Mar 2007

“Kuya, director ka ba? (Big Brother, are you a director?)” asked an inquisitive barrio urchin, one of about a dozen hyperactive children who had been following me around for the last ten minutes. Few photographers, even amateur ones like myself, have probably set foot in Dalayap, a far-flung barangay deep in the marshes of Macabebe, Pampanga. As places go, Dalayap is far from accessible. If you have the stamina and the time to spare, you can actually travel there by foot, following the pilapil for a few hours. We had arrived, alternatively, by river banca (outrigger canoe), after navigating the convoluted waterways of the Pampanga River Delta.

Perhaps it’s this inaccessibility that accounts for the obscurity of Batalla, the feast for Dalayap’s patron Sta. Rita. Batalla usually happens on May 22, unless the whim of seasonal floods moves it back. While the feast is celebrated in other nearby barangays, it’s in Dalayap where the feast takes on a feverish frenzy.

Batalla kicks off like your typical small town fiesta. A Catholic priest celebrates mass at the chapel at the town plaza then a procession kicks off, with predominantly Methodist townsfolk marching to the east bearing a statue of Sta. Rita on their shoulders. In perfect timing with the sunset, before it hits the footbridge at the end of town, the procession makes a U-turn, and that’s when Batalla truly begins.

It starts off as a dull rumble from the end of the village masked by the blaring of the brass band. You feel the atmosphere change slowly but distinctly from mildly solemn to something disconcerting. The band plays kuraldal tunes, increasing in volume and tempo as the procession nears the plaza. Only, it’s not an orderly procession anymore but a wild throng, a frenzied mob of sweaty men who are jumping about, thrashing around and chanting “Oi! Oi! Oi!” while deftly transporting the dangerously swaying Sta Rita to the center of the town. The women and children seem to have dispersed into the sidelines, save for a hardy few who brave the maddening crowd at the center.

When the crowd arrives at the town plaza, its roar is deafening and the movement is furious. Arms flail about. Elbows and knees fly. People run and leap into each other recklessly. To minimize injury, rubber slippers are worn on elbows while barangay tanods (civilian police) try to keep things in check. The townsfolk form the world’s wildest Conga line as fireworks explode in brilliant light, raining sparks down. The band plays faster and the dancing gets even more riotous. It’s not a fiesta anymore, it’s a mosh pit with fervent slamdancing, complete with a religious icon swimming atop the crowd instead of a rock star.

Then, in an orchestrated order amidst the seeming anarchy, an ages-old ritual tug-of-war is performed by the crowd, playing out the struggle between Muslim Kapampangans and Christian Spaniards from history past (hence the name ‘Batalla’). The image of Sta. Rita is pulled violently toward the chapel but the crowd resists, tugging Sta Rita back toward the plaza. It is here when the dancing is at its most intense as tensions between the two sides mount. After an eternal back-and-forth struggle, Sta. Rita is calmly allowed into the chapel, not by defeat in battle but by the will of the people.

Batalla is a textbook example of Catholicism being mutated by folk religion. Scholars from the Center for Kapampangan Studies believe that its origins may lie in a pre-Hispanic tribal dance that was Christianized upon the arrival of missionaries, which was then appropriated by townspeople for their own religious purposes. Despite the violent frenzy that characterizes Batalla, you can see utter devotion in the faces and actions of Dalayap’s townfolk. There’s always an unabashed gentleness when a dancing devotee reaches out to touch the image of Sta. Rita, an honesty that’s kind of hard to forget. In an age when even religion is mass produced on an assembly line, bland and boring, Batalla is a welcome change.

A good hour and a half drive from Davao City, through seemingly endless banana plantations, lies the lovely city of Tagum. The provincial capitol of Davao del Norte, Tagum became a city only in 1998 through Republic Act No. 8472. It is well known as a throbbing hub of commerce and business in Mindanao, with a focus on agriculture and eco-tourism. If you’ve ever had banana chips, chances are, they came from Tagum, which supplies sixty percent of the Philippine market. The city is a milestone of progress, under the no-nonsense leadership of the incumbent Mayor Rey T. Uy, whose various civic programs seem eminently suited to take Tagum to the next level. One program that lies very close to his heart is the MUSIKAHAN Festival.

