Author Christine Bellen-Ang on finding Lola Basyang's voice and why adaptations of the grandmother's stories matter
Author and scholar Christine Bellen-Ang has made it her life's work to retell the stories of Severino Reyes who created the iconic "Lola Basyang."
By Jv Ramos
If you have seen an adaptation of Lola Basyang’s stories in recent years, chances are, these were based on Christine Bellen-Ang’s retellings of the tales of Severino Reyes. Originally written and published for the Tagalog magazine Liwayway, the Lola Basyang stories number from 300 to 400 in total, and Christine worked on 20 titles for Anvil Publishing to turn them into children’s books.
Ballet Manila brings back Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang, based on the stories of Severino Reyes as retold by Christine Bellen-Ang, with its cast of colorful characters and actress/singer Mitch Valdes in the title role.
After chancing upon the Anvil series in a book fair in her children's school, Ballet Manila artistic director Lisa Macuja Elizalde instantly realized the potential of the stories to be told in choreography. Six of those stories have since been transformed into dance pieces through Ballet Manila's Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2008) and Tatlo Pang Kuwento ni Lola Basyang (2013), with the first trilogy returning to the stage this month as the company's second offering for its 26th performance season dubbed "Ballet Masterpieces".
Christine shares that she first encountered the Lola Basyang tales as a girl when she discovered an illustrated compilation in her grandfather’s library in Malabon. Her grandfather was Chinese and apparently read the stories to learn Tagalog. Fascinated by both the wild imagination and the patriotism that Severino Reyes displayed in his stories, Christine would eventually explore the author's prolific Lola Basyang output in her university studies, and has since decided to dedicate her life to writing retellings for children and promoting the tales.
“Kapag ikaw ay gumawa ng retelling, hindi ibig sabihin nito ay condensing (If you’re going to do a retelling, this doesn’t simply mean condensing the stories)," Christine says. She explains that retellers should have a clear framework and that their retellings should not lose the values which the original author underlined throughout his body of works.
The poster for the 2011 restaging of Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang shows the late actress Luz Fernandez as Lola Basyang.
“Malinaw sa akin na gusto kong magsulat ng children’s literature kaya specific ang audience ko. Kapag tinignan ko ang mga istorya niya, iniisip ko kung anong isyu ng mga bata ang gusto kong palitawin.” (It was clear to me that I wanted to write children’s literature, that’s why my audience is specific. This follows then that when I Iook at his stories, I would identify children’s issues in the original text and that’s what I would magnify.)
Christine continues, “Bukod sa framework na mga bata ang audience ko, kailangan ko ring igalang ang akda ni Severino Reyes, kaya naman sinigurado ko na ang mga landscapes ko ay Filipino at laging naroon din ang element ng bayan sa aking mga retelling.” (Other than working with the framework that I’m writing for children, I also need to respect the works of Severino Reyes. This is why I made sure the landscapes are Filipino and that the element of country and community was always present in my retelling.)
Here, she reiterates how much the author and playwright valued Filipino-ness and the concern for one’s neighbors. For example, she cites, Reyes used “bangin sa Makiling” (cliff of Mt. Makiling) and “ipo-ipo sa dagat” (cyclone in the sea) as portals to imaginary worlds, and hardly portrayed individuals solving a conflict. “Hindi lamang ang hari ang naghahanap ng solusyon, involved ang buong bayan. Para kay Severino Reyes, tinutulungan dapat ng isang Pilipino ang kapwa niyang Pilipino.” (It’s not just the king who looks for solutions. The whole community is involved. For Severino Reyes, Filipinos should help their fellow Filipinos.)
Ang Prinsipe ng mga Ibon is a love story that defies the odds between the bird prince and a human.
