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For the past 20 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
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Obra De Dios
Da Vinci, Escriva and the Work of God
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IF Leonardo Da Vinci were to walk among us today, how would he be like?
What would have been the things that would tickle his mind and make him doodle on his iBook using a graphic tablet? What issues would have stirred him up makes him write his thoughts on his blog or a book?
Perhaps he would have painted Paris Hilton, or the late Princess Diana, or, being an Italian, he would have designed the Italian National Team’s World Cup 2006 logo and uniform.
Or perhaps he would have made a life-sized mural of the magnificent Monica Belluci.
Certainly he would have written about the war in Iraq, even perhaps designed a few GPS-guided bullet or flying knives. He would have been a Republican outside but a Democrat inside.
Da Vinci was a modern man. In the renaissance, the era where he actually walked and breathed, Da Vinci’s works were up to his times. He wrote and painted about the issues of his day – in those times, the Church was always the issue. He was inspired by the daily occurrences of his generation: love, Church stuff and controversies, war, politics, the economy, etc. And if he lived in our time today, he would have been a modern man of the 21ist century.
But even if he would have lived in our time, he would have still viewed the Philippines in a peculiar way – medieval.
The recent uproar in Manila over the movie Da Vinci Code has exposed the country’s standing as a modernized nation. It has revealed itself to the contrary – it is a modern nation living in medieval times -The exact opposite of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Church and some government officials are crying foul over the screening of the controversial movie and are clamoring for its prohibition. They want it banned for its blasphemous and alternate view of Christianity. Especially the premise that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child, whose descendants are considered carriers of the divine-royal bloodline of Jesus, also referred to in legend as the Holy Grail.
What’s up with that? The film is based on a million-dollar best seller, which may have been read by many Filipinos already. And to ban it is moot and a waste of time given the Pinoy culture of piracy. They may not see it in theaters, but they will surely enjoy it at home.
So quit this hypocrisy business and just get on with it. For the government and the Church to distrust the Filipino viewing public is the real great travesty, not the fiction inside the book and movie. That kind of old culture mentality should be banned.
These government and Church officials are walking ironies. If you are confident in the soundness of your teachings, you would not doubt your faithful to slip away from it, even if confronted by a movie like the Da Vinci Code.
Obra De Dios
Opus Dei, has more reasons to cry foul. Although, the story is pure fiction, the author, Dan Brown, has portrayed the Catholic group in a dark and murky way , which will surely translate clearly in celluloid. In fact, the Opus Dei in the US had asked Sony pictures to issue a disclaimer that the film is in no way based on actual events; Sony denied the request.
In the book, Brown depicted Opus Dei as a secret society of hardened conservatives, who employ mysterious and barbaric rituals to deepen their faith and loyalty to the Church of Rome. There was even the mention of the ‘Cilice’- a thorny leg strap made of iron wires used to curb the desires of the flesh. The executioner, who carried out most of the ‘whack’ jobs is an Opus Dei monk who answers directly to the prelate of the organization.
Brown assumed that such devastating secret against the Church – that Christ is married and had descendants, has to be kept out of the world. And the best protector of the Church, and suppressor of truth is no other than the fastest rising group in the Christian world – Obra De Dios.
Opus Dei is a religious organization founded by a Spanish priest, now, St. Jose Maria Escriva De Balaguer in 1928. The ‘Work’, as the organization is often called, is a ‘way to sanctify one’s life to God by means of ones ordinary duties’. Escriva teaches that to be a good Christian one doesn’t have to be a preacher or a priest. One can achieve holiness by just being a good student, a good engineer or doctor.
True, the Work can be viewed as conservative in today’s standards but not ‘medieval’ as Brown thought. Brown is involved in a conundrum in taking on Opus Dei. He claimed that there is not much known about the real nature of Opus Dei’s rituals, because it is guarded in deep secrecy. If that is so, how could have he known about it so much?
So, like everyone else living outside the walls of Obra De Dios, he is purely speculating.
Epilogue
Being a Catholic, did the book change or shake my system of beliefs? Certainly not.
I have come to appreciate the book in a literary sense. Dan Brown can really bring the chills in. The book is superbly written and has a high entertainment value. That’s it. For or Brown to sweep me away and make me abandon my faith, he has to do better than that.
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Ted Reyes is a musician, composer, record producer and journalist based in NYC. If you have any comments you can visit his website at www.tedreyes.com or email him at tedreyes@mac.com
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ONE of the things I have always looked forward to is spending time with my nieces and nephew. The time I spend shopping and eating out with my pretty nieces Acza and Angelu, or talking with my handsome nephew James about how proud I am of his accomplishments in school, or having my adorable niece Jenna affectionately hug me and plant wet kisses on my cheek are pieces of heaven on earth to me.
