omg.. my Wimbledon 2008 prediction (dream/vision) for the men’s finals came true!

Last night, around thirty minutes before the game started, I posted this in my Multiply blog:

Wimbledon 2008 prediction: I think i’ve seen the future

Nadal will win.
I’m a die-hard Roger Federer fan and nothing could be sweeter than a 6th straight Wimbledon title but..
Nadal will win.
Here’s how it’s gonna happen, at least how it happened in my dream (or was it a dream?):
Nadal will win the first two sets.. then Roger will win the next two.. in the fifth set, it will be as close as it will ever get..
But then again… I’m experiencing a whole lot of mixed emotions the past few weeks and the future I’ve seen may have been a result of it. haha! Go Roger! Go for that 6th Wimbledon crown! Vamos Rafa!

(VJ on the spot) <— best segment

Here’s the link:

http://dxmatilla.multiply.com/journal/item/9/Wimbledon_2008_prediction_I_think_ive_seen_the_future?replies_read=6

And true enough, the game ended the way I saw it would! Down to who would win which sets!

Heritage Month feast to focus on epics

By Dexter R. Matilla
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:02:00 04/28/2008

MANILA, Philippines - Tales as old as time—about beauty, truth, freedom, and love—highlight this year’s Heritage Month celebration in May.

The National Heritage Month opens tomorrow in Cagayan de Oro City. Focus of the celebration is the epic.

According to experts, the most authentic Filipino epic is the Darangen ni Bantugen. One of 43 declared “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), the Darangen commemorates the adventures of mythical heroes and charts the early history of the Maranaos.

“For this year’s festivities, we will re-open a treasure trove of oral traditions that talk of life, death, love, and heroism,” Filipino Heritage Festival director Bambi Harper, also the new head of the Intramuros Administration, said.

“By presenting these epic chants, we will also showcase the traditional beliefs and values systems upon which these literary forms are founded.”

Since the inception of the Heritage Month celebrations five years ago (born out of President Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation No. 439), the FHF has been steadfast in keeping alive Filipinos’ awareness of and pride for their culture, history and heritage.

This year is no different as Harper, along with FHF president Armita Rufino and finance officer Araceli Salas, has organized an array of cultural activities that will bring the Filipino people to a new awareness of their age-old traditions, cultural practices, songs, dances, poetry, and centuries-old architectural wonders.

The celebrations are not limited to Cagayan de Oro as all over the archipelago, the diverse wonders of Filipino heritage will be felt all month long.

At the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Ballet Theater will perform the Darangen ni Bantugen, as choreographed by Gener Caringal.

Music will be provided by Jesse Lucas while set and costume design are by National Artist Salvador Bernal.

In Last Piñas, excerpts of the epic will be staged.

In Manila, activities include the Patawa exhibit (evoking laughter through poems, jokes, photos, and memorabilia) at the Metropolitan Museum; an exhibit focusing on the Filipinos’ Chinese roots in Binondo; the 4th Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) painting competition; Flores de Mayo at the Malate Church; and Santacruzan staged by veteran fashion designer Ben Farrales.

At the SM Mall of Asia and SM The Block, Sinauna, a showcase of Filipino home artifacts, will be featured.

There will also be a photographic exhibit of American colonial bridges at Greenbelt 3 as well as a display of the photo collection by Donal Tapan of famous Philippine festivals at the Robinsons Manila.

A poster exhibit of Spanish colonial bridges will be held in Marikina and Laguna.

Meanwhile, a poster exhibit of Spanish colonial lighthouses will tour Manila, Ilocos Norte and Bohol.

An exhibit of Muslim antiques will be hosted by Rustan’s while old Philippine maps will become the focus of an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum.

“Kisame,” a photo display of Bohol’s magnificent painted ceilings, completes the roster of exhibits.

The Intercontinental Manila will feature the best of Bicol cuisine. At the Cafe Jeepney, guest chefs will serve up Bicol delicacies such as laing, pili nut desserts, and sweet pineapples from Daet.

Filipino street food such as the balut, penoy, green mangoes with bagoong, boiled corn on the cob and peanuts and grilled delicacies will be served at the Sol y Sombra poolside restaurant.

The hotel lobby will have floral installations by “floral architect” Rachy Cuna. Titled “BayanCuna: Unity in Philippine Artistry,” the exhibit will feature local materials such as twigs, driftwood, and dried leaves which are tweaked and given new form as only Cuna can.

“Culture is always the greatest emulsifier,” Cuna said. When people are divided in thought and spirit, what brings them closer is culture. Our own culture teaches Filipinos to love one another.”

E-mail the author at dxmatilla@yahoo.com

The good, the bad and the ugly haircut (No Country for Old Men review)

By Dexter R. Matilla

MANILA, Philippines - If ever a man’s hair were indicative of a person’s character, then Anton Chigurgh, Javier Bardem’s character in Ethan and Joel Coen’s “No Country for Old Men,” would have to be pure evil.

