Why ‘Bagani’ brouhaha a ‘good thing’ for the ‘teleserye’

Enrique Gil (center) and the cast of “Bagani”

To educate the people” was the goal of the creative team behind ABS-CBN’s new action-fantasy series “Bagani,” according to its head writer Mark Angos, who also admitted that the recent protests on the alleged “misuse” of the Manobo term had helped promote the program.

Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chief Ronald Adamat recently requested the Kapamilya network to come up with an “immediate clarification and explanation” as to how bagani, an Indigenous Peoples (IP) terminology, ended up in the series “devoid of real meaning and substance.”

“This is actually a good thing. It has given us an opportunity to have intelligent discussions on the topic,” said Angos, adding that his team has already sat down with the concerned groups.

“We will use the show as a venue to further educate our audience about Filipino culture.”

While Adamat did not mention the definition of bagani in his letter to ABS-CBN president Carlo Katigbak, the term is used by the Manobos to refer to people who are experienced in warfare. They defend their community from outside threats. In the series, they are depicted as heroes with supernatural powers.

Origin

Angos explained: “We do have a local term for what we wanted to convey onscreen. ‘Bagani’ is someone willing to sacrifice his or her own comforts for the interest of the tribe. It is the origin of the word bayani (hero).”

He said another “good thing” that resulted from the protest was that “we learned that the concerned groups we’ve talked with respect our artistic freedom, and didn’t demand that we change anything in our script.”

According to director Richard Arellano, the “Bagani” sets were initially built in Ilocos Norte, while a new one was put up in Bulacan recently. “We were provided everything we needed,” he added.

Codirector Lester Pimentel also pointed out: “During pre-production, we realized that we do have talents here in the Philippines to execute our idea. This program is a game changer because in many instances, preproduction time is always never enough.”

Preparations for “Bagani” started in the middle of 2016, while shooting began in February 2017.

Angos then clarified talks that lead stars Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil, collectively known as LizQuen, weren’t really part of the original cast. “This story has two chapters. They’re playing characters in a world that merely expanded,” he explained. “This is necessary because it establishes the story’s mythology and its tribes.”