When I look at how they’ve grown, there’s always that maternal feeling that comes over me and I think to myself, the depth of affection I have for these kids is something I could hardly describe, probably more so if I had a child of my own.
Funny how these thoughts somehow cross my mind once in awhile. It must be the reality that almost everyone of my galpals are all having kids of their own and that my so-called “biological clock” is ticking away like crazy each year.
But before I let these thoughts consume me and I try to rush myself into things that need mulling over a thousand times, I have realized that even if I haven’t settled down or had a child of my own, I can still be a “Mommy” to the people in my life.
Several of my friends and relatives can attest to how I basically “mother” them. From cooking dinner for them to knowing their birthdays by heart, from helping decorate their homes to being their personal stylist, I love doing these things for them. This “nurturing” quality probably stems from mothering skills I have observed from mothers around me. I am so fortunate, because these women surround me.
In addition, my closest friends and I also take turns mothering each other. We are on the lookout for each other’s welfare, we update ourselves with the events in our lives, we share stories from guy problems to latest fashion trends, we trade recipes and home decorating secrets, and we give one another a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, and a comforting hand. We are each other’s mommy by choice.
I also feel that I am a “mommy” to my own mother. My mother is currently in town to visit. Some of the tasks that she used to do for my siblings and me, I have gladly taken over to do for her. From preparing food to reminding her to take her meds, from driving her around town to shopping for the things that she needs.
Although she is now in that stage of her life where at times she manifests somewhat childlike ways, making me feel the adult in the relationship, her love and concern for my well-being never ceases. I am always cherishing the times I am with her, spending time with her has taught me the importance of quality time.
She has always been the force that kept our family together through every drop and climb of our lives. I treasure her wisdom, value her comments and appreciate all the things she has done for me. I am truly my mother’s daughter.
With Nanay, Inay, Mama, Mommy, Mother’s day at hand this month, let us take time out to thank and honor our own mother, plus the women friends and relatives we all have in our lives---they are our mothers by choice.
Their love is the one that pulls us through in our lives. Whatever half-empty cup we feel we have in each of us, they fill up completely. There is a proverb that I have read somewhere that goes something like this “God cannot be everywhere, so He made Mothers”.
Happy Mother’s Day to all!
Thess Bacsal lives in California. For your life’s concerns, comments and suggestions, email her at july19rn@yahoo.com.
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Bea Alonzo |
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MANILA -- Jericho Rosales denied report that his girlfriend, Heart Evangelista, is mad at Bea Alonzo, who plays his wife in “Pacquiao,” the filmbio of Manny Pacquiao.
“Hindi,” Jericho reacted. “Hindi ganyan kababaw si Heart. Besides, she trusts me fully. She is, in fact, very supportive of my career. Just as I am of hers.”
Bea and Heart were former Star Magic talents, Though they’ve never been close, they are civil to each other. Heart is now being managed by Angeli Pangilinan.
“Pacquiao,” directed by Joel Lamangan, is almost done. Jericho now looks like a clone of the boxing champ. His curly hair was cut short. It is now straight, just like Manny’s hair. Jericho now also sports a moustache.
“I try as much as possible to imitate his stance, lalo’t nasa ibabaw siya ng ring,” said Jericho. “He took time, before leaving for the US for his training for his fight with Oscar Larios (scheduled at the Araneta Coliseum on July 2) to teach me his boxing technique, especially noong nagsisimula pa lamang siya.
“I really admire his rise to fame and fortune. Nakaka-inspire. I am truly glad na napili akong gumanap ng role bilang siya,” he added.
Will Manny be in the movie “Pacquiao”?
“He is,” Direk Joel Lamangan said. “Iba kasi ang approach na ginawa namin sa pelikulang ito. Hindi ito ‘yong tinatawag na linear. Manny will be in the movie from beginning to end. He will narrate his own story, from his childhood, hanggang sa nagbinata siya at naging successful boxer.
“Of course, mapapanood din siya bilang asawa at ama,” he continued.
How about the woman who claimed she had a son by Manny?
“Basta everything na nangyari sa buhay ni Manny, alam man ng publiko o hindi, mapapanood sa pelikulang ‘Pacquiao’,” Direk Joel replied.
“Pacquiao” is but one of the three which Manny will do with FLT Film Productions, which co-produces the movie with Star Cinema. In his next two movies, he will be the leading man. One will be with Regine Velasquez and the other with Vic Sotto.
