My time-lapse, delirious trip home

FROM left: Francis Libiran, Celeste Legaspi and Ricky Davao party at the Pen. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

LOS ANGELES – When I reminisce after every trip back home, it always seems like a fast-moving time-lapse film, a delirious collage of food, faces of family and friends, and places. Flashing every now and then across the images of my most recent homecoming, like subtitles on the reel, are these two lines: “May reklamo ka? Itawag sa LTFRB (Do you have a complaint? Call LTFRB).”

BERNARDO Bernardo and Emelie Salinas (mom of documentarian Jose Antonio Vargas) at the CCP. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

That’s because, with Manila’s heavy traffic, I seemed to be forever face to face with that message on the rear of taxis, buses and jeepneys that admonishes people to report erring drivers to the board that oversees public utility vehicles.

The video in my mind is in Tagalog, English and Cebuano. The predominant language is Tagalog. Talk about warped speed—I arrived Sunday night in Manila after a long flight from LA via Narita, and then hopped on a Cebu Pacific Air jet to Cebu the following morning.

LEO TAVARRO Valdez takes the mic at Salon de Ning. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

In the taxi from the airport to the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu Hotel, the driver was listening to President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address. You may or may not have agreed with what the President said in his mostly Tagalog speech but, having just arrived from El Lay, I marveled at the beautiful sound of our national language. That taxi ride seemed like the only slow-mo part of my trip—as the cab crawled over bridges, past views of the sea, I appreciated anew the cadence and lyricism of our sariling wika.

(Even the admonition earlier at Cebu Pacific Air’s terminal was poetry to my ears: “Sa mga nahuhuling pasahero…”)

But right after the door-ladies in majestic matador-inspired uniforms welcomed us at the hotel, it all became a whirlwind, a blur that nevertheless has me recalling moments and smiling to this day.

Boboi Costas and Smart Communications’ Mier Villegas led a tour of heritage sites along Cebu’s beautiful coastline. Thanks to Smart and InnoPub Media, many centuries-old churches and spots now have digital markers that allow smartphone users to access historical details about these sites.

KANAKAN Balintagos (left) and Niles Bird Runningwater at the CCP. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

In Carcar, a marker in front of an elegant American-era two-story structure that now houses the city museum told me about Pantaleon Villegas, a hero who led the Philippine Revolution in Cebu against Spain. The Pantaleon name promptly reminded me of  Robin Williams fondly yelling, in an interview, “Leon Pantaleon Garces!” It was the name of his late ex-father-in-law who was, coincidentally, from Cebu and Bohol. I shared this anecdote with Boboi and Mier. Two weeks later, Robin died.

In lovely Boljoon, we climbed the stairs of the Philippines’ largest extant watchtower built in 1808, and a surprise awaited us at the top—a live band and lunch. Wearing a welcome lei of fragrant plumeria, I was moved to dance with my wife Janet and the gracious volunteers.

Old pop hits

I sang along to the music as the band performed old pop hits and native songs (which remind me of the virtual soundtrack of this trip and previous journeys home—ballads that I hear only when I am in the Philippines). Even the most macho cabbies sing along to mushy ballads from the 1970s and ’80s. Onli in da Pilipins, I always say, as I smile and also end up singing along to “Torn Between Two Lovers” and “Looking Through the Eyes of Love.”

MISS Philippines Earth Jamie Herrell. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

At the JPark Island Resort Cebu (formerly Imperial Palace), I thought I was in LA’s Koreatown, as many Korean tourists, mostly families, were enjoying the beach, pools and water slides. Miss Philippines Earth Jamie Herrell, niece of LA-based designer Alan del Rosario, turned heads when she walked into the lobby. Fun, stunning Jamie is on a strict diet to keep in shape for the Miss Earth pageant in November, but she succumbed to the temptation of fries served in the lobby lounge.

After a quick hop on Cebu Pacific Air, I was back in Manila for the opening night of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. I had the pleasure of sitting beside Emelie Salinas, mother of Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas, whose acclaimed “Documented” docu opened the fest. It was ironic that I met her first, and in Manila to boot; I have yet to meet the journalist/immigration rights activist, who’s based in the United States.

Emelie said she had seen “Documented,” but that night was her first time to see it on a big screen. I told her that the scene where she laments that Jose has not accepted her Facebook request would be a big hit with the audience. True enough, the crowd roared with amusement and applauded when the scene played.

