My Journey with Mabini to Carmona, Cavite

October 2. DespiteTyphoon Kabayan that landed yesterday in Baler, Quezon, the scheduled day of showing my film, I went ahead to take Mabini with me to Carmona, Cavite! It was my first time to be there. It was indeed worth my time and effort to be with their PWD leaders to show my latest docu “APOLINARIO MABINI: The Sublime Paralytic.” It was the first screening after its first public showing at DLS-CSB SDEAS in August..

Blind Architect Jaime Silva on screen talks about discrimination

At least, by the time I reached the town, only drizzles not heavy rains welcomed me. I traveled for more than two hours from Baclaran. That included the traffic jam caused by a vehicular accident at the entrance of Carmona. I just arrived with time enough to test the equipment. A few Deaf students were present. Classes were suspended all over the province so less students managed to come. About 50-60 people attended anyhow.

Cavite tandem

The Audience

Jan Peña after the screening – mind processing session

Anyhow, after the film showing, I felt how happily inspired the audience were by knowing the life of Mabini, what his background really was, and what he had done for our country including the discrimination he experienced because of his physical disability. Their satisfaction as shown on their reactions and attentiveness even after the showing made me equally glad, even elated. The general reaction proved that the audience need to be provided only by new, right and proper information to understand and know better the person in focus, and his condition. And if the subject is a hero made human by informing them of his own travails before he actually became one, then he comes alive again even if he were born more than 150 years ago.

More importantly, if the film really impacted them, then he will live in their consciousness. Maisasabuhay nila ang karanasan ni Mabini at magiging gabay pati ang sinulat niyang “The True Decalogue / Ang Tunay na 10 Utos” laluna’t ito’y napapanahon. As I have said before I left the hall, Mabini will stop being just an image on the P10 bill or on the P10 coin. Probably, the value of the coin will even become heavier learning who he really was. Before the screening, they were amazed to know that  the film were participated in by more PWDs than non-PWDs.

The PWD Leaders of Carmona, Cavite

My thanks to PDAO of Carmona, its officers and staff…in particular Ms. Rosebelle and Ms. Alegre, and of course my conduit to the group, Jan Peña.

I will later upload an improvised video because of synchronization problem with my sound and picture taken by the cel fone. It is not compatible with my editing software.

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