Still Colors

Planting A Nation's History

2012-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

I find it hard lately to compose reaction papers for my subjects requiring such. Here for instance is a paper on my Sociology course tackling the the effect of history on one's nationhood as well as a documentary of Veronica Pedrosa entitled 'Imelda and Me'. In this paper I somehow found a way to write down my ideas easier as I related the history to a plant which health depends largely on its natural environment. I just want to share my insights regarding the subject.

The manner by which history is planted within a nation matters a lot on how the nation survives in the future. If history be planted on dry soil, then it shall be provided with enough loam and fertilizers in order for it to survive its crucial years wherein it starts to bud out and be seen from the ground. In this way the plant develops roots that anchor well to the earth, making it strong enough to withstand strong winds in the future.

The so-called culture of impunity that prevails in the Filipino culture allows perpetrators of crime, corruption and violence, especially those seated in power, to remain buried deep into the soil like rocks that hinders the plant from developing a strong foundation through its roots. This culture of impunity allows people of power to manipulate, or even conceal, their hideous acts. History is therefore veiled from the masses. If such are taken out of sight from the public, taking note the quote from Santayana stating that being unable to remember the past leads to its recurrence, the civil society fails to see and realize things that from which they should have learned their lessons and from which they could have prevented such through, say, not re-electing these people back to their seats or refusing to abide by the rules imposed by these perpetrators for their own selfish favor. The re-election of the Marcoses back into power, eventhough not as influential as their former rank in the country’s system, demonstrates how people forget, or looking on a more excusable term, forgive what the Marcoses had done to them in the past. Similar luck was earned by the mercenaries at the time of Marcoses, as what Joel Lamangan shared, that until now they remained unconvicted of their abuse of power. They were even unshaken from their seats and promoted to higher ranks. Thus, the tradition of political and social abuse continues and is even passed on to their predecessors.

History could not be taken for granted as if happens per se, for each event that happens can be linked to another event which had happened earlier. It occurs as if each event is shackled with the other, therefore creating a chain. If one shackle of this chain is not taken care of, then it develops rust. If one shackle has rust, then we can expect that the proceeding shackles will be rusted, too, making the chain easier to break. What happens when history is detached from the present is that we loose control of the future. Failure to put lawbreakers into conviction does not only allows the continuance of lawbreaking but also further opens up more lawbreaking incidence in the country. The tolerance of the people of Maguindanao to the Ampatuans’ dynasty allowed the occurrence of the worst killing of journalists in the world, with the Ampatuans even thinking at the time of the killings that they can get away from doing such gruesome act. Whether or not these offenders of the law would suffer the requisites of their crime and whether or not such horrible event in history will be repeated in our country, no one knows.

If a nation’s history be planted well and be nourished continuously even by the time it reaches its maturity, then the people can expect abundant fruits from it. That is, if a nation’s history is not kept away from the people but instead premeditated and studied in preparation of future events that the country would face.

Veronica Pedrosa’s documentary can be considered a work of critical history for it associates two similar events in history. Similar in a way that both were orchestrated by abuse of power and greed of money, and that both resulted in the loss of lives. On the level of the personal the documentary serves a clear illustration of how the Marcos administration were able to completely change the lives of many people, in this instance, the life of Pedrosa when her family were sent into exile simply because Imelda Marcoses was not happy about what Pedrosa’s mother wrote about her. The documentary was able to show at first hand how the families of the victims of the Ampatuan massacre felt when they arrive at the site where the crime was carried out. It also served as an enlightenment from which the society can learn what kind of ruling system existed during the Marcos regime and before the Ampatuans were exposed in the media considering the story of a witness on how he describes how such crime was planned over a family dinner.

President Benigno Aquino III declared in his July 2010 SONA that the murderers of the Ampatuan massacre will be held accountable; yet until now the case has not been resolved and since the November 2009 incident six journalists have already been killed and even more are receiving death threats, assaults, and sues for libel in the weakest grounds. Why these events continue to take place is due to the fact that the perpetuators remain uncaught and that the truth is constantly hid from public scrutiny. If the masses are incessantly deprived of the truth then we can expect that history would fail to serve its purpose of upbringing the welfare of the Philippine nation.

here is a link of the video uploaded on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35zhnYbG3Ug http://youtu.be/35zhnYbG3Ug

Examining Philippine Traditional Art’s Imprints on Contemporary Art

2010-03-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

We Filipinos celebrate a rich and diverse culture; together with this, we also boast rich traditional art. It can be seen not only on the artifacts unearthed in different parts of our archipelago dated way back in the times of the Tabon men but also in present times. But there lies a big difference between the two contexts—the traditional art of our ancestors several decades or centuries ago, and the ‘traditional art’ of the present generation—as explained by Norma Respicio, research fellow of the Monbusho Japan Ministry of Education and professor in the University of the Philippines Dept. of Art Studies. The present art takes inspiration from, or even adapts to the form of the traditional art. Examples of these are the famous rattan backpacks which were adapted from the Cordilllera’s pasiking, a lunch container used in hunts and wars. The problem is that most, if not all, of the users of these products may no longer understand the original significance of the traditional art and that new meanings have even ascribed to it. Current users must have also been unaware of the history, character, and traditional value of the products.

