This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 11, April 23-29, 2006
Christ’s passion has for years been compared to the present conditions of the
Filipino people who have perpetually been under the burden of social ills. This
comparison has developed the tradition of Kalbaryo ng Bayan since the
early 90’s which has been flexibly applied and modified based on the concrete
situations and issues faced by the localities where it is performed.
BY
JEWELYN MARANAN In a time when sacrifice
and encumbrance have become part of the everyday experience of the Filipino poor
that makes up majority of the population, the Lenten season inevitably takes on
an evolved meaning. It ceases to simply be an occasion to commemorate the
period when Jesus Christ died on the cross for the salvation of mankind. The
Filipino’s social experience has become comparable to the humiliation, poverty
and exploitation that Christ himself was subjected to by the elite rulers of his
time more than two thousand years ago. In a creative junction of
metaphors of the Lent termed Kalbaryo ng Bayan (People’s Calvary) 2006,
communities along the railways of Sampaloc and Pandacan, Manila served as the
stage to present the burden of the Filipino poor as the “bagong Kristo” (new
Christ). On Holy Tuesday and Maundy Thursday last April 11 and 13, within the
30-minute gaps of the passing trains of the Philippine National Railways, the
performances gave both entertainment and insight with the combination of mood
music, improvisational theatre and satirical visuals. Kalbaryo ng Bayan was made
possible by the collaboration of Dulaang Katig, UgatLahi Artists’ Collective,
Musicians for Peace and people from the urban poor communities in Manila through
Pagkakaisa ng mga Mamamayan sa Riles (PAMARIL or Unity of Railway Residents).
It featured the basic issues of land, livelihood and civil liberties. In
particular, urban poor organizations were calling for a halt to the widespread
demolition of communities along the railways due to the Philippine National
Railways Modernization and Rehabilitation Program or PNR-MRP – part of which are
the controversial North and South Rail Projects. In addition, the performers and
organizations involved also expressed their demands on economic issues such as
additional jobs, wage increase, labor rights and repeal of the E-VAT (Expanded
Value-Added Tax) and on political issues such as the lifting and cessation of
the Arroyo administration’s deceptive and repressive schemes – the calibrated
preemptive response or CPR, the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill, the proposed
Charter Change and the politically motivated detention and killings of people
critical of the administration. Jesus Christ was portrayed
on one side burdened by the cross bearing the issues faced by the people and on
the other side were urban poor children with the symbolic crown of thorns
representing the allegory of the ancient and present-day Christ's, both victims
of social injustice. The old and new antagonists were presented using the mixed
images of Gloria Arroyo and Herod as the bureaucrats of their times and the
foreign monopoly capitalist and Pilate both dictating the cruelty and injustice
perpetrated by their armed forces. To highlight the ironies and metaphors,
UgatLahi with the help of children from Tondo, Manila made giant masks and props
combining the images using simple and available materials like scrap cartons and
newspaper. Dulaang Katig directed the play and held workshops for the kids,
most of whom were themselves coming from the riles (railway) communities
and have not had any previous theatre experience. Finally, the music was
purposively written and arranged by members of the Musicians for this Lenten
presentation. It took them almost a month to prepare for Kalbaryo ng Bayan
with the direct participation of people from the riles communities in
Manila – practicing what is called a community theatre. In the end, the children
and Christ triumph over repression and exploitation by social villains. Kalbaryo
ng Bayan then leaves the oath of unity among the poor which is their only weapon
for salvation from the burdens brought about by the lack of social justice.
This was not the only satirical Lenten
presentation during this year’s Holy week. Activities of the same nature were
also held in several other urban poor communities with the help of cultural and
community organizations. “Kalbaryo ng Sambayan” was held in two communities in
Commonwealth, Quezon City while
“Prusisyong Bayan” (People’s Procession) marched through the narrow streets of
Tondo on Holy Wednesday. The similarity of these initiatives is not only the
fact that they were held in communities facing the threat of demolition but
their unified call for the immediate relief of the people’s suffering which
according to them can only begin with the ouster of President Gloria Arroyo.
Christ’s passion has for
years been compared to the present conditions of the Filipino people who have
perpetually been under the burden of social ills. This comparison has developed
the tradition of Kalbaryo ng Bayan since the early 1990s which has been
flexibly applied and modified based on the concrete situations and issues faced
by the localities where it is performed. However, there may be particular
differences, but the essence of Kalbaryo ng Bayan remains the same – the
lack of social justice and the exploitation of the masses by the minority social
elite. Likewise, the oath to work for the unity of the Filipino masses,
Christian or not, to struggle for genuine freedom from poverty and exploitation
remains. Bulatlat © 2006 Bulatlat
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Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
‘People’s
Calvary’
along the Railways
Contributed to Bulatlat