Who I Am, What I’ve Done, and What I Strive to Accomplish as PACE 2015-2016 Kaisahan Coordinator

By Samantha Susa

My involvement with PACE began almost immediately when I came to SFSU as a freshman in Fall 2013. I joined Friendship Games after meeting Michelle Phung and Jacqueline Ip tabling for it at the PACE Open House that fall and participated in all aspects of FG from SPUF to games and Roll Call. I also signed up for internship that fall but was rejected because my schedule was too packed. I participated in the KAP program that fall and picked up an ate, Tawnee Vallar. I was also involved in that year’s PCN production Para Sa Aming Lahat as a dancer for modern, contemporary, and one dance from the Lumad suite Blit Bla’an. The summer of 2014 I interviewed for a position on the following year’s PCN Inner Sanctum and was able to become one of the dance supervisors. I participated in one Maria Clara dance, Jota Intramurena, and two rural dances Bulaklakan and Subli. I also interviewed to be on board for the following Friendship Games’ season and became treasurer. I balanced this position while once again participating in games and SPUF. That fall I was able to get into the internship program for PACE and became a member of STRIVE. I also participated in the KAP program again and became an ate for three adings: Nikki Damian, Ryan Yap, and Richelle Ochoa.

I believe that PACE is capable of so much and with many passionate individuals existing within this organization and new members that are eager and open to learning I feel that we these aspects and not only teach them about their own culture and relevant education as a student but be able to connect them to other organizations within our school as well as outside organizations to be more involved within their community with the knowledge that they learn. Alongside these goals as coordinator, more specifically as Kaisahan Coordinator I would help build relationships with point people from certain organizations that are catered to help youth express their passion for the arts such as Bindlestiff Studio. The arts are such a necessary outlet to all students and its’ thanks to it that students have the space and opportunity to express their talents and tell the world who they are through whatever medium it may be. Every individual has a connection to the arts and thus every individual can express their artistic passion in different ways that are significant to themselves such as music, dance, spoken word, painting, writing and the list goes on and on. These passions run deep within individuals and at the end of the day become the only things that keep us sane and satisfied. When all other aspects of our lives become hectic such as school and personal issues, the arts are what gives us relief and a safe haven. As the Kaisahan coordinator I would aim to present different opportunities for PACE members to express their passion through different forms of art. I want to be able to reshape and build upon existing programs such as Pilharmonix, Rebels for a Cause, Sayawan, and Kaisahan Balita in order to strengthen the way each program is structured to provide a more organized and cohesive space for individuals with certain talents to be able to have an outlet for themselves. As a result of these programs different events would be hosted tohelp them utilize what they’ve learned and provide a space for them to express that and these events could range from anything like an open mic, a talent show, a dance showcase, or even simply giving exposure to visual artists such as painters and graffiti artists.

And it wouldn’t end there. Artwork is boundless and with that I wouldn’t want to restrict their passions to aspects just within PACE. I would give them the resources and opportunities to take what they learned and worked on within PACE and bring it out into our community with outside organizations such as Bindlestiff and the FCC where they would be able to expand their horizons and meet new people to help them grow more within their talents and find different ways of utilizing them to do more for themselves and their community members. and not only outside organizations but also organizations within the school as well since it is important to build and strengthen relationships with our fellow students. With PACE I feel very grateful for what it has given me but I feel that there is so much more that I can do outside of PACE with what I’ve learned and with the passion I’ve gained. Because of this I want members of PACE and outside individuals to know that I’m here to connect them through different forms of art, to help each other grow, and to build relationships in order to strengthen our sense of self identity and community.

We Stand on Their Shoulders

By Eleazar Malabanan

For twelve years the Filipino community here at State has claimed an important victory in the form of art: a mural dedicated to the struggle of the entire community worldwide is displayed. With the recent collaboration of all the Filipino organizations of Mula Sa Ugat, we see how our roots became grew to become the shoulders we stand on. We see the bonds and the community that we all talk about finally form here at state. For at least once a year, we see the whole San Francsico State Filipino community come together to show how much we love our culture, our history, and our ancestors whose shoulders we stand on now.

