An epic worth retelling

Review: Hinilawod, the Musicale

MANILA, Philippines - Hinilawod means Tales from the Halawod River, the oral epic of the indigenous peoples inhabiting the interiors of Panay Island in the centuries before the coming of the West. It is said to be one of the longest known epics in the world, even longer than the renowned Iliad. As presented by a wonderful cast and enterprising crew of Hiyas Kayumanggi and brought for staging here in Manila by Creative Futures, Inc., at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, Cultural Center of the Philippines last Sept. 3 and 4, this musical interpretation of the mythology of the Ilonggos represents an eloquent testimony to the rich cultural tradition of our people long before Spanish colonialism. As a link to those cultural memories that in part explain our character as a people, Hinilawod offered not only a sumptuous visual feast but also a glimpse of the mindset of our forebears: Devotion to family, love that knows no boundaries, courage in the face of adversity, and belief in the supernatural or spiritual intermingled in the affairs of men and women. For me viewing the play, the character traits being depicted are as true today as it was then — one can look at Hinilawod and be proud to be Filipino.

The story line is simple enough — it is a romantic tale ending up with a heroic note on the founding or creation of the people of Panay — the three provinces comprising it representing a noble lineage of kings: Labaw Donggon for Iloilo; Humadapnon for Antique; and Dumalpdap for Aklan. The three princes are sons of Datu Paubari and the Diwata or Princess Alunsina. A union of heaven and earth that prefigured the dynamic interaction between mortal men and the supernatural — sometimes in unity, sometimes in conflict with each encounter yielding forth an epic love story or epic battle. In a sense, the whole of Hinilawod is a string of such colorful stories pieced together which in its traditional form would have been days in the telling; but for this stage presentation, a delightful two-hour version which for its color and energy deserved to be seen by wider audiences in the future.

A scene featuring a duel between a datu and a supernatural being

As a musical, the song renditions of Hinilawod is also a main draw, performed with verve and passion by its leading cast and chorus. The duet by Princess Alunsina played by Crystal Esmero-Oliva and her father, Haring Kaptan, played by Dominador de los Santos is a show-stopper and a stirring coda to the age-old tension between generations, between the call for filial loyalty and the passion of undying love. In the end, love prevails, and even the tempestuous rage of tradition being spurned, of class boundaries being breached is reconciled in the marriage between the mortal Datu Paubari and the celestial Princess Alunsina. Three sons were born and it is in their adventures into adulthood and maturity that the epic adventures of Hinilawod revolves.

Their journeys through vast distances and alien lands involving encounters with every known character of Filipino myths and legends — the beautiful enchantress that turned out to be “aswang,” giant man-beasts portrayed as “tikbalang,” flying bats in human form or your “manananggal” and dark caves and thunderous skies, etc., make up for quite a spectacle which I would like to commend the production crew for their artful staging. These are the mythical figures of our childhood that are often invoked to hush or quiet us down. Hinilawod has them all — proof that our folklore goes a long way back, to the first centuries in this archipelago when organized settlements came into being and with them, the very first Filipinos.

For Hinilawod’s indefatigable cast, all I could say is how truly I enjoy and stand in awe with the effort and the performance. The stage looked peopled with so many costumed and bedecked characters most of the time that it seems just impossible to have a grasp of the length and breadth of the stage and fully appreciate the “production values” that went into the mounting of the play. It is a labor of love as I came to know the people behind the production and it really shows on stage itself, to the enjoyment of everyone at the Cultural Center Abelardo Hall that evening when Hinilawod had its last Manila performance. Indeed, there is a clamor for another run. Who knows it just might happen? For such a treasure of Filipino culture, and wonderful theater at that, Hinilawod is an epic worth retelling.