Rogue.ph

National Artist Lamberto V. Avellana had a career that spanned six decades and produced over 70 films. Billed as the “Boy Wonder of Philippine Cinema,” his work runs the gamut from historical bio-pics, costume musicals, melodramas, crime stories, and literary adaptations. After the big studios stopped production, he continued to make films but regarded the developments in the industry with disdain, coining the term “bakya” to characterize the mass market. Reprinted in this issue is a speech he delivered on the state of local cinema in the 1960s

Ace Vergel died last year to little or no fanfare. If there was anything at all, the reports would only regurgitate the actor’s real life woes and troubles with the law. Of his work, comments usually relegated him to being merely a precursor to Robin Padilla—but, as Lourd De Veyra argues in his piece, that is to grossly underestimate the talents of the man, his unique onscreen presence the likes of which we may never see again. 

Filmmaker Jim Libiran’s first feature film, Tribu, had the former broadcast journalist going back to Tondo and training his camera on the hip-hop tribes that populate its environs. Even after the acclaim and awards the film has received, he remains enthralled by these local gangsta’s street anthems, ranging from pained confessionals to urban hymns of aspiration. By committing their lives into their rap, he discovers these urchin-poets also proclaim the vibrant nature of their city, teeming and overflowing with stories from its gutters.

For a good part of the ‘90s, Earl Ignacio was a star. Trained as a theatre actor, his performing career successfully segued into the mainstream. From voicing Peter Pan for an animated series to appearing in top-rated gag shows like Tropang Trompo, he also had a highly publicized romance with newscaster Christine Bersola. After retreating from the front of the camera, he now relates how his “celebrity” seems to be the longest 15 minutes of his life.