Chigurgh is the cold, philosophizing and seemingly unstoppable bounty-hunter on the trail of Llewelyn Moss, a good-natured welder and Vietnam veteran who has chanced upon $2.4 million of drug money in a land teeming with dead bodies—the aftermath of a deal gone wrong—in the movie version of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same title. (The movie won this year’s Oscar for Best Picture, as well as Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Bardem.)

Although described in the book as someone without a sense of humor , it’s hard not to chuckle every time Chigurgh engages his would-be victims in a discussion.

The combined effect of funny and fear only intensifies as the exchange goes on. The anticipation that Chigurgh could at any time use his weapon of choice (the captive bolt pistol) on his innocuous victims can be quite disturbing.

But in some form of twisted logic only he understands, Chigurgh offers salvation via a flip of a coin.

Call it right and Chigurgh grants you clemency. You get to go on with your life, having just had the most interesting and ridiculous conversation ever. And, of course, the lingering thought of what could have been if you had made the wrong call.

Moss, however, is not afforded the same privilege. After disposing off the same police officers who hired him to follow the trail of the cold cash, Chigurgh doesn’t take long to figure out that Moss has the money. Like one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Chigurgh sets out to hunt him.

Symbol of good

Closely behind the two is Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Already way past his prime, Bell represents all that was good—or remains to be good—in his town. It can probably be said that his point of view of how things have changed in his beloved side of West Texas is what the title of the story alludes to.

Somewhere along the way, Bell realizes that to act despondent and disillusioned in the constantly evolving face of crime would merely be an exercise in futility.

The Coens, who wrote and directed the film, chose Jones for the riveting and reflective character because they saw the actor as someone who would be able to understand Bell’s role as the soul of the movie.

That would make Moss, played by Josh Brolin, the heart. Living in a trailer with wife Carla Jean (Kelly McDonald), Moss portrays what most well-meaning husbands would do to provide for a better life.

Faced with a choice, he decides he could probably get away with the cash with very little consequence to think about.

But then Moss finds out soon enough how wrong he is, as Chigurgh, obviously the cerebral of the three, provides just the right dose of conflict like most great villains do. His hair style and the chill in his voice add to a very powerful unnerving presence.

One can’t help but wish Chigurgh was on the screen all the time as the story seems to move forward only when he does.

And while Bell and Moss are real people with a past, Chigurgh just seems to have appeared from out of nowhere, his story never revealed to add to the mystery of a man who leaves death and destruction wherever he goes.

“No Country for Old Men” is a stimulating reflection of how good and evil go hand in hand in an ever-changing landscape of violence bereft of all hope.

Maverick

At once a modern legend and a literary maverick, Cormac McCarthy was already renowned for his extraordinary stories set against the changing American West when he published “No Country for Old Men” in 2003. The book, featuring one of his most visceral, multi-layered and contemporary stories, was an instant success.

At the heart of the story lie some of McCarthy’s most evocative themes, which he has explored in 10 novels that have become classics: the fast-approaching end of an entire way of Western life; the last stand of honor and justice against a broken world; the ongoing human struggle against the sinister; the dark comedy and violence of modern times; the interplay of temptation, survival and sacrifice; and, added in the mix, a touch of sustaining love and a sliver of hope in the darkness.

Following the acclaim for “No Country for Old Men,” McCarthy did a turnabout for his most recent novel, turning to a setting even more stark and biblical than the New West—a post-apocalyptic world of ash and devastation in which a father and son struggle for survival.

The new novel is “The Road,” which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

“The Constant” (Lost’s Season 4 episode 5) review

I don’t think I’ve been moved to tears by any other television show the way Lost season 4’s fifth episode, “The Constant”, just did.

Desmond and Sayid, along with freighter guy and pilot Frank Lapidus hit some turbulence while on their way to the ship. This causes Desmond to (spoiler alert) jump back in time—to the year 1996 to be exact. The eight-year jump causes Desmond to find himself back at the Royal Scots Regiment in Scotland. At first you’d think that Desmond is simply reliving the past but when he remembers the events in the Island (which happens in 2004), you’d realize that he may just be being at the two places at the same time.

Desmond remembers holding a picture of him and Penny while in the helicopter and decides to call her. She picks up but she says that Desmond shouldn’t be calling her after leaving her (this happens during another Desmond-centric episode “Flashes Before Your Eyes”) and that she has already moved on.

The scene switches back to the ship where Desmond and a doctor are in the clinic along with a patient who’s strapped to a gurney. Sayid convinces Frank to bring him down to the clinic and says to Desmond that Daniel Faraday (another freighter guy who was left on the island and a physicist) needs to speak to him via the satellite phone. Daniel asks Desmond what year he thinks it is and he says, “1996.” Then Daniel asks again where Desmond thinks he should be at this moment in 1996, to which Desmond answers that he should be at the army base.