This then is the challenge to contemporary artists and designers. They should bring back to life the dying essence of traditional art, that is, to make the people understand its context well and appreciate its real meanings, history, and importance not only to our ancestors but also to our own present ethnic groups. As Respicio stated, “traditional art is rooted in the people’s life… Being pro-people is having faith in the essence of traditional art which is the celebration of life.”

Respicio’s argument can be connected with that of Emmanuel Torres, English teacher at the Ateneo de Manila University and curator of Ateneo Art Gallery, which is to create an ASEAN mainstream of equal (or higher) rank or status with that of the West, by “studying native cultures, using native materials and processes, abstracting one’s art from the imagery, shapes, colors, textures, spaces, light and shadow of one’s own image-world”. It is evident that even up to this date where we are already free from the colonial powers, we are still under the capitalist ideology of the West that is based on domination and power. From the colonial times when priests ordered Filipino men to work for Church walls, retablos and paintings, to that of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion’s achievement as recipients of the top gold and silver medal, respectively, at the Madrid Fine Arts Exposition of 1884, to that of the PAG artists choosing to connect with the Western avant-garde, it becomes somehow apparent that a lot of artists have been under the Western ideologists, whether unconsciously or not. Worst, many of our artist’s ambition is winning an international recognition. Thus, the West preserves its domination over its former colonies, and the later having a blurred identity.

Torres convinces us to create our own mainstream, our own originality, where we can proudly stand up on our own and speak of our own true identity without having the worry and pressure to stay in sync with the standards dictated by the West. He sited different means to which we can achieve this. One example is installation art or site-specific works comprising multiple components of mixed media. Under that topic, Torres stated that postmodernism “affords a more flexible means of addressing ideas of national-cultural identity… it offers wider berth for vision and perception”. Exponents of this art development like Junyee, Alan Rivera and Cajipe-Endaya made use of indigenous art materials. Aside from that, they were also nationalistic in their militant stance against colonial mentality.

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, a multi-awarded printmaker and painter and a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines, extends Torres’ arguements by giving out strategies in her article, Creative Strategies for the Dynamic Development of Philippine Aesthetics. These strategies can be successful if we have a clear notion of our culture. Cajipe-Endaya spelled culture as the highest human need which “gives a people its dignity as human persons,” and that freedom of expression is a prerequisite of true culture. From that point, it is looked upon that art is the lighthouse of culture. Ten strategies were enumerated and were categorized into three namely, source inspiration, medium is message, and pedagogical strategies. These were envisioned within the context of both social influences and innate preconditions of the subconscious and are usually overlapped in art practice. Most of these strategies concerns the showcasing of our culture, ideals of the people itself, the current social conditions, use of indigenous materials, to name a few, which aims to course away from the ubiquitous Western influence, thus creating a firm consistent self-identity of ASEAN arts.

Terms of trends and styles

It is ostensible that the Philippines has never been left out in the current news when it comes to the latest updates in international or mainstream art. Especially in entertainment arts, the Filipino masses always get informed of the news. We know what those are, and some may even know how to do it but unfortunately, most of us do not have the means to produce or create it. We often lack the budget to afford the required instruments to accomplish such arts. An example of this is 3D film animation. If I were to compare our fantaseryes and movies such as Darna, Enteng Kabisote, and Pepeng Agimat to that of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, I would say that we are so seventies or sixties. Same as true to architecture. We have lots of brilliant architects here in our country. Even at the college level, students’ design showcase creativity and uniqueness equal to those international architectural firms. The only problem is that no one in our country can afford to invest on such structures. The result: box-type buildings.

