Angara accepts invitation to be Hermano Mayor

Senator Edgardo J. Angara has accepted the invitation to be the hermano mayor of a cultural fiesta that seeks to bring life and sustenance to a theater form that has been performed for over three centuries.

Komedya Fiesta 2008, a cultural activity conceptualized and organized by the University of the Philippines College of Arts and Letter (CAL), celebrates the glory of the komedya, a theater form that was introduced from Spain and Mexico in the 16th century but currently plays to limited audiences in the few areas of the country that still have active komedya groups.

One of the few existing komedya groups is the Comedia de Baler, in Angara's hometown of Baler, Aurora.

Angara's readiness to be part of this cultural revival is a confluence of several factors: he was once president of the UP, he comes from Baler which hosts one of the few still active komedya groups and he has been a strong supporter of national undertakings in the culture and the arts.

Angara had authored and sponsored several laws on the promotion of arts and culture.

During a recent meeting with the UP CAL officials, Angara gave full support to efforts to nurture traditional theater forms and enliven the cultural environment of the country.

Angara said the Philippines should not slide into a state of cultural vacuity and mediocrity.

The Komedya Fiesta, a cultural centerpiece of the UP centennial celebration, will not only organize performances from the various komedya groups still active in the country but will also cover related activities, according to Virgilio Almario, dean of the UP CAL.

"The Komedya Fiesta 2008 will feature performances, an exhibition, an international conference and colloquium aimed at promoting a deeper understanding of Philippine cultural expressions that unite us as a people," said Almario.

All the events will take place this month.

All the events will be staged in the atmosphere of a traditional fiesta, according to the UP organizers.

The festival will recapture the komedya in its full glory. To complement the performances of the komedya groups, the organizers will also present balagtasans and the serenata ng banda (the marching bands' contest), which were popular cultural fares and presentations up to the 60s.

The organizers will also put up magic shows and the traditional peryas with walkers, jugglers, fire eaters, higantes and mime performances.

The organizers have also invited komedya groups from Spain and Mexico, from which the theater form originated, to add depth and authenticity to the cultural festival. The first known komedya group in the country was named after explorer Lope de Vega.

Almario told Angara that UP, which has trained scores of artists and national leaders, should honor such theater forms such as the komedya and related activities that celebrate and lift culture.

"As our nation faces several forces that tear us apart, this festival is a fitting gesture to jointly affirm our identity, underscore principled peace and unity and celebrate our creativity as a people," Almario said in a letter to Angara.

Still being performed by six active theater groups scattered across the country, komedya is a play in verse of three or more parts.

It is described by proponents as a "convention of marches, stylized movements and delivery of verses and choreographed fighting."

The common themes are strife between Muslims and Christians, the lives of saints, the quest for both love and honor.

During the peak of its popularity, it was performed by the Ivatans of Batanes province as the palo-palo, by the Pampangos as curaldal or cumidia, elina in Malolos, moro moro in Hiligaynon, hadi-hadi in Waray.

The Tagalog regions performed it under three forms: comedia, moro-moro, araquio. Novo Ecijanos had four variants: tibag, arakyo, costurias, kolokyo. In Leyte, it was called ensayo and in Cebu it was the linambay.

The diversity of the names, however, did nothing to change the themes of Christian-Muslim conflict and love and honor the color and the pageantry - and the colorful settings and costumes - were the other constants of the komedya.

The hero Francisco Balagtas wrote two komedya, Orosman at Zafira and Mahomet at Constanza.

The other active komedya groups in the country are the Komedya ng San Dionisio and Komedya ng Don Galo both in Paranaque, Komedya Madrangca in Antique, Komedya ng San Miguel in Iligan City and the Arakyo in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija.