I SAW “Goyo” on September 14. On that day, the Filipinos were worried about the coming in of Typhoon Ompong. The movie is well directed by Jerrold Tarog. Paulo Avelino played well as Gregorio del Pilar.
The battle scene at the narrow and perilous Tirad Pass was convincing. At the opening of the movie, it was made clear that what we are about to see is based on history coupled with fiction. History is based on research. Fiction is there to sweeten the drama and more or less to add color and to challenge the sanity of the viewers.
Students can view the movie for only P150. I did not see many students at the cinema. That is expected because in the other movie house there was a Pinoy love story with a disclaimer, “this is not a love story.”
The valiant hero of Tirad Pass used to be my idol in my history class at Saint Joseph Academy. Wherever he is, the beautiful women cannot be far away. I always consider Goyo my idol in my vicarious experiences with ravishing women.
I read Goyo and somehow I disagree with the movie when in the earlier scenes he was pictured out with a man having day and night nightmares. He was haunted by his conscience for his bully attitude and demonic instinct to harm fellow soldier who defied the dictatorship of General Emilio Aguinaldo, the El Presidente. As a leader, Goyo was fighting other demons on the battlefield but he is also confronting his own demons.
Gregorio del Pilar was one of the youngest generals to serve the Philippines Revolution. He was Emilio Aguinaldo’s confidante and right-hand man. I would like to share what I have known about him so that other people who saw the movie might have a point of comparison when it comes to his personality. It will give them a chance not just to take ‘hook, line and sinker’ that was presented in the film.
His father was the brother of Marcelo H. del Pilar, a propagandist with a pen name “Plaridel.” Goyo descended from the Gatmaitan clan of Bulacan. His family could be categorized as among the “poor relations.” The young Goyo was a “bibingka” vendor and served as a houseboy for his aunt, Hilaria del Pilar Arellano, so that he could continue his studies at Ateneo.
When Marcelo H. del Pilar fled to Spain to escape arrest from the Spaniards, his uncle Deodato (the husband of Hilaria) took over the role of Marcelo in distributing propaganda materials. At age thirteen, Goyo became a messenger of the revolutionary movement and that started his desire to join the Katipunan. He was rejected because he was very young.
When war broke out, Deodato was arrested. Goyo, 21 years old this time, fled to Balintawak to meet the “Supremo,” Andres Bonifacio. He wanted to be a “katipunero.” This time, he was accepted. At 22, he joined the action in the battle of Kakarong, where he displayed outstanding courage and like a fox, he dared to breach enemy lines. He emerged victorious.
(To be continued).