Daniel gives Desmond instructions that if it happens again, the jump, he should go to Oxford University and find the 1996 version of Daniel. The physicist gives Desmond some numbers and a phrase that would help convince his past self that Daniel from the future did indeed have Desmond seek him out.

During their meeting at Oxford, Desmond watches 1996 Daniel do an experiment with a rat and a maze. Using the numbers Desmond gave, Daniel was able to calibrate his experiment, expose the rat to a bright purple ray and the rat was able to finish the maze quickly. Desmond asks what’s so amazing about the experiment and Daniel reveals that he had just finished building the maze the morning before and he hasn’t taught the rat to run it yet. Daniel had just sent the rat’s consciousness into the future. After jumping back to the future (present time in the freighter), Desmond and Sayid are surprised to find the man on the gurney awake. He introduces himself as the communications officer George Minkowski (whom the Losties have spoken to as early as the end of Season 3). George explains that he also experiences what Desmond is experiencing. He was strapped to the gurney as a result of this. He also reveals that prior to this, the freighter always receives an incoming call but they were on strict orders not to answer it. The call, he says, is from Desmond’s girlfriend Penny.

Desmond then finds himself back at Daniel’s Oxford experiment room where he finds the rat dead, bleeding from the nose. Daniel explains that the rat’s brain probably short-circuited from the jumping to and from the future. He explains that it probably got confused because it didn’t have a “constant”, something familiar from both times. An anchor, he explains, that the rat can hold on to. And the same thing could possibly happen to Desmond to if he didn’t have that “constant”. Desmond asks if his “constant” can be a person and he tries to call Penny but the number no longer works.

Jumping back to the ship again, George offers to bring Desmond and Sayid to the communications room so Desmond can call Penny. However, he doesn’t know/remember the number and finds himself starting to bleed from the nose. Back to 1996, Desmond finds Penny’s father, Charles Widmore and asks for her address. Desmond finds the place and Penny still doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. Desmond finally convinces Penny to give him her number and promises never to call her until eight years later—on the exact time that he wakes up once again inside the communications room.

Desmond is finally able to call Penny using the phone Sayid put together using items found in the room to fulfill his promise, saying among other things, “you believed in me… you still care about me.” Penny promises to find Desmond and they exchange “I love yous” before the battery runs out. Sayid apologizes because that was all the battery left but Desmond says that it’s enough before answering “I’m perfect” to Sayid’s question if he’s all right.

The scene where Desmond and Penny finally get to talk really got to me and I’m sure anybody who sees it would really be moved as well. Especially if you know all the things Desmond and Penny have been through just to find each other again. The way the story unfolded was really amazing. In a matter of minutes, from the time Desmond convinces Penny to give him her number and the time he calls her from the boat’s communications room, and to think that it is actually eight years apart, really says about believing, destiny, and more importantly love. Just goes to show that as long as a person is anchored to something, as long as a person has something to hold on to, no matter how long it takes, that person will be anything but lost.

Kenneth Cobonpue: Designing the Future

By Dexter R. Matilla

Combining traditional materials with eco-friendly, innovative methods and a modern aesthetic, Cobonpue is, once again, ahead of the curve.

“The day I stop dreaming is the day I stop breathing,” Kenneth Cobonpue admits. To describe him simply as a dreamer would be doing a grave injustice, to the person who was referred to in the International Herald Tribune as the “poster boy” of Cebu’s vibrant furniture manufacturing industry.

Fame followed multiple awards, and pretty soon, the Kenneth Cobonpue label surpassed the mainstream and graduated into the realm of signature pieces.

A lot has been written about him. We all know about how he woke up to the sound of nails and the songs of carpenters working while his mother Betty made furniture in the backyard of their house in Cebu.

“I remember my mom giving me picture books as a kid whenever I was sick in bed. Those books were a window to the world and I actually looked forward to being confined in bed where my mind could fly without boundaries,” he relates. We have heard about his Industrial Design years at the Pratt Institue in New York, his awards, and of course, the Brad Pitt angle.

Design awards, meanwhile, keep landing in his lap. In the last two years alone, recognitions came from as far as France, Germany, India, and the United States. His distinctive works appeared in exhibits, restaurants, award shows, and even music videos.

“Although I get praise from many people who come across my work for the first time, it’s fascinating how many different answers I get when I ask why,” he says. “The answer can be anything as simple as color and shape to the ecological impact of the materials I use. First impressions are always visual and emotional in nature. But to me, a design is never finished until somebody starts using it. And that’s the ultimate test of my labors. How does it work? Is it comfortable? Does it make my life more enjoyable? Design is intelligence made visible.”

