On Heneral Luna

This isn’t going to be a review but merely a reaction.  It is true what people have been saying online about the movie, in the last few weeks.  Filipinos deserve more movies like that--not necessarily socially relevant historical films but rather films that take extra care with aesthetics, context, semiotics, and substance to make us think as much as we feel.

Heneral Luna is a unique historical narrative in that examines the ills of Philippine society and how we’re as awful at handling power and politics as the Philippines under Aguinaldo had been.  It is a retrospective sort of commentary on the fact that, despite everything that our national heroes have done for us, they are a fraction of a greater whole--and the majority, just as they are now, are selfish, undiscerning people with no integrity. It is a lamentation of the fact that people like Antonio Luna is in short supply.  Despite the impact he had made in the Philippine-American War, we weren’t unable to stay independent, largely because we were either incapable of it, or that the powers that be thought we were.

A lot of people in social media seem to get caught in the delusion that we all feel like Antonio Luna.  “Akala mo ba, ikaw lang ang nagmamahal sa Pilipinas?  Mahal ko rin ang Pilipinas!” Buencamino says to him at one point.  The fact that a lot of us are hypocrites like Buencamino; indecisive like Mabini; or, stubborn like Aguinaldo--is a big pill to swallow.  Even for me, the love for country is but an abstract thought.  We can’t all be shooting at the enemy on horseback.  We can’t all be yelling at the President and his council about integrity.  This was exactly the point of the movie.

Lapu-Lapu fought in Mactan; Spain still conquered the Philippines.  They stayed for 300 years despite several rebellions through all that time.  Antonio Luna strove to maintain the independence that Aguinaldo declared in June 12, 1898; the Americans still came to the islands and stayed for the next 40 years.  We needed help from America to drive the Japanese away.

We aren’t like Leonidas and the 300, who held off the Persians and inspired Greece to fight.  We aren’t like Vlad Dracula, who literally scared off the Ottomans by impaling both enemy soldiers and common criminals with tall spikes.  The difference is that both Lapu-Lapu and Luna had their own leaders to answer to, and their bosses didn’t share their sentiments.  Whereas Leonidas and Dracula were kings of their lands and therefore had the power to preserve the sovereignty of their dominion.

I felt the chill of helplessness as the credits rolled and I walked out of the theater.  Everyone including me was inspired by the story we just witnessed.  But I looked around me in the inside of the mall.  Everything I saw was the sign of defeat.  Text and signs in English; pale models in advertisements; foreign brands; local brands modeled after them.  While I personally acknowledge the good parts of foreign influence on Philippine culture, I can’t help but wonder what could have been.  What would the Philippines be like if our ancient kings weren’t diplomatic to a fault?  What if more people shared the fierceness or integrity of Lapu-Lapu, Bonifacio, Luna, or Silang?  What if more people were authentic?  What if Filipinos lived up to their ideals?

Well, if Filipinos value integrity as much as much as we think we do, I would be living in a peaceful and self-sufficient Philippines instead of writing a story around my daydreams of one.

A Woman's Action Movie (Mad Max: Fury Road Review)

I had never watched the original Mad Max movies starring Mel Gibson because I was either not born yet or too young to have watched action movies when the genre was at its heyday in the 80s. It was not until I’ve watched Live Free or Die Hard and The Expendables that my fascination for the genre was awakened. Those movies brought to me the nostalgia of watching my father watch his classic action movies as I momentarily glimpsed the cool action sequences that my father and grandfather and uncles have loved so much.

After seeing positive feedback for Mad Max: Fury Road in BuzzFeed, College Humor, Cracked, and 9GAG, I was compelled to check it out myself. Besides, the impressive cast, including Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, and younger thespians Nicholas Hoult and Zoe Kravitz, has won me over. But that wasn’t all. Mad Max: Fury Road turned out to be exactly as good as those popular humor websites have claimed.

The action-packed, post-apocalyptic dystopian epic is fun to watch. It has a stunning atmosphere reminiscent of Waterworld, except that the setting is a desert rather than an ocean. The influential but menacing villain and his noisy mooks distinctively reminded me of the Smokers who were constantly after the Mariner and the tattooed little girl in Waterworld. In addition, the costumes and makeup, and the props are impressive. Coupled with the atmospheric camerawork, thrilling score, and breathtaking performances, Mad Max: Fury Road is an awe-inspiring saga of survival and political intrigue.

