"ANG KRISTO: PASYONDULA" - THE GASAN PREMIERE

POLITICS AND CULTURE OR THE CULTURE OF LOCAL POLITICS?

Three years ago the mounting of the annual Black Saturday evening stage presentation of the "Sinakulo-Pugutan" of Gasan was handled by the public high schools in the municipality. It was to be the turn of Tiguion National High this year. Until teachers from the school reported to the mayor that 'someone' had given the order for the school not to participate in this year's Holy Week activities sponsored by the municipal government and that their hands were tied. The participation of the 'DepEd family' in Gasan was eventually missed in all of the cultural activities.

"Ang Kristo: Pasyon-Dula" which Teatro Balangaw staged in Buenavista two years ago was therefore mounted in Gasan to fill an artificial vacuum. The very same group that prevented "Pugutan" from being staged this year cried "wala na ba ang tradisyon?" through flyers distributed and posted all over town, and raised the question "bakit may artista?"

In her very direct speech before the play was presented, Mayor Vicky Lim stated that "Pugutan" just did not have the chance this year in view of what transpired.

Governor Carrion was more emphatic in his speech: "I will not allow politics, not anywhere in Marinduque's six municipalities, to mess up with efforts for culture and the arts and tourism!" He pointedly lambasted DepEd's no-participation stance in Gasan.

The "artista" apparently referred to, to which the local actors in the play quipped "at hindi rin ba kami pwedeng tawaging artista dahil hindi kami senakulista?" was top-caliber stage and movie actor JOHN ARCILLA, recipient of Urian Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards. He played the role of "KRISTO".

Culture being 'dynamic not static' and not exclusive to a few as defined in Philippine statutes, and the same being an accurate reflection of the society in point, the Gasan case is a classic example of the tug-of-war between politics and culture in the Philippines. The emcee, Enrico San Juan pointed this out before the start of pasyon-dula (passion play).

PASYONDULA RECEIVED A STANDING OVATION FROM THE GASAN AUDIENCE AND THE REGIONAL MEDIA GROUP THAT CAME TO WATCH THE NOW 'CONTROVERSIAL' THREE-HOUR PLAY!

(Written and directed by Eli J. Obligacion; staged by the Teatro Balangaw Ensemble of Buenavista and Gasan - in two weeks' time. - Photo shows John Arcilla being made-up by Patrick Sadiwa who played Pilate.)