Act Nine, 2001-02 "BULONG"
AND MOVING ON TO GASAN
Local elections again swept the country in 2001. Newly elected mayor Vicky Lao-Lim of Gasan hired Obligacion who was out of work as her “culture and tourism secretary” (a casual position in the mayor’s office). The Gasan Culture & Arts Foundation (GASCUAF), also headed by the mayor was preparing for a new festival to be held on Easter Sunday. As consultant "GASANG-GASANG FESTIVAL” the name Obligacion had originally proposed to be the name of another festival for August ’02 in connection with the 1st Araw ng Gasan celebration was adopted as the official name of the Easter event.
A new theater group was formed by Obligacion for Gasan: ‘TEATRO GASENO’ based in Bangbang National High School. As there was a clamor for such a dance drama. “BULONG” was succesfully premiered with a standing ovation on August 18, 2002 at the still open court beside the municipal office.
A new theater group was formed by Obligacion for Gasan: ‘TEATRO GASENO’ based in Bangbang National High School. As there was a clamor for such a dance drama. “BULONG” was succesfully premiered with a standing ovation on August 18, 2002 at the still open court beside the municipal office.
Noted local artist, Raymond C. Go, volunteered to paint the background mural used for the play, a major task and he also did the set design.
“Bulong” was later presented again for visiting tourists as part of ‘Lakbay Aral” tour and for a Christmas presentation in the same town. The lady mayor who was into the arts herself ensured sufficient funds for the project resulting in a “glossy” production that even the NBN-4 TV-crew raved about the dance-drama.
Immediately after watching the dance-drama on premiere night, Jan Engels, a Dutch national who has made Gasan his second home, expressed his desire to donate PHP 100,000 half of which should go to the school (Bangbang National High School and half to the Gasan Culture & Arts Foundation to support their culture and arts projects. It was done.
"I never thought it was possible to come up with something like this in Marinduque!", said Engels. The next day he treated the entire cast and production staff, to a whole-day mountain resort picnic at his tropical paradise.
Throwback on Bulong (boo'-long) Marinduque folklore
A compilation of Marinduque's folklores was published in 1914, annotated by Henry Otley Beyer, an American anthropologist and professor at U.P. He spent most of his adult life teaching Philippine indigenous culture and became known as the Father of Philippine Anthropology.
Beyer's compilation of Marinduque folklores included stories on folk beliefs and cultural practices that prevailed on the island. It was our inspiration for the staging of "Bulong". Pronounced boo'-long (not bu-long' the Tagalog word for 'whisper'). Bulong is defined as the collective name of spirits that transport humans bodily into another place or dimension. Often on this island, old folks have endless stories to tell about them based on personal experiences.
In 2002, this blogger upon request of the mayor of Gasan for assistance in conceptualizing their first "Araw ng Gasan" celebration thought of staging a dance-drama titled 'Bulong' among other events. Belief in the spirit world and ancestral worship was of course, the order of the day when Gasan was 'discovered' by the Spaniards centuries before introduction of Christianity.
"Bulong", written and directed by this blogger was thus a re-shaping of those traditional stories, presenting bits and pieces of historical data to help today's generation get inspired and to perhaps serve as a vehicle for reflection by those who dwell on this stuff. It has since been presented in all of Marinduque's six municipalities as part of an NCCA-PGM project.
'BULONG' SYNOPSIS:
Teen-aged Salve, catching 'bilabila' (butterflies) finds herself in a half-awake, half dream state and sees strange creatures, the elemental spirits, around her and is at once taken to another world. That's the world of spirits and strange creatures we've all heard about on this island. There she's also brought to a door that leads to the island's prehistory.
Salve encounters 'patianacs' (a kind of scary crow), asuangs, tikbalangs, swaying bamboo trees, duwendes, enkantos.. The elemental Bulong spirits take her to the enkanto until a tug-of-war between the menacing asuangs and friendly spirits ensue, thus saving Salve. The enkantada (known as 'white lady' too), enters and since Salve is a mortal decides to take the girl to the world of those who were once mortals, the world of Salve's ancestors. Here the Katalona of "Mara Unduk" fame is seen still wielding power. Salve becomes witness to the romance and tragedy of the Alon-Baylana-Kidlat (Katutubos), love triangle and its tragic end. She also gets to see the island's Pastores anito for the first time.
Salve sees how intruders from other shores supplanted a new set of beliefs to those of her ancestors by the power of the sword and the cross. As the ancient people cry in protest Salve begins to understand why she was taken there. The elemental spirits free her at last, their mission accomplished.
But the enkanto, so smitten with Salve, gets in the way. He connives with the asuangs and ugly characters for her capture. With no one to save her except herself Salve uses the folk formula to set herself free at last from her new abductors.
(to be continued)