According to my best friend, Waterworld was actually inspired from the original Mad Max series. This makes me look forward to watching the original series starring Mel Gibson in the title role. I would like to see how much of the original series inspired Waterworld and Mad Max: Fury Road visually and atmospherically.

Furthermore, what’s really refreshing about Mad Max: Fury Road is the refreshingly high number of women who are well-rounded characters in their own right. For the first time, I was watching an action movie made just for me. It’s not at all like other action movies where the female lead is designed to titillate the male target audience, like the Underworld series, the Tomb Raider movies; or worse, Sucker Punch and Lucy. Here, even if Max (Tom Hardy) is clearly the main character, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) establishes her own story and sustains it throughout the movie. Immediately after the introductory sequences, we are introduced to five beautiful maidens, played by Zoe Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Divergent), Riley Keough (the villainous romantic lead in Justin Timberlake’s “TKO” music video), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (the romantic lead in Transformers: Dark of the Moon), and models Abbey Lee and Courtney Eaton. While the five are not as prominent as Furiosa, they are clearly distinguishable characters even though, collectively, they are all the main villain’s brides/sex slaves. Although Furiosa takes it upon herself to protect them, the five brides put up a good fight against anyone who threatens them.

While the brides are literally sex objects in the movie, they are, more importantly, people who want to be anything other than dolls to play with; whereas with action heroines like Selene or Baby Doll, it’s the other way around. Selene, especially, is an fighter whose status as Michael Corvin’s lover doesn’t necessarily define her, but dressing her in a corset and a form-fitting catsuit and then giving her slow-motion shots to emphasize her curves lets you know that, ironically, she is still designed to be a sex object for the audience. The same is true for Baby Doll and her scantily clad posse. Furiosa and her young wards might be nice to look at, but the narrative presents them as much, much more than that by avoiding putting emphasis on their bodies. We get a good look at them when they are first introduced, but any chance of objectification is quickly dashed by using their thin physiques and grimy white dresses to show that they have suffered for it and want to escape, especially the pregnant one with ritual scars on her face.

Like the male characters Max, Nux, and even the villains, they are people letting their claws out to fight for survival in the harsh wasteland. Having Imperator Furiosa, a gang leader who works for the villain, ultimately betray her boss to rescue his young brides from him sets off the familiar feminist narrative. However, it does not play upon the usual gender conflict dynamic as blatantly as Sucker Punch does; instead, our heroines enforce their rights not just as women but as people seeking freedom from oppression, just like our hero Max. When he proves his worth to Furiosa and her wards, they accept his aid and he becomes their protector alongside Furiosa for the rest of the film. They become partners seeking common goals: dignity and freedom from oppression.

Pop Culture Issues I Somehow Can't Ignore

I am now 26 years old and have long stopped paying attention to silly "headlines" like what this celebrity wore or whom that celebrity is dating. I don't even go to Yahoo.com anymore because 95% of the stories are about silly things about celebrities nobody should have to care about. If people read more about philosophy and psychology and sociology, maybe they won't have to listen to the babbling of some "influential" celebrities for validation, but I digress.

Anyway, I've stopped buying OK! and Cosmopolitan magazines for almost two years now, and I have stopped browsing Yahoo.com around the same time. This is roughly the period when I've also stopped paying attention to the personal details of celebrities, even of those I happen to like. While I don't enjoy being cynical, I can't help but become a tad jaded when I learned that there are such things as image consultants. Essentially, I learned that the "personal styles" or "fashion tastes" of some celebrities are created for them, rendering "headlines" about fashion hits and misses bogus. The same goes with their "message" and public statements.

Since the downward spiral of Lindsay Lohan following the peak of Mean Girls, I have long since learned that celebrities should be allowed to be imperfect human beings with inevitable psychological problems considering their typically dysfunctional backgrounds. However, at this rate, with irreverent celebrity gossip needed to support the imaginary status of mediocre talents, dreaming of responsible journalism seems far-fetched.

Instead, I'll give in just this once to express something about a few pop culture topics I feel especially strongly about. Feel free to show me where I might be wrong.

Meghan Trainor

When I first heard "All About That Bass," I was in the treadmill on my second day of going to the gym ever. It was the time when I'd finally taken the initiative to get fit after nearly 15 years of being overweight. When I first heard the song, it made me feel glad that there is a popular song that directly addresses the issue of body positivity.

