Papogi: The Imaging of Philippine Presidents (2004, Butch Perez)

Electioneering in the Philippines has been mostly about politicians projecting the right images to the people. As such, image makers are an important part of any politician’s campaign team. They recycle potent images that have been instrumental in getting votes in the past. A look at the current campaign tactics of presidential candidates reveal that they heeded valuable lessons from the 2004 documentary of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

Papogi deals with successful presidential campaigns and identifies several Presidents who have captivated the public. Manuel Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos, and Joseph Estrada are among the more astute politicians who have dazzled masses with their charisma and mastery of mass media.

Presidents in the limelight

The film suggests that Manuel Quezon is still the epitome of a person who fits perfectly the role of a President. Dashing, mestizo, and good-looking, he exudes oozing confidence in his regal poses for photographs. He instilled national pride by saying he preferred a chaotic government run by Filipinos rather than an efficient government run by Americans. He can easily converse with Americans and the Filipino masses. An iconic image of Quezon planting rice in a field was copied by succeeding presidents. It is a powerful image showing a ‘down-to-earth’ President stooping down to provide the needs of the people.

Long before Nora Aunor broke the stranglehold of mestiza stars in the showbiz scene, Ramon Magsaysay broke the streak of mestizo presidents. He projected himself as the ‘man of the masses.’ His campaign jingle Mambo Magsaysay brought a tinge of showbiz to the presidential race. If Quezon harped on the idea that the Filipinos are equal to Americans, Magsaysay reminded the masa or Filipino masses that they are equal to Filipino elites. A memorable image is that of hordes of people trooping to Malacañang Palace after Magsaysay opened it to the public. It prefigures the countless fans flocking to theaters showing movies of Aunor.

The handlers of Ferdinand Marcos took notice of Filipinos’ love for movies. They created the film Iginuhit ng Tadhana. It told the story of a brilliant lawyer acquitted of murder. Marcos was an excellent demagogue but it was his partnership with beautiful Imelda Romualdez that catapulted him to the country’s top office. If showbiz has Guy & Pip, the world of politics has Ferdie & Meldy.

In 1998, the worlds of politics and showbiz became aligned with the election of Joseph Estrada as president. A key movie of Estrada is Sa Kuko Ng Agila. This film depicts the Filipinos’ fight against the military bases of the United States. When the bases were kicked out of the country in 1991, Estrada and 11 other senators were hailed as heroes. Estrada won as vice president in the 1992 elections. After six years, his celebrity friends such as Fernando Poe Jr. helped him win the presidential race.

Lessons from the past

Presidential candidates still use celebrities and entertainment to boost their chances of winning. A desperate Dick Gordon appeared in an entertaining viral video with the Moymoy Palaboy duo. Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar have their separate groups of star supporters.

The Villar camp knows the value of courting female voters. In mid 1980s, Cory Aquino was belittled as a mere housewife. Women came out in droves to vote for her. Two decades later, Villar selected Loren Legarda as his running mate and chose 5 women in his senate slate.

The charisma of Ramon Magsaysay is the one thing pursued by current presidential candidates. Gilbert Teodoro took on the nickname Gibo to make him more accessible to the masses. Two candidates, Villar and Estrada, both run on pro-poor platforms.

Sincerity is the key

An advertising expert featured in the 2004 documentary enumerated three things that people look for in a candidate. These are platform, track record, and sincerity. Most candidates have similar platforms so the important things to scrutinize are their track records and sincerity.

The camp of Ferdinand Marcos harped on the lack of experience of Cory Aquino. The handlers of the latter emphasize her lack of experience in graft and corruption. This is also the tack used by her son, Noynoy Aquino. In his nine years as congressman and three years as Senator, Aquino failed to pass a major law. His opponents hardly touch on this issue because he might as well emphasize his lack of involvement in political scandals. In a television advertisement, he says ‘hindi ako magnanakaw.’ Is he sincere? Is he sincere in giving up Hacienda Luisita to the farmers?