Art in the everyday environment is seldom appreciated or even recognized by the masses. Due to the fact that a large fraction of the population lives on or below the poverty line, a lot of the people seem to focus on livelihood alone. When we say livelihood here in our country, art seldom comes to our mind. We often think of banking, business, agriculture and of course, politics. Exempted to that notion is the art which nowadays is frequently attached to politics—entertainment arts. Perhaps a lot of the common people think being an artista would make them a millionaire. Maybe we can thank Mr. Revilliame that if ever we ask a small girl walking along sidewalks of what she wants to become when she grow up, she’d most probably answer, “maging artista po”. Contrary to that, there would be a less probability that a kid will answer “maging skulptor” or “maging manghahabi ng tela” when asked the same question.

Filipinos are in fact one of the best and most creative artists. Given the opportunity to study and practice abroad they often emerge as one of the icons and leaders of their chosen fields. Excellent examples are Lea Salonga in entertainment arts/ musicals, Monique Lhuillier of fashion design, and Kenneth Cobonpue of furniture design. We just need more action from the government—the leaders and the people. It’s great that there are an increasing number of artists making use of indigenous materials in their design such as Kenneth Cobonpue’s use of rattan and bamboos in his furnitures, and Monique Lhuillier and other fashion designers’ use of pinya cloth.

I agree to Emmanuel Torres when he said, “one cannot discount the role national identity plays in the process of appropriation. Every country has one… even a long-colonized country like the Philippines”.

Postmodern climate

We can say that a lot of Philippine traditional art forms survived up to this date. To begin with, let us take a brief look at how traditional art influences Filipino products sold locally and also exported abroad. Bags such as the pasiking of the Cordilleras has gained popular use in urban areas because of its practicality as a bag for keeping delicate things; the material and form preventing the things inside the bag from being mashed when in jampacked places, say, the MRT during rush hours. The betel pouch used by the older people in the past is now used as a container for cellphones, wallets, and pens. Cordillera woven cloth has been a common material for shoulder bags, blankets and mattresses. Maranaw and Cordillera brightly colored belts are now seen as cellphone, camera and id straps and, as seatbelts. Mandaya dagmays and T’boli malak are used in high-fashion bags, shoes and other accessories.

Another interesting development is installation art where Filipino artists in this field have an advocacy in using indigenous materials. This form of art is likely to go beyond modernism due to its uniqueness apart from the past forms of art. But still, Philippine traditional art plays a big role in this art because of the latter form’s components’ use of indigenous materials, in the purpose of standing against the vestiges of colonial mentality.

According to Torres, “Manifestations of postmodernism do not occur only on mixed media assemblages and installations. They are also discernible in easel painting, as in the many splendored landscapes of Prudencio Lamarroza.” We can sometimes spot men selling beautiful landscape paintings along the streets. Artists of these paintings appear to follow Amorsolo’s style of depicting the rural sceneries. A lot of abstract expressionists and postmodernist painters nowadays take inspiration from the art of the Ifugaos and T’boli in weaving and pottery where belief of afterlife, gods and spirits, and nature are often used as the subject.

In architecture, not only do the traditional forms of houses but also the diverse traditional forms of dance, sculpture and weaving from different parts of the archipelago have been widely used as concepts and themes in design. A popular choice is the nipa hut where its practical but efficient layout of spaces is adapted in the design program of residential buildings. It has also become common for most hotel and resorts to use Ifugao and Mandaya woven mats, carpets and tablecloths in its interiors.

Yet, Philippine traditional art in today’s postmodern climate seem to be at risk of being taken for granted by the Filipino masses. The emergence of virtual technology such as PS3, iPods, and social networking sites to name a few, further contribute to the arts’ risk of being neglected. This is where the role of us artists, designers, advocates and patrons of arts enter. Not only should we utilize traditional art as an inspiration, concept or theme in our works but we should also always bear in mind that it is our job to preserve the Filipino culture, especially in these times when international standards are dictated by the Western culture and capitalist ideologies. The success in accomplishing all these therefore, is left to us—to our will and capacity to resist colonial mentality, to our love of country and most of all, to our creativity.

Credits:

Aesthetics in Philippine Traditional Arts: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE, by Norma A. Respicio

How To Create An ASEAN Mainstream, by Emmanuel Torres

Creative Strategies for the Dynamic Development of Philippine Aesthetics, by Imelda Cajipe Endaya

The Cross and The Rosary as Bridges Towards Harmony

2010-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Mama requested me to help her formulate a theme and write a message for this year's Santacruzan and Mayflower Festival in their church, St. Micheal the Archangel pastoral Station in Dagupan City... Well, I would also like to share to you what I thought about the issues of today concerning the Catholic Church and its community activities which I apprehended from several hours of meditation and after which I shared to Mama.. here it is:

“The Cross and the Rosary in Today’s Society:

Building bridges towards Love of Neighbor and Harmony”

Whenever we pray the rosary, we always start with the Cross, and end with the Cross. This is to remind us that we are praying, not to Mary alone, but to our Lord Most High through Mary. I would like to inform everyone that this year’s theme does not consider the Cross and the Rosary as two separate entities but as a single body—a body which, throughout the years, has always been with us, has always stayed in our side, and has numerous times helped us in our needs.