More importantly, Christine shares that she honored Severino Reyes’ high regard for the “lola” (grandmother) figure in society. “Lalaki si Severino Reyes pero pinili niyang maging ‘Lola Basyang’ ang kanyang pen name at pati na rin ang character at tagapagkuwento. Totoo, ironic ito, pero nakita ni Severino kasi ang kahalagahan ng boses ng lola.” (Severino Reyes was a man, but he chose ‘Lola Basyang’ to be his pen name, character and narrator. It’s ironic but he must have observed the impact of the grandmother voice.) It is for this reason that Christine makes it a point to insert the voice of the lola throughout her retelling, even though Lola Basyang just appears in the beginning of Reyes’ stories.
Christine’s retelling seems to have been effective as her efforts were noticed by the likes of PETA, GMA Network and Ballet Manila which have done their respective versions of Lola Basyang. “Noong una pa lang, tuwang-tuwa ako nang lumapit ang Ballet Manila at nang sinabi nila na gusto nilang isalin sa sayaw ang mga kuwento ni Lola Basyang. Ang dance kasi ay universal language, kaya naman alam ko na dahil sa Ballet Manila, marami pang tao ang makakaalam kay Lola Basyang.” (From the very beginning, I was excited when Ballet Manila expressed intentions about translating the Lola Basyang stories into dance. Dance is a universal language, after all, so I knew that through Ballet Manila, more people would learn about Lola Basyang.)
Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya follows Pedro's quest to find his three missing sisters.
“At wala akong masabi nang ito ay lumabas na! World class ang pagkakagawa! Kay ganda ng sayaw, ng musika at ng portrayal ng mga characters ng mga dancers ng Ballet Manila!” (I was speechless when it came out. How it was produced was world-class! The dance, the music and portrayal of characters were done beautifully!) For the Lola Basyang scholar, the advocacies of Ballet Manila and Severino Reyes seem to have aligned with her own. If it’s the company’s mission to bring ballet to the people, it’s also her advocacy to promote and pass down the stories and the way Lola Basyang tells them.
“Hindi naman high art ang Lola Basyang. Nasa gitna siya ng popular literature at literature,” she comments. “Nagawang mas accessible ng Ballet Manila ang mga kuwento ni Lola Basyang, kaya naman tuwang-tuwang ako na ibabalik nila ito ulit. Sa pag-restage, mababalik natin si Lola Basyang sa consciousness ng mga tao. Sa panahon ngayon kasi, madali tayong makalimot, kaya naman mahalaga ang mga iba’t-ibang media na pagkuwento ng Lola Basyang.” (Lola Basyang isn’t high art. It sits between popular literature and literature… Ballet Manila found a way to emphasize this accessibility, so I’m very pleased that they’re once again staging it. By restaging, we’re bringing back the concept of Lola Basyang to people’s consciousness. These days, it’s very easy for us to forget, so it’s important to have different media tackling the Lola Basyang stories.)
Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin is a classic good-versus-evil tale of the hardworking Rodrigo and the exploitative Ahab.
And while audiences may not remember every detail in the plot, as Christine points out, they’re bound to remember “kung sino si Lola Basyang at ang mga aral niya” (who Lola Basyang is and what she stands for). She expounds that no matter the age and where a child grows up, the grandmother figure would always be significant. “Ang lola ay isang babae na may karunungan at siya’y pinakikinggan ng lahat. Ang lola din ang unang nagpapasa ng values, ng imagination, ng mga pamahiin, at pati na rin ang pagmamahal sa bayan.” (The grandmother is a female who has wisdom and she’s someone everyone listens to. The grandmother is also the first to impart values, imaginative thinking, cultural beliefs and love for country.)
Christine, who is looking forward to again watching Lola Basyang's stories unfold in dance, underscores the value of the iconic storyteller Filipinos have loved for generations. “Ang boses ng lola ay napakahalaga, kaya naman ito ay dapat mapasa.” (The voice of the grandmother is significant, so it must be passed on.)
Christine Bellen-Ang had a chance to meet the late actress Luz Fernandez who played Lola Basyang in Ballet Manila's two trilogies.
