PUSO Fest

by Mai Luong

On Friday, April 30th, PUSO held its annual PUSOFEST at the Sac Auditorium. It was met with a good crowd of enthusiastic cheer givers. This year PUSO decided to mix their program up a little by putting on a production called “…in Love and War – based on a true story.” This play tells a little of the early history of the Philippines during the 16^th century when the Spaniards were slowly gaining ground on Philippine land in the European race for colonies. The history was retold in the backdrop of a love story (part true/part myth) between the daughter of the Filipino revolutionary hero Lakan Dula, and Captain Juan de Salcedo, grandson of the Governor-general of Manila, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. 

Love and drama aside, the play was filled with plenty of action (swordfights) and dance (presentation of the women and tribute and pdc). The true history behind the play involves the conquests of Governor-general Legazpi who after establishing the first permanent Spanish settlement in Cebu decided to conquer the Panay region where some of the tribal leaders sided with him for a time, namely Rajah Sulayman and Rajah Lakan Dula of Tondo. Others, like the tribes from Pampangga, refuse to cooperate with the Spaniards and fought from the beginning. Eventually Rajahs Sulayman and Lakan Dula retracted their pledges and led unsuccessful revolts against Legazpi who finally conquered Maynilad (the lands belonging to the Rajahs) in 1571 extending Spanish control.

The storyline written by PUSO members begins with Captain Salcedo (portrayed by Paolo Rueca) and his reflections on paper. His grandfather, Governor-general Legazpi (Steven Raga) enters in the next scene where he asks his grandson to conquer the land owned by the tribe led by Lakan Dula (Bryan Lozano). Salcedo, an honorable, obedient soldier, assents to the commands and heads off to complete them. 

This is followed by the introduction of Princess Candarapa (Anne Beryl Carolan) and her hand maidens. Four bearers carry her onto the stage as she and her hand maidens form a dance, the princess holding the ends of cloths sitting on crossed tinikling sticks held aloft by the bearers tinikling and the handmaidens holding the other ends of the cloths as they circle the bearers. Post-dance Princess Candarapa complains to her sister Princess Lette about having to marry Prince Lahot to complete a marriage alliance arranged by her father Rajah Lakan Dula. They admire the bearers as they walk down the stage to the people posing and strutting with the princesses in an impromptu fashion show. 

The fashion show is interrupted by Prince Lahot and his followers. Princess Candarapa insults him and charges off. She falls in love with Captain Salcedo in the next scene and he with her, during which he “checks her out” as she is pouting about her fate with Prince Lahot. She turns the tables on him by taking his sword forcefully with a female-power attitude, but the princess does not kill him, just runs off with his sword. 

Much of the rest of the play involves the flirtation and forbidden romance between Princess Candarapa and Salcedo. Salcedo fails to conquer land for his grandfather and makes relations between the Spaniards and the natives worse by killing Prince Lahot and his comrades in defense when Prince Lahot discovers the love his fiancé has for the Captain. 

Then Captain Salcedo is sent to Ilocos to try to recover more land and is offered the hand of another Princess. She is introduced to Captain Salcedo with a more upbeat modern dance performed by the princess and her handmaidens. A dance performance by PUSO’s pdc was one of the tributes that came with the proposed marriage alliance. 

While Salcedo is away, Legazpi turns Lakan Dula and the father of the fallen Prince Lahot against each other by saying that Lakan Dula’s people killed the other Rajah’s son. Everyone dies as well as the Princess who is slain at Legazpi’s own hand after he told her that he would not have her contaminate his blood line. 

In the meantime, Salcedo refused to marry the other princess and returns to find his love dead. Feeling extreme pain, he writes a letter to send to the King of Spain reporting his grandfather’s evil deeds. His grandfather catches him in the act and kills his own grandson (though he did not do this in real life). 

The last scene shows the reunion of Captain Salcedo and Princess Canadarapa both dressed in white in what is appears to be the afterlife.

Though the play was mostly drama and bloodshed it was made into part comedy. The arrogant Governor-general, well-portrayed by Steven Raga, lightened up the overall mood with many quips and jokes and a comical, over exaggeration of Legazpi’s self-love. Another memorable personage aside from Salcedo and Princess Candarapa would be Lakandula, who was portrayed by Bryan Lozano. His performance did justice to the highly esteemed Lakandula. 

After intermission, instead of heading straight to the play, a parody of MTV’s show MADE was shown. It involved Paolo Rueca who was being “made” into Juan de Salcedo by completing the intense training dictated by two MADE coaches, one of whom was PUSO current president Steven Raga. 

One of the most memorable parts of the entire night was the performance by PDC which also included a parody of the dance performed in the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite. PUSO Fest is the last major event for PUSO marking the end of the school year. Until next semester, MABUHAY (good life)!

Photos of the event are at http://aa2sbu.aasquared.org/gallery/pusofest05

Anyone who would like to add more photos, put them into the last album, no password needed, at http://www.aasquared.org/gallery, and we will move them.