This year’s celebration was full of many events both old and new. One day dedicated to the education of the public, to ensure we not only celebrate but remember exactly where and why we have the mural. Workshops provided by all the organizations instating the different parts of the mural and how each of the individuals impacted the world today. The next day included many different events as well full of displays of dance, music, and food. Timothy Balilo, Jeannel Poyoaon, and Erin Cruz hosted the event giving life throughout the night and introducing speakers and musicians left and right. Jordan Ilagan, Secretary General of the SF State branch of the League of Filipino Students (LFS-SFSU) and current PCN co-scriptwriter, spoke with passion about his endeavors in the Filipino community and how he strongly believes about the situations that many of us still rather sleep on. Along with the president of NAFCON (National Alliance of Filipino Concerns), Terry Valen who gave a moving speech about the involvement in the community as well as the current battle against racism now with excerpts of the San Francisco Police Department, stating their extremely racist and fascist comments of African Americans and Filipino Americans alike. Not only were these speakers great but the musicians and performs as well. One of the sisters of Alpha Kappa Omicron (AKO) brought her dance team into the celebration to perform an entertaining routine. We also had the opportunity to see LFS and PACE head Coordinator Patrick Racela and IV Kapwa Member Aaron Agudelo rap as well. Finally we ended the night with Hopie, A Law student by day, and Rapper by every other time of the day. These performers allowed us to see their talents as well as just to celebrate the mural that represents who we are as a community.

The members and friends of Mula sa Ugat

The Mural Celebration this year shows our growing communities that we still have much work to do. It shows the power of all the organizations combining and the force we can bring to even more events, and more places. We stand on their shoulders, yet pretty soon we will be lifting the people in our community even higher on ours.

Talent and Culture

By Chynna Galang

Talentado is one of PACE’s spring semester events that offers an opportunity for Filipino students to showcase their talent for the evening. Throughout the evening, there were many different performances that were given, of the performances; this was their first time performing in front of a large crowd or their first time performing since high school. By hosting Talentado, every individual that performed showcased something different. Aftermath Dance Crew danced their hearts out on the stage, Nico Martinez and Kayla Ramirez sung a medley of different songs, spoken word was shared from Logan Lim, Rodel Sajor sung original songs that he composed himself, Ambergrace Castro sang a song about her faith, Justin Ramos showcased his amazing drumming skills, with a collaboration rap with Patrick Racela, while Zady Tubig shared original rap pieces to end the night. Each individual displayed different forms of art and were celebrated for their talent. Although Talentado is every spring semester, there was one component that made this Talentado stand out from the previous ones.

Ambergrace Castro sings at Talentado.

Aside from Talentado showcasing talent, Activities coordinator, Nik Gabriel, decided to incorporate a fashion show as apart of the program for Talentado this year. With PCN 43 being held on April 18th, Talentado was the perfect way of explaining what each suite represented followed by some of the PCN cast wearing the costume from that specific suite. Within PCN this year, there are 5 suites that will make up the performance: Cordillera, Principalia, Barrior Fiesta, Lumad, and Bangsamoro. Each suite plays an important role in the storyline of PCN this year.

The Cordillera suite was displayed by Jenelyn Pulido and Brandon Rabanal. Through this suite, the Kalinga are considered as the “peacocks of the north” because of their vibrant and colorful costumes. Men will traditionally wear baag or bahags and lawi or feather crowns. Woman will wear ¾ sleeved yellow blouse and kain or woven skirt. Woman accessorize by wearing the “ong-ong” or a multicolored chocker and a “pilakid” that are large multicolored strands of beads draped over the shoulder and crossed over the chest. The Principalia suite was displayed by Jonathan Kepo’okalani Natividad and Angela Sollesta. This suite is described as the suite that had been influenced by European, American and Japanese fashion; Filipinos utilized the popular European fashion with the early 1900s attire for woman and how there is a fusion of both European and Filipino attire by utilizing a jacket and a bowler hat with the traditional barong tagalog. The Barrior Fiesta was represented through Andrew Kalt and Samantha Susa. In this suite, it shows how the lower-middle class has simpler attire as they work for wealthy families. Men wear the “camisa de chino” a collarless long sleeved shirt, pants that are typically rolled up to the shins and “panuelo” a large square cloth folded into a triangle and tied loosely around the neck. Woman wear a “kimono” a blouse made from pineapple fiber with a “corpino” worn underneath and a skirt called a “patadyong.” The Lumad suite was followed by Koleen Arribas. This women of the Taalaandig ethnolingustic group of Bukidnon, Mindanao wear vibrant attire comprise of the “pakabo” or a cropped blouse, “batadyong” or skirt, “panika” a headdess worn during festivals made from yarn, bamboo, and feathers. Last by not least, the Bangsamoro suite was represented by Lordgin Savella and Eden Alcomendas. Located on the Souther coast of Zamboanda, the yakan basilan is the province’s indigenous group next to tausugs and chavacanos who make up the island. The Yakan wear woven attire made on loom and hand with intricate geometric patterns to represent different motifs. Men wear black pants called “Sawal”, an embellished black long sleeved shirt and “pis” a woven turban. Yakan women wear the same except they wear a wrap over the waist called a “saputangan”. The Yakan share the same tradition as the tausugs and sama dilaot that when a couple are to be wed they will paint the face with geometric patterns to ward off evil spirits.

