Introduction IT WAS during my childhood days that we had our first glimpse of a comedia or a moro-moro staged in our town in far north Laoag (now a city) in Ilocos Norte. Young as I was, I must have been 11 or 12 years old, my fantasies were no doubt sparked by the colorful array of kings, princes and princesses and the fights among them gave me my first taste of “actual” sword play, so to speak. It also gave me my first glimpse of the conflict of the Christian and the Moro and I found out that in the end the Christian always won and becomes the victor while the Moro either succumbs or becomes converted to the Christian faith. Unconsciously, this scenario must have registered an imprint on my young mind and since then, I had always wanted to be a Christian because I wanted always to be victorious. I don’t know and I can’t fully remember now when such presentations stopped in out city but what I do remember is I’ve always looked forward to our fiestas that time because of the comedia. How I wish I could relive my youthful fantasies through a comedia these days. Nobody presents them anymore. Yes, nobody seems to be interested in the comedia anymore. The last active comediante in Laoag that I know is a retired member of the Laoag police force, Mr. Maximo Bartolome, a relative of mine, who has directed and acted in several comedias late in the 60s but has likewise stopped. As a student of Iloco culture and literature, I tried to dig into records as to who possibly were the authors of the comedias that were presented at the Laoag plaza during my younger days. I’ve learned of a certain Segundina Pascual, who according to some old folks had written several moro-moros that were presented in Laoag even before the last World War. Unluckily however, I could not find any sample of her work. I came to find out however that the comedia or moro-moro as a form of drama developed in the 18th century is supposed to have originated from a war dance executed by some Moro warriors to celebrate the Christening of their King Ali Mudin of Panique, then a town of Pangasinan and now part of Tarlac province [Barrantes, El Teatro Tagalo]. Likewise in his book, A Brief Survey of Iloco Literature, Dr. Leopoldo Yabes said, “The evolution of the Moro Moro among the Tagalogs and the Ilocanos are practically the same varying only in non-essentials.” Two of the more prominent comedia writers during the late 19th century were a certain Tranquilino Bocobo and the late Don Claro Caluya of Piddig, Ilocos Norte according to Yabes. Most of their writings were accordingly in unsigned manuscript forms that it is really difficult to ascertain authorship. It was in 1976 however after I was elected president of the then newly re-organized and revived GUMIL-Laoag that I came to know of another writer through a friend, Betina Lorenzo, then employed with the Bureau of National and International Information (BNFI) of the then Department of Public Information (DPI) later Office of Media Affairs (OMA) and now the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), who came to Laoag City to research on the comedia. She was looking for a copy of the comedia “Flor De Amor” allegedly written by a certain Cesario Gerardo of Laoag, Ilocos Norte. The comedia was supposedly written before the Second World War and the author is reported by researchers to be dead. I told her, I’ve seen part of the “Flor De Amor” staged and presented on TV by a relative of mine, Mr. Maximino Bartolome, when then governor of Ilocos Norte, Madame Elizabeth Marcos-Keon, in a featured program about Ilocos Norte by Jose Quirino (JQ “Seeing Stars”) brought the team of Bartolome to present it on television. I also told Ms. Lorenzo that I personally know a certain Cesario Gerardo, who is a neighbor of mine in our barangay, but I know him more as a “Tamborero” and that he was still alive. Nevertheless, I referred Ms Lorenzo to Tata (Uncle) Maximino Bartolome and it was through Tata Minong that we were able to confirm that “Flor De Amor” was written by Cesario B. Gerardo, the very same “Tata Sario” the Tamborero that I know. My friend Betina requested me to accompany her to see Tata Sario and to have the original manuscript of Tata Sario be photocopied so she can bring home a copy of the said comedia to the DPI head office. We were not only able to meet him and have “Flor De Amor” but later during the day we were likewise able to get copies of the “Zarzuela” “Dagiti Agpaspasukmon ti Basi” of the late Don Pascual Agcaoili in our extended trip to Piddig, Ilocos Norte. The demands of my job then as district manager of a Manila-based insurance company prevented me to immediately follow up with an interview with Tata Sario, my neighbor, about his comedia. It was only in 1982 when I was already in government service (NACIDA) that I remembered to visit Tata Sario for more information about his “Flor De Amor” after we had talked during a Christmas program of our barangay that year where I wrote and directed the presentation of an Iloco pageant. Tata Sario approached me that evening after the program and appreciated the pageant and we also talked about his “Flor De Amor.” When I visited him the following day, he showed me again his old original typewritten manuscript, personally booked bound by him and bearing his signature/authorship in his own handwriting. He presented me two books—part 1 and part 2. I learned a lot about how he wrote the “Flor De Amor” and also about himself that day and this is his story: A journey from the plantations of Hawaii in the 30s to literary history CESARIO B. Gerardo, author of the most famous comedia-Ilocana (moro-moro), is most often cited in cultural and literary write-ups as dead even before he actually died. Contrary however to the belief of most writers and researchers, Cesario B. Gerardo was still very much alive when I wrote this feature story about him. Sario as he is fondly called, is the third in a brood of 12, the son of Damasco Gerardo and Bonifacia Ballesteros of Laoag, Ilocos Norte. Born on February 25, 1903 at Barrio 11 of the then municipality of Laoag, Sario grew up to be a typical Ilocano youngster of his age, immersed in hardwork either at home or in the farm. He never went to school beyond the intermediate grades, which he finished at the Elementary School of Solsona, an eastern municipality of Ilocos Norte where he temporarily migrated when their house in Laoag was burned when he was about 10 years old. Sario grew up to be a robust young man, hardened by farm work. It was in Solsona as young man that he was introduced into the art of the comedia or moro-moro through the insistence and prodding of his father, then an acknowledged farmer-leader in their community. As a “comediante” he displayed natural acting prowess to the surprise of their local “maestro”. He soon