“I have faith in the guy,” said Rose Flaminiano, owner of FLT Film Productions. “Para sa akin, dapat siyang pamarisan ng bawat Pilipino. Nagsikap [siya] para umunlad.” (MNS)
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DIRECTOR Louie Ignacio is aiming for an Emmy for his latest soap, “I Luv New York,” which was shot on location in the Big Apple.
Ignacio, 39, said on Monday that Filipinos could compete in the global market for soap and telenovelas, and “I Luv New York,” his comeback series to be aired over GMA 7 starting May 15, would prove this.
Using three state-of-the-art cameras that delivered 24 frames per second, Ignacio captured the depth and texture of film while working on a digital format. He described his product as a mixture of the essence of the New York lifestyle and its sophistication and the sensibility of Asian telenovelas, which have become a staple in local primetime viewing.
“So we could win an Emmy for this,” he insisted. “We can do it.”
While he handled the three cameras used for the shoot, and was his own cinematographer, he had to rely on a New York labor force for most of the grunt work, owing to the strict union laws that rule the city that never sleeps.
Life in New York, as everybody knows, is fast-paced, and Ignacio discovered that he could keep up with the speed of light. New Yorkers, he said, like to start early and finish early.
“I could be a New Yorker myself,” he said. He told his stars that they had to work like New Yorkers and should never come late to the set. The stars also had to memorize their lines before they reported for work.
Shooting was a breeze, even if the cameras whirred for as long as 12 hours a day and he had to pay the New York crew stiff union rates for overtime work. The stars—Jolina Magdangal, Marvin Agustin, Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras—worked like pros. “No one was a problem,” Ignacio said. Eighteen episodes for the soap’s beginning and ending were filmed in New York against a backdrop of the usual tourist spots, like the Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, among other destinations.
But Ignacio claimed that these sites were just the background for the story of four people whose lives had intertwined in New York.
“The story runs its course,” he said. “I was afraid that this soap might turn into a travelogue. It did not. New York was simply the setting and the story was still the main event, and no one can say that we just went on a tour of New York and filmed the tourist attractions.”
With New York still on his mind, Ignacio changed some settings for scenes that were shot here. For example, Mark, who plays the character of a poor boy in search of his mother in America, the location had originally been a squatters’ area in Metro Manila. “But that would have shown us to be in such a desperate state. So I changed the location of Mark’s home and brought it to the province,” Ignacio related.
In shooting the rural scenes, Ignacio was inspired by masters like Fernando Amorsolo who used color and light to depict an idyllic life, which he described as so Filipino.
The Filipino in Ignacio also triggered a bout of homesickness for the director. Before the 22 days allotted for the shoot were up, Ignacio had wanted to go home.
“My heart is in the Philippines,” he declared. “I don’t want to leave it for long.”
But he conceded that it was easy for him to fall in love with New York.
Ignacio also fell in love with his cast.
“I’ve seen Jolina and Marvin as a love team in the other station,” he said. “In this soap, I witnessed first hand the magic in that tandem. They’re still a love team despite the changes in their lives. No one could miss that special chemistry between them.”
“This is a first in local television,” said Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment.
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LOS ANGEELES, CA— On February 17, 2006, a series of mudslides caused widespread damage and loss of life in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte. The deadly landslides followed a ten-day period of heavy rains and a minor earthquake of magnitude 2.3 on the Richter scale. An entire village was buried in mud, including an elementary school with over 200 small children.
Rescue and relief efforts from all over the world have been carried out to help victims of the tragedy. The United States donated more than a million dollars in addition to the emergency trauma kits, rubber boots, ropes, clothing, flashlights and medicine they initially provided. China offered a donation of $1 million in cash and material. Australia also offered AUS$1 million ($740,000) in immediate relief. Many other countries provided help and support including Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Spain.
Somewhere in Southern California, Fil-Am classical guitarist Perf de Castro was thinking of a way he could help.
Perf de Castro was an original member of one of the Philippine’s leading bands today, Rivermaya. He left the band after the first album came out and concentrated on becoming a master in classical guitar.
Now Perf lives in California and is a full-time classical guitarist. He has toured major cities in the US showcasing his unique flamenco/classical prowess.
Being involved in a benefit project is not new to Perf. A few years back he became part of an international benefit cd called “Will Play Guitar for Food.” Musicians from all over the world were involved in the production and the cd sales benefited a non-profit organization called the Heifer Project. The organization provides solutions for hunger in the neediest places in the world.
Upon hearing the news of the Leyte tragedy he thought of doing another project similar to “Will Play Guitar for Food.” This time it will benefit fellow Filipinos struck by the mudslide.
