NOSTALGIA is a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.
For some, music can be a strong trigger of adolescence nostalgia, the discovering of one’s identity.
The soundtrack in the 1990s was dominated by bands such as the Eraserheads.
After sold out performances last year, “Ang Huling El Bimbo” was made available online for 48 hours over the weekend; it garnered seven million views.
“Ang Huling El Bimbo” tells the story of three college best friends Emman, Anthony and Hector who drifted apart in adulthood until fate reunites them due to the death of their friend, Joy.
Despite their seemingly successful lives they were never truly happy. They were haunted by Joy’s rape – an incident that had a profound effect on their adult lives.
The musical revolves around Eraserheads’ songs like “Minsan,”, “Pare Ko”, “Tindahan ni Aling Nena”, “Alapaap”, “Shirley”, “With a Smile”, “Poor Man’s Grave”, and, of course, the musical’s namesake, “Ang Huling El Bimbo”.
For many, the nostalgia of campus life is more than enough to see the show. It was a showcase of iconic UP Diliman campus scenes and traditions – from enrolment chaos, Oblation Run, Lantern Parade, UAAP, to rallies, classroom rowdiness, endless rendezvouz, romance, and most significantly, our dorm life.
The lyrics of “Pare Ko” aptly reflect how friendships were galvanized inside the campus: “O pare ko meron ka bang maipapayo. Kung wala ay okey lang. Kailangan lang ay ang iyong pakikiramay. Andito ka ay ayos na.” It was used as a Citizens’ Military Training (CMT) song with a new martial cadence and rigid rhythm.
The dorm was another classroom where we learned the value of give-and-take, cooperation and mutual respect in dealing with a variety of personalities and characters.
Buddy Zabala and Raimund Marasigan were my roommates for two years at the Molave dorm during my last college years from 1989 to 1991.
Our room, with a high ceiling and huge windows, was at the end of the second floor of the Molave boys’ wing with the original room number replaced with “AS 101”.
I usually go out every time our room was used as their “practice area”; I could not study due to the “noise” they were creating.
It was beyond my comprehension that the “noise” I tried to avoid made them known as one of the most successful and critically-acclaimed bands in OPM history, earning them the accolade “The Beatles of the Philippines”.
UP is also short for “University of Pila”. Surviving both academic rigor and life challenges involves the infamous UP queues during enrolment which is a test of will, stamina, patience and tenacity. It serves as a rite of passage; it pushes everyone to the limit.
With queues snaking through both sides of the building’s hallways, stairwells and floors, students are trained to outwit, outplay and outlast their fellow slot seekers.
I likewise had my share of Emman’s student life as a probinsyano who became an activist. He held the placard “Edukasyon para sa lahat” at the end of the CMT segment.
Perhaps my mother knew I would sooner or later be part of the student movement, as I became the chief photographer of the Philippine Collegian and other activist organizations.
Of all the rallies I covered, the dispersal of the May 14, 1990 anti-US-Bases rally at the Central Bank was the most memorable. I suffered a head injury when a teargas canister hit my head causing lacerations that needed seven stitches.
While at the hospital, I called my mother and greeted her, “Ma, happy birthday. Please pick me up here at PGH.”
UP is a microcosm of the larger society. Students have always been one of the largest, most vibrant forces of the social movements. Lean Alejandro once said, “the students are in a position to serve as catalysts in social transformation.”
“Ang Huling El Bimbo” may not be perfect. Some noted the lack of depth on how it touched the dark issues of rape, prostitution, abuse, drugs, marital strife, and violence.
One interesting Facebook posting gave an allegory: “When the media (Hector) fails to deliver the truth, when the government (Emman) fails to keep its promises, and when the rich (Anthony) fails to understand the poor’s struggles, the less privileged (Joy) will continue to be oppressed. Even if they try to rise above, they will keep on sinking in the quicksand if they will not have something to hold on to, if those they hope will help them will continue to turn a blind eye. If we don’t break this cycle, the world will continue to be bleak for the next generation (Ligaya)”.
It was a nostalgic journey driven by songs that have become part of our adolescent lives when we were pursuing both academic excellence and progressive thinking.
College life taught us how to persevere, be patient and be grateful for small blessings.
The musical is a reminder that we should not only reminisce the innocence and enthusiasm of our youth but we also have to look at the Joys in our lives.
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“Kule” is the moniker of the “Philippine Collegian”, the official student publication of UP Diliman.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786)./PN
