Wasak! Got a phone call Sunday late at night from a friend telling me that I will be part of a shoot with Lav Diaz, the venerable Lav Diaz. Since life has been a whirlwind of unexpected experiences lately, packing my bags came so naturally.. Off to Sagada via Baguio the next day, I just had to take a quick meeting with a gallery to work on last minute stuff for an installation exhibit we need to mount before the month ends. Woooahhh after years of eating and breathing silicon, circuits and digits.. tables have turned in a whirl, I am in a shooting of a Lav Diaz film, I am preparing for a Khavn de la Cruz film installation.
The Lav Diaz experience
Basta working with that shaman (well this is Andrew's description that I immediately embraced then, proven now) is really an experience. Don't want to pre-empt anything about the film so semi-hush about this part.
Chieftain's welcome
It was a usual welcome, in a usual home. I never realize that the reason why the house was situated in the most scenic and cinematic spot until later. We were looking for a location, we saw that the spot fit our requirement to a T, a special, secluded place that had the cinematic X-factor. It was I later realize a hallowed spot, for the pagan gods.
Maybe it was lost in translation, they were talking about a "tabak", a pagan god, "kabunian" as Lav later relayed, when we first visited referring to a headress like object near the fireplace. It was an altar, actually it was THE altar of the whole mountain regions. It was never to be pointed at, never to be held, and fire should be burning only at special prescribed hours. We were there, met the priest chieftain of the land, the powerful old man who is sought to approve of things in his domain, I really don't know when and how, but most probably he allowed us to shoot. He was an old man, senile actually, but his words were still the final word in the land. And yes, he not only allowed us to shoot, he opened his home to us, as Lav said, he invited us in his home.
The sagada weddings
If you think it is so expensive to marry in Manila, well, think again. In sagada, you have to feed the whole 2000 of the municipality and its tourists for all meals for 2 days. Feed would mean, filled, tummy ache, busog na busog level eating. The people are just so generous. If only we lined-up, we were just so shy, even so they were so open giving out strategies on which line is faster, which party has better delicious food (there were 3 weddings, one could actually attend all 3) The festivities were so colorful, I didn't mind that my feet have exceeded the 10,000 step recommendation of a healthy life sabi ni anmum. I was sure I developed leg muscles during this trip.
Dalagang pilipina
There were traditional dancing.. Traditional street dancing, usually participated by the olden folks, 50somethings and above, some in traditional garb, some in simple clothes and some who were part of the wedding entourage were in barongs and sayas (prior to the traditional ceremonies, the couple was wed in the episcopal christian church.. I manage to see the "just married" wedding procession where the bride and groom rode on the streets in a motorcycle as they were congratulated by townsfolk.) .
the males initiate the dance… as I see it, a warrior seeks for a bride, dances on a proud stance, calls on the maidens, lures one and they dance together, the men encircle the maiden. It was fun to see old ladies blush like teeners as they volunteer push a "maiden" to the men's circle. Some things never change.
Rules and traditions
The cheiftain's place was really a major walk from our inn, I have to go there 5 times during the trip to coordinate with the chieftain's granddaughter judith who didn't have a cellphone or any means of communication (a time where you wish there were at least trikes or padyaks, or you want to leave your phone for easy access.) anyway it was a joy to visit the place I actually gained invites to stay in 3 houses already to sleep, to consider my home. The first 2 times with kints, we made a semi tradition to pass by this sarsari store and reward ourselves with gatorade. The next time I came alone and I still manage to fulfill the tradition, the manang already knew the flavor I wanted.
In that remote area after the pilapils, the baranggay doesn't allow junk food and sodas to be sold at nearby stores.. So on my 3rd trip onwards it had been my tradition to bring them the contrabands I can easily buy near our inn.
One tradition I cannot miss is to buy at least 3 coffee variants in baguio ( I have been doing this for years already after a sales roadshow trip around 2002, when everyone was buying walis, I ventured further in maharlika and realize there were 2 major coffee brewer shops you can buy coffee by the quarter kilo at 1/8th price of any starbucks, seattle's, coffee bean shop. (if ur in baguio, go past the meat area out the drygoods and you'll find umali's and its neighbor. COFFEE HEAVEN.
If you want to taste test, there are manong's and manang's roving vendor with the hot water, condiments (cream, muskovado sugar, milo, etc. ) toted in a basket selling in most corners.. They taste far better than starbucks.. If one wants to franchise a manila chain, you can call it STARBASKet
Basta, basta, basta.. had a great time. There are a lot of stories more, real, percieved, mythical and comical. Wait for that next Lav Diaz film. I am so excited.