PCN was showcased at Talentado through a cultural fashion show.

Incorporating a small section of Talentado to educate the crowd on each suite of PCN this year was beneficial because of how each suite was picked for this year’s PCN with a reason. Through these costumes, there will be a better understanding of why PCN is one of the biggest showcases of Pilipino Culture, and Talentado was able to be the prelude to SFSU PACE’s 43rd Pilipino Cultural Night: Kapit Kamay.

Thank you for reading my article! I hope you will continue to show support for Kaisahan Balita!

Chynna Kadee Galang
Internship Coordinator, KOREvolution 2014-2015
DOWN, PACE Spring Internship 2014

PREVIEW – We Stand On Their Shoulders: The 12th Annual SFSU Fil-Am Community Mural Celebration

By Patrick Racela

Join Mula Sa Ugat (MSU) for We Stand On Their Shoulders: The 12th Annual SFSU Filipino-American Community Mural Celebration on April 8th and 9th at Jack Adams Hall from 6:30PM to 9:30PM. Wednesday April 8th will consist of an educational component covering the history and meaning of the mural. Thursday April 9th will consist of the celebration with free food, giveaways, and performances. We hope to see you there! You may RSVP at our FB event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/791850370869313/

SFSU Filipino-American Community Mural, the only piece of its kind on a college campus in the U.S., Photo: San Francisco State University

The vibrant history of the Filipino people has long left its mark in the city of San Francisco. From the manongs and manangs who found refuge in Manilatown after completing seasonal work along the west coast, to the young Pinoys and Pinays who found a cause in organizing the Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor to link with other third world students and communities to fight for relevant education and other burning issues of the time, to those of us today who are part of a community that has upheld a rich tradition of resistance in the face of social, economic, and political issues. We are people who carry the Bayanihan spirit moved to uplift one another, to empower and build our community; it is the same spirit found in those who have come before us.

Manilatown Men, Photo: Kularts

A mural at San Francisco State University reminds us of whose shoulders we stand on. Finished in 2003, the Filipino-American community mural is the only piece of its kind at any college campus in the US. It is centered on the peoples’ movement in the Philippines and its relation to our experiences as Filipino-Americans. The mural is divided into four sections: solidarity, community, struggle in the Philippines, and struggle in the US.

Solidarity is expressed by Andres Bonifacio’s rising sun, representing the revolutionary tradition of the Filipino people who resisted Spanish colonization for over 400 years. The rays of the sun span across all parts of the Philippines and any place you can find a Filipino. It is derived from his personal Katipunan flag. To the front of the sun are people of color with arms linked together signifying our unity with all people of color.

The youth galvanized the peoples’ movement in the Philippines with the First Quarter Storm, Photo: Rappler

At the center of the mural is Lorena Barros, an activist from the martial law era who founded the militant women’s organization, MAKIBAKA, representative of youth and students. She is flanked by Purmassuri on the left, a Moro leader who was key in preventing the Spanish from gaining a foothold in Mindanao, representative of indigenous people. To the right of Lorena Barros is Al Robles, a poet and local San Franciscan who pioneered as a prominent leader during the housing movement, representative of the elders in our community. To the bottom left is Philip Veracruz, a farmworker and key organizer of the Delano Grape Strike, representative of the workers. To his right is Violeta “Bullet X” Marasigan, a participant in the Third World strike and founder of the women’s organization, GABRIELA, representative of women. These figures uphold our community; we embody who they are.

Student strikers fighting for Third World Studies at San Francisco State College, Photo: Asianweek

The struggle in the Philippines is captured so that we as Filipino-Americans will always have a grasp of our Motherland. At the very bottom of the mural is the Philippine national animal, the carabao. It embodies industriousness and the strength of the Filipino people. Peasants, one of the most oppressed sectors of Philippine society, are depicted planting rice, signifying their ongoing struggle for the right to their land. A woman playing the indigenous instrument, a kulintang, represents the importance of music in indigenous culture. Lastly, students and workers are depicted fighting for a dignified way of life amidst the issues of militarization and poverty engendered to the basic problems of the Philippines.