Truth telling becomes an issue. Manny Villar’s story about being poor backfired on him. What is his definition of being poor? If he or his siblings experienced being hungry for a day, then he was definitely poor. Both of his parents worked so it is unlikely that the Villar family was dirt poor.

Wooing of voters

Voters are bombarded by images of ‘caring and good-looking’ presidential candidates. They need to go beyond the Facebook-persona of the candidates. They should stop being disarmed by flashy, charming ‘suitors.’ All they need to ask is ‘mahal ba ako ng taong ito?’ Is s/he sincere in professing love for the people (and the country)?

Huwag iboto ang isang kandidato dahil lang pogi/maganda siya o mukhang mabait. Baka pang-Facebook lang ang mga imahe. Alamin din kung tunay na may pagtingin itong taong ito. Iniidolo mo at mahal mo nga siya ng labis-labis pero mahal ka ba niya?

Iboto ang kandidatong nagmamahal (at magmamahal) sa ‘yo at sa bayan.

Photo credit

Basura (2009, Hiroshi Shinomiya)

‘Wala pa ring pagbabago. Marami pa rin ang namumulot ng basura para mabuhay,’ remarked Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Shinomiya during an open forum on the documentary Basura. His disturbing film puts real faces to the issues of poverty and hunger in the Philippines. The heart-wrenching scenes include girl prostitutes waiting for clients at Avenida, young boys fighting for position atop a mound of trash, a distraught mother mulling her health care bills, and a cute baby’s face covered with flies.

In 1989, Shinomiya worked on a documentary dealing with poor families scavenging in the Smokey Mountain dumpsite in Manila. His subjects were the Paz family and the Pascual family. The film was titled Scavengers: Forgotten Children and released in 1995.

Twelve years later, Shinomiya came back to the Philippines and re-traced the lives of the two families. The film Basura initially shows some good news. The Smokey Mountain dumpsite was closed down in the mid-1990s. The family of Christina Paz lives in a modestly-furnished unit at a government housing project. Her husband JR works at a junk shop. Their three female children diligently go to school. But, when Christina became pregnant and attempted to abort her child, things turn bad. When she gave birth, her baby had to undergo several tests. The mother and infant had to stay for a while at the hospital. Their hospital bill has risen so high her husband had to take out loans. The family members went back to scavenging at the Aroma dumpsite in Manila.

The Pascual family also had their share of bad luck. The 61-year old Illuminada says that she has lost 5 children. Three children died and 2 remained missing. She lives with her unemployed daughter Naty in a ramshackle hut in the middle of a farm in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. She works as a househelp, which earns her 80 pesos a day. She still cannot get over the death of Emong. Her son allegedly committed suicide inside a jail.

Lack of health care insurance and lack of access to legal help are just some of the countless problems faced by the marginalized poor in large cities. The children's dream of finishing school go down the drain due to lack of money. Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that the number of poor Filipinos – living on a little less than 42 pesos a day – rose to 27.6 million in 2006 from 25.5 million in 2001.

Director Shinomiya, fluent in the Filipino language, also noted that as long as the feudal system is dominant in the country, poor people will continue trooping to metropolitan cities because farming benefits mostly the landowners. He remarked that the Philippine government is not wealthy enough to provide the needs of the poor. He made the documentary with the goal of getting help from fellow Japanese. Through volunteers and cash donations, he established the Basura Foundation, which is managed by Christina Paz. The foundation does its own share of alleviating poverty and hunger at the Aroma dumpsite. Happy ending?

The film ends with a shot of a young kid scavenging through the sea of trash. Will he/she be able to earn enough money to buy a meal?

Panudlak (2008, Ray Defante Gibraltar)

VSO Bahaginan has been affecting lives of poor people around the world via its corps of volunteers. These change warriors share their knowledge and skills in order to alleviate poverty in their assigned areas. The inspiring stories of two volunteers are depicted in the docu-fiction Panudlak.