A lot of times have other people objected on our devotion to the Cross and the Rosary. Hundreds of issues have been raised against these. They question why we kept our devotion to the Cross whereas this was the reason of Christ’s passion. A lot even question the need and meaning of doing the Sign of the Cross. Some, hilarious as it is, claimed the Rosary as a pagan means of praising Mary. I assume that you already know the answers to these. The list of issues goes endless, but despite all these we remain faithful to our tradition for we know that the reason why they keep on bombarding malicious issues against the Cross and the Rosary is that these two have become a foundation for our faith. Who among us can imagine Christ on the Cross without Mary crying of unbearable pain and sorrow beside him? I hope that we will remain faithful to these traditions.

These last months we have seen how powerful typhoons, spearheaded by the unforgettable rage of Ondoy, are in devastating not only our houses and livelihood but also our national economy. At the same time, we also witnessed how the Filipino people’s well-preserved virtue of bayanihan overpowered the calamities and their effects. It may thus be concluded that a strong Republic does not only need intelligent leaders, but also strong harmony among its people. This can be traced back down to the strength of family ties, taking note the family as the most basic unit of the society.

But sometimes, time and place does not seem to give way for us. Honestly, there are times when we find trouble among some companions of ours which then make us feel lonely even in the presence of our families. We cannot also deny that many of us have relatives working abroad; distance then hinder us from maintaining a constant, intimate and close relationship with them. No matter how advance communication is nowadays, nothing still beats personal intimate communication especially among us, Filipinos. How many times have we felt solitary, anxious or bothered whenever we come to face dilemmas and unfamiliar problems in life. This is where Church activities enter. Let us take for example the importance of the Block Rosary to our community where we come to share our reflections on ourselves, and seek advice and interact with friends. If we have each other to remind us of God and our dearest Mother Mary, I believe that we can survive all problems which may come. Through the presence of our family and neighbors, we can surpass any setbacks that we encounter; not only once or twice but throughout this spiritual journey we simply call LIFE.

I want to remind everyone of Mary’s fourth promise to whoever recites the Rosary which I find very much applicable in present times: “It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, those souls would sanctify themselves by this means.”

Beauty and Mudness

2010-02-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

As usual, it was warm outside. Another Saturday morning in a semestral break I remember so well. With its unnerving ability to erase the passage of time, Pangasinan once again dissolved the days, months, and years that separated us. Waking in the familiar sweet breeze blowing from the Lingayen shore through the windows of my bedroom, I put on an old maong shorts and a brown shirt, wondering what Sary—my adventure-loving friend from Manila—had in store for me “up there in Bolinao”.

Bolinao is a town lying at the northwestern tip of Pangasinan. It boasts both lush forested mountains and white sand beaches. That day, Sary requested me to accompany her in taking pictures in the valley for her portfolio. She had visited the town twice for vacations; I had not been there before.

She soon scooped me up in her Pajero. Mang Danny, her guardian, was driving for her. The two of us were in the backseat and at the back compartment were stuff and gadgets she uses in photography. We drove west along the coast, first presided by dancing coconut and duhat trees, then by mighty mountains in their wet, green-to-brown glory. Entering the rolling landscape of Bolinao, the traffic narrowed into a single-file line; carabaos, rice fields, and fruit trees were replaced by Jolibees, and strips of market stalls selling piles of danggit, dilis, and assorted fruits and vegetables—we were in the town proper, Brgy. Poblacion. I squinted at the morning sun dazzling between the people busy of their daily trade.

We curved left onto the hiking site. Entering the Bolinao Hiking Camp and parking beneath an acasia tree, Sary got her Panasonic FX500 DLSR camera and back pack ready. Mang Danny and I went to the admin office to ask permission and meet the guide man, Mang Dinong. He was of the same age as Mang Danny, about 40-50years old, and displayed a friendly smile. The admin appointed him to us last week when we called them to set for us a schedule.

Mang Dinong stepped out into the forest on a narrow pathway. Sary and I followed, then Mang Danny. Bamboos and some unfamiliar trees broke the light above us into geometric shapes. We crossed one shallow stream, and then another one, both cold and ticklish around my feet. Sary walked ahead of me, her dark ponytail brushing the top of her back pack.

