Three Days in My Life with Peque
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Author with Peque Gallaga at his art opening (Photo courtesy of Marra PL. Lanot)
Before all this, however, I had known Peque only through several of the films he megged such as Scorpio Nights (1985), Virgin Forest (l985), Unfaithful Wife (1986), Shake Rattle & Roll II (co-directed with Lore Reyes, 1990), Darna! Ang Pagbabalik (1994), the funny Pinoy/Blonde (2005). And, of course, my favorite masterpieces, Oro Plata Mata (1982) and the less celebrated Sonata (co-directed with Lore Reyes, 2013).
Oro Plata Mata, directed by Peque and written by Jose Javier Reyes, is an imposing film that tackles war and its dehumanizing effects on people. War also succeeds in erasing class differences.
Author with Peque, Bibeth Orteza (left) and Lore Reyes (Photo courtesy of Marra PL. Lanot)
Sonata, screenplay by Wanggo Gallaga, tells the story of an opera singer (Cherie Gil), who has lost her voice. She plunges into depression and forgets how to live. She meets a young boy who, in his innocence, wins her over and revives in her a desire for simple joys.
Here is an excerpt from my review of Sonata, published in Philippine Star, on September 29, 2013. “Sonata juxtaposes light and shadow, day and night, fame and obscurity, wealth and poverty, leisure and labor, art and reality, sound and silence, life and death. And when loss happens, hope is not far behind.
“Why the title Sonata? Maybe in contrast to the opera, which requires grand production design and a full orchestra and powerful voices, a sonata can be played in a chamber to a small audience, and appreciated even without words…
“When everything else fails, there’s no one to turn to but to one’s family and loved ones. When the world seems to crumble, you can pray and return to your hometown, to your roots and start over. When you want peace, you can listen to the stars…
“Sonata gives this strong feel of Negros Occidental. It is all feeling without being mushy. It throbs with heart and soul. It is a voyage of remembering and moving on. It is one beautiful song to remember.”
Perhaps it was in 2013, just before Sonata, that I met Peque Gallaga. He, together with Lore Reyes, came to the centennial tribute to my father, Serafin Lanot, at the Lopez Museum, co-sponsored by the Astrologer Friends and the Lopez Museum. Peque showed his interest in astrology, saying that he “grew up on Serafin Lanot’s books.” He asked if I knew how to draw up a chart, and I said, no, I’m very poor in math and therefore cannot make accurate calculation of distances between planets. He asked if there was anyone in our family who inherited my dad’s knowhow. I said my son could have learned the science, but for some reason, grandfather didn’t find the time to teach his grandson.
Peque and author at centennial tribute to Serafin Lanot (Photo courtesy of Marra PL. Lanot)
Earlier still in 2003, Wanggo Gallaga submitted a poem to Philippines Graphic magazine when I was its literary editor. After it was published, Peque wrote to me and said he was glad his son Wanggo went back to writing, and asked if I could encourage him some more.
I can’t recall when I met Peque in person for the first time. I remember he once texted me to say he liked my poems very much and he would like to get to know me better. I said, he had only to read my poems. I’m not sure if my tone was curt, but I didn’t mean to be rude. I guess I was flattered and shy.
Then, whenever he came to the Movie and Television Rating and Classification Board (MTRCB), he would look up the Board members, and we would take pictures, and we would hug each other and chat a little, already feeling close.
With MTRCB Board Members (Photo courtesy of Marra PL. Lanot)
Peque would also invite me and his friends to the opening of his digitally remastered films as well as to his art openings. He introduced me to his wife, Madie, who graciously said, “Oh, finally I meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” (Those words always scare me.)
Peque and I would mostly communicate only through Facebook and Messenger, since he lived in Bacolod and I in Quezon City, and we had no business transactions or projects to collaborate on. He would greet me and send me wonderful videos and music. Sometimes he would threaten to quit FB, but friends would protest and dissuade him for they would miss his sharp wit and terrific sense of humor. So, it seems I spent only three days in my life with Peque, but we were kindred spirits, me and this huggable gentle giant.
Marra PL. Lanot
Marra PL. Lanot writes poetry and essays in Filipino, English and Spanish. She also writes for newspapers, magazines and television, and has attended as invited delegate to various international literary/poetry festivals, the most recent ones of which are in Colombia (2013) and in India (2014).
More articles by Marra PL. Lanot