“I threw out the idea of a benefit CD to my fellow musicians and artists here in the US and they responded enthusiastically,” Perf related. “Transplanted Pinoys and Filipino-Americans from across the US sent in their donations in form of their songs and eventually I received enough to put together this album. Some are written with the benefit in mind and some are works that have been pulled out of their treasure chests so they could at last be heard for a noble cause. These songs represent our hands reaching across the world to help our fellow Filipinos in need.”
Fifteen Fil-Am bands and artists answered Perf’s call including: Raincrowd, Piece of Mine, Zigbin, Ben Paltik and A.D.D., from the west coast. From the east coast there’s Bleud, Rubberband, The Happy Analogues, The Kuwagos and The Third Element. Solo artists Beatrice Gomez and Ritchie Lapaz also donated their songs. And Perf de Castro contributed two tracks, including a collaboration with Locomotiv front man Basti Artadi.
The final product is surely a collection of great music for a great cause.
For more information on the Leyte: Benefit CD, go to the website. http://www.leytecd.org.
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MANILA -- DIRECTOR Joel Lamangan’s new film about gays, ‘Manay Po,’ is bound to be controversial. It not only features a passionate kissing scene between Polo Ravales and Luis Alandy (something that his previous gay flicks like ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘So Happy Together’ didn’t have), but the film even ends with a gay wedding showing Polo and Luis being married to each other.
We won’t be surprised if our guardians of morality would be up in arms because of this as gay unions are frowned upon in our society.
“What’s wrong with it?” Joel says. “Totoo namang may gay marriages that take place dito sa atin, although they’re not really sanctioned by the church. Isa pa, it’s always nice to end a romantic film with a wedding and the wedding scene of Polo and Luis takes place on a beach kaya idyllic talaga.
“In the story, Cherry Pie Picache has three sons who are all gays and each of their stories has its own conclusion. Kay Polo nga, kinasal sila ni Luis. Si John Prats naman wins in a gay beauty pageant. Si Jiro Manio, who’s confused about his gender and even tries to lose his virginity in a casa, finally accepts he’s also gay and it ends with him and his boyfriend, Theo Bernados, looking at copies of Playgirl Magazine.”
We’ve seen the film’s music video/trailer and it’s really riotous. Polo, John and Jiro sing the upbeat theme song in drag while scenes from the movie are shown. Cherry Pie had two husbands in the movie. The father of Polo is Allan Paule, a soldier, while the father of John and Jiro is Bearwin Meily. Both of them die tragically so Cherry Pie gets another boyfriend, Christian Vasquez, a stuntman who moonlights as macho dancer. “The material is treated as a comedy and I assure the viewers they will laugh from start to end,” adds Joel. (MNS)
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MANILA -- JUDY Ann Santos and Jolina Magdangal are happy for each other. Both of their love lives are doing great and they are just waiting for the right time to get married to their partners.
“Pero ako, definitely, not this year. Ryan (Agoncillo, her boyfriend) and I agreed on that,” said Juday.
Jolina’s boyfriend, lawyer Bebong Muñoz, works for a law firm in Connecticut in the States. He told Jolina recently that he’s coming home for good. Do we hear wedding bells?
Although Juday started her showbiz career ahead of Jolina, they reached their peak almost at the same time. They were both part of successful love teams. Juday had Wowie de Guzman for her partner while, Jolina was paired with Marvin Agustin.
“Those were the days,” they both laugh.
While Jolina is reunited with Marvin in the new GMA 7 teleserye, “I Luv NY” (taped in its entirety in New York), Juday is more identified with Piolo Pascual. They last appeared together in the blockbuster Star Cinema movie, “Don’t Give Up on Us.” They are currently teamed up in an ABS-CBN TV series, “Sa Piling Mo,” which is dominating the ratings game.
Juday is Forever Flawless’ latest image model. She now shares the limelight with another flawless star, Lorna Tolentino, who, despite her age (she’s in her mid-40s), has remained one of local showbiz’s most beautiful faces.
Do you know that both Juday and LT (Lorna’s pet name) started their showbiz careers as child stars? With the way her career is going now, Juday has the makings of a good dramatic actress, just like LT.
Have you seen Juday lately?
Her waistline is 24 inches now, thanks to her passion for Muay Thai, which is a combination of boxing and martial arts.
Juday started to box while she was filming the movie, “Bat’ Di Pa Totohanin,” where she played an aspiring boxer. She felt the sport helped her emotional well being (she is able to release tension or strong emotions without hurting anyone) as well as her health.
Then she learned about Muay Thay from a friend and got hooked.
Is Juday frustrated that she’s not gifted with big upper bumpers, like some fellow actresses?
“I like and love who I am. I cannot ask for more,” she says. (MNS)
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