The Filipino-American struggle is envisioned on the right. At the very top are the organizers and protestors who fought for the I-Hotel, highlighting the issue of gentrification in San Francisco. Below are WWII veteranos and nurses who fight for recognition, equality, and a better way of life. The students of SFSU are depicted to capture the trials and tribulations of our community today.. A DJ is also present to signify our musical experiences, namely in Hip-Hop culture. Finally, farmworkers are shown planting seeds to represent the roots of our community.

To Mindanao With Love Benefit Show for Saluogpongan International, Photo: Juana Tello

We stand on the shoulders of those who come before us. We are at a time where we must be makers of our own history. We must heed the call of movement just as our ancestors have done to fight for a better future.

Practice As If You Are Already Performing Onstage

By Lordgin Savella

And the countdown begins. T-minus 2 weeks until show time. Already a month into practices, everyone including myself is more anxious than ever for SF State’s 43rd annual PCN.

All our hard work is definitely showing at these practices. With the amount of focus and concentration, we make every practice count as a performance. Honestly, everyone claims to say that they aren’t dancers or have any coordination whatsoever, myself included. However, looking at everyone practice and watching videos that have been taken of us, you can’t even tell that we’re not dancers! I have to admit, taking on 8 dances this year including a solo, is quite the challenge – especially if they’re in different suites! This year, I’m doing my first Maria Clara (Jota Intramurena) and Moro (Pindulas, Kinakulangan, and Singkil) dance(s). Alongside those 2 suites, I’m also doing Rural (Bulaklakan and Pandangguhan). And lastly, I’m also in the contemporary piece. I never really thought that I would be able to handle so many dances at once, but I’m actually pulling through thanks to the support of the choreographers along with my fellow dance mates! In complete honesty, I have the fear of forgetting dance moves; or worse, the wrong dance moves in the wrong suite. I feel as if I’m going to be doing Maria Clara in the rural suite. But that’s just me thinking to the most extreme, I doubt it’ll even happen… hopefully. I’m pretty excited to go from elegance and posture of the Maria Clara suite, to the fun and happy, “drunk” rural suite, to the vibrant colored costumes of the Moro suite, and to the contemporary piece of emotions.

Bangsamoro suite dancers (w/ Eden Alcomendas)

Though I’m not a part of the rest, I attend practices every so often to observe and take attendance. I’m amazed to see that the attendance is perfect, dedication is given, and how passionate everyone is on the dances that they will be performing- most especially the choreographers. The choreographers’ passion for the suites that they are teaching not only gives us the passion to perform, but also gives us that sense of our culture to know the stories of our dances.  Everything is coming together and dances are looking great!

I’m pretty excited for the dances that I will be performing. I think my top 2 favorites if I had to choose, (I love all of them though!) would have to be Pandangguhan (originally Pandangguhan Sa Bangko, but we didn’t have benches) and Pindulas. The reason being I enjoy Pandangguhan is that, it’s a rural dance for one, and two, you get to dance with a glass cup filled with water balancing it as you dance. Of course, I also have the fear of dropping glass on stage or spilling water and slipping but it’s a really fun dance! But this dance is most enjoyable because I get to balance a cup on my head and roll on the floor. People that stop by to watch our practices, or even a few of our colleagues say that we look like mermaids and seals, and I agree. As for pindulas, this is the solo that I got along with my friend Eden! I never thought that I’d be getting a solo, but I’m glad that I did!  This dance is all about hyper flexed fingers and “broken arm” movements that depict ocean waves. And if this description isn’t enough for you, I get to dance with a sword! However, my knees will be the death of me since I’ll be doing knee runs and spins. Luckily, I’ll have kneepads. Overall, my experience so far with this year’s PCN is fun and I know will be memorable. I enjoy the positivity and good vibes all around and of course the dances!

And just to throw it in there, I think that we all looked great during photoshoots, especially with all the costumes, Moro especially!

It’s the last 2 weeks and you know what that means! HELL WEEK. So, let’s make every practice count and act as if we’re already performing on that stage!