Prior to engaging in boxing workout routines, I'd taken to maintaining a positive but realistic attitude regarding body image. While I've desired to be thinner for both aesthetic and health reasons, I'm determined to still feel beautiful and confident while my BMI hasn't gone down to the normal range yet. On the flip side, I also believe that while overweight and obese people don't deserve being shamed for their looks and eating habits, thin people mustn't get the same treatment for the sake of "body positivity."

So you can imagine my disappointment when I heard more and more flaws in "All About That Bass" each time I heard it on the radio. The biggest problem with the song is when "skinny bitches" are mercilessly slammed in a backhanded insult of a lyric. This leads to another problem with the song in that the bottom line of so-called body positivity as illustrated in the song is that it is sexually desirable apparently. Not because you'll be more content in the long run or that you have more relevant attributes like intelligence or compassion or you mustn't feel guilty about eating fast food from time to time; it's because "boys they like a little more booty to hold at night." While it's a legitimate point that everyone can understand quickly, it once again misses the one best lesson in body positivity that organizations like Dove tend to overlook: People mustn't depend their entire self-worth on their physical appearance alone.

One more point about the song that bothers me intensely are the lines "My momma, she told me don't worry about your size" and "I won't be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll." Let me tell you this: A mother who lets her fat daughter keep getting fat is a negligent parent who doesn't care about her child's well-being. My mother was the one who convinced me that I need to do something about my weight because she is concerned that my obesity might get worse and it was already affecting my psychological health. Since going to the gym, I've maintained a good mood and even improved my humor. I look forward to updating my wardrobe once my BMI reaches "normal."

Regarding the Barbie doll line, I honestly don't understand why Barbie is under so much scrutiny. Why must she have to have a "realistic" design when she is a doll designed to simulate the body of a grown lady? I had never heard of a girl who literally felt bad she can't look like Barbie. And why must her looks matter so much? Barbie as a fictional character is a great role model for girls because she has engaged in plenty of different careers without abandoning her "girliness." Who says the love for fashion and a successful career in business or public service are incompatible?

And finally, there's Meghan Trainor herself. I understand this might be a ploy perpetuated by her record executives, but I'm not falling for her trick in passing off as a new Adele. First of all, she isn't fat. Even Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Lawrence are noticeably chunkier than Trainor. Trainor merely has a square, androgynous face she covers up with doll-like makeup to look more feminine. Besides, Adele might be fat, but that's not entirely why she's famous; like Aretha Franklin, Adele makes up for her unconventional figure by having great vocal talent.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is one of those celebrities that are ubiquitous. No matter how hard I try not to pay attention, she is on TV, on the radio, and all over the Internet being talked about by her fans and haters alike. I fall in the latter category, and I believe everyone else has probably pointed out what I'm about to say. Her first few hits were Mariah Carey copycats and, in those songs where she is most like herself, her otherwise impressive range doesn't conceal that her voice is somewhat annoying.

And then there's her Lolita image. It's like she can't decide whether she wants to be sexy and seductive or sweet and unattainable. I'm not impressed either way and I just get angry when she unnecessarily bats her fake eyelashes at me through the screen. I'm just waiting when she finally ditches the dresses and appears nude in a magazine cover or something.

A Prayer for the Victims of Terrorism

Almighty and Ever-Merciful Lord, I praise You for providing mankind with a beautiful home and the capacity to make it a better place than before. I praise You for giving us faculties for reason and religion; and with them, the pursuit for truth and justice. It is with great sorrow, that this wonderful world and its prosperous people have been corrupted with evil. As it was at the birth of Your Church, Lord, those who do not know of Your love are persecuting those whom You have called to your service. Innocent Christians of all ages are having their bodies desecrated in the name of power, disguised as religious motivation. Innocent, peaceful Muslims are also being attacked by heartbroken Christians who lack the wisdom to discern that Muslim extremists are people corrupted by sin, not motivated by faith.

Lord, please, welcome into Your House the people who have died at the hands of so-called jihadists. As you have done for St. Sebastian, St. Agnes, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Stephen, St. Lorenzo Ruiz, St. Pedro Calungsod, and the newly canonized martyrs of Korea, please, welcome the fallen victims of terrorism into your arms and let them sing of Your glory with your angels and saints forever. Let them enjoy Your everlasting grace in Your presence where there is no more pain or hunger or sickness or hatred; where they only cry for joy.

