Bayan, Isang Paa Na Lamang

From revolution to revolution, the zarzuela "Bayan, Isang Paa Na Lamang" takes us on a journey of song back to the days of the 1896 Revolution and brings to life the pathos, courage and hope that inspired the men and women of the Katipunan to rise up against Spanish rule. However, you may be a bit disoriented when you find yourself at Edsa, in 1986.

An old woman, Lola Esperanza, sits on Edsa in 1986, when the Philippines is on the verge of yet another revolution, with its revolutionaries coming from the ranks of ordinary people, flocking to the crisis point unarmed, yet ready to face the tanks and might of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

When we think of revolutions, we think about the two revolutions, nine decades apart, that determined our nation’s destiny. The 1896 Revolution was fought by Filipinos armed only with farm tools–bolos and sundangs–and the occasional Mauser rifle. The 1986 Edsa Revolution was waged, not fought, by unarmed civilians who used prayer, civil disobedience and peace offerings of food and flowers to stop an army, tanks and all, and oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos from the presidency of an independent but ravaged Philippines.

Both revolutions showcase the bravery and fierce love of country Filipinos are capable of when necessary and, in this zarzuela, both revolutions have one common link: a woman named Esperanza (Hope).

Lola Esperanza is the human bridge between the 1896 and 1986 revolutions. She is the daughter of a Katipunero named Pilo and his valiant wife Chayong who witnessed and remembers the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and tells the story to the young revolutionaries at Edsa, and thus the zarzuela Bayan, Isang Paa na Lamang unfolds, set against the backdrop of the world’s first "bloodless" revolution.

Bayan, Isang Paa Na Lamang, with libretto by social anthropologist and Centennial Literary Award winner Melba Padilla Maggay, succeeds where our venerable history teachers fail. Using the unique native theatrical and literary form of the zarzuela, Bayan, Isang Paa Na Lamang gives us history from the heart, from the perspective of the anonymous men and women whose courage fueled the 1896 Revolution.

The title may seem unusual until you find the central theme of the zarzuela: The legend of Bernardo Carpio. Originally a Spanish tale, this legend found its way into our folk heritage and was popular during the early days of the Philippine Revolution. Bernardo Carpio was said to be a giant sleeping in his cave–a giant whose every slumbering movement made the earth shudder. According to the legend, Bernardo Carpio would rise again someday, with only one foot stuck in the stone bed upon which he lay and that he would walk the earth again once he frees himsef–in Tagalog, isang paa na lamang ang naiipit (only one foot is left stuck), hence the title for the zarzuela.

The title could also serve as an analogy to the state of the nation: That the Philippines can stand proud after its two revolutions if only the remaining problems that hold it back are fixed.

According to National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose: "Historians tell us that current folk movements that formed the backbone of the Katipunan was the expectation that Bernardo Carpio would rise again." This prevailing concept eventually fused Bonifacio with Bernardo Carpio in the eyes of the Indios and, upon his arrival at San Francisco de Malabon, Bonifacio was hailed as the "Hari ng Bayan" (King of the Country).

Maggay told Starweek that her grandmother’s love for Rizal inspired her to write the zarzuela: "When I was a little girl, my lola, a Caviteña, said of Rizal: ‘Mabango siya sa akin, kahit ano pa ang sabihin nila’ (he’s okay by me, no matter what they say). She told me that when they learned Rizal had been executed, ‘nagpuyos ang aming damdamin, gusto namin mag-alsa’ (our hearts were set ablaze, we wanted to revolt). She was only 10 years old then."

That primal reaction to Rizal’s execution got Maggay thinking: "If this is what ordinary people felt for Rizal at the time, it was what catalyzed the creation of the Katipunan and spurred the organization of peasant groups, like the Confradia de San Jose, that formed the backbone of the Philippine Revolution."

According to Maggay, "Native ideas culled from small folk stories like the tale of Bernardo Carpio solidified the Katipunan. We have values of our own, including a strong sense of community and friendship. We as a people should give serious consideration to using these values and concepts to form a national solidarity instead of foreign-born concepts that may not work as well with us as it did in the nations where they originated."

