaybay sa buhay ng 12 kalahok na tumitira sa isang bahay sa loob ng 100 araw. Ngayong nasa ikalawang serye na ang tinatawag na “teleserye ng totoong buhay,” masasabi bang umaangkop nga ang palabas na hinango sa kanluraning konsepto sa kulturang Pilipino?
Unang lumabas ang Big Brother sa Netherlands noong 1999. Sa pamamagitan ng mga kamera, napapanood ng bawat tagasubaybay ang kanilang mga ginagawa at pinag-uusapan. Sa huling linggo ng pagpapalabas nito, bumoboto ang mga manonood sa pagitan ng apat na natirang kalahok, kung saan makakatanggap ang mananalo ng humigit-kumulang sa P6,000,000 premyo.
Hango sa nobelang 1984 ni George Orwell, nakikita ng pinunong tinatawag na “Big Brother” o “Kuya” ang lahat ng mga nangyayari sa isang pamayanan kung kaya may mga mga kamera ang bawat sulok ng bahay ng PBB. Kinuhang konsepto ng palabas ang hindi pagtago ng anuman ng mga housemates kay Kuya, mula sa mga pisikal na gawain gaya ng paggamit ng palikuran hanggang sa pagbubunyag ng mga saloobin ng mga kalahok gamit ang confession room.
Itinuturing na kontra sa karapatang pantao ang kawalan ng privacy ng mga kalahok at sa pagiging konserbatibo ng karamihan sa mga Pilipino. Bagaman mahilig ang mga Pilipinong pag-usapan ang mga personal na buhay ng iba, mahalaga pa rin sa atin ang privacy. Kabilang sa maliit na grupo ng mga liberal na Pilipino na handang “ipakita sa mundo” ang kani-kanilang mga buhay ang mga housemates na hindi talaga kumakatawan sa karamihan ng mga Pilipinong konserbatibo. Kaya nga pagiging “liberal” sa maraming bagay ang ilan sa mga tinatanong sa mga aplikanteng gustong makasama sa palabas.
Marami ring pinapagawa sa mga housemates na hindi naman kailangang gawin sa totoong buhay, tulad ng hindi pagbabawas sa loob ng ilang araw ng mga kalahok sa kasalukuyang serye.
Ayon na rin sa isang kalahok ng PBB Teen Edition na si Mike Lee, sa isang panayam sa Manila Standard Today, hindi totoong “teleserye ng totoong buhay” ang PBB. “Kailangang umarte ang mga kalahok sa paraang gusto ni Kuya o ng manonood,” aniya.
Marami ring eksena ang masamang halimbawa sa mga batang nanonood, lalo na kung hindi naipapaliwanag ng mga magulang sa kanilang mga anak ang ganitong mga eksena at situwasyon. Kasama dito ang eksena ng paghahalikan at sabay na pagligo ng magkasinatahang housemates. Hindi malayong isipin ng mga bata na karaniwang nangyayari sa buhay ang mga ginagawa ng mga housemates at maaari rin nila itong gawin. Sa katunayan, isinuspinde ng Movie and Television Review Classification Board (MTRCB) noong 2005 ang pagpapalabas ng programa ng isang araw dahil sa pagpapakita nito ng mga maseselang eksena.
Ayon sa grupong Pro-Life Philippines sa unang serye ng PBB, “hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ilang gawain dahil hindi mag-asawa ang mga kalahok, at dahil dito nababaliwala ang relasyon ng dalawang taong kasal sa isa’t isa.”
Dagdag pa nila, nagbibigay ang palabas ng maling pagtingin sa mga kabataan hinggil sa sekswalidad. Halimbawa nito ang isang episode na kung saan pinag-usapan ng mga kalahok ang pambabaeng contraceptives at mga unang karanasan sa pakikipagtalik.
Ganoon din ang pagpapahayag ng pagmamahal ng isang lalaking kalahok sa kasama niyang babae kahit na may naiwang relasyon ang una sa labas. Nararapat bang mula sa isang palabas matutunan ng mga batang Pilipino ang tungkol sa mga bagay na ito?
Samantala, may ginagawa naman sa PBB na nagpapakita ng mga aral ng Pilipino na wala sa bersyon ng Big Brother sa ibang bansa. Kasama na ang pagkakaroon ng prayer room, pagdiriwang ng misa tuwing Linggo, at taimtim na pagdaraos ng Mahal na Araw na pinapakita ng pananampalataya sa kanilang buhay bilang mga Pilipino.
Makakatulong sa pagiging maka-Pilipino ang palabas kung magkakaroon pa ng masusing pagsusuri ng mga eksena bagi ito ipalabas at tanggalin ang ilang mga maseselang bahagi. Isaalang-alang sana ng mga taong nangangasiwa sa pagpapalabas ng PBB ang kanilang mga manonood dahil hindi angkop ang ilang mga aspekto nito sa kultura at sa mga tinuturing na kagandahang asal ng mga Pilipino.
