Happy Pinoys in the time of Tokhang

ASOCIALWeather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Dec. 3 to 6 last year showed 91 percent of Filipinos were “very/ fairly happy” with life in general.

This was at the height of “Oplan Tokhang,” when bodies of slain drug suspects in the war against illegal drugs were piling up.

This only goes to show that Filipinos were still happy with life in general even in the time of Tokhang.

-o0oThe survey showed 45 percent were very happy, while another 45 percent were fairly happy. Seven percent were “not very happy,” while only two percent were not happy at all. Perhaps the respondents believed in the tourism department’s promo that “it’s more fun in the Philippines.” Or perhaps Filipinos simply have a happy gene because we can even smile while saying our condolences during a wake.

-o0oBut while we consider ourselves a happy people, the Philippines only ranks No. 72 in the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index in a study of 155 countries this year. The GNH index is based on per capita gross domestic product (GDP), social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make choices, generosity and absence of corruption in government and business. Isn’t it sad that our happiness as a people was not reflected in the GNH index?

-o0oWhat makes us happy? You might as well ask why Filipinos drink. Alejandro R. Roces, in “Filipinos are Mild Drinkers,” said Filipinos drink for only three good reasons. “We drink when we are very happy. We drink when we are very sad. And we drink for any other reason,” he said. Look at ourselves. We have survived from a series of calamities, from typhoons to earthquakes, and even the dreaded Tokhang, but we Filipinos still managed to smile and laugh. Perhaps we’re only hiding our sorrows and pain with a smile and a laugh. SSCebu City, while second day will showcase Ampalaya Monologues by Theatre in Alternative Platforms (TAP), a contemporary theatre company based in southern Metro Manila. Ampalaya Monologues is TAP’s popular play composed of a series of monologues, mostly on “hugot.”

The last day will feature Juan Miguel Severo, who is credited for being one of those who popularized recent spoken-word performances, especially with his appearances in the popular television series On the Wings of Love in 2015.

The Women Playwrights International will mount the Never Again Script Reading session or “readathon” at the Silangan Hall, 1:30 to 4 p.m., on March 31, featuring “Duyan Ka ng Magiting” and “Princess Lili.”

Also at same time and venue the next day, there will be a storytelling session by Pinoy Storytellers Group and MAFIA (Mars and Friends in Action), a volunteer group of mountaineers and teachers promoting the love of reading.

Every evening, from seven to nine, poetry reading and musical numbers in a bar setting will be put up at the Trellis, Figaro area, near the CCP Asean Park. The first session of Park Poetry@Sev’s Café is called “Between Our Legs,” hosted by Kankanaey writer Dumay Solinggay (Florenda Pedro). It will feature Alab, a volunteer group of artists and cultural workers; White Wall, a poetry and performance group; hip-hop artist and rapper Abra; and Words Anonymou, a spoken-word performance group.

Folk and rock singer-songwriter Heber Bartolome will perform on Park Poetry @ Sev’s Cafe on April 2.Billed “From North to South” and hosted by the Batutes, this session will feature the Baguio Writers Guild; Bukambibig, a group who is into multilingual poetry performance; Gunglo dagiti Mannurat nga Ilokano iti Filipinas (Gumil Filipinas), the Ilocano writers group; Nagkahiusang Magsusulaat sa Cagayan De Oro (Nagmac); and members of The Little Boy Productions from Cebu.

The last session on April 2 is titled “Kay Ka Kiko,” hosted by Cheska Lauengco of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (Lira). It will showcase The Makatas; Happy Mondays; Kilometer 64 Writers' Collective; Voltes ViM; and Lira, the group of poets in Filipino.

Each session will have an open-mike portion for audience to participate.

Performatura prides itself for the eclectic nature of its featured artists—from the established to the emergent, from the refined to the radical, from the traditional to the avant-garde. All of them will be gathered to celebrate literature and art and connect to audiences.

“Not everyone can say they have performed at the CCP. It’s a privilege that National Artists and our best crafts-persons share,” said Nadera. “Now, it is an honor we are giving to those who are practicing both new and ancient forms of performance literature in the margins. Filipinos may not have heard of them, but their work is just as important.”

For more details, check the CCP Intertextual Division Facebook page or contact Markus Aserit at email ccpintertextualdivision@gmail.com, telephone number 551-5959 or mobile number 0919-3175708. By Roel Hoang Manipon accumulation of plant hormones, starch and sugar levels.

The registration of the invention on the “Process for Controlling Shoot Growth and Increasing Tuber Formation” was facilitated by the Intellectual Property Rights Office of BSU. After 5 years from filing, it was finally published in the Intellectual Property Office E-gazette at the Bureau of Patents, Intellectual Property Center, Upper Mckinley Road, Mckinley Hill Town Center, Taguig City. BSU hopes that after the invention undergoes a substantive examination, its Patent will finally be granted so it can be shared and transferred to improve the farmers practice in relation to potato production.