Sitting through the press preview, I was expecting a lot of the piece, which also boasts of a musical score composed by the late maestro Lucio San Pedro, National Artist for music. Soprano Jai Sabas Aracama, one of the best voices to emerge from the University of the Philippines College of Music, is the zarzuela’s vocal coach and plays the role of Chayong alternately with Jeanelle Bihag.

The cast also includes Robert Seña as Pilo, Deeda Barretto and Cynthia Guico as Isang, Aileen Cura as Lola Esperanza, Lana Jalosjos and Cathy Azanza as Choleng and the UP Concert Chorus. Lawrence Jatayna plays the Father of the Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio and Lionel Guico plays Emilio Aguinaldo.

Musical luminary Gamaliel Viray plays Caneo, the leader of the Confradia de San Jose in Tayabas, Quezon that initially supported and later joined the Katipunan’s armed struggle against the Spanish colonial government. The musical is directed by Dulaang Talyer’s Paul Morales and Josefino Toledo is the musical director, arranger and conductor.

My expectations were well met and I got a lot more than I was ready for. I felt more emotionally vulnerable, more laid open, than I ever had in my life. I related almost too well with the characters in the musical– ordinary people like me who were put in an extraordinary place at a unique time and who had to live under the siege conditions of a revolution. It touched me on all levels– the pagan in me was stirred by the latent animism and superstition of the Katipuneros who believed in Bernardo Carpio. The devout Catholic in me emerged while listening to the song "Diyos sa Aming Panahon," in which Caneo is supplicant, asking God for an end to the oppression of colonial rule.

While the historical research was detailed and difficult (historical accuracy was also very important to Maggay), the artistic component made the zarzuela look effortless.

The characters, emotions, music and words of the zarzuela were human, Filipino and, for that space of time, they were mine.

It is, indeed, history from below, as the press kit said. It tells the tale of the Philippine Revolution from a layman’s perspective, from the ground troops up, to give us a better understanding of the events that unfolded during the Philippine Revolution.

Despite focusing on the masa that bore the brunt and powered the Katipunan’s armed struggle for Philippine independence, Maggay succeeded in underscoring the fact that Jose Rizal’s exile to Dapitan and eventual execution at Bagumbayan field was the catalyst for the revolution.

In the song "Sinasabi Ko Na Nga Ba," Bonifacio realizes that only by taking up arms against Spain will Filipinos achieve independence. The Katipunan Supremo’s decision to begin the revolutionary movement was catalyzed by Rizal’s exile and execution.

The beauty of the piece lies in its completeness. Maggay successfully wove together the many aspects of Filipino culture and history–our pagan roots, the influences of our Spanish colonizers, and the unique camaraderie that enables ordinary Filipinos to achieve extraordinary things despite seemingly insurmountable odds. In Maggay’s words, "The Filipino can do anything as long as they do it in the company of friends"–even leave their farms to face the bullets and cannon-fire of the well-trained Spanish military protected only by their courage and amulets, fighting only with bolos.

While the social criticism is sharp, the zarzuela’s wit is also keen, as in the scene where the wives of Katipuneros jokingly admonish their men not to downplay the importance of women to the revolution in the song "Babae Lang Kami." The wives said their husbands will eventually need their women to tend their wounds, give them refuge and fight at their sides, bolos in hand–something they, the women said, could do well enough should the need arise.

The music was evocative, subliminally stimulating and capable of playing one’s heartstrings with exceptional virtuosity. What I liked best was the fact that uniquely Filipino classical arrangements were the backbone of Maestro San Pedro’s work. And, of course, who could remain hard-hearted to the masterpiece "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan" sung by Lola Esperanza in the opening scene? Like many Filipinos, I love that song and Aileen Cura’s rendition was soulful and sweet and all it should be.

Maggay used the social satire of the zarzuela to present the drama and conflict of the birth of the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The zarzuela gets this point across: We are all descended from heroes–no matter that their names did not see print in some now-dusty tome. They were ordinary people living, struggling and dying under extraordinary conditions and they chose to fight for Inang Bayan (literally, motherland), rather than quietly continue their obscure lives under the boot of Spanish colonial rule.

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"Bayan, Isang Paa Na Lamang" goes on stage on July 25, 26 and 27 (7:30 p.m.) at the University Theater at the UP Diliman campus and on Aug. 3 (3 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (ccp). Tickets available at TicketWorld outlets or call the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (isacc) at tel. 921-4523 or 0917-8930723.