The Boy Who Stutters

“Islam is not only a religion but a way of life.” Such statement is manifested by Muslims in their culture where sciences and arts play important roles as to examine the extent of the said religion to be more than what people perceive Islam to be. This is the same religion that marked a significant part in the history of the country – from its indoctrination to the southern natives to its struggle against the colonialism. In the contemporary times, the religion and its followers still encounter multitude of issues concerning primarily the social, cultural, and political dimensions they encompass. The so-called “Moro problem” does not only reflect the matters of the Muslim people within themselves but more importantly the multidimensional system problem that significantly involve politics, culture, as well as history and economy. Given the problematic situation, Muslim arts present and represent organized manifestations which explain the ideological rationale for the cause and effect of...

On the 47th Martial Law anniversary, the University of the Philippines had a weeklong activities to “commemorate and honor the memory of the University’s best and brightest who struggled against dictatorship and despotism”. I was able to attend two events: a film screening of Liway and a forum on Media, Martial Law, and Human Rights in Cine Adarna. Both opened my eyes to the political climate of that historical period in our country. The former uses the audio-visual medium to expose and enlighten people about the subject, while the latter utilizes verbal interaction to illuminate audiences. Such programs do not only help the community to remember but also prevent the mistakes of the past transpiring again. Film, as one of the prominent media, is able to deliver an experience that transcends other forms as it does not only display moving and sound pictures. For one, Liway carries a strong narrative about the grimes and terror inflicted during the Marcos regime and his martia...

The problem with the past is that no one can relive it. It was the present before it turns into a memory. However we live life, time will show that our memory can only hold much remembrance. The knowledge of the past can sometimes transform inaction to action, shift powerful to powerless, and change innocence to ignorance. Learning and studying the past, no matter how terrible or rewarding, shapes the minds of today. The subtleties and intricacies of events have its way to make simple narrative complex, and complicated story basic. Clearly, there are different treatment and approaches to perceive and consume such; but I learned that people make history and history makes people. The History of the Philippines is yet to be filled with completeness, only if that is the case. I realized that theories were only formulated over time and such are yet to fill the gaps of the past. From the emergence of man to establishing societies, all aspects of life has its own history. Our country, wi...

They say, “Promises are meant to be broken”; I say – that shouldn’t be the case when the people’s lives and the nation’s future are at stake. The power of promises and such declaration is extremely misused for personal and selfish interest of politicians running for office. History proves that they have utilized rhetoric speeches in order to convince, or to put it bluntly – to lure the electorate or all the people who have the power to vote in an election. We should learn from this and begin making these politicians accountable for their broken and false promises by suing them for non-fulfillment of platforms which they officially declared during campaigns. “If elected president, give me about three to six months, I will get rid of corruption, drugs and criminality,”  sounds familiar? Can we say that 16 million Filipinos fell for this? We can only guess, right? Politicians can give strong words as much as they wish, from promising changes to ambitious projects that really cli...

Sa ikalawang semester ng akademikong taong 2018-2019, inihandog ng UP Cinema ang isang Alternative Class Learning Experience (ACLE) na pinamagatang “PORN-Nyetang Kahirapan: A Critical Discussion on Poverty Porn in Philippine Independent Cinema” . Sa pangunguna ni Ginoong Ed Cabagnot bilang tagapagsalita, isa sa mga haligi ng film festivals sa ating bansa, tinalakay ang mga konsepto ng porn , poverty , at pelikula.  Sinimulan niya sa pagtatanong sa madla ng aming konsepto ng porn . Karamihan sa mga tugon ay may kinalaman sa sekswal na kalikasan; para kay G. Cabagnot, ang porn ay isang mapagsamantalang paggamit sa makamundong pagnanais ng mga tao o base sa tao – lalo na ng target audience . Tinuloy niya sa depenisyon ng poverty-porn bilang tema ng pelikula. Ito raw ay naglalarawan sa malungkot na kondisyon ng pamumuhay sa isang lipunan na ginagalawan. Mayroong kaisipan na ang mas nakakaawa na kalagayan ay mas kaakit-akit sa mga dayuhan na manonood ng pelikula. Dagdag pa ni ...

To me,  You're confused, I know. You don't know what's ahead of you even people almost always hint it for you. You don’t think you’re the best and let me tell you that that’s right! You are never the best. Maybe in your batch but in reality, outside, you’re definitely not. This is not to say you’re not good. You are good, but please do better. you’d need it, believe me. You got to do more as early as you read this. But I know you believe that ‘it’s your life, your choice, your decision, your loss, and your gain.’ You are right. Your life will absolutely become what you make it. Let me take this opportunity to advise you these things: -          You soon will love someone you never thought you would, but you will anyway. Don’t fuck that up. -          You soon will leave your friends and family, but that’s okay because it would be worth it! -         ...

