A mother's agony

It took Malu Barry a long while to make sense of the sad/bad news relayed to her via a long-distance call from Cebu: Her 6’1” son Charles, 27, was rendered unconscious after he was sideswiped by a van while walking along a side street, fighting for his life at a hospital where he was rushed to.

The date: Feb. 3, 2010. The time: 1 o’clock p.m.

As soon as she recovered from the initial shock, Malu packed her things and took the next available flight to Cebu.

The grim details felt like a thousand stabs in her heart: Charles (whom Malu fondly calls Abby) was hit hard by the hood of the van and, probably not knowing what hit him, fell unconscious to the ground. Luckily, a car with a cop in civilian clothes was following the van so the van’s driver, if he did intend to, wasn’t able to run. With the help of the cop, the driver and his wife, both in their early 70s, brought Abby to a nearby hospital where he stayed overnight. The next day, he was transferred to another hospital where he was confined at the ICU for three months before he was moved to a regular room, comatose up to now.

“My heart broke into a hundred pieces when I saw Abby,” recalled Malu. “I couldn’t hug him even if I wanted to because of the tubes attached to his body. He’s a vegetable, fed intravenously. He just stares and stares, his eyes slightly opened but not seeing. I talk to him all the time but I don’t know if he listens or if he can even hear me. It’s so devastating.”

The eldest of Malu’s six children, Abby was in Cebu to visit his girlfriend with whom he has kids and to see if he could find work there. He’s a member of a band.

“Abby has undergone a few operations, two of which done only three weeks ago. He breathes through a tube in his throat and he moves his bowel through a tube at his side. I don’t know how long he will live...weeks, months or years. His doctors can’t tell. We are just waiting for a miracle.”

Meanwhile, the bills are piling up. The driver, who owns the van, wants to give Malu only a certain amount, that’s it, and be freed from further obligation after that.

“We spend P10,000 just for the medicine every other day,” complained Malu. “Sana man lang tumulong sila sa gastos para sa anak ko sa ospital.”

Represented by lawyers Ricardo Pono, Malu (Ma. Luisa Baring in real life) has filed a “criminal complaint for reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injuries” against the driver at a Cebu court last March 29, docketed as No. 10C-00729.

Life goes on for Malu no matter how hard it is. She gets offers for shows “pa-isa-isa” every now and then. She has done two indies, one of them, Halik sa Tubig, premieres tonight at the CCP as part of the ongoing Cinemalaya.The other one, Ukay-Ukay, produced by Claire dela Fuente, has been one year in the making, finally to be released next month. Among Malu’s most memorable full-length films was Kislap sa Dilim, Lino Brocka’s last film. Malu happened to be the favorite singer of Brocka who just came from Malu’s show at the then Spindle (owned by Rico J. Puno) on Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City when he died in a car crash on his way home.

“His death temporarily put a stop to my acting career,” said Malu who is, as singer, noted for her throaty, Shirley Bassey-style of singing.

The PCSO has contributed to the payment for Abby’s hospital bills and so did friends like Richard Merk who put up a fund-raising show at his own Merk’s Bar.

“Nahihiya ako sa mga tulong,” admitted Malu. “I’d rather that I get work and earn naman sa sarili kong sikap.”

So far, the hospital bills have reached more than P500,000, paid by installment — “But with very little, if at all, help from the driver,” said Malu.

Will Abby wake up from coma and give his mom a warm embrace like he used to before the accident?

“That’s what I’ve been praying for,” said Malu keeping her fingers crossed.

* * *

Competing in the ongoing 2010 Cinemalaya are two indies directed by two newcomers who belong to the so-called “young blood in the indie field.” They are Magkakapatid by Kim Homer Cabaguio Garcia and Sampaguita, National Flower by Francis Xavier Pasion. The first features a cast of known actors including Julio Diaz, Raquel Villavicencio, Soliman Cruz, Shamaine Buencamino, Mercedes Cabral, Ces Quesada and Nico Antonio (of Boysboyz); and the second, a cast of unknowns who are real mag-sasampaguita.

There are interesting stories behind the two films.