Time and Step

By Michael Nicer

One month stands between the practicing participants for this year’s Pilipino Cultural Night and performance day. Photoshoots are over and routines are beginning to near the end of completion. Technicalities are being clarified and the tone of practices are becoming ever more serious as time runs down. Hell week is only about a week or two away, and soon practices will encompass the whole of the show, taking several hours on the stage everyone is set to perform on.
The instructors demand absolute perfection not only in the pace and execution of the step, but the attitudes we display and in our resolve. This cultural performance is not just simply one where a person puts on a costume, moving all over the stage for cheers and recognition. Every last person participating in PCN right now chooses to perform to remember, to preserve moments lost to time, both joyful and traumatic. A celebration of life amongst Cordillera tribes. The courting of a noblewoman in the days of the Spanish occupation. A Moro wedding amongst the Lumad peoples. Remember not just for the times past, but for issues that plague the cultures honored. Encroachment by corporate entities onto ancestral lands. Political imprisonment. Clashes between peoples of differing religion and custom, sometimes leading into armed conflict that will harm those in the crossfire, all for the sake of independent sovereignty.
I have been in two productions of PCN so far. The current production will be my third PCN and the second in which I have chosen to participate in a cultural dance. This year, I have chosen to participate in the Cordillera suite, directed by Kimberly Requesto, as part of the ensemble for Uyaoy.

Me at Uyaoy practice

I did not expect it to be so physically taxing, to the point where I would be nearly out of breath by the time practice was over. The first few days of practice were quite difficult to get into, as I was used to the classically European grace and feel of the Maria Clara suite of last year’s production. The Cordillera dances are a different animal, with many of its movements in an outward motion to exude noble power as opposed to the vertical, dignified air of a Maria Clara dance. Despite the initial hurdles, each day spent completing the dance becomes more enriching as everyone gets familiar with Kim, the context of the dance, and each other. Like the ink on a writer’s multiple drafts, the movements and strokes become cleaner and stronger, bringing her vision of the dance closer to reality as everyone bonds along the way. Also, I am very much looking forward to dancing with a bahag.
This year is also the first year I have taken an acting role for PCN. I have never participated in an acting role since the last year of high school. At this point, I’m both excited for the chance to act again and worried that I won’t hold a candle to the veterans I’m surrounded with. Despite that, I am realizing that each of the actors in our group, main character or not, are helping to bring to light the issues this year’s PCN tackles by bringing every last character to life.
I am losing myself in the characters I am playing as, both in dance and out of it, and I am enjoying it all the greater.

On this week’s episode of…”PCN is Taking Over My Life”

By Ambergrace Castro

Now, I don’t mean the headline title in a completely negative way. On the contrary, it’s been quite the journey experiencing my first PCN from the perspective of a graduating senior. It has made the success of accomplishing every dance that much more rewarding, and the memories that much more bittersweet with each passing week.
Since I am still writing this reflection that only means one thing. That I, Ambergrace, an average person with zero dance experience, am fortunate to have made it into two of the dances! I was extremely nervous because for Jota Intramurena and Bulaklakan there is a specific limited number of girls that are required for each dance. Even though I still struggle to keep my posture and hold my arm out properly (enough room to hold a beach ball or an awkward hug) I feel more confident with each rehearsal. I think that is part of the greatest joy of practicing. What at first seems too difficult is no longer impossible, especially with the support of a team.

Intramurena group after practice

What else is a part of PCN taking over? Well another essential PCN routine is that wherever you go, you never go alone. Whether it’s for a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings with 30+ people, building friendships on the walks to the garage or catching up on the drive home, the community aspect has to be my favorite.
Another first for the last time was experiencing the PCN photo shoot! The entire rushing whirlwind of getting make up done and dressing up as well as putting on our costumes for the first time was the perfect little taste of how I imagine the actual day will feel like. I even took a few photos of myself fully dressed and made up for Bulaklakan and sent it to my parents. To my delight they could hardly recognize me and thought I sent them a picture of someone else. A show where I get to play someone entirely different from myself? Now that’s a fun challenge everyone should go through. To add to that list of experiences, I signed up for one more dance just to make things interesting. I decided to take on Contemporary because it’s as beautiful as it is uncomfortable for me to do. I feel like this is my episode on the MTV show, “Made” because this is everything I could possibly fear but dream of always wanting to do. What better way to end this college experience than with this?

Bulaklakan on the way to PCN photo shoot

The days are winding down, and we can count the number of weeks until the show with one hand. The sacrifices we make for practices make more sense as the bigger picture becomes clearer. I still have to clean up a bit of my footwork, and I’ve got some Tagalog to memorize to sing with Pilharmonix, but these are all joyful moments I hope to never forget.

The Road to PCN: Spring Break Edition

By Tobin Galang

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

            8:50 pm. Dr. Robert Thomas dismisses my last class before spring break starts, but no such break is in sight.  Having written a paper hyped up on caffeine over the last eighteen hours with little to no sleep, followed by a PCN production meeting with Mckenna Theater staff, followed by class, I’m freaking exhausted.  I remember that the Bangsamoro suite, choreographed and taught by Jonathan Tioseco and Tito Bonjun Valera of Barangay Dance Company, is still holding rehearsal, so I decide to swing by.