The latest convert to his design principles is the high profile car manufacturer Lexus. A pioneer in luxury hybrid cars, Lexus began its Hybrid Living program to explore new ideas of how life can be experienced in such a way that minimizes the impact on the earth without sacrificing comfort and luxury. The campaign focused on people who are living testaments to the cause. Kenneth joins an international panel that includes Coyuchi’s Christine Nelson, Soho Restaurant’s Peter Hoffman, clothing designer Linda Loudermilk, and artist Paul Hayes.

Kenneth’s reputation has grown much wider in the last few years. A Google search carries much of the same things—awards and validations of dynamic designs that are distinctively unique. Which is not to say that he has no opinions on the immediate world around him. On mentioning the recently concluded ASEAN Conference in Cebu, he suddenly became critical and we saw a different side.

“I wish I could have designed the street lights which were hastily erected for the ASEAN meeting in Cebu that are now the subject of a graft investigation,” Kenneth says. Coming from him, they would have been original, unique, and something we could be proud of. Best of all, it would have been made locally. “How can we even trumpet our design and manufacturing prowess against our Asian neighbors when we have to import ugly glow-in-the-dark poles masquerading as street lamps from China! I wish designers had a say in the planning of our cities. Tourism is such an important component of our nation’s recovery. In the end, we are subject to the tastes and whims of our politicians whom we elect to pass laws, not design monuments.”

It is refreshing to note that even in his immaculate atelier, the artist in Kenneth did not remain isolated. In what can only be termed as frustration, he shows his mettle first and foremost as a local citizen, not the international persona that so often robs people of their own identity.

“I am working on a car made of bamboo and carbon fiber,” Kenneth continues his civic musings. “The next frontier in design will be the intelligent use of ecological and man-made materials.” An avid car enthusiast, one can only wonder where this new road will take Kenneth the designer.

To describe him as avant-garde, someone who consciously rejects tradition, puts into question his practice of using rattan and other materials that are traditional in nature.

“I am experimenting with new high-tech materials and injecting color into my work,” he says. “Working with natural materials confines you to the colors found in nature. I am trying to go beyond that and use bold reds and yellows.”

“It’s a welcome change to the usual design standards,” he says. “It’s fun turning my child-like sketches into grown-up objects. I enjoy designing and seeing my ideas come to life. That others and I can live off it is a blessing indeed. The awards validate my belief that design and branding make good business sense.”

Having a good business sense certainly helped him realize his visions.

“It challenges you to dig deeper into your mind and come up with ideas that are new and fresh,” he explains. “On the other hand, you have people who think that the designs you come up with are the only things the market wants nowadays. That’s why you have copycats.”

He dreams of starting a design school, if he could only find time for it.

“I will grab the opportunity when it comes,” Kenneth, who currently teaches at the University of the Philippines in Cebu, said. “I have a teaching methodology which I feel is appropriate to our country’s condition. I believe that we are on this earth to live for one another. Teaching and sharing what I have is my own little way of giving back what I am blessed with.”

When he finally decides to take it easy, contented with all that he has accomplished, Kenneth probably deserves some accolade to personify what he has achieved. A street named after him wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

“Calle Cobonpue? Even the potholes should have a unique style,” he jokingly responds.

“My dream is to create a city that is modern, organic, ecological and visually unique that people all over the world come to associate with today’s Filipino,” Cobonpue says. “I want to do other things besides furniture. I want to go into making interior spaces, architecture, sculpture and transportation. What I have is a unique design aesthetic that is applicable to many fields.”

So it goes back to how to best describe Cobonpue. A visionary perhaps? Cobonpue offers a simple answer: “A brand with a soul at the forefront of natural, ecological, and stylish living.”

However he is described now or in the future, one thing is certain, Kenneth Cobonpue has left an indelible mark in the local design world that’s sure to be the standard for those who wish to follow a similar path. But the next generation may have to wait a little bit longer as Cobonpue still continues to awe the world with his grown up objects dreamt out of child-like sketches.

Originally published in the Feb-March 2008 issue of ZEE Lifestyle Magazine

Film review-Bucket List: Things to do before you die

By: Dexter R. Matilla

MANILA, Philippines - Given that it’s Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman sharing equal billing in “The Bucket List,” it still doesn’t hide how poorly written it is.

For what it’s worth, the only thing that Nicholson and Freeman did was elevate it to decency with their effortless portrayals of two ageing men, Edward Cole and Carter Chambers, strangers to each other but who go away on a trip and do the “craziest” things after finding out they only have less than a year to live due to cancer.

Life lists, as they are affectionately called, have been around for a while especially since the baby-boomer generation learned to appreciate making their own. It has given rise to books such as Patricia Schultz’s “1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler’s Life List” and Karol Jackowski “Ten Fun Things to Do Before You Die.”

“Bucket List” gives its take on the life list as experienced by Cole, a billionaire hospital magnate, and Chambers, a car mechanic, for the past 40-plus years. Despite their obvious differences in social standing, they share the same room at Cole’s hospital. Would anyone have imagined that?

