How important is Emilio Aguinaldo to our history and why did director Chris Millado choose young boys to play him? Does naivete play an important role in his version?
It is good for us to analyze history and that is perhaps why Tanghalang Pilipino keeps producing historical plays. For their season opener, El Camino Real, written by Nick Joaquin, three young actors will portray the role of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. With them on stage are professional actors playing celebrated Filipino generals like Apolinario Mabini, Antonio Luna, Gregorio and Pio del Pilar.
Watching the three young boys in rehearsals in fact gave me insight to our infamous psyche in leadership. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo is, what I’d call, a typical Filipino statesman. He was a born leader, ambitious, brave, intuitive. He was also tiny, rich, gullible and a mama’s boy.
Because he was tormented by his Manila school mates as scrawny, ugly and pint-sized he quit school at the age of 13. Yet at 25 he was elected town mayor of Kawit, Cavite and at 32 he led the revolution against Spain. The Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed by him and the Spaniards in1897. Both the Spanish government and the rebels did not meet the pact’s promises.
While Aguinaldo was in Hong Kong, the Spanish-American war broke out. The Americans, under Admiral George Dewey, had no troops to fight the Spaniards so he asked the general to lead his rebel army to fight their war against Spain. After winning most of the battles Aguinaldo proclaimed independence on June 12, 1898. It was independence from Spain but not from the Americans, it turned out.
When the Treaty of Paris was signed by the American and Spanish governments fighting broke between the Americans and Filipinos. Aguinaldo and his poorly equipped men fought the Americans with botched methods. They were forced to retreat until they found themselves in Isabela where they thought they were safe.
Aguinaldo was captured by fellow Filipinos, the Macabebes of Pampanga, whom the Americans paid to do the job. He led a private life after he was set free, watching his beloved country enter a new era as a protectorate state under the rule of the United States.
Sixteen-year-old Derrick Gozos is the most experienced actor among the three leads and the one who’s very "Aguinaldo." He began acting in 1996 when he appeared in Walang Sugat as Pablo. Derrick’s skillful portrayal prodded the director to expand his role to that of narrator of the play. He appeared in other Tanghalang Pilipino productions like Paglayang Minamahal and Macbeth last year. He also performed with Repertory Philippines as the son of Miss Anna in The King and I.
Next comes13-year-old Cyrsky Manfoste. With his very unique name comes an equally unique voice, a clear inflection that sounds off great Tagalog. Cyrsky is a second year student at the Araullo High School in Malate and was lured into theater by his older sister. He appears mostly in Catholic plays presented during Christmas and Holy Week by the Pieta Theater of the Malate Church.
The youngest Aguinaldo is 12-year-old Rafael Froilan who is in grade 7 at the O.B. Montessori in Greenhills. He began acting only last summer when he attended Tanghalang Pilipino’s Teen Acting Workshop. He and Cyrsky were recommended to perform in El Camino Real by Teen Workshop director and coach Sherry Lara.
An interview with the three Aguinaldos gives us a glimpse of the young Filipino mind. Even as they remain candid as teeners becoming the man they’re portraying has given them significant impressions of our history and its leaders.
Philippine Star: What do you think of Aguinaldo?
Derrick Gozos: I admire Aguinaldo but if I were him I would’ve been loyal to the Filipino cause more than to the Americans who are from the outside. The Filipinos fought the war but it was the Americans who benefitted. Nagamit ang Pinoy ng ibang bansa. There was plenty of intrigue within Aguinaldo’s camp. Pinoys find it hard to accept one decision. We are always disunited. During Aguinaldo’s time that would have meant katahimikan. In portraying him I found out he’s strong but emotionally quite weak. His phobia for Manila hindered him. He was unschooled so it affected him.
Cyrsky Manfoste: Si Aguinaldo may katangahan. During rehearsals I was thinking, the time he was waiting for a letter from Gen. Greene, the American, everyone knew they were being duped except him. Pero, pinanindigan niya naman ang kanyang pananalita at pag-iisip.
Rafael Froilan: Aguinaldo was smart but he had no plan, no strategy maybe because he lacked schooling. He trusted the Americans too much. I admire his bravery, his strong beliefs, but the problem was he was too trusting. If I were him I’d be as brave but I’d think more.
Who is your favorite character in the play?
Crysky: Mabini because he was intelligent and his ideas were good. He was honest too.
Derrick: Mabini because he was practical. He wasn’t tainted by his deformity. I read in a book he had a "golden mind" and I saw it in the play. He wasn’t really a soldier but he knew what would happen to the country. Our history would be different if he were president. I’m very sure of that.
Rafael: I can’t think of a favorite character. Mabini was too mayabang, because he was too smart. He felt he was always right and people had to listen to him all the time. He was not effective as a leader because of his pride. Aguinaldo was too pressured to think straight. He always had to think fast and was expected to give answers right away. So he had no time to think.
How are you tackling the role of Aguinaldo?
