The undiminished Filipino Nation

The success and continued interest in ‘Heneral Luna’, the film produced by Articulo Uno refreshingly forced the public to brush up on our history. In like Spielberg’s Lincoln, the buzz created so much discussion that it gave life to its art. Despite the absence of big name stars, except for a token cameo of a current heart throb, the film attracted attention by appropriately melding entertainment and education; facts and opinion in a coherent imagining of the struggle for Philippine independence from the experience of the controversial military strategist. Never mind the young’s blatant cluelessness about personalities that brought about the birth of the Republic of the Philippines, what is important comes from their treading of the path that leads to where we are today.

But then where are we today?

Mr. Cielito F. Habito, in the September 9 edition of his column, ’No Free Lunch’ laments “…how our country has been held back by a lack on ‘oneness’-a unity of purpose and mission that would have us merit the word “nation”. He states he is ‘..unhappy with what our nation has become or has failed to be”To these assessments, I must disagree as others, I hope do as well.

The statement ‘failed to be’ I gather alludes to the state of the economy.  I don’t know  much about that but our country recently did get a lot of good press from premier economic watchers and should there be blame; the failure squarely lands on the lap of the succession of political leadership who read wrongly the situation. For example, let us take the policy of incentives for automation in a labor surplus scenario. Obviously, that needs revisiting.  On the other hand, sound programs, policies & guidelines that were instituted by different dispensations, failed to take root, probably because of narrow parameters.

Yes, there is the Filipino nation, a group of people calling this archipelago as home with a shared cultural heritage and a vision for the future, despite differing creed, faith and dialect, faltering and muddling through almost every turn but still standing as one. This becomes highly evident in the aftermath of ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Yolanda’ when the out pouring of aid from the different parts of the archipelago pooled together by the rich, poor and everybody in-between was overwhelming, except that it was stumped by the organized chaos in the delivery of service.  Still both calamities showed unity unobstructed by regional, religious or political differences. This is power.

In terms of commitment, today’s stories abound with heroism such as the quiet work of Tony Meloto’s ‘Gawad Kalinga’, the ‘in your face’ activism of Gabriela and the DOJ Secretary’s uncompromising view of justice. Rizal, Luna, Mabini, Aquinaldo of the 1898 revolution; Quezon of the fight for independence in the aftermath of WWII; Ninoy, Jopson, MABINI and a host of others who gave up their comforts and lives to shape a society free to trace its future undeniably etched a shared vision.

We do have our problems but even the Americans had their share of political development problems: the civil war, labor unrest, terrorism and the depression.

The Philippines is a young republic prone to mistakes some with resonating repercussions while the political development that fostered feudalism, dynasties and corruption transformed democracy into a loaded gun. An infant with a loaded gun is never a good combination. So we have democramata, death by democracy, due to the pervasive poverty engulfing the majority of the population caused by our penchant for electing the wrong people. In 2016, we might just do it again, Magoo. If we do, the monumental mistake would be our’s as a nation to suffer as we’ve always done.

But then we can always do something about it as we had countless times for the citizenry is the power and not the bureaucracy that governs. Sovereigns are called power when paralleled with another but sovereign are mere abstractions. The people are the real power.

You don’t need contracts to prove membership in the Filipino nation; we know each other because we are one family. If we all discarded those credentials that inform of our nationality, like the tearing of ‘cedula’ in the days of the ‘Katipunan’, we would still be Filipinos: the Muslims of the south, Christians, Ilocano, Visaya, Bicolanos and everybody breathing the Filipino oxygen. I believe in the Filipino nation. I believe in our cultural heritage that binds us all, shaped by these lands, nourished by its bounties, absent anywhere else, despite the diaspora of over ten million of our brothers working in foreign lands.  I believe in the shared pursuit of a future endowed with peace, justice and prosperity in our own land. I believe in the Filipino struggle that strives to attain that vision.

To my mind, most problems we are currently encountering are of the management variety: finance, civil security, strategic geographical concentration of resources among others. There may be wisdom in the migration to Mindanao policy of the 1950’s but it lacked a land distribution system that ultimately led to mayhem. Add to that the sinister, covert operation to invade Sabah that malevolently twisted into the horror that was the Jabidah massacre. The situation begs for a management solution. I cannot see granting autonomy, a political solution as an answer.

Only by standing under one constitution, one law, one flag can we keep forward towards our vision.

Do we need outsiders to chart our destiny?

