Fave Forgotten Film: Misteryo sa Tuwa

Even if he wanted to, my friend was not brave enough to shout “Magnanakaw! Magnanakaw!” when Imelda Marcos walked into the CCP a few weeks ago for a chichi event.  It would’ve been inappropriate.  

It’s also inappropriate for people to be fawning over Imelda like she wasn’t part of the conjugal dictatorship.   Perhaps some are too young to remember the Marcos years as the darkest era in our nation’s history, post-war.   Others may have been won over by the Marcos’ PR machine which have been consistently rehabilitating their image.   We’re still paying for their sins, and yet we emblazon the dictator’s wife face on shift dresses and t-shirts.    The past administration even paid her a glowing tribute as a true patroness of the arts.

We can’t dispute her contribution to the arts.   She built the CCP.  She sent scores of artists like Macuja and Arrieta abroad to study.   Soon after, they became well-acclaimed international performers.  She funded the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, which her daughter Imee headed.   Because of ECP, we could still enjoy cinematic masterpieces like Himala and Oro, Plata, Mata.

But, at what price?   It was just art that was enjoyed by a few, while many became too poor and inappropriate to wander through the halls of the CCP.

It’s ironic that one of the products of the CCP, Misteryo sa Tuwa (1984), was about corruption.   A plane crashes into the boondocks, and a group of simple folk scavenges stuff from the crash site.    There found lots of Spam, and a suitcase of half a million pesos in cash.   The town mayor gets wind of the group’s little secret. A series of unfortunate events ensues.  He conspires, then kills for the loot.

Let’s all learn from this almost-forgotten piece of film.  Let’s always remember.