It is here we learn that Cole has been married and divorced multiple times and is dependent on his assistant, Matthew, a.k.a. Thomas (Sean Hayes), to manage his tasks.

Chambers is a “Jeopardy” fanatic, hopes of becoming a history teacher, and is happily married to a nurse, Virginia (Beverly Todd).

Chambers then comes up with his “bucket list,” things he would like to do before he “kick(s) the bucket.” It doesn’t need any convincing for Cole to inject his own ideas to the list and the two go on their trip, much to the chagrin of Virginia.

Their adventure takes them to Egypt, Hong Kong, China, etc., with the voice of Freeman’s character vainly reciting lines that, honestly, border on overkill.

Justin Zachman said that he had Freeman’s voice in his head when he was writing the script. Perhaps he was too focused on the actor’s predilection for ethereal characters rather than making sure the story would be able to stand on its own. It’s as if the audience would not be able to get the meaning of “living life to the fullest” on their own.

“Bucket List” does not really do anything that has not probably been done before, and Nicholson and Freeman have played characters similar to Cole and Chambers many times already.

But it is easy to appreciate the film and really hard to hate it because of the two lead actors’ performances and, clearly, the film was done with older viewers in mind.

Published in the February 4, 2008 Lifestyle section of the Phil. Daily Inquirer.

Joey Velasco’s journey in art and life

By: Dexter R. Matilla

MANILA, Philippines - His is a tale that’s magnified by his altruistic deeds. But for Joey Velasco, the “heartist,” as he describes himself, who once hosted a deadly mass in his kidneys, what he’s doing is merely making use of what God has given him—the power to create and hasten changes in society for the better.

During and after his bout with kidney disease, Velasco became morose. The father of four turned to prayer. In 2005, he said he was “enveloped by blinding light.” He suddenly wanted to paint.

His first attempts had him creating portraits of his loved ones, including the house pets. He moved on to people he saw on the streets.

His now-famous “Hapag ng Pag-asa,” a 48×96-inch oil on canvas, came to be because he wanted his children to count their blessings in the face of street urchins who don’t have food and shelter.

In his search for inspiration, Velasco found 12 children in poor districts around Metro Manila and Quezon City. After treating them to meals, Velasco took their pictures and retreated to his room to start working on the painting.

The result is a depiction of the Last Supper, with Christ breaking bread with streetchildren.

Today, the children featured in the painting are no longer in the areas where Velasco originally found them. Through his partnership with Gawad Kalinga, an organization dedicated to sheltering the homeless, the 12 children and their families now have homes at Romeo Cabrera Village in Quezon City.

The children’s stories are also featured in the book “They Have Jesus: The Stories of the Children of the ‘Hapag.’”

Velasco’s art and works of mercy owe to his finding renewal and meaning in life. A former Salesian seminarian, he obviously still finds some connection with the work initiated by Saint John Bosco to take care of poor children, seeking to educate them in holiness.

Velasco has since created more pieces, including “Cast All Your Cares,” “I Thirst,” “Mga Munting Sireneo,” “That We May Live,” “Thy Will Be Done,” “Alay,” and “He Is My King.”

The works have been exhibited in parish churches and unconventional places all over the country. Although many of them are not for sale, those moved by them have contributed to charities to help the poor. This shows that Velasco’s art is one that effects changes—artistically, spiritually, morally and socially.

Art in crutches

Today, Velasco still paints despite being in crutches, perhaps owing to his lingering kidney disease.

“Over the past six months, my crutches and cane have been my connections to Mother Earth,” he said. “I had been in much pain, bedridden at times with some strange and debilitating infection in my feet and hands.

“In those months, we were even transferred to a small apartment where we would squeeze ourselves like sardines.

“I was confined in a small room where our beds and mattresses were just two steps away from the sink and toilet. In such circumstances and trying times, it was almost impossible to paint.”

Despite his difficulties, Velasco said he continued to paint, “as an act of faith.”

His new works will be exhibited in his new show “Landas” at the University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences starting Feb. 5.

Velasco said, like painting, one’s search for meaning in life was a process “where one starts from dark to light in tone and in color.”

He added: “Landas is a path, a road, the transcendence from dark to light.”

Published in the February 4, 2008 Lifestyle section of the Phil. Daily Inquirer.

Conversations with Senator Dick Gordon

Senator Dick Gordon

By: Dexter R. Matilla

WE waited.  The Senate building was starting to empty of its employees save for the security guards.  It was a good thing that there was a television set in the room where we waited to keep my friend from the Tourism department, the photographer, and I entertained. A show on ANC was discussing the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, one of the topics I was planning on asking Senator Richard Gordon. 