MULA nang ipalabas ang Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) noong 2005, maraming mga Pilipinong manonood ang sumusubaybay sa buhay ng 12 kalahok na tumitira sa isang bahay sa loob ng 100 araw. Ngayong nasa ikalawang serye na ang tinatawag na “teleserye ng totoong buhay,” masasabi bang umaangkop nga ang palabas na hinango sa kanluraning konsepto sa kulturang Pilipino?
Unang lumabas ang Big Brother sa Netherlands noong 1999. Sa pamamagitan ng mga kamera, napapanood ng bawat tagasubaybay ang kanilang mga ginagawa at pinag-uusapan. Sa huling linggo ng pagpapalabas nito, bumoboto ang mga manonood sa pagitan ng apat na natirang kalahok, kung saan makakatanggap ang mananalo ng humigit-kumulang sa P6,000,000 premyo.
Hango sa nobelang 1984 ni George Orwell, nakikita ng pinunong tinatawag na “Big Brother” o “Kuya” ang lahat ng mga nangyayari sa isang pamayanan kung kaya may mga mga kamera ang bawat sulok ng bahay ng PBB. Kinuhang konsepto ng palabas ang hindi pagtago ng anuman ng mga housemates kay Kuya, mula sa mga pisikal na gawain gaya ng paggamit ng palikuran hanggang sa pagbubunyag ng mga saloobin ng mga kalahok gamit ang confession room.
Itinuturing na kontra sa karapatang pantao ang kawalan ng privacy ng mga kalahok at sa pagiging konserbatibo ng karamihan sa mga Pilipino. Bagaman mahilig ang mga Pilipinong pag-usapan ang mga personal na buhay ng iba, mahalaga pa rin sa atin ang privacy. Kabilang sa maliit na grupo ng mga liberal na Pilipino na handang “ipakita sa mundo” ang kani-kanilang mga buhay ang mga housemates na hindi talaga kumakatawan sa karamihan ng mga Pilipinong konserbatibo. Kaya nga pagiging “liberal” sa maraming bagay ang ilan sa mga tinatanong sa mga aplikanteng gustong makasama sa palabas.
Marami ring pinapagawa sa mga housemates na hindi naman kailangang gawin sa totoong buhay, tulad ng hindi pagbabawas sa loob ng ilang araw ng mga kalahok sa kasalukuyang serye.
Ayon na rin sa isang kalahok ng PBB Teen Edition na si Mike Lee, sa isang panayam sa Manila Standard Today, hindi totoong “teleserye ng totoong buhay” ang PBB. “Kailangang umarte ang mga kalahok sa paraang gusto ni Kuya o ng manonood,” aniya.
Marami ring eksena ang masamang halimbawa sa mga batang nanonood, lalo na kung hindi naipapaliwanag ng mga magulang sa kanilang mga anak ang ganitong mga eksena at situwasyon. Kasama dito ang eksena ng paghahalikan at sabay na pagligo ng magkasinatahang housemates. Hindi malayong isipin ng mga bata na karaniwang nangyayari sa buhay ang mga ginagawa ng mga housemates at maaari rin nila itong gawin. Sa katunayan, isinuspinde ng Movie and Television Review Classification Board (MTRCB) noong 2005 ang pagpapalabas ng programa ng isang araw dahil sa pagpapakita nito ng mga maseselang eksena.
Ayon sa grupong Pro-Life Philippines sa unang serye ng PBB, “hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ilang gawain dahil hindi mag-asawa ang mga kalahok, at dahil dito nababaliwala ang relasyon ng dalawang taong kasal sa isa’t isa.”
Dagdag pa nila, nagbibigay ang palabas ng maling pagtingin sa mga kabataan hinggil sa sekswalidad. Halimbawa nito ang isang episode na kung saan pinag-usapan ng mga kalahok ang pambabaeng contraceptives at mga unang karanasan sa pakikipagtalik.
Ganoon din ang pagpapahayag ng pagmamahal ng isang lalaking kalahok sa kasama niyang babae kahit na may naiwang relasyon ang una sa labas. Nararapat bang mula sa isang palabas matutunan ng mga batang Pilipino ang tungkol sa mga bagay na ito?
Samantala, may ginagawa naman sa PBB na nagpapakita ng mga aral ng Pilipino na wala sa bersyon ng Big Brother sa ibang bansa. Kasama na ang pagkakaroon ng prayer room, pagdiriwang ng misa tuwing Linggo, at taimtim na pagdaraos ng Mahal na Araw na pinapakita ng pananampalataya sa kanilang buhay bilang mga Pilipino.
Makakatulong sa pagiging maka-Pilipino ang palabas kung magkakaroon pa ng masusing pagsusuri ng mga eksena bagi ito ipalabas at tanggalin ang ilang mga maseselang bahagi. Isaalang-alang sana ng mga taong nangangasiwa sa pagpapalabas ng PBB ang kanilang mga manonood dahil hindi angkop ang ilang mga aspekto nito sa kultura at sa mga tinuturing na kagandahang asal ng mga Pilipino.
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