For us who seek peace in the land of the living, let us be governed by Your wisdom and love. Let us not be swayed by vengeful anger but be driven by the pursuit of justice and mercy.

And for those who continue to challenge You by slaying Christians, Lord, it is clear that in creating them in their mothers’ wombs, You have kindled in them the burning desire for worship. The Evil One has replaced their fire with the poisonous smoke of violence. Touch them, O Lord. Do not forsake them. Save them from the fires of Hell. Born from the seed of Ishmael whom You have delivered from the desert, deliver them from the Evil One that pollutes their hearts. Born of Ishmael who was born from Abraham, they are Your children, Lord.

Restore us into unity. We are united in You. Let us all be an instrument of Your peace. Amen.

Death of/to Democracy

As a child, I learned in school that democracy is the grand manifestation of freedom and independence. It is also this wonderful relief the Philippines experienced after the twenty-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. In theory, democracy allows the common people who lead their lives as they choose. They have the choice to select competent officials to represent them in government. However, the success of democracy is dependent on several factors. The people should have the good judgment to distinguish a competent leader who cares about the common good rather than the pseudo-politician who uses cheap tricks on the people to put himself on top. Guess which of these scenarios is actually happening.

I seldom watch the news anymore. Whenever I watch the news, I feel angry and helpless. So when I start to feel the hot sensation in my chest I stop because feeling angry is useless when I can't do anything about it. Then, it occurs to me: What kind of democracy is this that the people literally can't do anything about the wrongs done to them by the people they trusted to make their lives better? Activists might be able to take to the streets, but the government doesn't listen to them. They also inadvertently disrupt the daily schedules of the people who would rather maintain their stable careers by coming to work on time.

The so-called intellectual class of Filipinos might take to the Internet and voice out their concerns in Facebook or Twitter or in news/blog websites like Rappler.com, Anti-Pinoy.com, or FilipiKnow.net, but the government doesn't change its ways. No wonder they don't: A vast majority of them are old men who don't even know how to use the computer. At worst, their spokespersons even silence naysayers by blocking them on social media, like the poet Angelo "Gelo" Suarez and his explicit complaint regarding the MRT.

The news broadcasting doesn't fare any better. Besides the fact that it displays the rather gruesome things Filipinos do to one another on a daily basis, much of its content is incredibly biased and tend to sometimes give people the wrong ideas about current events. This is called sensationalist journalism. It is why Cebu Pacific was pegged as a terrible air carrier after one [casualty-free] incident, which is their first since the fatal crash of Flight 387 in 1998. It is why Filipino Americans are hailed as Philippine representatives for achievements they weren't meant to share with the country they don't even belong to. It is why Filipino athletes and entertainers only get applause when they win when they could have used government support in order to do so. In other words, like Philippine politics, the local news media rouses the people's emotions just enough to give the illusion that the people has power.

But freedom of speech only goes so far. Yes, we can vote for the most competent government officials, but the vast majority of voters can be scammed into voting by handshakes, bogus charities, and last-minute infrastructure projects. That last one should have been taken from the taxes of the people, so politicians should not be rewarded for projects that should be their real job.

Yes, we can take to the streets and have journalists express public grievances, but free speech vanishes in the air as soon as it is spoken.

At worst, our own president uses the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl to protect himself from his detractors. This girl was brilliant to point out that Noy-Noy Aquino should not be the only one to blame for all the country's problems. For his State of the Nation Address, the President uses it as an excuse to blame the country's problems on his predecessors instead. News Flash: It's your job streamline solutions to those problems, SIR.

Stealing because they can, politicians show zero compassion by lording over the people instead of providing honest administration and service. I will not go into any more details because I will go into an unnecessary rage, but the bottom line is that, if it weren't for them, the Philippine would have been as self-sufficient as we were thirty years ago. If the country were economically stable, would the other problems in society be solved, too? I'm not sure, but if government agencies had the "funding" they so sorely need and their employees were humanely compensated, maybe they might actually do their jobs and raise the standard of living in the Philippines.

My heart breaks for the farmers and fishermen who don't get their share of the country's agricultural revenue. My heart crumbles for the OFWs who are forced to leave their families only to be mistreated by their employers because they are perceived as inferior. My heart burns for the middle class Filipinos struggling for an honest living only to be cheated by corruption, poor service in public sectors, and crime by the helpless poor. Something has to change, but I don't know where we can start.