It was already time for the nightly news and then the voice of the man we were waiting for suddenly came on. “I’m available,” Senator Gordon said on television when asked if he intends to run in the 2010 elections. “What does that mean?” I asked myself.  While Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Mar Roxas, and Manny Villar are being widely talked about as running for the position, the “turn-around kid” may just pull off a repeat of when he ran for the Senate. He came from nowhere to win.

The time we spent waiting was longer than the interview but for close to two hours, the outspoken Gordon gave his views on the state of Philippine sports, his ouster from Subic, Erap’s pardon, etc.  One thing sure is you don’t have to prompt him.  He just goes.

We exited the Senate building around 10:30 pm and it was only then when we realized that the interview was well worth the wait.  As to his plans for the 2010 Presidential elections, Senator Gordon will keep us guessing until he gives a definite yes.  His focus at the moment, he says, is his work with the Philippine National Red Cross and his duties in the Senate.  So for now, let’s get to know a little bit more about the man named Dick.

 

Senator, you are definitely one of the most visible supporters of basketball.  Why so?

I was a cheerleader since first year high school, became head cheerleader in fourth year high as well as in fourth year college.  Being a cheerleader helped bring out my passion.  Cheerleading brings out the animo or the spirit of a community like a school.  So it started in the Ateneo.  At that time we were just a little over a thousand students.   The American Jesuits fostered tremendous community spirit because our professors would always go to the games.  And we would be at the bleachers of Rizal Memorial and Araneta Coliseum.

In Rizal Memorial, it’s excruciatingly hot.  The game allows you the kind of spirit the team needs.  When you cheer for the team, it affects the team’s performance.  And it shows the character of the school.  Ateneo is known for its high spirit and pride.  I’m also from UP so I think UP ought to have that kind of indoctrination.  There’s a sense of community which eventually becomes a sense of country.

Do you remember a game that really started the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry?

It goes back beyond me.  Goes back to the 30s.  A lot of people make the mistake that it started just recently.  You have the LaOs, Moro Lorenzo, Senator Manglapus, Fr. Ampil.  Even in grade school when I was in Letran, I would go to the games.  Today, we’ve become a very individualistic society.

What fuels a rivalry?

In the old days we wanted a uniform.  We wanted to show leadership.  The Blue Babble Battalion was the whole school.  It always represented the whole university.  And everyone had to know the cheers.  Now people don’t even know the cheers.  Kahit na talo na kami ng 35 points, kahit na sinasara na iyong ilaw sa stadium we would still cheer.  So until now, even when the games are over, I stay behind.  I visit the team.

Why do you think there is a rivalry?

It’s a contest among good schools.  The Ateneo was here before the American Jesuits came.  The Americans gave universal education.  They brought the Irish-Americans, the New York Jesuits.  They have good teams there.  You know, America is a sports-minded country.  Here, Ateneo was the premier school.  Rizal, de la Costa, Manglapus went to Ateneo.  But the La Sallites, the American Christian Brothers, figured they were the best school, too.

For a while it was the Ateneo and San Beda.  Caloy Loyzaga was there and we had Literal, Mayoralgo, Ed Ocampo…

These were teams that carried a very high degree of spirit.  Ateneo has always been the philosophical school, the well-rounded one.  La Salle is known in terms of Engineering, LiaCom.  We were always “ratchos de orum.”  La Salle felt the same way.  UP too.  That’s how it starts.  A contest of what seems to be very, very good schools.  More like the Army Navy football teams.  They started out as good schools competing academically and that carries over to the sporting field.

In the New York Times, you were described as being known for your sideline antics.

It’s not an antic.  It happens to me even when I’m watching the NBA in New York.  One time, a guy behind me was complaining why I was standing up.  Well, he didn’t know where I’m coming from.  It goes all the way back to my Ateneo days.  I’m cheering.  In a game, I’m very proud to be part of the school.  If I feel the people around me are not cheering enough and the team needs us, I don’t appreciate it.  They’re just there to watch the game.  That’s not the way the game was invented.

We define ourselves by how we act so I encourage the people to cheer.  Sometimes I talk to them when they’re not cheering hard enough.  This is not about exhibition.  This is about showing our character.  We don’t boo.  We cheer our loudest.  Even if we lose, we applaud the winners as they pass by.  We even have a prayer for that.  It’s a very good tradition in sports, something I don’t want our people to lose.  It’s important.  It’s part of your character formation.

Your passion for sports does seem incomparable.

Even here in the Senate.  Do I lose my temper?  Yes.  I’m a human being.  If I feel you’re not giving a hundred percent…  Same thing when I was in Tourism.  They all know that.  They know it’s not personal.  You draw out the best in your people.  I remember my first weeks in Tourism.  The people were not used to me.  I told them, by the time we finish our stint together, you’ll be the best department in the whole country and it was so for three years.  Awarded by the Makati Business Club, no less.