Our history recounts colonizers and invaders who tried to subdue the Filipino spirit but were ultimately rejected. One of our own tried to make Filipinos into Singaporeans by doing a Lee Kwan Yew, which became a Guinness record for kleptocracy. Spain turned the natives into zombie slaves (planting poppy, I read somewhere along with Chinese workers), supposedly in the name of Christianity; America bled our natural resources in the name of free enterprise while Japan brought to these lands unimaginable cruelty for a far reaching empire of the sun.  

The good thing is that the different incursions produced ‘peninsulares’, ‘amboys’ and ‘japayukis’ which broadened the ethnicity, strengthening the Filipino spirit. Everything else about these invasions were horrible so I cannot see any reason why there should be a change in the constitution to accord foreigners the freedom to do what they please ?

The argument for investment, enhanced tourism and a multitude of economic benefits had been used in the position to retain the American bases. Mr. Richard Gordon, foremost Amboy, ironically rolled out a program that proved the pro American base proponents wrong. That is a fine example of harnessing the power of the people correctly. It is unfortunate that old Dick is not in the running, buried under much Poelitics, ‘pollutics’ and poorlitics.

And as we look for investments to provide jobs, our own businessmen who made it the list of Forbes’ riches placed most their money in China installing new plants, malls and other edifices that run to billions of dollars rivaling our national budget. Along with other greedy multi nationals, they made China the super military power that it is today. The folly crystalizes with hegemony upon us.

Today, the struggle has become fiercer. The power that is the Filipino spirit is bogged down by a myriad of broad mosaic matters interconnected but in parts are already overwhelming: dispensation of justice, poverty, civil security, governance, corruption, globalization, terrorism, cross border drug trade, natural calamities, superpower hegemony, regionalization, climate change, exclusive growth and the diaspora.    

Still the struggle continues and we remain one nation

Lady Justice takes a peek from behind blindfold

Juan Ponce Enrile is everything they say he is- brilliant, cool, suave, shrewd and calculating. Graduating cum laude from Ateneo for his Associate in Arts then again as cum laude from the University of the Philippines for his law degree, Senator Enrile passed the bar with a 91.72% rating and started practice with his father. Not long after, he was spotted by Ferdinand Marcos to handle his personal legal affairs.

The brilliant mind comes from the gene pool. His father, Alfonso, stood as a pillar of the Manuel Quezon administration and most likely the brain that propelled the Philippine independence.

I witnessed Juan Ponce Ensile’s amazing clarity a couple of times. Once in a budget hearing, he got the housing technocrats of the different agencies in a tizzy when he found inconsistencies in the numbers (remember these numbers are reviewed a number of times before submission). During the plenary, Senator Escudero questioned an application of a provision of a law and when it was his turn at the podium, Senator Enrile calmly started his response with “when I wrote the law…” that sent guffaws across the hall after which he earnestly proceeded to provide the answer, point by point that sufficiently and clearly covered the matter.

It is not hard to be awed by his presence. 

With sixty odd years as a bureaucrat in different capacities, it is not hard to imagine that he wrote half of the laws existing today. In the same vein, he probably interacted at one time or another with most people of influence and position in government including members of the Supreme Court (SC) and here lays the problem with his recent victory- attaining temporary freedom from incarceration. If the members voted on the basis of their relationship with Senator Enrile and not the letter of applicable laws, then there is probable liability because selective justice smacks of breach of trust. To my mind, there is more fault here than omitting things from the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Accommodation sounds polite with which Justice Leonen in his dissent, described the general opinion penned by Justice Bersamin. 

Atty Eleazar Reyes dismissed the dissenting opinion saying it was irrelevant with the implementation of the general opinion. I cannot agree. It cannot end there.

How many members of the SC should have inhibited because at a certain point they worked with, worked for or owed Senator Enrile something? If that were the case, the Senator’s shrewdness and calculating trait paid off, for it certainly looks like the cashing in of markers. I happen to know that a justice used to closely work for a codefendant of Senator Enrile in the rebellion complex murder suit described as criminal case no.9010941 under the Regional Trail Court branch 103 in February 1990. That should have been enough to inhibit from the case even if he did not work directly on the specific case. How many others? Could the now general opinion have passed muster if those with some relation with the Senator inhibited?

I thank justice Leonen for the dissenting opinion which forwarded the ideals of equality along with Justices Sereno, Carpio and specially Perlas Bernabe, always a straight shooter who I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Justice should be blindfolded while the scale must weigh in measure of the law. Anything less throws us back to being a banana republic. 