            I watch the last few run-throughs of Singkil, a beautiful dance portraying the union of a prince and a princess against the gods’ efforts to keep them separate.  Prince Chris Dugay and Princess Jomarie traverse the perilous clapping bamboo poles, representing earthquakes, as the clapping accelerates.  At the end of rehearsal, Tito Bon asks if any other men could join the dance as pole clappers.  I ask if it would be alright for me to join, even though I can’t make the Wednesday night rehearsals because of class.  He and Jonathan permit me to as long as I make every Saturday rehearsal.  Stoked at the prospect of pole clapping with my Ading Lordgin and performing with my Ate Nadine as princess, I still feel uneasy about joining this dance with Pilipino Cultural Night only one month away exactly.  I ask PCN all-star veteran Kris Cruz to teach me the different clapping rhythms and am quickly overwhelmed but am still so excited.

            More exhausted than ever, I fall asleep on the couch as soon as I get home, while my housemate plays the new Assassin’s Creed.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

            5:00 pm.  After spending the day with my mom, I’m back at school because my Dad will be picking up the bamboo poles PCN is using for Singkil and Bulaklakan. He’s here an hour earlier than I asked him to, so I frantically recruit help over my various GroupMe chats.  I’m in luck, as Jerome, Pat, Anthony (better known as Gorgeous), and Daniel are in the PACE office and willing to help haul the poles to my dad’s truck.  When my dad arrives, I introduce him to my pares and tell them he can call him “Tito Boy” like my cousins do.

            6:00 pm.  Justin Ramos, co-director of this year’s Fil-Grad ceremony, asks if I can help him carry the bucket of raffle tickets that the graduates are currently selling as a fundraiser to cover over dues.  I find him sleeping in his car, and he tells me he needed help with the tickets because he hurt his ankle at last night’s bowling event for Mula Sa Ugat and then again while volunteering earlier that day.  Ouch.  We start getting ready for our Fil-Grad general meeting in Humanities 121, the classroom next to our scheduled meeting place where I just awkwardly walked into a graduate seminar. Oops.

            7:30 pm.  There’s a good turnout at this week’s Fil-Grad meeting.  We go over updates on the status of our graduation, and ongoing fundraisers, like the raffle.  The prizes are an iPad Mini, a GoPro camera, selfie sticks, fisheye lenses for camera phones, as well as gas cards.  The graduates and even my brotern, Gorgeous, divide into our various committees and go over the work that needs to be done to make our graduation a success.

            10:30 pm.  I return home from grabbing dinner after the Fil-Grad meeting and fall asleep on the couch.  Are you seeing a pattern develop?

Friday, March 20, 2015

            2:00 pm.  A lot of people are already out of town for spring break, so today’s Inner Sanctum meeting is cancelled.  I decide to spend today working on the stunning flower arches used in PCN’s rural dance, Bulaklakan.  After lunch, my mom and I go to Joann’s Fabrics to purchase more silk flowers and dowels for the flower arches.  They’re really pretty and colorful. At one point in the dance, the women come together to make a giant spinning flower, with each arch constituting a petal.  You need to see come to PCN and see these ladies work it.  I then make my own trip to the Dollar Tree for even more flowers.  I spend the rest of the day replacing flowers on the arches at my parents’ house in San Mateo while playing with my corgi, Iroh.

Crafting Bulaklakan arches. We will be so pretty.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

            I spend the whole day with my best friend, Kirsten, who lives in Chico but is in town for the weekend.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

            12:00 pm.  Kirsten and her puggle, Copper, drive back to Chico, and I set to work on the PCN program that I should have been working on for the past week.  Oops.  As I construct the program design and its backgrounds, fonts, and image placement, I reflect on how many valuable skills—those of performing arts aside—I have acquired in my experience as a member of PCN Inner Sanctum.  I’ve learned to fundraise, to publicize, and to help put on a production by coordinating with entities inside and outside of our school, like LIKHA Philippine Folk Ensemble, who will be providing the live rendalla as our PCN’s musical accompaniment.  Kai, one of our star actors and makeup artists, has taught me some tools of his trade, and now I can contour faces like magic.  I’ve also learned how to edit videos like for Kai’s PCN makeup tutorials, and now, I’m picking up publication design.  Still a novice with Adobe InDesign, I work slowly but surely into the evening.

