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Igorots remember Da King

Hail efforts on cultural appreciation

BAGUIO CITY (Dec.27)—“Gawis, naanus si FPJ. Ulay into inayan na, naligat siya ay makalingkingan” (FPJ was good, kind hearted. He will always be remembered wherever he is now), says 63 year-old Gokoyen Atuban in Kankanaey, while remembering Fernando Poe Jr.

Lakay Gokoyen is a member of the I-tetep-an sub-tribe of the Kankanaey in Sagada, Mt. Province.

He relays not being able to attend the wake of FPJ in Manila, as he suffers from arthritis and hardly can walk without the aid of a cane. But he is proud to have met “a good gentleman” during his younger days, yet is sorry that FPJ was called home early by his Creator.

Lakay Gokoyen has joined FPJ in his 1982 film entitled Bontoc and the 1999 Pagbabalik ng Probinsyano.

Good deeds

Lakay Gokoyen first met FPJ in 1982 when he, including at least 50 people from his tribe joined the cast of the box-office film Bontoc. The scenes were shot in a mountain near Brgy. Kias, a community in Asin near the boundaries of Baguio City and Tuba, Benguet, and Bontoc, Mt. Province.

“I was involved in the construction of Bontoc huts in Baguio and Benguet while a member of the cast,” he quipped in Kankanaey.

He narrates that he and his fellow Igorots received P150 a day which then was a lot of money. Payments were also given on time, he said.

“Nu sinu nan kankakanen FPJ, men isu isnan kanen nan kadwa tako ya nan am-in ay ipugao na” (Whatever it was that FPJ ate was the same food we ate. Everyone, including the cast and the crew), Gokoyen added.

He made sure that everyone has eaten. He always spoke to us and encouraged to report offenses, if any, by his employees, the old man said.

“I admire FPJ for maintaining a well-disciplined crew and staff, as he prohibited drinking during the shooting, added Gokoyen.

The film Bontoc tells the story of a young man portrayed by FPJ, who was the son of an American miner and a Bontoc woman.

His father died in a mine cave-in. Later on, he won the love of a Bontoc lady, portrayed by Elizabeth Oropesa, despite opposition by some gentlemen from the tribe, added Gokoyen. He laughs, recalling that FPJ was nearly hit by the enemy spear in a duel scene.

Cultural appreciation

Lakay Gokoyen appreciated the sensitivity of FPJ on indigenous culture. We never performed rituals as rituals are sacred and are to be performed only in the communities when applicable,” he added.

Most movies portraying indigenous culture and traditions romanticized indigenous practices for profit rather than educating viewers, he observed. Lakay Gokoyen has also worked as an “extra” cast in several films featuring indigenous practices.

Considered old by his tribe both by age and by status, he is familiar with indigenous rituals and practices. All his children married following such culture. Until now, he participates in elders’ activities, especially in relation to death and sickness rites. With films like Bontoc, viewers were able to understand the ulog as a place where young, single men visit young ladies, adds Gokoyen. The ulog has been misrepresented in other films as a place where young men and women perform “trial” sex to test compatibility before marriage.

He claimed that aside from the wages earned, FPJ’s films provided venues for people like them, despite failure to pursue education, to become artists even for that short period of time.“And it tries to put in the mainstream movie industry the appreciation and correction of any misconceptions on indigenous culture and practices”, he added.

“The Filipino films being pushed by FPJ are not only educational but help revive the dying movie industry now threatened by foreign films,” he added. “We will miss these from the man they called Da King,” he ended. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS

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