Still the Beatle fan (older and losing my hair)

Most people I know who play the guitar along with a lot of artists when they give interviews attribute the kindling of their interest in music to the fab four. And how could they not, the Beatles ruled the airwaves for a decade.

I got hooked when I heard ‘Blackbird’ and found out it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. George, on the other hand, made guitar music sound more heavenly with ‘Here comes the Sun’ while John gave the definitive lesson on rhythm guitar 101 with ‘Norwegian woods’.

At 12 years old (in’68) with a rickety instrument from a roving vendor from Cebu, it was hard to replicate the sound they made with their guitars but you just had to try or be out of place with the gang.

In 1968, Abbey road, the last recorded effort of the Beatles was the party favorite fronted by the cuddle song ‘Something’ which Old blue eyes in those days kept mistaking for a Lennon-McCartney song. ‘Come Together’ was the music to shake to with its Ringo infested rolls and Paul’s jumping melodic treatment of the baseline. It wasn’t really a great song, it’s just that the base and drum performance were as grade A as it can ever be.

Everybody went to see ‘Let It be’, the last album released by the Beatles,  where in the morning after, all went and purchased round glasses and started growing their hair, parting it at the middle. Apart from the music, the Beatles were the fashion plate of the decade starting from the mop top hair style to the Indian-psychedelic clothes of the later years. I had my pieces of loose Indian shirts and beads.

But I think the biggest contribution of the Beatles was showing the world how to have a good time. Surely they never took themselves seriously and wore it like badge. In the 1964 interview of the Beatles upon landing on JFK, a trove of cheeky responses can be found:

Q: Aren’t you afraid of what the American Barbers Association in going to think of you?

Ringo: Well; we run quicker than the English one, we’ll have a go here too, you know?

Q:What do you think your music does for the people? Why does it excite them so much?

John: If we knew, we’d form another group and be managers.

Emcee: Can we have the last question?

Paul; My favorite

Q: Are you going to have a haircut?.

George: I had one yesterday.

Q: Do you fight among yourselves?

John; only in the morning

Q:Did you always have your hair that way?

John: Only in the morning.

Of course in the movie ‘A hard Day’s Night’ (which is a Ringoism, a remark he supposedly made  upon seeing night time set after a whole day in the recording studio), Alun Owen wrote the script based upon what he heard the Beatles mouthed and I can believe Lennon can come with repartees such as :

Q: how did you find America?

John: turn left after Greenland.

In the movie, Paul’s grandfather exchanges clothes with the butler to go to the casino. Paul remarks he could be in a sex orgy at which all laugh and went out to find the grandfather.

Butler (in his undies): what about me?

John: you’re too old.

In the movie, ‘Help’, George’s wry humor is accurately captured when the chief Scotland Yard Inspector wanted to answer a phone call for Ringo claiming he does a good impersonation of James Cagney.

Inspector: My dear chap this is the famous Ringo of the famous Beatles my dear chap (in fake liverpudlian accent).

George: doesn’t sound a bit like Cagney.

Of course there’s the classic “ I don’t like your tie, his response to George Martin query if there were questions on their first meeting. An interview with Ringo featured on YouTube had him teary eyed recounting the last days of George. Ringo visited the bedridden George in a hospital in LA before going to his daughter in another hospital treated also for cancer. As we was about to leave, George said: Would you like me accompany you?

Ringo at this point in the story laughed then wept.

Even at death George showed panache.

But music, cheekiness and panache weren’t all that the fab four had to offer. Of course, I am now being overly fanatic.

In the years that the Beatles concentrated on the studio, the different temperaments started to emerge. The personal statements in songs became the template in the era.

John brought his politics to the fore, while George tinkered with Indian philosophies and tonal resonance (the famous one note hold over). Paul made songs dealing with complexities in relationships from the simple boy-girl situations conveyed in earlier ditties. Ringo, for his part, started innovating drum rolls that to this day are studied by drummers attested by Youtube lessons.

In the ‘Rubber soul’ album John sang a little politics with ‘Nowhere man’ while Paul howled about a romance going south in “I’m looking through you”. George meantime preached with “Think for yourself’ with the mantra like ending. Ringo meantime wrote and sang about the practical side of breaking up with “what goes on.”

An ode to the bustling life that characterized the corporate 60s, John sang ‘I’m Only sleeping’ while Paul continued to craft melodious love songs, prime of which is ‘Here, there and Everywhere’ in the album ‘Revolver’. George delves to more soul searching with ‘Love you to”. Ringo meantime was assigned a Paul ditty titled ‘Yellow submarine’ which would define the drummer to this day. 