Cyrsky: I’m excited to do the role. I’m not really afraid except for the length of memory work. In the beginning I was kabado. I was playing the lead with good professional actors and me? I had only one year experience in acting. Pero mabait naman pala sila so okay lang. When I’m playing Aguinaldo I keep thinking that what happened to him happened to me.
Rafael: I find memorizing hard because the lines are long and deep. Aguinaldo is practically in all the scenes. We don’t speak Tagalog at home so it’s hard for me to enunciate the words. Acting is hard especially during school time. I’m puyat, doing homework, and going to CCP almost everyday straight from school. But I like working with adults. They help me more with emotions, like when I’m supposed to be mad. It’s easier to act with them. No one in the workshop helped me carry my role, except Sherry, because we were all young.
Derrick: I was a little nervous in the beginning. This is my first leading role but I’ve worked with some of the actors for so long I feel comfortable with them. I approach the role not as a 16-year-old but as a 32-year-old man. I try to base my acting on being the President of the Philippines. The memory work is hard. In this play parang na-ipon lahat ang previous roles ko!
What is it like working with director Chris Millado?
Derrick: I love him! I started working with him in Paglayang Minamahal, then Macbeth, and now El Camino Real. These two years with him gave me happiness in theater. He treats me as a young person and isn’t as heavy with me as he is with the adults. He gives me consideration. He’s a good director, he can visualize a play and give it meaning. Once in Paglaya, I lost my hat and this hat was very symbolic in the play. He scolded me and I really cried but it taught me a good lesson: you must always be sure in theater.
Cyrsky: I’m scared of Chris when he’s mad. He’s very serious when working.
Rafael: He’s good because he understands us and knows how to make us play the role successfully. He’s a good coach.
Who are your favorite actors in and out of the play?
Rafael: In this play I like Roeder because he really puts the character into himself. I react to him more. I also like Ian (Lomongo). When Chris tells him something he improves right away, also putting the character in. In foreign films I like Nicolas Cage. He has one tone of voice but he makes up for it with very good acting.
Cyrsky: Sherry Lara, our coach, in El Camino because she is a veteran and a truthful actress. I like Cesar Montano too because he’s a good actor. Pwede siya maskina anong role.
Derrick: I like Olga Natividad from Tanghalan. Ang galing galing niya when I watch her act. I was so happy when I was able to act with her once. I also like George de Jesus, my acting coach. Sa foreign films I like Tom Hanks. He has a realistic approach to all his roles. He can do so many things: action, comedy, adventure, serious.
What is your ambition in life?
Derrick: I want to be an engineer. I’m taking up Electronic Communications Engineering as a second year student at the University of the East in Caloocan. Acting will be a sideline. If the opportunity comes I will always do it. Acting inspires me in school. The discipline in theater is what I apply to my studies.
Cyrsky: I want to be an actor doing any kind of role. Last summer when we were asked to join the Teen Theater my friends were all shy to go. Pinagbigyan ko sila so I said ako na lang ang pupunta. No regrets. I enjoyed it because of our coach, Sherry. She said I was good, she trusted me and gave me the role of Gen. Luna.
Rafael: Right now I want to be a businessman. I’m not sure though, because before I wanted to be a scientist. I’m not so keen on being an actor… maybe in the future.
What do you think you should still work on as Aguinaldo?
Rafael: Memorizing the lines, my enunciation. Sherry helps me a lot with my enunciation. I also have to work more on feeling.
Derrick: I have to work on my voice. At the Little Theater we won’t have lapels so I have to speak loud and clear. Sherry gave us breathing exercises where we have to use our diaphragm instead of our throats.
Cyrsky: As Aguinaldo what I lack most is laughter. Hirap ako sa halakhak. I also find it hard to cry. It’s hard for me to let out tears because I keep them back when I’m scolded. But in school I’m makulit. I don’t like being too serious and I crack jokes.
What is it like working with the other Aguinaldos?
Derrick: Cyrsky and Raffy? We help each other! Si Raffy, amboy so we help him with pronunciation. He asks me to, that’s nice, so there’s a feeling of wanting to help. Si Cyrsky naman, tipid, like sa tindig so we all practice how we stand. We’re like brothers, watching plays, ballet rehearsals together. We talk about our lines, there’s no competition, no rivalry, we’re all equal. We help eachother to succeed. The three of us have teamwork, we’re united.
Cyrsky: Okay kaming tatlo. Masaya. Tulungan lang.
Rafael: Derrick and Cyrsky are both hardworking. We’re barkada. Once, I was eating my baon and Derrick joked, "Siguro naman next time meron na rin kaming sandwich!
Derrick: So he did bring us sandwiches, two each pa!
Their rehearsals at the CCP conference room are solemn. All are serious actors portraying serious men. But once one of the boys stands to portray Aguinaldo childlike appeal comes out bringing a sense of delight to the viewer. The badge of the nation manifests itself. The country is young. Our leaders are callow. Our society is impulsive. In world history we, Filipinos, are something like teenagers groping with hostilities within ourselves.