            6:00 pm.  I take a break from working on the program to cook dinner with my mom and lola.  When we sit down to eat, I put on the television the music video for “Kapit Kamay”, the song that PACE’s Pil-Harmonix choir will sing during PCN.  The song was written and performed to bring attention to the devastating effects of Typhoon Haiyan, and the music video shows footage of the hardest hit city of Tacloban shortly after the typhoon.  My mom feels an emotional connection to the cause and inspiration of our production as she recalls a time when the roof over her own house was blown away by a typhoon in the sixties.  I remind her of the ways in which big businesses’ acts of deforestation and destructive and exploitative mining caused landslides that amplified the destruction caused by the typhoon.  This is a major theme of our PCN, Kapit Kamay.

Monday, March 23, 2015

            10:00 am.  I set out to put final touches on the Bulaklakan arches.  Hot glue gun ready, I turn my parents’ living room into my workshop for the day.  I saw off about fourteen inches from the bottom of the arches as requested by Stephanie Herrera, PCN’s choreographer from Kariktan Dance Company.  I say to myself, This is one of the manliest things I’ve ever done.  I then contemplate how our patriarchal society genders acts of physical labor like carpentry as normatively masculine, and, as most sociology majors do, get really, really frustrated.

            4:00 pm.  Tired from working on the arches and bringing my lola to her doctor’s appointment, I eat a whole pizza and enter a food coma.  So much for losing weight before PCN!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

            10:00 am.  I pick up donuts for today’s meeting with PCN programs team—Jerome, Rae, Jonathan Ceron, and myself.

            11:00 am.  I meet with the programs team at the library.  We correspond with Nadine while she’s at work so we can pick a background for the program.  We go through geometric patterns, but finally decide on a cityscape contrasted with some organic foliage.  We stumbled upon this humorous San Francisco cityscape depicting the city as under the wrath of Godzilla. Raawwhhrrrhrhhhwaaaaaarrr!

            3:00 pm.  I make another arch for Bulaklakan!

            6:00 pm.  Jomarie and Chris teach almost the entire choreography for Subli at Gym 123.  It’s a happy, festive dance in the rural suite with roots in Catholic faith.

Jomarie and Chris teaching Subli.

            7:00 pm.  I’m really sweaty after learning Subli and stick around to watch the rehearsal for Uyaoy, a dance in the Cordillera suite that comes from the Kalinga people.  Kimberly Requesto from Parangal Dance Company choreographs this year’s Cordillera suite, with assistance from her partner and former PACE head coordinator, Jon Mercardo.  The men and women maintain their respective formations for the majority of the dance, and the men come together with and show off their strength and agility.

Uyaoy rehearsal

            10:00 pm.  I engage in some PCN P.R. by spreading around my network Jordan’s piece on his inspiration for the script of Kapit Kamay as well as sending invitations to the Facebook event for PCN that Daniel set up.

            11:00 pm.  I continue working on the PCN programs.  The photos came out really nicely!  Shout out to Jonathan Ceron for editing the photos and to the photographers who worked with PCN!

Kimberly Requesto from Parangal Dance Company teaches Uyaoy.

Uyaoy rehearsal

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

2:00 am.  I finish writing this piece and editing the photos I took at the rehearsals for Uyaoy and Subli. I’m anxious to attend my first rehearsal for Singkil as a pole clapper tomorrow.  On Friday, some of Inner Sanctum will be watching USF Kasamahan’s Barrio Fiesta.  PCN is three weeks away, oh my gosh.  I’m really sleepy.  I’m going to send this to Daniel soon so I can catch some z’s.

Road to 43: Our Story from Then to Now

By Jordan Ilagan

The road to PCN 43 goes through Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, all the way to San Francisco. Every single cast member has been working hard for this showcase of beautiful dancing and compelling storytelling. The road to PCN is one that is paved with pushing comfort zones, meticulous practice, and constant refining up until showtime; a performance by the Filipino community for the community. “Kapit Kamay”: link hands with each other and fight against injustice.

“People’s SONA 2014” in San Francisco. Photo credit: Anakbayan East Bay

As I stated in my previous post, Kapit Kamay is heavily based on a true story. Mainly the current issues surrounding the Philippines in regards to Lumad land, as well as corruption in the government and the stories of community organizing efforts in SF. Rampant destruction that I was able to see first hand during my exposure trip to the Philippines as well as organizing once I touched down in San Francisco. As 1/2 of the script writing tag team, being able to share my passion for community organizing and using PCN as a platform to highlight these issues has been nothing short of amazing.