The politically leaning songs of John would continue with ‘Revolution’ on the white album, and ‘Come together’ in ‘Abbey road’. After the break up, John would explode with his politics not only with music but with the protest actions he would start for peace. ‘Imagine’ started a worldwide debate when the Christian population jeered the first line of the song “Imagine there’s no heaven…” Certainly it brought back memories when John was quoted as saying the Beatles were more popular then Jesus Christ. Other songs that caught public attention were ‘Power to the People’,’Give peace a Chance’ ‘Mind Games’ Working Class Hero’ and my personal favorite, the only Christmas song written by Lennon, ‘Happy Christmas War is over’

George came up with “while my guitar gently weeps’ in the white, a guitarist anthem at that time (although it is a well-known fact that the guitar solos were of Eric Clapton), then segueing to “Something’ an ode to lady love Patty Boyd –Harrison (Later Mrs. Clapton) and a lesson in finger picking with ‘Here comes the Sun’ (Written at Clapton’s place in surrey I think). After the break-up, George was the first to hit number one in the billboards with “My Sweet Lord’ and the triple album ‘All things must pass” in what seems a pursuit of inner calm.

Paul’s initial solo album was panned even by the other ex-Beatles but I do have a favorite’Baby I’m Amaze’. In the summer of 1973, the 6^th or 7^th installment of the James Bond series had Paul and the newly formed wings shot up to number one with “Live and Let Die’. From there, no one could stop the Maca from dishing out one number one song after another, of course in between the hits of the other three. Most beautiful of course is the song for Linda, ‘My Love’ or would Ringo shout ‘Oh look out, Mrs McCartney’ (heard before ‘She came in through the bathroom window’). Paul is still dishing them out 50 years after the Beatles first conquered the world in 1963.

Ringo meantime revived a number of songs like ‘You’re Sixteen’, ‘Only you’ and ‘Stardust’ after the break up. Initially successful in films such as the ‘Magic Christian’ and ‘Caveman’, he suddenly vanished from the scene but re-emerged with the all Star which tours until now, I think. Oh I love that album where he sang all those Sinatra songs. Old blue would have been proud.

In 1995 or ‘94, the Beatles regrouped (even with one member dead) and came out with a number one hit after over two decades on inactivity (as a group). That should be a record of some sort.

I was hoping the two remaining Beatles would do a record or maybe a show with the hologram images of the two dead Beatles. Now, wouldn’t that be eerie? However, that is still guaranteed to raise a smile. 

China's Groove

The idea of The People’s Republic of China (PRC, alternately Zhong Renmin Gonghegou) fleshing out an economic strategy to benefit its neighbors and the world at large as written by Michael Spence (China’s international growth agenda, World View, PDI, June 22, 2015) sounds vastly irreconcilable with how China handled a number of things.

We start with China’s provocative stance regarding territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

It could be remembered that the US mediated the Scarborough Standoff between the Philippines and China in 2012 where it recommended withdrawal of forces locked in a deadly game of chicken. Only the Philippines withdrew however, in the process losing its grip on its claim. The Philippines now finds it hard to retake what it lost with effective occupation still the rule of thumb in any claim dispute. The biggest lost is Chinese forces driving away hapless Filipino fisher folks from their traditional fishing grounds in a show of control, consequently exacerbating our poverty position.

No doubt, the Chinese issued a challenge against all counter claimants in the Spratley Islands, extending even to the Pivot to Asia strategy of the US, with its mammoth land reclamation called ‘the great wall of sand’ in the Mischief reef. While Mr. Spence paints a picture of China as a sovereign merely ensuring unrestricted trade routes via the modern day ‘silk roads’ (maritime and overland) supposed beneficial to its neighbors and to the world, its actions, however, definitely say otherwise. As far as can be seen, the maritime component of the Silk Road is almost at total Chinese control with the effective occupation of the Paracel islands and the ‘great wall of sand in place. There already exist restrictive policies in the use of areas in the immediate vicinity of those controlled by China. As for the overland component, China and Russia already built a railway system that connects China with Europe.

As for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), it would rival the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for sure and there are suspicions that the race for financial dominance might lead to less than stringent rules for environment protection and safeguard of habitat. For one, there's the unmitigated pollution in China and another, the substandard products under the 'knock off' variety that China has continuously churned out, remember milk made of melanin and now rice made of plastic resins.

All these actions: the sealing of important trade routes and casting a global financial net, indicate a Chinese bid for a new world order with them at the helm. 