“Don’t fix the broken, you’ll end up the same way.” “I’m not fixing you. I actually like you, the way you are.” Guess what! I have been on both spectra. At times, I wasn’t sure whether I said that or I was the one who replied. Being single this year has placed me in passiveness, but that doesn’t mean I never became active. I tried. I surely tried. I partly regret some people for I neglected them, or they neglected me that’s why I regret them now. It’s shameful to admit that either is almost always the case. This is the third year-ender entry since the inception of this blog and it is getting more personal.  Just a disclaimer.  My head aches. Last year I wrote about heartaches and asked ‘who has a heart that doesn’t ache?’ I guess our heads are no better bearer. What’s worse - being emotionally bruised or physically scarred? I realized pain is still compared even the agony is shared. My head aches and my eyes have no tears to shed. Don’t make me count t...

SYNOPSIS “The story of Ray Kroc, a salesman who turned two brothers' innovative fast-food eatery, McDonald's, into the biggest restaurant business in the world, with a combination of ambition, persistence, and ruthlessness” (IMDb). The Founder is a 2016 biopic film directed by John Lee Hancock, written by Robert Siegel, and starred Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, and Laura Dern; which is based on a true story of how a man gained supremacy in the food industry. The film highlights business principles, personal integrity, and success through wealth as its themes while being a sight of wonder as a motion picture. CONTENT OF THE FILM TACKLED Starting as a salesman, Ray Kroc travels from state to state to offer and market supposedly useful products by Prince Castle but always gets rejected or ignored. Receiving a call of six orders of his 5-spindle milkshake maker, he thought it was a mistake until he finally called the customer to clear the said order whic...

"The film is open for interpretation, but i don't owe you any explanation." displays a disclaimer before the movie started. It was necessary after all, you'd realize, as the film concludes. If any, Ariel was conscious that it may be problematic and his film IS indeed problematic. Kings of Reality Shows is the first reality movie in the Philippines that documents Ariel and Maverick’s journey to the US 10 years ago while they were trying to audition for American Idol Season 7. Since the film was canned, Ariel picked up the story where it left off and proceeded to write his true-to-life story. ( Philstar ) Ariel Villasanta persevered to obtain the film rights from GMA films even at the expense of mortgaging his own house. With the help also from his friends - his contemporaries, celebrities, and politicians, he earned the support and received pledges to finally show the movie to the big screen. He doesn't want to have 'regrets'. That's the basi...

Too normal yet resounding, personal but all-encompassing. The statement lies in the subtlety of multiple narratives ingrained in each character and their connection that makes up the film. "Nakakapagod ba akong alagaan?" "Kung alam mo lang."   Sila-Sila (The Same People) is a story of several people. They say it's not a ghost story but a ghosting story. Oh, the nuances indeed. The nuances are paradoxically easy to feel. Regardless of your gender or sexual orientation, you would feel the intimacy, the agony, the desire, the silent but loud feelings. Even the awkwardness, tension, the push and pull drive of the impulse, Gab (Gio Gahol) embodies such persona which displays a conflicted mind and heart. As the story makes someone at his 30s, who is confronted by his personal baggage of the past, the central character, the people that implicated him with happiness and heartbreaks have respective responsibilities and motivations that help him ease that bagga...

Samuel Jackson. Emily Blunt. Bruce Willis. James Earl Jones. King George VI. Who would have guessed that they were and still are stutterers? They make it appear so easy but these people share that common experience. For someone who stutters like me, having these personalities eases the burden of anxiety and hopelessness. If they can do it, so can we! Have you met someone who stutters or stammers? Someone who repeats words he just said. Someone who seems to have a hard time pronouncing the next syllable. Someone who sounds longer than he should. Generally, all people stammer. You may have not noticed it when you were speaking over the phone; you repeat words unconsciously. You may have not noticed it when you were feeling something; you prolong sounds in your breath. You may or may not have noticed these manifestations yourself, regardless, it does not mean you also have the condition. The difference between you and me is that I struggle while you don’t. I entered college and ...

