1 2 VERBATIM “I must confess to not being very acquainted with Angeles City so that the intellec- tual ferment in this biggest university was a pleasant surprise to me. What impressed me most was the total dedication of the Center for Kapampangan Studies to the promotion of Pampango history and culture. Their magazine called Singsing turned out to be a wealth of historical, cultural and social information about Pampanga! Their slogan is, ‘Become a better Filipino by being a good Kapampangan’. Obviously, the www.hau.edu.ph/kcenter Pampangos are mighty proud of their history and culture, and we can only wish that Singsing is published quarterly by other regions would be as dedicated and assiduous in propagating theirs.” The Juan D. Nepomuceno Center - BELINDA OLIVAREZ CUNANAN, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer for Kapampangan Studies of Holy Angel University, Angeles City, “I consider Singsing the best journal published in this Philippines. country.” Dr. Arlyn Sicangco Villanueva University President - PROF. RANDY DAVID, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer “Just a line to say how good the recent double issue of Singsing is. It has come a Robby Tantingco long way from being primarily a newsletter to many articles which easily qualify for a Editor/ Center Director scholarly journal. I really learned a lot of things about Pampanga. Keep up the good Ana Marie Vergara work!” Graphic Designer - FR. JOHN SCHUMACHER, SJ, Loyola House of Studies, Ateneo de Manila University CONTRIBUTING WRITERS FROM THE CENTER “The glossy issues of Singsing and Alaya have finally arrived and they make my day. I have run out of superlatives to describe them which they deserve. Suffice it to say Erlinda Cruz that the JDN Center for Kapampangan Studies is now the Joel Mallari most distinguished and vigorous of all the local studies Arwin Paul Lingat centers sprouting all over the archipelago. No exaggera- tion.” Peter Joseph Nepomuceno - DR. LUCIANO P.R. SANTIAGO, Church Historian Myra Paz Lopez “Holy Angel U takes particular pride in its Kapampangan Center, whose mission is Alex Castro to preserve and enhance the Kapampangan culture.” Fray Francis Musni, OSA - FR. JOAQUIN BERNAS, SJ, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer Photo Credits: “Nais kong batiin kayo sa napakahusay at kapuri-puring publikasyon ng Singsing. Alex Castro, Gosioco Family, Larry Cruz, Gilda Cordero Fernando, Napakamahalaga ng isang publikasyon na mananaliksik at magsusuri sa kasaysayan at Quiwa Family, Jaime Laya’s Con- kultura ng isang lalawigan habang kumikilala sa mga pambansang saklaw at tunguhin. suming Passions, Santa Maria and Dahil dito, nagaganyak akong mag-isip ng kaparehong publikasyon para sa lalawigan Laxina’s Household Antiques and ng Batangas, kung saan ako sumilay. Isang bantayog ng kahusayan at kasigasigan ang Heirlooms, Tom Joven, Trota and Villegas’ Power, Faith and Image, inisyatiba ng Singsing, gayundin ang inyong Center.” Romeo Cabusao, Dr. Luciano - APOLONIO B. CHUA, Head, Departamento ng Flipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Santiago University of the Philippines, Diliman “The Center should be a model for other regions in the country in its propagation CENTER BUSINESS HOURS: of cultural and literary heritage.” The Center’s library and museum are - VIRGILIO ALMARIO, National Artist for Literature; Dean College of Arts and open Monday to Friday at 8:00 A.M. to Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman 8:00 P.M. and Saturday at 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. “I just received the issue of Singsing Vol. 3 No. 2. It is awesome! I have gone over only a couple of articles, and learned so much that is new to me. And I thought that HOW TO CONTACT US: the previous issue was terrific and would be difficult to surpass. Congratulations!” - JAVIER J. NEPOMUCENO, Former VP and Comptroller, Ayala Corporation Tel.: (045) 888-8691 loc. 1311 Mobile: 0918 941 8599 “I am quite impressed with the depth and scope of the scholarship and research Fax: (045)888-2514 you undertake and share with your readers. With such superb publication, it’s easy to Email: [email protected] become an instant fan. Consider me a non-resident Pampangueño intent on re-learn- [email protected] ing his past through your tutelage.” - PROF. ARTURO VALENCIA, Department of Leadership and Strategy, John Gokongwei School of Management, Ateneo de Manila University 3 CO-PRODUCED BY HAU Mánoro wins Best Picture in Cinemanila International Film Festival & special award in Turin, Italy filmfest JURY CITES FILM’S “LUCID, DEEP STUDY OF THE FIRST STIRRINGS OF A NEW DEMOCRACY” The digital movie Manoro: The Aeta Teacher, which was co-produced by the Center for Kapampangan Studies and Centerstage Productions, was declared Best Picture in the Digital Lokal division of the 2006 Cinemanila International Film Fes- tival. The awarding ceremonies were held November 11 at Malacañang Palace with no less than President Gloria Macapagal Ar- royo handing out the awards. Its director- producer, Brillante Mendoza, was named Best