At the reception afterward, it was great to see old friends and make new ones.

MARA and Maria Isabel Lopez at the Cinemalaya. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

Family-and-friend gatherings in the Philippines are boisterous, food-orgy affairs. Imagine how much more so weddings and wedding receptions are. The wedding of Janet’s nephew, Eli Convocar, and Andrea Mangampat, and the party were a blast.

Easily one of this recent homecoming’s highlights was seeing Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan at their newly opened Purple Yam Malate. I first met this warm, charming couple at their original restaurant in Brooklyn. Rachel Weisz told me once in an interview that she loved the adobo at the couple’s acclaimed SoHo restaurant, Cendrillon.

When Romy and Amy closed Cendrillon, Claire Danes, another one of their regular customers, wrote on the eatery’s guest book, “SoHo will miss you!”

Purple Yam Malate, on 603 Julio Nakpil Street, corner Jorge Bocobo, is the home of Amy’s family. She converted part of the house, adorned with art by Botong Francisco and other Filipino artists, into a restaurant, which is open for dinner on Friday and Saturday, and brunch (two seatings) on Sunday. Amy welcomed Janet, Vincent Nebrida and myself during a brunch. It felt like a party in a friend’s home; Amy’s relatives, the Camaras, added to the convivial atmosphere.

Romy emerged from the kitchen several times to chat with us. I savored this meal slowly: cured tuna with soft-boiled organic duck egg from Laguna, native greens, green mango and santol salad; ukoy; pan de sal slider with salt roasted duck, with langka, green papaya achara and sesame leaf; kalabasa Greek yogurt and sour cream pancake with Abra honey, banana butterscotch and langka haleya; and beef tapa and tocino with omelette and garlic fried rice.

For dessert, we had halo-halo. Romy sent an extra treat to our table: homemade siniguelas ice cream. I sipped one of the house cocktails, watermelon ice with rare nipa lambanog, between courses. I say, run, don’t walk to Purple Yam Malate.

JOEL Lamangan (left) and Gil Portes. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

Hilarious romp

A new comedy pair was born during our dinner at Brillante Ma. Mendoza’s place, which I love for two things: the millionaire vine hanging majestically over the garden and the director’s trophy room.

Henceforth, I will also treasure the room as the place where Bernardo Bernardo, back for good in Manila from LA, and Rene Durian kept us all in stitches with their repartee and jokes: Brillante, designer Francis Libiran, his manager Arsi Baltazar, model/dancer Jan Noval (so far, he is in the running to be cast in the coming Bench show), director Christopher Ad Castillo and his girlfriend Malaya Roxanne Santos, and Narciso Chan.

I wish I had taped that conversation; it was an interesting, often-hilarious romp through Philippine history, politics and entertainment. We listened to, absorbed, Brillante’s anecdotes as a filmmaker, about directing Nora Aunor in “Thy Womb” and meeting her for the first time when he was a production manager.

One thing that I always look at when I am in that room is Quentin Tarantino’s note, handwritten with a red pen on InterContinental Hotel stationery, after he saw Brillante’s “Kinatay” in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival (Quentin lost to Brillante for the Best Director prize that year):

“Dear Mr. Mendoza,
Bravo on your difficult, troubling work. Your decision to never dramatize the murder, never indulge in movie suspense, was bold, daring and, to me, the whole point of making the movie in the first place. I felt it was completely an eyewitness account of a horrible murder. I believed everything I saw. Your point wasn’t to dramatize it. It was to capture it.

Bravo,

Quentin Tarantino”

Impromptu numbers

In a party hosted by Francis and Arsi at the Manila Peninsula’s Salon de Ning, Leo Valdez joined the regular house band with impromptu numbers: “What’s Going On” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” Ricky Davao danced. Celeste Legaspi, Nonoy Gallardo and Anton San Diego dropped by to mingle with our friends.

At some point during my trips home, as lack of sleep and fatigue set in—and by the time we have our nth lunch, merienda and dinner—I make a note to myself that, next time, I will just lounge on the beach for days and days and not see anyone. I never get to do that, because food back home is delicious, and the company of family and friends, even better.

(E-mail the columnist at [email protected]. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben)