‘People’s
Calvary’
along the Railways
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
Contributed to Bulatlat
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.
|
RAILWAY CALVARY: An
activist performer is “crucified” in a presentation of the Kalbaryo ng
Bayan along the railways in Manila during the Holy Week. Photo
courtesy of the Tudla Multi-media Network |
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
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