Visit to the Rizal Shrine in Calamba_Setting of Awit ni Maria Clara

This afternoon, I went with Manang Fely to visit the Rizal Shrine in Calamba and his Bantayog located opposite the Calamba City Hall in Laguna. The shrine has few furnitures left. I had been to the place when I was small, and I could only recall before going there the fan that fansied my imagination at that time, and the well. The nipa house looks different now. I met the curator and informed her of my plan to shoot the Deaf interpretation of Awit ni Maria Clara. I gave her a copy of the Natinal Historical Commission of the Philippines’ letter of permission that was granted to us as early as April.

Calamba has become a very busy city — crowded, noisy, with lots of tricycles, sidewalk vendors, etc. SM Calamba is prominent as well as Liana’s. From Buendia in Pasay, we took a bus [Green Star] ride up to what they call Crossing. There we took a tricycle to the house of Rizal at P40. We reached the house after 4p.m. and since the sign board says that visiting hours is only up to 4 p.m., I was a little upset. I thought I could not go inside it. The security guard motioned us to go in because the shrine is actually open up to 4.30 p.m. We proceeded from there to what they call Bantayog or Plaza Park, where the newest and supposedly tallest statue of Rizal can be found. I want to shoot the 5th poem there. Now, my mind is working on how to shoot A FILIPINAS… And I think CJ Patriarca will be best to act as symbol of Mother Filipinas..
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[Update on this entry]. It’s October 7, 2012! Time is incredible! It flew so fast, I forgot that I wrote the above post until I saw it on my stat today. Anyway, I shot A Filipinas and I liked its outcome. I remember just doing the storyboard in my head as I didn’t have the time to do because of Asiong Salonga film we were then working on – overnights – to meet supposedly the Venice International Film Festival deadline. This poem interpreted in Filipino Sign Language turned out to be quite symbolic and more that what I expected. Even if the camera work were not that satisfactory to me, still I was then quite happy with the treatment. It wasn’t CJ Patriarca who ended up as Mother Philippines but Lynn Cappal! It was also Aldrin Gabriel who ended up performing for the second time. The person meant to do it was nowhere to found. For some photos taken during the shooting, click the link below:

rizals-heroism-and-patriotism-interpreted-in-filipino-sign-language

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