Monday, March 26, 2007 Costanilla: Flak for Dionne By Sam Costanilla Spotlight
IT is always heartwarming to note that some true-blue Cebuanos continue to help promote and speak the native tongue despite being based abroad. I deeplycommend these individuals because of their noble deed overseas. Take for instance those behind the formation of the Kapunongan sa mga Bisaya sa Austria (KBA). One of them, Glenn Figuracion, e-mailed to inform me that KBA is an active club of Cebuanos/Visayans in Austria whose main objective is to promote the dialect in that part of Europe.
GLENN, a graduate of the Univ. of San Carlos college of nursing batch ‘94, wrote that he, his wife and their 9-month old daughter have been based in the Austrian capital of Vienna for 12 years now. “I have been active in the KBA which started as a very small group of Cebuano/Visayan-speaking residents. We gather every now and then and play bingo during our spare time,” Glenn added.
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HE also disclosed that the three-year old KBA is celebrating the Sinulog every third Sunday of January with himself and his wife doing the choreography for the dancers. He also stated that they are also promoting Philippine folk dances by performing them in social functions in Vienna and other parts of Austria.
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HIS genuine love for Cebuano/Visayan songs is also very evident. According to Glenn, he wants to secure copies of previous Cebu Popular Music Festival entries which they would like to practice and sing in their future gatherings. I referred him to Gani Villarojo of Soundtraxx Production Studio who has a compilation of Cebu Pop songs. Glenn recalled that he used to sing some of these entries when he was still a high schoolstudent of the Univ. of San Jose-Recoletos. I’d like to assure him that Cebu Pop is being institutionalized as a yearly cultural project. He may request his Cebu-based relatives to call Gani’s cellphone number 0917-3218435 for copies of the entries.
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YOURS truly is all praises for Glenn and his fellow KBA organizers for their continuing concern as far as the promotion of the Cebuano/Visayan tongue in Vienna is concerned. It is indeed laudable on their part to be doing that despite their hectic schedule asprofessionals. We can only wish that the rest of our kababayans in other parts of the globe would have the same concern. To Glenn and KBA, good luck!
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HERE at home, another reader e-mailed to express his desire to help in the eventual revival of the Cebuano/Visayan movie industry. Local novelist Ike Racho has challenged those moneyed individuals to produce movies that we can proudly label “made inCebu.” Ike wrote From Junquera With Love which was serialized in Superbalita a few years back. He even reminded me that Cebu City Sports Commissioner Rolly Diorico initially expressed interest in producing his novel as a telemovie but the plan simply fizzled.
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IKE also suggested that a local film should be made as a Bisdak (Bisayang Dako) production so it will not come out as a poor or mediocre imitation of Tagalog movies. He expressed sadness over the production of the Tagalog version of Marcos Navarro Sacol’s Maria Flordeluna which was a hit Cebuano/Visayan radio drama in the ‘70s.
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TEXTER Monmon of Capitol Site thinks the popularity of the so-called Bisrock music will not last long. His text message says: “Bisrock is only a temporary thing in the local music scene. Even some youth have started to get bored listening to it.” Is that so, Mon?
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WE can’t blame some people for their adverse comments, frustration, disappointment and harsh criticism against Pinoy Big Brother housemate Dionne Monsanto of Cebu. Cebuanos are expecting a lot from her simply because of the feat achieved by Keanna Reeves and Kim Chiu, her predecessors, who made it to the top. Cebuanos are expecting the same from Dionne who is, of course, intelligent. Sadly, she has earned several unprintable tags. Her flirtations on nationwide television have disappointed, if not angered, her supporters and friends. A male housemate’s frank statement on national television that he would never fall for Dionne was a big insult and slap on the face of our paisana. We won’t be surprised if Dionne will eventually get evicted from the PBB house. Blame it on her indiscretions.
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THIS businessman here is moving heaven and earth just to entice his estranged wife to come back to him, but it seems his effort is doomed to fail. The ex-wife was a singing grand champion in her younger years. She may revive her singing career to eventually forget her ex-husband whom she is accusing of infidelity.
