Rough Groove

Panaghoy sa Suba - Cesar Montano

“Marika ra! Marika! Dali!” (Come here! Come! Faster!) Nang Lahi (Caridad Sanchez) calls her niece, Iset (Juliana Palermo) voice raised, admonishing, over Iset’s riding the boat of Duroy (Cesar Montano). The elderly aunt knows that the boatman is courting the lass but she’s not really fond of him.

Panaghoy sa Suba (Call of the River) directed by Cesar Montano, a Boholano, is probably the first Cebuano film that has been produced and screened since Cebuano films had its heyday a few decades ago. It tells of the love story between Iset and Duroy during the Japanese occupation in Central Visayas, particularly Bohol and the struggles of the occupied people in overcoming their conquerors. And thus, Cebuano, my dialect, my mother tongue, was spoken fluently in this rather ground breaking film that is part of the Metro Manila Film Festival being screened in SM City here in Cebu. Its the first time that I’ve seen a full lenght film in this dialect, not as just providing comic relief and being delivered by Inday, the typical provincial house maid, that makes her appearance in most Tagalog melodramatic or slapstic comedy movies.

While the film is not perfect: some shots are blurred, sometimes, the scene is tight and the story needs to be enhanced, it does provide hope of reviving the Cebuano film industry. I’ve read that from 1938 - 1969, Cebuano films were being filmed and screened but after that, died a natural death having been overshadowed by those from Manila.

Note: The 1st Cebuano Film Festival will be held next month, 8 - 12 January 05 in time for the Sinulog Festivities.