There’s a way of doing things.  It carries over to the Red Cross.  We stay in a disaster area for 24 hours.  I’m always the first to react, always the first to gather the forces right away.  It’s the same way in cheerleading.  Are we going to allow them to beat us?  We were never beaten in cheering during our time.  You could beat us by 50 points and we’d still be cheering.  Dick Gordon always goes 10,000 percent.  You cannot be mediocre you have to give it all.

Look, the session was over by 4pm and I’m still here.  My people are still here.  Same as in Subic. I had volunteers with me and they were all proud of themselves.  And even if I get mad at them internally, getting mad means trying to get them to be the kind of people I expect them to be:  professionals.  I would always defend my department, I would always defend even people I don’t like when they are being chastised or attacked by somebody else.  But when we are in the four corners of the office or in the building of Tourism, you have to act in accordance with the expectations of the department.  Same thing with our country.

Let’s discuss the time when you were muscled out of Subic by former President Estrada.

When I was being taken out by Estrada, our people were with me.  We sang, ‘The Impossible Dream.’  We sang religious songs; we were together.  And the time I was there, when they didn’t yet understand who I was, they would hate me.  But in the end, we were tight.  It’s a classic case of going to a place and in the beginning you have to say, ‘You’re going to hate me now.  But in the end, we’re all going to love one another.”

In the bleachers, I would say, if you’re not going to cheer, I don’t want you here.  Is that dictatorial?  I don’t think so.  It’s a bleacher.  You’re bleached into transforming yourself from a mere watcher into a participant, a stakeholder.  We used to cry when we lost.  We used to cry when we won.  And even in everything I do, I learned to appreciate people more by giving it all.

 
By the way, Erap did not get me out of Subic.  It was the court.  I said, ‘go to the court.’ Well, they tried to beat our people up, but it didn’t work.  So after the Supreme Court gave the orders, we walked out properly.  We even cleaned up the place.  I shook hands with my successor even if I didn’t like him that much.

 
What did you learn from it that to this day you’re still able to apply?

The bitter truth that no matter how good you are, no matter how much dedication and effort you put in, and how much people see the good of what you’ve done, when the chips are down, you’re all alone by yourself with only your own people to keep you company.  It happened to me twice.  First, I was fired by Cory during the purging of Martial Law right after EDSA.  Next, we were fired by Erap.  We stood our ground.  Can you imagine if I just keeled over and died?

Erap would have removed a lot of other people he didn’t like.  But that’s not the point.  I’ve forgiven Erap for that, I’ve forgotten that.  What I can’t, and its not a personal thing with me…my problem is…what did we gain from all that?

Erap was recently pardoned by President Macapagal-Arroyo.

If I reacted to that strongly, it’s not because of Subic.  But the point is, you have to have the rule of law.  After six years, for the first time a president was convicted.  Everybody had been complaining that the big fishes are never caught, finally, we had one.  But, because President Arroyo was also in trouble, she pardoned him.  I would have done it differently.  I would have put him in jail, out him in Santa Rosa, Laguna, put him in Crame, separate cell of course.  But not in his house in Tanay.  Because that’s not a jail.  Allowed him visitation privileges but everybody would know that he’s in jail.  Then maybe after a year, after he says sorry to the people, I would have pardoned him.

Do you think it takes away anything from Erap?

Oh definitely.  Because Erap said he wasn’t going to accept the pardon.  That’s a lot of double-talk, I’m not taking away anything from GMA.  She can pardon anyone she wants.  But again, you have to use it with justice and mercy.  Both of them as I said disgraced their office.  Na-diminish silang lahat.  I know I shouldn’t be saying that especially since people think I’m going to run for president but that’s the way I am.  You ask me am I running?  I said I’m available.  Am I campaigning?  I’m making contacts but my focus is the Senate and the Red Cross.

You are widely regarded as the “father of volunteerism.”  Do you think that’s enough to get you to sit in Malacañang?

You’re a conglomeration of everything you’ve done.  You should be judged for that.  I’m a governor of the International Red Cross.  I’m a senator.  But all my life, I’ve been in the Red Cross.  What does that tell you?  I think these are the important things that people should remember.  Are you constantly a leader?  Are you constantly sincere?  When you say Erap para sa mahirap, who did he help na mahirap?

Are we easily swayed by the theatrics?

The theatrics are because the media is perhaps handled by the powerful.  I’m not always likeable because I have to be.  Not because I want to be.  Who wants to be unlikeable?  But when you have a job to do, and you say, ‘God this country needs tourism.’  It’s the only way we can make our country move because we have no agriculture.  We’re very, very weak.  Our manufacturing is being taken over by China.  Can you blame me if I say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to be better even if it hurts some people?’

How would you assess Philippine sports right now compared to how it was during your time?

I think it’s gone sour.  I know there are people who are really trying hard and I respect that.  But you know you’re not going to get sports moving unless the soul of the players is there.  More and more it has become a very almost mercenary type of situation.

