Weeks ago, I had a sojourn to Davao to tape episodes for the Buzz (Sundays, 4:30 p.m.), Homeboy (daily at 10:30 a.m.) all on ABS-CBN and Private Conversations (6 p.m., ANC News Channel).
On Private Conversations, I had with me two of Davao’s best-known artists, musician Popong Landero and Kublai Millan, sculptor, photographer, painter and poet. Both artists have had their taste of Manila living. Popong, for a while, stayed in Manila to try his luck as an artist. He played parts in Lapu Lapu, Jesus Christ Superstar, among others. He is also one of the original members of Bagong Lumad, and has jammed with Asin. He maintains his own group PLO (Popong Landero Org) which plays music drawn from folk, ethnic and reggae influences. He is a mechanical engineer but has pursued music as a profession and vocation. He wears his hair long, dyes it blond and carries with him a guitar. His guitar must be "made-to-order" as he is a left-handed. Popong is more popular in his monicker as the "kaliweteng guitarista." He has to invert chordbooks while learning to play the guitar. His fame as the "kaliweteng guitarista" started with the release of his single which also carries the same title. That was in 1978.
"Hindi talaga ako para sa Manila. Biyahe palang pagod ka na. Ubos na ang energy mo," says Popong, who sticks it out in Davao where his music is as enduring as the place’s staple fruit-durian.
Artistic opportunities are abundant in Popong’s beloved Davao. In fact, the art scene is alive. Kublai, who was with him in the same Private Conversations episode, says that Davao is full of opportunities. For someone like him whose artistic energy is limitless, he has the mountains, the shores and the big city even. Kublai studied commercial art in UP Diliman, and was CEO of an advertising agency in Manila. But Kublai (whose long hair, chinito eyes and a beard could make him a dead-ringer for the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan, who he was named after), chose to make it in Davao where he is indeed walking tall, so to speak.
Kublai’s sculptures are massive and larger than life, and sometimes shocking in their gargantuan state. You could not imagine how a pint-sized artist like him (well, he drives a black coupe with white dots) could weave such magic. Kublai explains the hugeness of his sculptures. "I was invited to do an art exhibit in America. But something happened." He was not granted a visa and from then on, he swore to himself that for as long as there is an American standing, he will not make a sculpture smaller than eight feet.
As his subjects are varied, so are his talents. There are sculptures of an "Urban Thinker" – a man seated on a toilet bowl, a giant clam, a family of eagles about to soar, a butterfly with the face of a woman, a turtle man, and a flutist found at the periphery of the family- owned Ponce Suites.
His photographs can also be viewed at the lobby of the hotel alongside some of his paintings. Also noticeable is his durian sculpture at the Davao International Airport grounds. He also donated one work to UP Mindanao. Kublai uses for his sculptures, cement which is his favorite material. "I have a whole crew to help me out," he says. "But they cannot touch the face and the limbs. I personally do them."
As both artists were in my show, I thought of them performing together. I asked Popong to sing a song with his guitar which he gladly obliged, while Kublai read some of his poems. When Kublai is dead tired, he writes poetry. It was a celebration of talent. Poetry has become an outlet for Kublai. He has in his collection 30 poems – riveting, soulful and haunting. At 30, Kublai has a lifetime ahead of him. "You should see my masterpiece," challenges Kublai.
"You bet I will," I whispered to myself.
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