According to Kim, Magkakapatid was inspired by a true story.

“I went to the actual place in San Pascual, Batangas, at hinayaan ko lang sila na magkuwento what happened that day. I learned that there was a wedding and a funeral in the same place on the same day involving people related to one another, ‘yung mga ikinakasal, ‘yung nagpatayan at ‘yung inililibing.The dinuguan in the story is very symbolic, it plays an important part of the story. In Batangas where I come from, ang dinuguan ang unang niluluto para kainin ng mga tumutulong sa kasal. It becomes the centerpiece of the story because the protagonists are blood-related. The film also shows how we as a people are not really connected to one another unless a tragedy happens, such as what happened when Ondoy hit the country. That’s when we realize that we are magkakapatid at dapat lang na magtulungan tayo. The English title is Blood Ties.”

A graduate of Batangas University, Kim is now taking up his master’s in film at UP He has also trained under scriptwriter Armando “Bing” Lao. Magkakapatid is Kim’s first film.

Related Francis whose first work was the multi-awarded Jay (winning so far six awards in 26 international film festivals), “I was thinking of new material for my next film. I happen to live in Tomas Morato. One night, a little girl sold a bunch of sampaguita to me. I became curious. I asked her, ‘Saan galing ‘yan?’ And that’s how the whole idea started. I talked to the other children who were selling sampaguita. Then, I followed them kung saan nagsisimula ‘yung flowers. I went to Floridablanca, Pampanga, where those who pluck the flowers are also kids and how the flowers are shipped to Quiapo and finally how they are brought to Tomas Morato for sale. I was intrigued. Sampaguita is our National Flower. The chain is connected by kids which is very symbolic because the whole process is para bang katulad din ng plight ng mga bata. When I decided to do the film, I didn’t hire professional actors but the same sampaguita vendors whom I interviewed.”

An AB Com graduate from Ateneo where he now teaches Independent Film, Francis, 31, learned the ABC’s of directing from Marilou Diaz-Abaya, his teacher at Ateneo, when Marilou did Muro-Ami.

“Ma’am Marilou paid me from her own salary,” said Francis. “The experience of working with her and other talents in the project was priceless.”

Magkakapatid and Sampaguita, National Flower are the fifth and sixth projects of lawyer and TV host Joji Alonso-Antonio who also produced Minsan Pa, Kubrador, Biyaheng Lupa and Here Comes The Bride (joint venture with Star Cinema).

“I like the concepts of my recent two projects,” said Joji. “Sampaguita is the perfect test of Pres. Noynoy Aquino’s SONA. Once you see it, you will never see Tomas Morato again in the same light. Magkakapatid has a very intriguing story. You have to see it to believe it. Both films are low-budgetted, within reason, a little over P1 million each lang naman.”

What’s up?

• Exactly a year ago today, secret lovers “A” and “R” checked into the Bohol Beach Club in Tagbilaran City early in the morning and checked out at 6 p.m. that same day. They stayed at a room in the club’s Habagat Area. They ordered San Miguel Light. Up to this very minute, the “secret” lovers continue to deny to death that they ever had a rendezvous in Bohol.

• Actor-endorser Tony Boy dela Rea (photo) , a former Bagong Anyo model and Bayanihan dancer, is now the CEO of the Dela Rea Coffee Farms based in Silang, Cavite. His latest projects include the Mitsubishi Adventure print ad, Star Cinema’s Babe, I Love You and the Red Horse Beer TV commercial. He’s an AB graduate (major in Theater Arts) from UP. He’s also a workshopper. He speaks French and Spanish aside from Tagalog and English.

• Congratulations to ABS-CBN executives Roldeo “Deo” Endrinal and Joaquin Enrico Santos who have been chosen two of the 10 Outstanding Alumni for Batch 1980 of UST. Deo is media/television primetime executive producer of ABS-CBN and Enrico is the vice president for mass media/television of the same network and Star Records. Each of the 10 finalists will receive $1,000 and a medal, while the top alumni will get a trophy plus an additional cash prize. The affair will be held in Las Vegas.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected])