Celebrating with Dalagang Bukid

To celebrate 80 years of dynamic presence in Cebu, St. Theresa’s College had a very special homecoming with various activities such as honoring the jubilarians with a special event including recognizing the Theresian Trailblazers. The customary program was exceptionally lively with the festival theme. To bring everyone linked with STC together we have the staging of “Dalagang Bukid.”

As in the past theater productions, “Dalagang Bukid” is a benefit performance. The proceeds of ticket sales and sponsorships will go to a scholarship fund to support future teachers and social workers. The St. Theresa’s Alumni Association (STAA) has been fundraising in appreciation of their Theresian education. STC’s education program consistently had an exceptional record in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) and even had several topnotchers. I was thrilled to have heard in a conference that this program was highly efficient, producing quality at relatively moderate expense. The program produced such distinguished graduates as Lelani Echavez (unforgettable UP High teacher), Teresa Canton (outstanding supervisor of Talisay Malayan Academy), and Judith Dabon (present education program head). The social work program also produced topnotchers like Portia Awayan. I was happy to find out that UP H.S. graduates were able to avail of these grants.

Several schools are coming in celebration of local languages as well as our Filipino heritage. The presentation was timed for “Buwan ng Wika”. The original sarswela was written by Hermogenes Ilagan in what we now call “Filipino” in 1919. In the play to be staged the dialogue will be in Cebuano as translated by Telly Java-Ampatin, Filipino teacher and theater person; the songs in the original Filipino.

When Dr. Nicanor Tiongson was its artistic director the Cultural Center of the Philippines was highly productive. The center came up with the Tuklas Series: VHS on the history of Philippine visual arts, architecture, literature, music, dance  and others. They also prepared kits containing the scripts of plays accompanied by cassettes of minus one, and plus one for the songs. This was part of an outreach program that did not want the enjoyment of Philippine classic works to be limited to MetroManila. The Dalagang Bukid set is very complete with sketches for costume design, as well as set design. Dr. Tiongson provides a very informative introduction on the sarswela.

Here he informs us that: “The sarswela is a play with songs and dances usually written in colloquial prose.” It was introduced during the Spanish colonial period with a Spanish troupe actually coming to the Philippines in1879.  It was only in 1890 that there was a sarswela in the local language: “with the presentation of Budhing Nagpahamak with libretto by an anonymous Bulacan playwright and music by Isidro Roxas.” Among the sarswelas   at the start of the twentieth century he cites Vicente Sotto’s Gugma sa Yutang Natawhan (Love for the Native Land) “premiered in Cebu in 1901.”

He describes the sarswela: “hailed as more ‘enlightened’” than previous drama forms, and says “the sarswela focused on such relevant topics as gambling, usury, colonial mentality,  corruption of politicians and the Americanization of the Filipino. With its sentimental or catchy melodies, its romantic, melodramatic and comic scenes, its witty dialogue and colorful contemporary costumes, the sarswela could count on support from rich patrons and from lower classes who rooted for their favourite lead actresses and comedians.”

In this historical narration of Tiongson we realize that Dalagang Bukid was “among the most famous Tagalog sarswelas from 1900 to 1940”. In a brief account on the life Atang de la Rama, called “Queen of the Sarswela” it is stated that Dalagang Bukid was her favourite.

Moving to the more recent past Tiongson proceeds:  “With the rise of a nationalist consciousness in the 70s and 80s which tried to define a native aesthetics and a national identity, theater scholars and artists who used to look down on folk theater began to study and to revive pre-war sarswela favorites, like  Walang Sugat and Dalagang Bukid. Moreover, the Zarzuela Foundation, seeing the popularity of the form, launched contests for new sarswelas.”

“Soon, theater groups and theater artists, who had been steeped in the European-American tradition of playwriting began to experiment with the sarswela as a vehicle for the communication of social themes, like the rise of authoritarianism in the 70s; the struggle of the Northern Tribes to protect their ancestral lands from foreign miners; and the colonial mentality of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans; and the conflict between American and Filipino interests in the economy, politics and culture.”

St. Theresa’s experienced this shift from Western plays to local ones. They produced Mini of Buenaventura Rodriguez, Pa-abuta Ako sa Langit, and Tirana of Emiliano Gabuya (with music by Minggoy Lopez). A Cebuano translation of the “seditious” play Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas had also been produced; as well as Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio’s/Fabian Obispo’s Ang Bundok and Juan Tamban.

In the current Dalagang Bukid Production all females in the cast and crew are Theresians. The stage director Andriane Muntuerto is the son of alumna Cherry Muntuerto; while the technical director is Joel Oporto is the brother of alumna Gera Oporto. The musical director is Amor Reyes-Caparas alumna, daughter of our music teacher Alma Ceniza Reyes. They are coordinated by artistic director, alumna Delia Aliño-Villacastin.

Let us come together and enjoy Dalagang Bukid. Let us support young people hoping to be good educators and social workers. We can renew old ties. We can reflect on practices of Filipino families and communities (including gender relations!). Coming together in this national favourite let us rejoice in this diamond year of our alma mater.