Volunteers are portrayed as sowers of hope. The documentary juxtaposed volunteerism with the Panudlak rituals in the Visayas. Farmers adhere to age-old planting traditions and rites to ensure good harvest. VSO Bahaginan also aspires for fruitful placements of members. The non-governmental organization mobilizes efficient and effective professionals and assigns them to their rightful volunteer positions.

When the group started looking for filmmakers, director Ray Gibraltar volunteered (but, of course!) and was sent to Cambodia to document the experiences of two Filipino professionals, Debbie Santentes and Manuel Reyes. Santentes works as a district education adviser, while Reyes is an organization and project management adviser.

Homesickness and isolation are the major concerns of the two Filipinos. Each of them works alone as sole Filipino volunteer in their respective district. However, their loneliness, doubts, and fears vanish every time they see their projects come to fruition. A well-stocked library, a piggery business, and a water treatment system are just some of the valuable projects that make a big difference in the lives of impoverished people in Cambodia.

The psychological insights of Katrin de Guia serve as a nice overview of why Filipino volunteers adapt so well in other countries. Their sense of kapwa makes them empathetic to the needs of downtrodden people. The feeling of pakiramdam helps the volunteers gauge when to join a group or how to blend in with the community.

Almost an hour in length, the documentary should have been pruned down. There are repetitive scenes dealing with the projects. Then there are the scenes that linger on such as the farewell and last day of Santentes. I don’t know if it is really intended but the erratic editing gives the viewers a detached view of the two volunteers. It is not entirely a bad thing because the focus shifts towards the development projects, which are the fruits of the volunteers’ sacrifices.

The documentary gives a no-frills portrait of how ordinary people can make a big difference. Every development initiative, no matter how small, is a big step toward making the world a little less unfortunate and a little less troubling. To learn more about the VSO Bahaginan, visit http://www.vsobahaginan.org.ph/

The Last Journey of Ninoy (2009, Jun Reyes)

A co-production of the Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Foundation and Unitel Productions, this wonderful docu-drama takes a look at the last nine days of Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr. It chronicles his last day in Boston, Massachusetts until his fateful return to the Philippines on August 21, 1983. Interspersed with the running account of Ninoy's trip back home is an inspiring tale of the late senator's spiritual journey. How Ninoy overcame adversities and vicissitudes in his latter years is an inspiration and source of hope for downtrodden people.

Ninoy was a jolly, extrovert person who loved crowds. His political star shone early in Tarlac. In 1967, the 35-year old Ninoy ran for and won a seat in the Senate. A fearless and risk-taking politician, Ninoy took on the task of exposing the abuses and crimes of his Upsilon Sigma Phi brother, President Ferdinand Marcos. When Marcos declared martial law in September 1972, Ninoy and most of the opposition figures were sent to jail. Ninoy vowed to helped restore democracy.

A bittersweet recollection dealt with the visit of Cory Aquino and her children to Ninoy at a military camp in Laur, Nueva Ecija. The usually jovial Ninoy was now a sobbing man holding on to his pants. He was full of emotions because of his unexpected meeting with family members. He had given up hope of ever seeing them again. Three of his daughters were also crying. He was ashamed because here he was crying his hearts out while Cory did not shed a tear at all. Little did Ninoy knew that Cory was given a tranquilizer shot that numbed her feelings.

A sprinkling of delicious humor spiced up the documentary. If you've ever marvelled at the glib of tongue of Kris Aquino, then you'll be impressed more with the sense of humor and public speaking skills of her father, Ninoy. He truly loved giving speeches. He can easily crack funny jokes about his experiences in a military camp or at a hospital. He can shift from English to Filipino in a flash.

The docu-drama utilized restored videos, photos, and interviews with the late Senator Ninoy and the late President Cory. Among the most memorable vignettes were those prophetic interview with Ninoy at the Grand Hotel in Taipei and the hunger strike incident. There were some recreated scenes depicting the last days of Ninoy. Several of the latter scenes looked like commercials for a telephone company.