Held annually from February 21 to 27, the MUSIKAHAN Festival is a week-long celebration of music. It is an opportunity to highlight the musical talents of Tagum’s youth while bringing together people from other parts of Mindanao together for a common appreciation of music and friendly competition. Throughout the week, assorted musical programs are held in various venues around the city.

Why MUSIKAHAN?
“I’m a frustrated musician,” jokes Mayor Uy. “Now, I'm just a listener,” - an understatement, since the Mayor and his wife, Chairperson of the MUSIKAHAN Executive Committee Alma L. Uy are the drivers behind this festival. In his first term, Mayor Uy established the MUSIKAHAN Festival, with a four-fold objective. One, to celebrate the wealth of talent and the richness of music and art traditions. Two, to showcase Filipino excellence in music. Three, to generate support for students and youth artists to enhance their skills in the field of music composition and performance. Four, to promote Tagum City as the Music Capital of Mindanao.

“Tagum City provides free music education to schoolchildren from age nine to fourth year high school,” explains Mayor Uy. “We’ve had nine batches around one hundred twenty students each and we have reservations until batch twelve.” By providing free music education, Tagum gives its youth skills they can use for employment, entertainment, religion and other aspects of their lives. MUSIKAHAN lets Tagum’s musical kids strut their stuff.

MUSIKAHAN Festival Events
The MUSIKAHAN Festival is an event-filled seven days festooned in color, costume and, of course, tunes. Main events tend to be the competitions, where communities get to represent.

• Raprapan, Sayawan, MUSIKAHAN
  A monthly talent search for the best Tagum City-based young performing artist in various genres culminates in this finals competition.

• Pasiklaban
  Crank up the volume to eleven for Tagum’s very own battle of the bands. Held at the Freedom Park, this riveting event pits over sixty participants against each other for the honor of audio superiority.

• Harana ng Bayan
  Love songs for your community, instead of the girl next door. In this competition, Tagum residents write a harana showcasing the unique traits and qualities of their barangay. The harana is performed in a music video as well as with a live performance.

• Huni Ug Kasikas sa Plaza
  Easily the most colorful event of MUSIKAHAN, this drum & bugle/drum & lyre competition is the highlight of every school’s musical corps. The routines are intricate, the costumes are creative, and the energy of thousands of screaming schoolkids is just unbelievable.

• Avenida Musika
  If brass bands are your thing, then this parade of marching brass bands should whet your fancy. Open to Mindanao schools, this contest gives new meaning to the term Heavy Metal.

• Himig Handog
  This chorale competition has three categories: elementary, secondary, and adult. Each group performs three songs, including prescribed contest pieces such as “Isang Matandang Panalangin” by Verne dela Pena and “Sa Mahal Kong Bayan” by Lucio San Pedro.

• Awitan-Limahan
  Open to quintets, this vocal competition is open to Mindanao-based performers who will render at least three songs, including one in a capella.

• Rondal-Sayaw
  In this competition, the rondalla plays, the dance troupe interprets. Contestants don Balintawak or Maria Clara costumes, depending on their category.

Apart from the core competitions of MUSIKAHAN, the festival also has special events lined up, including Pahalipay, where MUSIKAHAN artists visit hospitals to perform for patients, Lantaw-MUSIKAHAN, a trade fair showcasing musical instruments as well as the region’s eco-tourism spots, and the MUSIKAHAN Parade.

Melodic Futures Ahead
While the MUSIKAHAN Festival may be a recent addition to the festivals and celebrations around the Philippines, it is one annual event that truly holds promise. The MUSIKAHAN has been cemented into tradition through a city ordinance ensuring its continuity despite future changes in local administration. With Tagum City continuing to produce musical and performing talent, we can only expect the performances in Tagum to get better and better.