Tombs and Tales: A Study Tour of Three Urban Cemeteries in Manila

Tombs and Tales :
A Study Tour of Three Urban Cemeteries in Manila

August 4, 2012, Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cost per person: P1,500 for MFPI Members; P1,800 for Non-Members
*Inclusive of bus transport, guided tour, and lunch




The Cemeteria Catolica de la Loma, Cemeterio Municipal de Manila (Manila North Cemetery) and the Chinese Cemetery in Manila house the best examples of funerary architecture in the Philippines. Established during the dying years of the 19th century, they have what are probably the best and richest mausoleums money can buy. Walking through these hallowed grounds, one passes by funerary architectural interpretations in a gamut of styles: Classical Greek, Romanesque, Gothic, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern International Style or perhaps Oriental, Egyptian and Post Modern. Aside from the interesting architectural details of tombs, there are many famous personages who are buried within them and many stories to tell about their lives and deaths.

PROPOSED ITINERARY
8:00 am Bus will depart from the parking area in front of Santuario De San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati
9:00-10:30 am Walking tour of Chinese Cemetery (approx. 1.5 hours) with Mr. Ivan Man Dy
10:00 am-12:00 nn Walking tour of the Cementerio del Norte (approx. 1.5 hours) with Arch. Manolo Noche
12:15 pm Lunch at President Grand Palace Restaurant (approx. 1.5 hours)
1:30-3:00 pm Walking tour of La Loma Cemetery (approx. 1.5 hours) with Arch. Manolo Noche
4:00 pm Estimated time of arrival at Santuario De San Antonio, Forbes Park

For reservations and inquiries, please contact Elvie or Mae at the Museum Foundation of the Philippines office: Tel 404 2685, 697 9509 or 0949 3338211 (Elvie) or 0927 8484680 (Mae).

For more Museum Foundation events and activities please visit our website at http://museumfoundationph.org/news/

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Agnes Locsin's PUNO at the PETA Theater Center

TWO INTERNATIONAL DANCE ARTISTS PERFORM IN AGNES LOCSIN'S "PUNO: PANGATLONG GALAW"

MANILA, Philippines - Ugat, Dahon, Puno. Thus is the natural flow of the growth and flourishing of trees. Thus is the flow of Agnes Locsin's Alay Sa Puno series, a tribute to trees, a dirge for their disappearance, and a plea for reforestation.

Award-winning dance artist Gaye Galiluyo takes center stage for PUNO, a concert a deux directed by Agnes Locsin.

This August, the PETA Theater Center in Quezon City will present the third of the series - Puno: Pangatlong Galaw, a one-hour concert a deux directed by Locsin in a collaborative choreography with the inimitable dancers, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Following UGAT: Unang Galaw, and DAHON: Ikalawang Galaw, PUNO: Pangatlong Galaw explores the literal, physical and symbolical virtues of the texture of and strength garnered from the trunks that bear the weight of life.

While the first and second solo concerts focused on the common trees around the Philippines, PUNO will focus on the hard and red wood trees found mostly in the vanishing forests of the Philippines. This concert will show the strength of nearly if not already extinct trees like the Apitong, Yakal, Tugas, Kamagong, Mangkono, Bagtikan, trees, along with the lesser known as hard trees like the Caimito, Lechiyas and Bayabas trees. In a collection of solo and duo dances, PUNO will expound on the parallelisms in a fight from extinction and the fight for survival of men, women, and trees.

To give life to this grand vision are dance virtuosos, Gaye Galiluyo and Georgette Sanchez. Both international artists are alumnae of Ballet Philippines where they first crossed paths and trained with Agnes Locsin. Both also garnered awards from competitions. Galiluyo was the First Prize Winner for performance and interpretation of WHICH CLUB? at the 9th International Solo Tanz Theater in 2005 in Germany and a bronze medalist in the Masdanza International Dance Competition in Spain while in 2000, Sanchez won the silver medal in the 9th Paris International Dance Competition, for her performances in Agnes Locsin's September and Alden Lugnasin's Aku.

International dancer Georgette Sanchez displays focus and grace in Agnes Locsin's PUNO

In 1999, Galiluyo moved to Switzerland to dance with Tanztheater Basel. A year later, she then went on to Germany to join the Geissen Dance Company as well as the Irina Pauls Tanztheater. She is currently an independent artist based in Freiburg, Germany but comes home for her mentor's choreographic forays. And so does Sanchez. Sanchez, though currently based in Bacolod, is also a presence in the European dance scene. She danced with ABC Dance Company in Austria and for Tanz Darmstadt in Germany and will join the Tanz Oper in Munich, Germany this August. They were both seen in the Philippines in Locsin's Sayaw, Sabel (2010) and previously in Sayaw LikhANG KIUKOK (2005).

Puno: Pangatlong Galaw will have two performances at the PETA Theater Center on August 1 at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Tickets at P500 (VIP), P350 (Regular), and P220 (Student Price). Contact: 735-6244 or 0916-3090707

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PETA Adapts BONA For Stage

PETA Adapts BONA For Stage

by Karmel Lara and Leloi Arcete

MANILA, Philippines - "Bona" re-emerges this August as Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) opens its 45th theater season in retrospect of a film classic that once captivated the hearts of Filipino audiences.

Originally directed by National Artist for Film and one of PETA's founding members Lino Brocka, the film "Bona" is about a young schoolgirl played by Nora Aunor who became a die-hard fan of Gardo, a wannabe actor essayed by Philip Salvador.

Aunor's portrayal of Bona won her the Best Actress Award in the 1980 Gawad Urian Awards. The film written by Cenen Ramones was also an official entry in the 1981 Cannes International Film Festival Director's Fortnight and was cited as one of the "100 Best Films of the World" by The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Set in contemporary Manila, PETA's stage adaptation of "Bona"revolves around Eugene Domingo as a spinster call center agent who becomes a fan of Gino Sanchez (Edgar Allan Guzman), a contestant in the talent search 'Star of Tomorrow'. Blinded by her obsession on Gino, Bona turns her back on everything she values and gives up nearly everything she has. Caught in a quicksand of worship and pity, Bona proves how obsession may overpower love and even lead to a person's demise.

Layeta Bucoy, who wrote the stage adaptation, shares her insight about the difference of the new Bona to the film. "Eugene's Bona is more empowered; she is financially independent and even supports her family. As a fan, she lays claim to empowerment, as she believes that the inclusion of fan votes in a talent search on TV affords her to choose tomorrow's next big star. Since her admiration is also stamped with pity, blinded with altruism, she gives the aspiring star her all," shares Bucoy.

Bucoy also expressed her excitement over Domingo's portrayal of Bona, "I believe she has the stamina, range, and imagination for a physically and emotionally taxing role."

The award-winning TV and film actress is joined by a stellar cast of theater actors: Phil Noble, Joey Paras, Jeff Henson-Dee, She Maala, Olive Nieto, Dudz Teraña, Junevir Tabor, Juliene Mendoza, Raffy Tejada, Jason Barcial, BJ Forbes, and Anna Luna. The stage adaptation is directed by theater stalwart Soxie Topacio.

"Bona" will run from August 24 to September 23 at The PETA Theater Center. For more information, contact 725-6244, 0917-5765400,

www.petatheater.com, www.ticketworld.com.ph.

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