Hindi na laro ang paggamit ng mga salita. Alam ko ang galak kapag ang dulo ay magkatugma. Subalit hindi lang dapat panay tunog at emosyon ang mangingibabaw sa bawat linya. Nasaan ang loob at isip, lalo na ang itinatagong politika? Madaling magsulat, sabi ng isang manunulat. Pero kung ano ang isusulat, ayun ang mahirap. Laging tugma ang nakaraan, hindi ba nakakasawa? Laging may tanong, e paano hindi alam ang sagot. Kaya siguro tanong nang tanong – umaasa na makakakuha ng sagot sa mga salitang idinurugtong. Laging ganito nalang ba? Nagsusulat dahil maraming papel, ideya, pag-ibig, at sakit? Ano pa nga ba ang gagawin sa papel na naghihintay malapatan ng tinta, sa ideyang nais mabuhay sa salita, sa pag-ibig na hindi binalik at ipinadama, at sa sakit na hindi na pwedeng itago pa? Bakit ka matatakot magsulat? Bakit ka matatakot magsulat kung ang paglimot ay mas madali pala? Magsulat ka dahil alam mong kahit walang makaalala ay mababawasan ang pasan ng balikat. Walang dahilan para matakot...

Hindi madaling maging payat. Puno ng inggit ang loob kapag ang mata ay nakaramdam ng malusog. Kapag naman ang bibig ay nakakita ng maganda - magandang damit sa magandang katawan at magandang katawan sa magandang mukha, ang isip ay nakakaamoy ng hiya. Baligtad. Hindi ba? Nakakapagtaka na nakakaramdam ang mata ng inggit, nakakakita ang bibig ng mabuti, at nakakaamoy ang isip ng pangamba. Nawala na yata ang tiwala sa sarili o pag-asa ba. Nakakapagod kasing magutom. Hindi nakakapagod ang kumain.  Baligtad.  o Tama? Kumain daw nang marami - tanging solusyon sa hindi pantay-pantay na disposisyon.  Payat kasi hindi kumakain. Kumakain kasi may pangkain. May pangkain kaso tamad kaya raw payat. Halata ang pribilehiyo ng maykaya  sa may pag-asa. Halata rin ang kawalang gana ng sistema sa sistema ng baguhin ang nakasanayan na pagpapalipas, pagtitiis, at pagkaka-kabusog.  Sinuka ang pagkain; sumuka ng wala. Pagkagasing sa umaga ay tubig ang naging...

Balita ko, hindi ka na raw nagsusulat. Bakit? Hindi pa naman ubos ang tinta ng iyong panulat Nasaan na ang iyong mga salita? Hindi ba kailangan mo ito para sabihin ang mga hindi mabigkas ng bibig. Tumigil ka na. Tumigil ka na ba? Balita ko hindi ka na raw nagsusulat. Bakit? Hindi pa naman ubos ang ideya sa mundo. Nasaan na yung galit sa iyong dibdib? Hindi ba ayaw mong maipon ito dahil hindi sapat ang loob para magtiis? Mukhang nagpatawad ka na. Nagpatawad ka nga ba? Balita ko hindi ka na raw nagsusulat. Bakit? Hindi pa naman ubos ang pag-ibig sa puso. Nasaan na yung mga sakit na iyong kinikimkim? Hindi ba gusto mo ang pakiramdam ng may naisusulat. Tila masaya ka na. Malaya ka ba? Hindi ka na nagsusulat. Marami kang papel pero nawala ang iyong panulat. Hindi mo naman winala pero naligaw ito sa daming gustong tiyakin. Nag-iisa ka pero hindi mo alam ang tatahakin. Baka 'yon ang problema. Mahirap tiyakin ang daan kapag nag-iisa Wala kang kasamang maligaw...

Durog na Mani. Lord, gusto ko ‘yun! Madurog yung mani ko. From online short films to the big screen, Darryl Yap remained true to his craft as he tries to perpetuate his trademark. Long take. Obvious cuts. Lengthy monologues. If you consider yourself #normals or an avid viewer of VinCentiments , the official Facebook/YouTube platform of SAWAKAS SHORTS - A short film production headed by Darryl Yap (Writer, Director) and Vincent Asis (Cinematographer, Editor), then you must know that JOWABLE series with its million views is going to the cinema – not as a short film but a full-length movie on September 25! If you haven’t heard of VinCentiments or watched any of its shorts, Jowable is a Darryl Yap short film released on June 14, 2018, in its Facebook Page (with 9.4m views and 155k shares as of this writing) and on August 17, 2018, on YouTube. This short film eventually became a series with a total of 6 entries in its YouTube Playlist still garnering a significant volume of on...