got involved in all the comedias presented during their town fiestas. Though tied-up with his work in the farm, he managed to attend to the rigorous and very demanding practice a real “comediante” must undergo. He soon became a master of the rudiments and phrases of the comedia. His comediante days however seemed to have come to an end when in 1926, at the height of the rush of Ilocanos going to Hawaii, he became one of those countrymen who went to try their luck in the so-called “Island Paradise.” He found himself working at a sugar plantation as a steam plow helper in the cane plantations of Hanamaulu, Lihue and Kauai. He was later promoted as “Luna”, or foreman, in the said plantation. The following year, the pressures of work and the boredom of confinement at the plantation camp took its toll on the 150 workers who were mostly Ilocanos like Sario. Boredom compounded by their homesickness was gradually weakening the morale of the camp. Somehow these had to be eased. Some of them who were a bit enterprising thought of coming out with their own recreation activities. One of them, according to Sario, a guy from Ilocos Sur (where most of the workers came from) volunteered to organize a comedia presentation in time for the first year anniversary of their stay in the plantation camp. The Ilocos Surian succeeded in organizing a group, but lacking the actual experience in comedia writing and more importantly, the training, he could not come up with a nice story, much more direct the participants with the proper acting characteristics of a comedia. A townmate of Sario who knew of his involvement and experience in comedia told the group leader to seek Sario’s help. Sario however denied that he knew anything about comedia, apprehensive that what he knew may not be what the group expected so he declined. Nevertheless, after four days of constant pleading and convincing, Sario finally acceded to participate and assist in the comedia they intended to present. He started to write a comedia he entitled “Flor De Amor,” or Flower of Love. It is not however a love story but a story about the exploits of young and valiant Christian prince named Flor de Amor, unluckily born out of wedlock, in pursuit of redress against his father who abandoned him and his mother. Before the prince however finally met his father, the king, he encounters several battles with the Moros. Cesario Gerardo, the comediante, at once worked rigorously with the inexperienced cast in the exciting characterization of his own comedia “Flor De Amor.” The task of training the cast was a tremendous and tedious job. Most of those who agreed to be members were farmers like him. Sario would untiringly do and demonstrate to these amateurs what a “Jordana” is or how to do the steps of a “Marcha” or how to do the “Wagawag.” A perfectionist in his own right, he would ask his cast to repeat over and over certain parts of the moro-moro play, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. When the anniversary celebrations came, a crowd of about 1,000 people, including a big number of Americans, attended. The group’s presentation was so well received that it was shown for the next two nights. Sario was definitely the man of the hour. So inspired of “Flor De Amor,” Sario started writing a sequel on the life and exploits of “Prince Brilliantino.” He was not however able to finish his second comedia because the war broke out. The year 1943 saw Sario transferred to a new kind of job at the Pearl Harbor navy yard where he worked until 1946. His transfer again put an end to his comedia efforts. After the war, the call of his family—wife Felipa Respicio and son Laurentino—forced him to resign and come home to the Philippines in 1949. Back in Laoag, he settled his family at Barrio Sta. Cayetana at a lot on the corner of Teodora Alonzo and M.H. del Pilar Sts. where he built a two-storey wooden house. For several years, he did not touch his comedia manuscripts, which he brought from Hawaii. However, the call of his childhood interest—the comedia—was rekindled when he was asked by municipal officials of Solsona to stage a comedia during their town fiesta in 1963. He was just too happy to present and direct his own comedia “Flor De Amor,” the comedia he wrote in Hawaii to his townmates. On fiesta day, the whole town populace and their guests had a taste of perhaps the best comedia ever to grace the public plaza of the town of Solsona. Those lucky to witness the presentation were on in saying: “It was even better than the presentations of veteran comediantes from neighboring provinces usually contracted to perform in previous fiestas.” This turned out to be the last presentation done and participated in by Sario for since that year, even after so much clamor from his townmates of Solsona to perform again, he declined. A good drummer, or “tamburero” likewise, Sario was now happy living a peaceful life with his family in Laoag and once in a while joining his fellow tambureros of our barangay whenever their group is contracted to do some drum beating for a movie show, or to lead a procession, to usher in the celebration of a barangay fiesta or town fiesta, or to welcome visitors. He however would lend, every now and then, his “Flor De Amor” manuscript, which was patiently typewritten by his son from the original handwritten manuscript he brought home. For several times, he allowed a younger comedia director Maximino Bartolome to borrow and present his “Flor De Amor” during the celebration of the city fiesta of Laoag. At 79, Cesario the writer, director and the comediante was still actively involved in community activities not only as a tamborero but also as a willing mentor to those who are interested to learn about comedia. His son Laurentino, a successful professional and happily married to the former Soledad Lucas with whom he had three children was employed with the Laoag district branch of a big insurance company. Though beset with a failing eyesight in 1982 when I visited him last, Sario still accommodates young comediantes willing to learn the art. In fact before he died, he agreed to help me train a group of would-be comediantes among the youth of our barangay in his desire to keep the comedia a part of the Iloco cultural heritage alive, even when he and other remaining moro-moro advocates would have all gone. Cesario B. Gerardo, possibly the last living advocate of the comedia, was called by his creator on May 22, 1984 at age 81. A humble man, he never bragged or boasted about his achievements in the cultural world, reason why even the people of Laoag and especially his barangay mates (including this writer not until I’ve learned about his exploits) did not know they have in their midst, a man who made the comedia Iloco a thing of wonderment and appreciation even in the Island Paradise. |