As Pinoy as it gets

No, the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) is not joining this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival. Instead, the giant media company next door to the Cultural Center of the Philippines is joining its neighbor in staging the ambitious, first-of-its-kind celebration tagged as Paskong Pinoy.

Before you fire off questions, MBC president Jun Nicdao declares, “We already told the filmfest committee about our plans as early as June. We’ve been with the filmfest for the past three years. We will still help promote the festival through our promo Cash sa Pelikula to help raise box-office receipts.”

The change of heart, Nicdao goes on, is simply a case of wanting to try something new. This something new is bringing in the crowd to the CCP Complex through a four-day show (Dec. 18 to 22) of sight and sounds.

The crowd (target: 4,000-strong) is in for a spectacle that marries art and entertainment. Instead of the harsh run-around they get from innkeepers, Joseph and Mary will get star treatment in this Pinoy version of the timeless Panunuluyan.

Able-bodied men will carry them aloft in true bayanihan spirit from the time they start their journey at CCP Liwasang ASEAN. Actors dressed at OFWs (they’re everywhere this season) will welcome them at Harbour Square and, instead of snubbing them, will invite the Holy Couple in their own journey.

Shades of the Philippine diaspora? Oh yes!

The caravan then moves on to nearby Folk Arts Theater, where the group searches for that colorful symbol of peace: the Sarimanok. CCP associate artistic director Chris Millado is not telling if the Sarimanok will be found. All he says is that Joseph and Mary’s group will meet travelers at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

These restless souls will break into a joyful dance representing the various ASEAN regions they have set foot on. The spectacle, says Millado, is a sign of the times. How else depict globalization, migration and travel in one fell swoop?

Final stop, he adds, is the Aliw Theater, where the spirit mimics the joyful Easter Salubong. A thousand lights from the lanterns every person has in his hands, will flood the manger where the Saviour is born. Angel Gabriel will fly high above the crowd and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the PPO Brass Quintet with university chorales will break into Handel’s Messiah and other hymns.

Feeling goose bumps? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Other warm bodies are right there beside you. And CCP has promised utmost security, from the time the Simbang Gabi starts at the Front Lawn, 5 a.m. of Dec. 18, to the time a grand fireworks display caps the celebration on Dec. 22.

Top bands — 6Cyclemind, Kamikazee, Imago, Spongecola, Parokya ni Edgar and Sandwich, among them — will perform per night amidst a tiangge of goodies at the CCP Liwasang Kalikasan.

The annual feeding program Sopas, Sining at Sorbetes (Food to Taste, Arts to Appreciate) for 1,200 needy children will be held at the CCP Ramp. Since Christmas is for children, the kids will get free rides to nearby Star City.

Speaking of kids, the celebration also highlights parols hand made by high school students from Bauan, Batangas. The intricate works — made from recycled materials like fish scales and seeds — are showcases of creativity and environmental concern.

The Himig ng Pasko chorale competition among Metro Manila children’s choirs is another highlight. At stake are P100,000 for the grand winner, P50,000 for the second placer, P25,000 for the third prize winner and P5,000 each for non-winners.

Another contest, this time for the best floating lanterns, dubbed as Ilaw ng Pasko, is open to colleges, universities and technical institutions offering fine arts, engineering and architecture courses.

It’s as Pinoy as the well-loved adobo. Balikbayan, eat your hearts out!