Still a hometown boy

I am sure the heart of Peque Gallaga must have swelled when he saw the overwhelming support given by his kababayans to the showing of his movie, “Sonata” at the SM Cinema last night. The moviehouse was full and all who were there were ready to again be proud of this artist from their place who has made quite a name for himself in the film industry, but has always remained a hometown boy at heart.

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Peque himself was at the gate, welcoming the crowd coming in and obviously enjoying the sight of so many friends, relatives and fellow artists among them. And even if the filming started a bit later than the 8 p.m. schedule, nobody seemed to mind because the time was spent bonding with the producers, the directors, the actors, and those who had a hand in producing, promoting and launching the project. And it was also a source of pride to all of us there, that so many local talents had been drawn into the production.

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“You will like it,” Peq ue told us as we came in. What an understatement. The movie was unmistakeably Peque’s handiwork, although he was humble enough to acknowledge all those who had contributed to its success. For us who are familiar with the setting and even the dialog, that was mostly in Ilonggo with subtitles, it was if we, too, had shared in it. That was also how we felt when we viewed the classic that was his “Oro, Plata, Mata”, where so many locals found themselves with bit roles in the movie, and remembering them as experiences of a lifetime.

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I won’t go into a summary of the story because I am hoping that all Negrenses and Bacoleños will go and watch it. Not only will the scenes be familiar, but many of the characters are known to them. For instance, patients of Dr. Ricky Gallaga will probably cheer when they see him performing his role like a pro, so relaxed and so credible was Ricky there. He’s not Peque’s brother for nothing, that is clear. I wish, though, that I had some time to meet Maddie, now Mrs. Peque. I am sure she remembers that she was once muse of the Negros Press Club. I was proud to know that she was part of the production, as was her son, Wango, who wrote the beautiful story.

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One thing that Peque disclosed during his own introduction was that making movies in Negros Occidental was also very cost-efficient for him and his co-producers. He recalled that “Oro” was projected to be a P12 million (a fortune in those days) project but they actually spent only about P2 million, with the P10 million saved through the contributions in kind and in services from his provincemates. Does this mean that he may venture into another one after Sonata? I am sure he will discover other talents as he did the now multi-awarded Joel Torre and, possibly the little lad, Chino Jalandoni, who played a major role in Sonata.

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But my ears, and those of my sister, Perla, really perked up when, in his intro, Peque paid tribute to the late Negrense artist Jess Ayco (he spelled it Aiko later) as the one who made him into what he is now. He spoke about the versatility of Jess as an artist, who excelled in most of its forms. He also recalled how willingly Jess Ayco shared his talent with everyone, and how he had no biases nor special choices, because he was always ready to help the productions of all the schools and institutions in the city. He even remembered how Jess Ayco was always one of the top three whenever awards or prizes were handed out to artists. And that was on the national scene.

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If I find a chance to do so, I will tell Peque how Jess had also influenced my family’s life. I don’t think he knows that Jess and my mother were first cousins and, as his nieces and nephews, he was very close to us. He even helped us with our Flores de Mayo programs and directed our plays and presentations at LCC. When my parents were finally able to build our own house at Rosario Street, he did a special painting for it after studying the wall color, the size of the sala and all. For my brother Prospero, his godson, whom he had encouraged to take up architecture, he gave two beautiful paintings that are displayed in his house until now. And he was the one who took their wedding pictures most of which were shot in his garden.

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And Peque, I can say that, like you, Jess also led me into what I am doing now, that is writing and editing. At LCC, where I got to be editor of “The Ripples”, he worked with me on lay-outs, cover photos, and even headlines. Susan Roces surely remembers how Jess and I dragged her through the streets of Bacolod at noontime, looking for a photographer who could take her photo for my cover. Thank you, Peque, for remembering Jess Ayco. You made us remember him, too.*

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