On one hand, we count as a point, the Chinese slashing their poverty by as much as 60% in 30 years with an unprecedented economic growth. But then, the growth experienced came as a result of western corporate greed. Left on their own, the Chinese economic advancement originates from their capacity for ‘knock-offs’. With the saturation of this technology, it lost its capability for expansion; for providing more jobs. What then happens to the 20% under their poverty line which translates to over 260m people? And in the event of the occurrence of a Kondratieff cycle, that stipulates a long haul recession after successive growth decades, how many will fall back under their poverty line?

Most regard the specter of China’s influence in geopolitics and world trade like a dark cloud against freedom and the protection of the environment. I don’t know the end game but there are other more horrible prospects such as the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square on a global scale. I can’t imagine a benevolent China. 

The Breakup Playlist of PNoy & Vice President Jejomar Binay

After years of being linked politically, Benigno Aquino, now President and Jejomar Binay, current Vice President, the two highest official of the Republic of the Philippines break path on the road to 2016 national election. With shared  memories on the fight against the dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, the split sounds tragic but it has been a long time coming. Brick brats thrown against each other is another sad tale on how politics can be dirty.

On the political split, I have prepared a playlist. Add more songs and explain why. Here's my list:

1.     Helplessly Hoping- Crosby, Stills & Nash (Stephen Stills) Sony/ATV publishing

From the album Crosby, Stills & Nash, Atlantic records, 1969

VP Binay aspires for a PNoy anointment for 2016 even in the face of a done, LP supported Mar Roxas presidential run.

2.      Back off Bugaloo-Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) Startling music

Single, Apple 1972

VP Binay and son, Mayor Junjun resists suspension order from Ombudsman.

3.      You Can’t Do That-The Beatles, (Lennon-McCartney)

From the album A Hard Day’s Night, Parlophone 1964

Ombudmans Morales reacts to melee that ensues in the Makati stand-off.

4.      Break on Through (to the other side) –the Doors (the Doors)

From the album The doors, Electra 1967

VP BInay resigns cabinet post

5.      Hello goodbye-the Beatles (Lennon-McCartney)

From the album Magical Mystery Tour, Parlophone 1967

Administration receives resignation in nonchalant manner.

6.      With a little help from my friends-the Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Maclen Publishing

From the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Parlophone 1967

UNA launch is attended by a glittering array of political celebrities including Manny Pacquiao.

7.      Lazy-Deep Purple (Gillan-Blackmore-Glover-Lord-Pace)

From the album Machine Head, EMI 1972

VP Binay broadsides administration for laziness and insensitivity during UNA launch.

8.      Everybody’s got something to hide except me and my monkey-the Beatles (Lennon-McCartney) Maclen Publishing

From the album the Beatles (more popularly known as the white album), Apple 1968

Administration dares Binay to continue attack. 

9.      (I wanna be) Elected-Alice Cooper (Cooper-Buxton-Bruce-Dunaway-Smith)

From the album Million dollar Babies, Warner Bros 1972

VP Binay pitches his candidacy.

1   Promises, Promises- Eric Clapton (White-Vernon) EMI Music Publishing

From the album Backless, Polydor 1978

No explanation required

Kubot, Aswang chronicles 2/ could have been better/ 2014 Reality Entertainment, GMA films, Agosto de Dos/ Directed by Eric Matti

An interesting prologue sets the movie in motion, first offering glimpses of the prequel (Tiktik/GMA films 2012) where a clan of tiktik (human flesh eating, fetus craving super naturals) is slaughtered by the main protagonist Makoy (Dingdong Dantes) then cutting to the escape of Makoy from another band of tiktik out for revenge. Makoy flees for the city along with Nestor (Joey Marque)his future father in law, his planned bride, Sonia and their infant son Macky. Unfortunately,the tiktik catches up with the commuter bus then succeeds in murdering the bride and taking off with the infant.

From the winding, rocky trail the bus travels on to the culminating sequence of the attack by the hair expanding tiktik, the audience is propped for a thrilling horror-fantasy romp.

The bar must have been set so high with the prologue that after the title credits roll everything goes downhill. Attempting a reprise of the campy horror cult favorite “Army of Darkness”(MGM/1982) replete with the amputated arm fitted with weaponry, director Erik Matti, went overboard with the craziness resulting in a completely inane movie. I don’t know if that was what he was going for but a little psychotropic might have placed some logic and turned the movie into something funny, at the least.

