"Sigwa" Brings back memories of first quarter storm

CEBU, Philippines - Forty years after the First Quarter Storm (FQS) of 1970, a director and a screenwriter who experienced first-hand the brutality of that decade teamed up to create a star-studded independent film titled "Sigwa: Rage of Perils and Hopes." A special screening of this official entry to the 6th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival under the Directors Showcase Category happened last September 11 at SM City Cebu Cinema 7, attended by no less than its director, Joel Lamangan and one of its actors, Tirso Cruz III.

The mall screenings and school tours around key cities of the country will be followed by an international road show in Hollywood, Las Vegas, New York, Sydney, Melbourne and Dubai within the last quarter of 2010.

"Sigwa" has also received invitations from various international filmfests, such as in Brussels, Montreal and Cairo.

Last year, Direk Joel and Palanca multi-awarded writer-director Bonnie Ilagan made "Dukot", a political film about forced disappearances of the enemies of the government. The duo reunited this year to tackle the FQS, a period of student revolt from January to March of 1970, wherein student marches and heavy picketing took place to oust former president Ferdinand Marcos. FQS is said to be one of the reasons why Marcos declared Martial Law two years after.

"Sigwa means tempest or storm. The first four months were the most bloody and heated. That was the time the young ones really created a storm to fight the dictatorship. That's why we dedicate this to the FQS veterans who are in their 40th year of existence," said Direk Joel in an interview inside SM Cinema 7 before the screening.

"This is not only a historical film. It's also contemporary because those characters in the past, they saw each other again after 40 years, just to know that they're no longer of the same wavelength and beliefs. If they believed in something similar during the FQS, this time not anymore. The friendship is still there, but they now belonged to different situations and beliefs."

Direk Joel revealed why the subject of "Sigwa" is close to his heart. "I was a part of the FQS. I was jailed twice when I was 17. Once in 1973, then in 1977. I was tortured so many times. I was a student of UP. So I know the story and the people involved."

Bonnie was an FQS member himself, who was arrested, tortured and detained from 1974 to 1976 for participating in anti-government rallies. He said he again suffered the same fate in 1994.

"The characters in the film are composite characters that Bonnie and I met as we traversed the road towards fighting the dictatorship. We wanted to reminisce those experiences and put it in a film, because many people do not know what it is. We would especially like to share this to the young people," said Direk Joel, who coincidentally celebrated his birthday on September 21, the same date that Martial Law was declared by Marcos.

The powerhouse cast is led by Dawn Zulueta as Dolly, Zsa Zsa Padilla as Cita, Tirso Cruz III as Oliver, Gina Alajar as Azon, Jaime Pebangco as Rading, and their younger counterparts, Megan Young (Dolly), Pauleen Luna (Cita), Marvin Agustin (Oliver), Lovi Poe (Azon) and Jay Aquitania (Rading). Allen Dizon also appears as Eddie and Ayen Munji-Laurel as Karina.

Dolly, a Fil-Am citizen, comes back to the Philippines 35 years after she was deported, to look for her daughter. In the 1970s, she was a journalist turned activist who fell in love with Eddie. Dolly left her daughter under the care of Azon when she was arrested in a raid due to her ties with communist groups. She realizes that much has changed in Manila, but that some things remain the same, particularly the plight of the masses.

She reconnects with her activist comrades and sees what has become of them. Rading is still an activist. Cita joined the guerilla movement. Azon, who was brutally raped by police forces, took refuge in a far-flung province to forget her past. But it is Oliver who takes the 180-degree turn as presidential spokesperson of the controversy-besieged administration. He is now the defender of the status quo.

"Si Oliver, he was a staunch believer in the FQS when he was younger. As the years went by, somehere along the line, his character turned around. Nung kabataan niya, he was willing to put his life on the line — napupukpok, nabubugbog, nababaril. Then he became part of the very thing that he used to be fighting against. So isa yun sa mga conflict nung nagkita-kita yung group of friends after 35 years," Tirso explained of his character.

Interestingly, his character Oliver has a similar background with Gary Olivar, spokesperson of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who used to be an activist in the pre-Martial Law years.

His portrayal of the unapologetic high-ranking official earned for Tirso the Best Supporting Actor Award in this year's Cinemalaya.

The veteran actor said that the story of "Sigwa" made him think where and what he was doing at that time that this was all happening.

"Siguro, ka-edad ko rin yung mga estudyante noon, or maybe I was a little older. I knew what was happening but I wasn't part of it because my world has always been show business. Of course, I always knew about it through the papers and TV. But after this movie, nagkaroon ako ng clearer understanding how their lives were then.

"Hanga ako sa kanila that at their young age, they were standing their ground and fighting for something they believed in. David and Goliath yung laban, yet they were still fighting for democracy, for their rights and freedom. Kaya nagpapasalamat ako to have had the chance to portray Oliver and to be part of FQS kahit sa pelikula man lang."

Direk Joel puts into context the condition at that time for the benefit of the young ones who were obviously not yet around during that period: "Those times, that was the height of the Guy and Pip mania. At the same time, there were these students who were fighting against the dictatorship. There was a hippie ideology, there was activism, then there was the Guy and Pip tandem."

Although Direk Joel acknowledges that some things still remain the same after all the sacrifices of their generation, he believes the blood they shed weren't at all in vain. "Without those people that fought, we wouldn't have the so-called democracy that we're supposedly enjoying now," he said.

After "Sigwa", the director announced that he is set to make two more cause-oriented indie films titled "Deadline" and "Patikol." The former is about journalists being killed in the Philippines while the latter is about young Muslims being deprived of education because of rampant violence in their province.

Direk Joel encouraged indie filmmakers to continue making movies, especially that they have the opportunity to dictate the terms, unlike in the mainstream industry where everything should be approved by producers. He even voluntarily singled out Cebuano filmmakers for being very good in their craft.

"I'm happy to share that there are so many Cebuanos making indie films in Cinemalaya. The young ones are mostly from Cebu and Mindanao. I hope you can take hold of their films and see what the Cebuano filmmakers are doing. They're very good. Very good."