One of the most valuable lessons from the documentary is that things happen for a reason. The 7 years and 7 months-long incarceration of Ninoy brought him closer to God and his family. The hunger strike incident made him realized that the Filipinos are worth living for. The wonderful 3 years of family bonding in Boston, Massachusetts rejuvenated his love for his country and fellow Filipinos.

All these things and more prepared Ninoy to undertake the fateful journey back home. Watching Ninoy coolly describe what will happen to him in a few hours sends chills to the bones. His peaceful demeanor at the China Airlines jet is an amazing sight. He had really made peace with himself and his Creator. An assassin's bullet interrupted Ninoy's mission of restoring democracy. However, his death sparked three years of protests and rallies that culminated in the Edsa People Power Revolution of 1986. Marcos and his family was exiled to Hawaii. Thus begin, the journey of Cory as President of the Philippines.

Lupang Hinarang (work-in-progress, Ditsi Carolino)

Lupang Hinarang, a two-part documentary, is a gripping and highly-educational look at the volatile issue of agrarian reform in the Philippines. Two decades of land reform program resulted in the distribution of only 20% of privately owned agricultural lands to farmers. As long as landlords and corporations take a vise hold grip on their lands, farmers will fight for their rights.

The first part deals with the decade-long struggle over a 144-hectare land at Hacienda Velez-Malaga in Negros Occidental. The family of Roberto Cuenca attempts to gain back ownership of the land. A total of 122 farmers, armed with certificates of land ownership award, are staking their claim on the land. Their attempts are always met with harassment and violence.

A terrifying moment occurred early in the documentary. Farmers take cover in their hastily-made pits as they avoid bullets fired by security guards employed by Cuenca. The murder of farmer beneficiary Pepito Santillan convinces the farmers to employ a new tactic in their battle against a formidable foe with powerful connections. Bobby, son of Roberto Cuenca, is (was?) married to Bianca, daughter of Representative Ignacio ‘Iggy’ Arroyo.

The farmers take their battle to Metro Manila. Eighteen farmers participate in a hunger strike at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) central office near the Quezon Memorial Circle. I remember seeing the Task Force Mapalad signs. I pass by the farmers' picket line every day on my way to work. I saw the streamers asking for the resignation of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman. But, never did I imagine that more than a dozen peasants were undergoing hunger strike at the cramp area.

A deluge of supporters visit the picket line to bolster the spirit of the farmers. A hunger strike icon, Ka Rene Peñas of Bukidnon, praises them and calls them heroes. Some members of the House of Representatives express their support for the farmers’ cause. For 29 days, the farmers subsisted only on liters of water. Victory came with DAR’s order for their immediate installation on the hacienda.

The first segment of the documentary ran the gamut of emotions. There is terror (bullying by goons), sadness (writing of last will), joy (receiving of Holy Communion), happiness (victory dance) and relief (installation of farmers). Even though the farmers got to occupy their land, the minions of Cuenca still continue to wreak havoc. Two of the hunger strike participants were fatally gunned down while trying to cultivate their land.

The second part documents the steps taken by 55 farmers from Sumilao, Bukidnon in their two-month odyssey to Malacañang Palace. I marveled at the camerawork of Carolino. She was marching along with the Higaonon farmers but the resulting footages were not jerky and dizzying. A comic moment deals with efforts of farmers to cool off their testicles.

A front-page coverage of the 1,770 kilometer march brought the issue to national consciousness. San Miguel Corporation decided to give back the 144-hectare land to the farmers. The success of the farmers was made possible with the support of religious people, news media, lawyers, and ordinary people.

The Cinemalaya 2009 showing of the documentary was one of the best viewing experiences I had at the film festival. The amazing documentary is still a work in progress. Some recent news, good and bad, had not been included in the Cinemalaya 2009 version. The June 5, 2009 murder of Ka Rene Peñas was not mentioned in the documentary. Ka Rene was the leader of the Sumilao farmers.

The best news so far is the signing into law of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms bill. The law extends the land reform program for five more years. The next step is to ensure the law is fully implemented. I hope we will not see again the irony of farmers reminding lawmakers what the law is all about.