JUNE 12 was like the emancipation of the Filipinos after months of quarantine.
Protests against the Anti-Terror Bill were held all around the country and abroad. For home-bodies like me though, there was an alternative way to commemorate. We were given the chance to stream “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” for free on YouTube.
The masterpiece by Lav Diaz received mixed opinions from the public mainly because it was eight hours long. Even I was hesitant. Should I use up my time and mobile data to watch it?
Then I realized that I can take up the same amount of time to watch useless things. Why not grab the limited opportunity?
I can say I wasn’t disappointed. Though it was eight hours long every scene kept you glued to the story.
“Hele” was a mixture of history, mythology, as well as fiction and how they impact the country.
One side brings the character of “El Filibusterismo” to life with them living in the aftermath of Jose Rizal’s execution.
Another side was the story of Gregoria de Jesus searching for the bodies of Andres and Procopio Bonifacio. She and her group got exposed to the cruelty of mankind.
The issues tackled in this narrative are timeless. It shows that one of the biggest enemies of the Filipino is his fellow Filipino. That superstitious beliefs and leaving-it-all-to-luck or anting-anting is foolish. That having a life of abuse can lead people to do horrible things. That even the most innocent soul can be seduced by temptation.
There was also a scene where Isagani was sharing his woes to Padre Florentino. He kept on asking, “Why?” “Why did we allow ourselves to be colonized for 300 years?” “Why do we turn a blind eye when atrocities are committed before us?” “Why do we allow an outside force to turn us against each other?” “Why do we allow ourselves to be stepped on?”
These questions still have not been answered. Will they ever be?
Look around you! These things are still happening. Our protectors end up becoming our abusers. We turn against each other at the slightest injury to our pride. Soon we may even lose our freedom of speech.
History repeats itself and though we may be emancipating ourselves from the virus, a malignant cancer still resides in all of us./PN