In Ateneo, we pay our own way.  Our uniform was paid by the school but if you wanted something extra, you pay for your stuff.  I played for the Ateneo in the track team and we won the championship but al of us participated.  I didn’t win a medal but I was told by the coach, to be the rabbit—I did run the distance—to block the guy from La Salle and we won.

 Sports today is not that good a program.  We used to be the baseball power in Asia in the 50s.  Baseball was Lavel, Olongapo and Teves, so we had a baseball tradition.  But like our country, and like our politics, it’s gone down to mediocrity.

I watch the baseball games and I know Chito Loyzaga is trying very hard to revive it and I’m going to support him.  You know in the major leagues in the US, when they hit the ball and it’s scuffed, they don’t use it anymore.  Here, you pick up a ball, it’s dirty you just wipe it, and you use it again.  What does that tell you?  ‘Pwede na yan!’  That’s why I think we need good role models and coaches.  I think there is an improvement in basketball but there should also be an improvement elsewhere.  The government has got to put in money to sports because that’s part of nation building.  In our country, you need to pay attention to the players.  And…support and develop school spirit where they start their careers.  We should develop the kind of tradition that extols maximum effort at all times, whether in sports or nation building.

 

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So how does ‘Sweeney Todd’ fare on film?

By: Dexter R. Matilla 

MANILA, Philippines - Why Jack the Ripper is more popular than Sweeney Todd—at least on this side of the world—is mildly bemusing.

But the tandem of Tim Burton, whose gothic imaginings gave rise to movies such as “Edward Scissorhands,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “The Corpse Bride,” and Johnny Depp, who has worked with the director in those films, ought to change that with their sixth pairing in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Based on the legend of a barber/slasher who terrorized 18th-century London, the film is not one to shy from use of extreme blood spillage and an even more extreme way of showing how Todd (Depp) does it.

From the onset, his sole purpose of getting revenge against Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) can be clearly seen in Todd’s face. Turpin had Todd sent to jail on false charges just so the judge could steal his wife and baby daughter.

Upon his return, Todd goes back to Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham-Carter), his former landlady, and sets up a barbershop atop her meat-pie shop. This is where Todd plots his schemes to lure Turpin and extract his revenge.

Visual gorefest

Juxtaposing hauntingly attractive melody into the visual gorefest is the film’s obvious come-on.

Depp, who has been known for his choice of sometimes strange acting roles, once again finds himself fit to a T with the Todd character. He brings more to the screen as he begins to lovingly sing “My Friend” to his razor blades.

The entire performance gives off an air of what is to inevitably befall his victims. Credit the music and lyrics to Stephen Sondheim, whose musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” along with Hugh Wheeler, has won a Tony Award.

It is, therefore, hard not to feel for Todd, a formerly “beautiful and naïve barber” who used to go by the name of Benjamin Barker.

Being wronged big time and developing a taste for revenge brought out an overwrought persona that is to become Todd. From start to finish, Depp is nothing short of magnificent.

On the other hand, the same could not be said about Carter, at least in the early goings.

Seeing her sing “The Worst Pies in London” felt like watching the worst way of introducing a character into the story. At times, it was hard not to cringe at the entire scene—and it wasn’t because of the cockroaches. Either the performance was meant to come out that way, flat and unfeeling, or Carter was just starting to feel it out.

As the film progresses, so does Carter, transforming the lovestruck character into a vital part in the story telling.

Adding depth to the story is Todd’s now teenage daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener), who is being kept in the house of Turpin.

She is seen by Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower), a young sailor who crossed paths with Todd while at sea and has formed some sort of friendship with the lead character. Anthony then makes it his mission to steal Johanna.

 Published, January 21, 2008 , in the Lifestyle section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

What’s it like feeling God working on you?

I used to be very, very religious. Then something happened and I cursed to the heavens. Since then I’ve always felt alone. I felt that even God left me. For a while that’s how I saw things. I stopped going to Church. When I do, it’s because I was forced. But when I do let myself be forced, I always pray for one thing.

To this day, I stopped going to Church regularly. Only when there’s an urge to do so. But despite that, despite all the confusion, the questions of why, where, when, how, I felt that God’s always there. Working. How else could I explain:

• Having just enough of what I need?
• Having more than what I ask for?
• Being able to get home even with the gas pedal loosening while driving along Roxas Boulevard in front of Baclaran Church?
• Reaching the gas station just as the car is about to run out of gas? Finding helping hands when the car radiator breaks in the middle of traffic—and still manage to get back home?
• Being given the gut feeling to go somewhere and accidentally find what was once thought to have been lost?

Wish I had written down all the instances when I just called to God and He had an answer right away. How shameful. Remembering Him only when I need something. I may never be as close to Him as I used to be but I now know that whatever it is I want, whatever it is I need, it’s just there. There are no such things as accidents because I realize that God is working to help me, even when I’m not.