When 2 cultures meet and match

(Editor’s Note: Until end of January 2007, My Favorite Movie will feature only movies shown during a Metro Manila Film Festival from any year. Contributions must not exceed two and a half pages, short bond paper, double-spaced. We don’t return rejected articles. Published ones will be paid accordingly. E-mail your pieces at [email protected].)

The author is not new to this section, where she has contribued a number of articles. Aside from minding the family catering business, she does freelance writing for magazines and newspapers. She’s also into academic tutoring. Her hobbies are watching movies, taking care of her dogs and collecting miniature houses and Lego.

Even before the Spaniards came, the Filipino and the Chinese had already established a relationship. Unlike other explorers, whose goal was to conquer lands, the Chinese just wanted to do business. Most of them migrate in the Philippines.

This gave birth to a new group of people: the Chinese-Filipino. They are Chinese who are born and live in the Philippines. My parents are Chinese-Filipino and so am I. Living with two cultures is never easy, although sometimes it’s beneficial.

One film that completely showed the Chinese-Filipino’s life is the award-winning Metro Filmfest entry Mano Po. It showed everything about the Chinese-Filipino: his family life, his way of doing business, cultures and traditions and relationship with Filipinos.

Mano Po is about a rich Chinese-Filipino family headed by the successful, hardworking couple Don Luis Go (Eddie Garcia) and his Filipina wife Elisa Go (Boots Anson Roa). The movie showed how Don Luis and Elisa struggled to be where they are.

They enter any business transaction that would surely earn money. This reminds me how the Chinese are regarded as wise businessmen. Proofs of this are business tycoons Lucio Tan, Henry Sy, The Gokongweis and many more.

There is also a part in the movie wherein Don Luis celebrates his birthday. The grand party is full of the color red, which the Chinese believe brings luck.

I recall my grandmother’s 80th birthday party several years back. All of us went to the dressmaker for made-to-order gowns in red. We recorded the party on video. I’m sure other people who saw the video might mistake it for an older version of Mano Po.

The touching part of the movie came when Elisa was breathing her last in the hospital. Don Luis was holding her hands and telling her all his wealth will be worthless without her; that she should not die because they will celebrate their wedding anniversary with a grand party. As it is with any nationality, wealth is worthless without our loved ones.

The movie also showed the couple protecting themselves by paying a high government official. This also happens in the Chinese community in the Philippines. They are more willing to pay for protection than risk their family’s life, especially from kidnapping.

Due to Don Luis and Elisa’s old age, their son Daniel Go (Tirso Cruz III) takes over the family business and marries Gina (Gina Alajar). In the Chinese-Filipino community the son is usually obliged to take care of the family business. If a couple has no son, their eldest daughter would then manage the business.

In these modern times, children of Chinese-Filipinos can work outside the family business. I know a lot of fellow Chinese-Filipinos taking care of their family business because they are forced to. Doing otherwise would mean wasting their parent’s efforts..

Daniel and Gina have three daughters: Vera (Maricel Soriano), Juliet Go-Co (Kris Aquino) and Richelle (Ara Mina). Indirectly, you can see in Daniel’s face that he seems disappointed by the fact that he has three daughters. Most people know the Chinese usually want a son rather than a daughter because they unfairly believe he is more useful to them.

My parents only have my sister and me. And whenever I ask them if they regret having two daughters, they answer, "We never regret it even a bit," See, not all Chinese adhere to this belief in male dominance.

Vera, the eldest daughter, manages the business. She has the strongest personality among the siblings and looks down on her sisters for not being able to help in the business.

Emerson Lau (Jay Manalo) is Vera’s fiancé. Their marriage has been delayed for so long because Vera is too busy with work. The film showed, through Emerson and Vera’s formal engagement, rituals the Chinese observe for this event. The bride-to-be walks backwards. There is an exchange of expensive jewelry, offering of wine to drink and more.

Chinese tradition has it that the bride’s side spends more for engagement rites. The groom spends more for the wedding.

I can’t help but remember my sister’s engagement. It was as the film depicted it.

Emerson and Vera’s wedding schedule becomes an issue when Grandma Elisa unexpectedly dies. But Emerson dies as he tries to rescue Vera’s two sisters from kidnappers. Juliet, the good daughter who follows everything she is told tries to be the bridge to bring peace in the family. She is married to Joseph Co (Eric Quizon) and has two daughters.

Even though her daughters are exposed to the Filipino community, Juliet still tries to teach her daughter to maintain the Chinese ways especially in speaking the Chinese language.

Just like Juliet’s daughters, we modern Chinese-Filipinos are encouraged to speak in Chinese especially when dealing with relatives. But at times, we can’t avoid speaking in Filipino since we are in the Philippines. It’s confusing sometimes.

Richelle the youngerst daughter, meanwhile, brings trouble to the family. First, she gets caught during a drug raid. Then, she falls in love with Filipino cop Raf (Richard Gomez), the guy who arrested her. She then agrees to testify against a general, who happens to be the Gos’ friend-protector and a secret drug lord. Richelle wins the case, fights for her love and succeds in doing so.

Although some are already open to the fact that the Chinese fall in love with Filipinos, some parents still restrict their children from getting into a relationship with Filipinos. I know of a lot of Chinese-Filipinos who fall in love with Filipinos. Most of them are happy, but some still hide the relationship from their parents.

A turning point in the Gos’ family’s life happens when Juliet and Richelle get kidnapped. Richelle saves Juliet by shielding her from a gunshot. They are rescued alive. The family is proud of Richelle and stops regarding her as a black sheep.

Sometimes, tragedy happens in the family for a reason. It brings the family closer together, just like what happened to the Go family.

Mano Po sparked the interest of the Chinese-Filipino community. Even those who were not watching Filipino movies changed their minds and decided to watch the film.

Who wouldn’t be interested? We heard our language spoken, saw our culture and traditions as the film’s focal points, aired our side on issues and showed our importance to society through talented actors.

Mano Po brought the Filipino and the Chinese closer together. No wonder sequels were made, and became hits like the first one.

In behalf of my fellow Chinese-Filipinos, I’d like to thank the Philippine movie industry for producing this film. It’s something we will always be proud of, because Mano Po is about our life and our pride.