Director. The movie also won in November the CinemAvvenire Award of the 24th Torino International Film Festival held in Turin, Italy. The Torino jury praised Manoro “for its choice to exploit the mechanisms of fic- tion to analyze contemporary Philippine re- ality, in a voyage of discovery of the local culture that becomes a lucid, deep study of the first stirrings of a new democracy.” Manoro (or manuru, Kapampangan for teacher) tells the story of an Aeta girl in Sapangbato, Angeles City who taught her tribe’s elders how to write in preparation for the 2004 presidential elections. Brillante Mendoza, a native of San Fernando, Pampanga previously directed two other movies with heavily Kapampangan content and dialogue, Masahista (The Masseur) and Kaleldo (Sum- mer). Masahista won Best Picture in the 2005 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland, while Kaleldo is the country’s official entry to the 2007 Cines del Sur International Film Festival in Grenada, Spain. Mendoza’s partner in these movies is executive producer Ferdinand Lapuz, who is the country’s link to various film festi- vals abroad. Lapuz is an alumnus of the HAU College of Business and Accountancy; as a student, he won best director in the University’s first inter-college Drama Fes- tival in 1986, which he credits for his pas- sion for Filipino movies. 4 FOREIGN CRITICS SAY: “MANORO IS THE GREATEST WORK OF THE TORINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL” Excerpts from “Film Culture... and How to Make a Festival of It” by OLAF MÖLLER, (Cologne, Germany-based film critic, writer and curator) lot, and her grandfather having gone boar hunting in the mountains and giving a fly- “IT’S A FILM ABOUT A VERY BASIC HUMAN NEED-- ing fuck about it all, whatever good came ABOUT PEOPLE LEARNING TO READ AND WRITE TO from the city, the mestizos?… Manoro’s PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS” main part consists of the girl’s and her dad’s march up the mountain into the forests looking for grandpa, with the girl stopping The Torino Film Festival is quite com- in its tracks, that final tremor rippling the once in a while to remind people of their fortable with being the No. 2 among Italy’s surface, and less about words even if lessons, and father and daughter discuss- main events in cinema: it has just about they’re haemorrhaged all over the ing representative politics. All this done as all the respect granted Venice but few of soundscape. a re-enactment by the people themselves, the Biennale’s problems with premieres and ..... folks playing their own life, history for real, stars – and no, looking at offerings like the The greatest work of the competition, shot with the most basic-looking, cine-se- opening night delight, Clint Eastwood’s ex- then, was the only film that found the fin- mantically simplest means by Mendoza, traordinary feat of dialectics and humility, est balance between those poles, who knew solely the necessary, essence pure and Flags of Our Fathers (2006), or that piece that, in the end, it’s all about telling the simple – it’s something of a shock when in of eye-candy for historignorati and intel- truth of and with that which is right there, the end the credits show that the film, de- lectually-challenged blabberati, Sophia the world: Brillante Mendoza’s Manoro (The spite being a university-project, was a full- Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006), the up- Teacher, 2006). After Kaleldo (Summer fledged production with lots of everything, start from Rome posed no problems, prob- Heat, 2006), released earlier this year, one as it looks and feels like some three-mae- ably, and considering co-directoress Giulia thought that Mendoza would go arthouse stro-craftsmen-stunt pulled off over a week- D’Agnollo Vallan’s legendary connections in- ordinary, certainly in a superior fashion for end. It’s the lack of any polish plus Mendoza’s side Lalaland one wonders unpretentious sense of preci- whether it ever could. D’Agnollo sion, timing, even metrum that Vallan and Roberto Turigliatto! “DESPITE BEING A UNIVERSITY PROJECT, makes Manoro so great: every- They are a great double to head IT’S THE LACK OF ANY POLISH PLUS thing fits, feels just, thereby re- a festival, two sides of a coin, enforces the story’s sense of po- both envisioning cinema as a MENDOZA’S UNPRETENTIOUS SENSE OF litical urgency – this is, very playfully pluralistic plenty, PRECISION, TIMING, EVEN METRUM much and very insistently, a film popular, politically progressive, THAT MAKES MANORO SO GREAT” about a very basic need, about pensive, pranksterish, unafraid people learning to read and of contradictions – no one who write to participate in politics. hosted retrospectives of Paolo Gobetti and Kaleldo is a fine, perfectly crafted piece By chance, the other masterpiece John Milius is – a people’s art that is all of filmmaking, sensitive and alert, but af- among the festival’s new films, Andrea about that which Danièle Huillet & Jean- ter his extraordinary debut Masahista (The Tonacci’s Serras da Desordem (2006), also Marie Straub share with Joe Sarno.