But that’s only half the story. In order to truly bring Kapit Kamay to life, my script writing partner Jerico De Guzman took my experiences and knowledge and weaved them into a creative, true-to-life, story. Kapit Kamay not only covers political themes, but also features compelling characters as well. Throughout the play, characters struggle with the ramifications of the decisions that they make, their own insecurities, and how their personal baggage clashes with others.

Dynamic Scriptwriting Duo for PCN 43 (Left: Jerico DeGuzman, Right: Jordan Ilagan)

Kapit Kamay promises to entertain. The script was nearly a year in the making and was continuously refined every step of the way. A show by the student community paying tribute to the efforts of the community. A PCN that embodies what it means to take pride in Pilipino Culture and pays tribute to Pilipino Culture. Link hands and defend the culture of our ancestors.

KILUSAN: DEFEND EDUCATION!

By Pat Racela

The hot Philippine sun dawns its rays over the mountainous terrain. The warmth dissipates the fog, revealing shining drops of dew on the crops that Lumad scholars tend to alongside the dirt path leading to the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV) in Brgy. Han-Ayan, located in Mindanao. The same sun filters through the dense Manila smog which chokes up the national capital region (NCR) with lines of jeepneys, tricycles, and buses transporting the toiling masses; one particular route leads to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), situated in Santa Mesa, Manila. Across the Pacific Ocean, I sit inside a classroom at San Francisco State University to start a meeting as the dusk swallows the sun, painting the sky with splashes of yellow, orange, pink, purple, and indigo.

Banner Drop at Speak Out! event organized by ASI Project Connect; Photo Credit: Golden Gate Xpress

With the many experiences we come across in our youth, we are familiarized with the idea that education is the key to success. We in particular who may be children of immigrants are taught to value the privileges that are afforded to us. However, we as students must recognize that education is not a privilege, nor a commodity, but a fundamental human right. For those of us attending SFSU, a $3 million budget cut is to be implemented on top of a mandatory student success fee. We cannot deny that education will better shape our individual and collective futures, but the ever-worsening student debt crisis, numerous budget cuts to education, tuition hikes, implementation of redundant and exorbitant fees, and privatization of public universities will prevent us from reaching the success we wish to seek.

Student organizer speaking on the issues at PUP; Photo Credit: Gemma Enriquez

For students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), their emphasis on the value they have for their education is expressed in the actions they take to defend their fundamental human right. Youth and student organizations such as Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students (LFS), Kabataan Partylist (KPL), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), and more, play an active role launching campaigns, conducting educational discussions, and hosting other events to fight for their education and ultimately, a better society.

Aries Gupit, a national officer of LFS, explained the conditions of youth and students asserting, “We must fight off these high tuition rates and redundant and exorbitant fees if we are to realize a nationalist, scientific, mass-oriented, form of education.”

During the first leg of my exposure trip in the NCR, I witnessed students claim their education by fighting off an 800% tuition fee increase. PUP, hailed as the cheapest public university in the Philippines, charges PHP12 (about 25 cents) per unit, attracting many students from working class and peasant class backgrounds.

Exposure Trip delegates and student organizers at PUP; Photo Credit: Gemma Enriquez

On the last leg of the trip, I had the opportunity to integrate with a Lumad (Indigenous People native to Mindanao) community. A Datu from the community broke down the local history, highlighting the government neglect and harassment which forced the community to set up its own educational institution through ALCADEV.

ALCADEV; Photo Credit: Patrick Racela

“They do not respect us so we have no choice but to do it ourselves. It is our responsibility to educate our children now since the government refuses to,” he said.

ALCADEV is one of many networks of Lumad schools in Mindanao which emphasizes education, agricultural sustainability, and the preservation of cultural practices and customs.

Despite these positive developments, the looming threat of harassment and displacement due to militarization are present realities for these communities. The Lumad community I visited was attacked and harassed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) this past winter, forcing the community to evacuate en masse. A long-standing history of military harassment has been present. Foreign, large-scale mining corporations working in tandem with the Philippine government and AFP wish to drive drive the Lumads off their ancestral domain to extract natural resources.

We must be reminded of what’s at stake. Our fundamental human right to an education is under threat by corporations hellbent on collecting super profits off of us and our families. Our future is bleak if we fail to recognize the conditions that are fostering in the US and around the world. Let us struggle for a relevant, quality, mass based, pro-people education because it is our fundamental human right.

MULA SA UGAT & Tri-Force; Photo Credit: Kaisahan Newsletter Archive