Turning a corner and descending a muddy slope, glittering poles of flowing water, just about 8-10ft. high, greeted us with their delicately soft voices. Rocks of varying sizes were on all sides. On the base was fresh, crystal-clear water swirling throughout the beds, onto a playful stream roughened by colorful stones. A lush wall of trees was around us and the mountains, as seen from where we were standing, were crowned with patches of clouds overhead.

I stopped for a moment, my eyes fixed on the waterfalls before me. I was stunned by the realization that this place existed only two hours from where I grew up.

“Okay JP,” Sary called me with a smile, “ready to work for your lunch?”

An hour later, we found ourselves walking on ankle-deep mud. Sary chose this route because of its scenic views. She was then so engaged in taking pictures of flora and fauna which she found interesting and cooperative to her lenses. The three of them were enjoying the mud; I, on the other hand, tried to maintain my clothes and bag as clean as possible. That was not an easy task since mud was of great abundance t that time. It had rained over the week and everything in the valley seemed to be all-wet. Stepping in the ground was like stepping into a melting chocolate bar, just a bit warmer, and smelled pungent because of the fresh, damp scent of the nutrient-rich soil.

Then at some point I forgot about staying clean and grew increasingly absorbed in its wet world. Several minutes passed and I was still bent among the shiny, heart-shaped leaves that nodded pleasantly at me with the cool breeze. Marveling at the mud as it smoothly slipped between my toes, with short, stiff weeds straining against my soles. I acquired a slow, deliberate rhythm as I took photos, using my cellphone camera, of tiny unfamiliar creatures crawling at the base of the large trunks of atdaw trees.

A spark of equilibrium and understanding penetrated me and settled gently in my nerves and bones. “So this is Pangasinan,” I thought with surprise. After seventeen years of living in a small patch along the long shoreline of a province I never explored and fully appreciated, I found myself embedded in its cool green heart. Perhaps the sweat from hiking and the surreal scenery combined at that moment such that, just standing there with my feet submerged in the mud, I felt a strange kind of happiness that I cried, “I love this place!” Sary, turning to me, said, “doesn’t everyone?”

Until that moment of realization, I believed that beautiful places were only meant for admiration, like works of art. I’ve been to a number of art exhibits that taught me to appreciate the world created by artist. I looked carefully, often marveling, but never engaged in one.

Born in Pangasinan with both parents Pangasinense, I spent my childhood impatiently desiring to escape to those places I see on television, say, Hong Kong, Paris, or even Metro Manila. Unconsciously, I had an ignorance of the culture around me, and that made me out of sync. Instead of swimming in the rivers and beaches, I hunted down the few computer shops and bookstores our place could offer at that time and engaged myself with websites and magazines set in other lands. I learned to speak Filipino and English first before I learned to speak our native language Pangasinan (or more famously referred to as Panggalatoc). I appreciated sushi above bocayo—a local dessert made of sweetened coconut flesh. Like a lot of Filipino youths nowadays, I aspired of working abroad than working in my homeland; it wasn’t because I was attracted to the huge salary offers rather, because I found their tradition and cultures very interesting.

Ending up watching those tiny insects with my feet buried in mud was an unexpected but perfect way for me to learn something: I had always tried before to be rootless, yet there I was literally experiencing rootedness, and loving it despite of the warm, moist, and sticky feeling it caused on me.

Dirty, stinky, and sweating, I felt more connected to the breathing world around me. Details sparkled everywhere—the diffused lighting created by bamboo leaves and large trees filtering the noonday sun, the intricate patterns formed by breadfruit trees in contrast against the sky, the chain of flowering shrubs showcasing their red, yellow and pink blossoms, the irregular chirpings of birds across and among the trees. Indeed, Pangasinan was more foreign to me than I ever imagined.

At that time, there was nothing I wanted more than the assurance of knowing that this is where I belong, but I could not get rid of the feeling that I had always existed in my thoughts of distant places I desired for. My identity was formed on the gaps between those imagined spaces and my own home. Though I left my province a year ago in search of more knowledge and experience, I would like to believe that I am getting myself equipped for a time when I would return home and not feel the need to leave again.

As the afternoon cooled down to a deep orange yellow, we trailed back to the camp’s admin office. Sary rested her arm on my shoulder.

“So, you now like travel photography?”

“Are you kidding?” I laughed. I gazed across the tree canopies to the space where the mountains of Bolinao opened up to meet the resting sun.

“This is amazing,” I added quietly. “I can’t believe I was clueless about this place my whole life.”