Two years after his escape and the murder of his family, the story continues with Makoy now working as a mechanic living in the city with his sister (Lotlot De Leon), her daughter and Nestor. Invariably, Makoy crosses path with the tiktik when his sister finds that her employer, a young beautiful doctor (Isabelle Daza) is a kubot, another variant of flesh eaters. It happened while the doctor tried defending herself and family from a band of kubot that attacked them spurred by her attempt to cure a patient slowly becoming a tiktik. She turns into a Kubot in the skirmish to even the odds but the doctor’s mother and sister are killed nonetheless and she runs for her life with Makoy’s sister in tow. Their escape ends up with Makoy, bringing him into the fray but then he is unwilling to join the fight.

Left to fend for themselves, the doctor and Makoy’s sister turn to the police who are unbelieving until the precinct is attacked, almost decimated saved by the appearance of Makoy.

Meanwhile, the mayor (KC Montero) turns out to be the kubot leader bent on turning the whole population into flesh eaters through a feeding program. The plan is to hold a free concert with free food mostly hotdogs cured with something that will turn people into Kubot. Elders of the Kubot clan rally against the plan leaving the mayor with no option but to do away with them. Another elder, Veron (Elizabeth Oropesa) who avoided the dire circumstance by missing the consultation meeting, gets wind of the devious plan and mounts an action against the mayor. This elder is the hair expanding variant who has the child of Makoy.

Long story short, Veron, Makoy, and Nestor unify against the mayor and bring him down. Makoy is reunited with his child, shown to have grown to be a Kubot. There wasn’t much by way of a story.

Kubot obviously banked heavily on its stars along with the special effects and whatever gains the first installment left to attract audiences. Proof is the superfluous participation of Julie San Jose and Abra for the teenage crowd and the cameo of Alonzo Mulach, although admittedly that one worked. 

The movie, as obviously planned, pulled off effectively the use of special effects as executed by David Yu, rare in Philippine movies. I especially liked the hair expanding titik scenes and face morphs, reminiscent of the ‘Grimm’ series. The pre title credit sequence in particular came out well: the hair expanding villains, the overturning of the bus with the use of the hair by the tiktik, the blood sucking sequence with an emaciated body being discarded as a result and finally, an explosion. However the setback in that scene seems to be the lead actor who lacked the projection of anger and frustration. It could have been the director’s folly. If you saw the “Goonies” (Amblin/ 1985) movie in the making, it showed Richard Donner teaching the child lead (Ke Huy Quan) how to project terror until it was right. The scene involved a train ride on dilapidated rails spiraling down a cave. The child’s face and shriek of terror really put the scene on the money. On the other hand, editing could have been the problem. If it was clear the actor lacked the projection, they could have cut into another sequence leaving just the cry of frustration in the back drop. Another example of a memorable sequence of that type is that which showed Pierce Brosnan falling high from a balloon in the “The world is not enough” (Eon/1999), projecting fierceness and anger while descending to what should be a fatal circumstance. Now that was acting. Both were over the top silly movies but the actors playing straight kept to their characters even in wacky scenes.

The wired fight scenes staged by Larry Ang also added distinction except that the actors weren’t really in it particularl Isabelle Daza and joey Marquez who could have used a little more rehearsal for some realism.

Cinematography and set design by Shing Fung Cheung and Ericson Navarro respectively, captured notably that Gothic look.

With these things going for it, it seemed like a shame that the movie didn’t reach its potential. It was too campy for its own good. The scenes featuring Ramon Bautista and Bogart the explorer looked all too improvised dawdling when it could have propped the movie for the climax.

On the other hand Lot Lot De Leon, Isabelle Daza and KC Montero made unexpected revelations.

Ms. De Leon never broke character and carried on as if her life depended on it. In that scene of the precinct being attacked by tiktik where visibly almost everyone was enjoying, looking like they would break into laughing fits, she continued appearing harassed and terrorized.

Ms. Daza turned in a good enough performance outlining a wide range of emotions from being terrorized to wacky to a confident Kung Fu vampire. Clearly that whipping scene where she tries to cure a ‘turner’ wasn’t it but she gets it right in the following attack sequence. Of course, there’s the wacky scene where she and Dingdong Dantes get cornered and had her doing madcap that got audience laughing.  

KC for his part, might have hammed it up a little but surely got audiences hissing as the brutal Kubot overlord. He has enough of that menacing look and projected an obvious evilness never breaking character. That accent of his really helped the part get a little more nasty.

In all, it’s not Sam Raimi’s “Army of Darkness” but it’s a good enough movie on a lazy afternoon. I’d give it two and a half on a scale of five.