Accents
A taste of home
San Francisco, California, USA--Rambling in Iloilo City or touring any other capital of a Philippine province, strolling in our own town square, or soaking in the splendid sunshine in a promenade at Luneta--all too familiar thoughts--these rushed in as we walked San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens, site of the 14th Annual Pistahan parade and festival, Aug. 11-12.
The Pistahan 2007 theme was "Welcome Home: Connect. Discover. Celebrate." Al S. Perez, president of the Filipino American Arts Exposition (FAAE) points out in the EXPO Magazine, the FAAE's official publication: "Connect with our Bayan...our hometown, our country. Experience the Philippines in San Francisco. Discover our Bayanis...our heroes...our landmarks and [historic] events. Celebrate all things Filipino...art, creativity, culinary, dance, health, and heritage."
Sunday, the second day, we connected, discovered, and celebrated, and had a taste of home.
Lunch was a combo of chicken adobo, pinakbet, and pancit palabok from one of the booths. For dessert, what else but the refreshing halo-halo and the ubiquitous, crispy banana turon from another booth. An array of Filipino cuisine from other regions invited a mix of customers--Asians, Latinos, whites, African-Americans, other races. As Gigi and Greg Macabenta, the Pistahan's Hermana and Hermano Mayor, write in the EXPO Magazine, "From Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao, the Philippines offers a tapestry of visual and performing arts, culture, cuisine, ceremonies and traditions woven over the centuries with indigenous eastern and western influences. More than a gathering of kababayan, the annual Pistahan parade and fair are a priceless opportunity to introduce these to the American mainstream."
A standout in Sunday's motley crowd was dapper Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco who gave an inspiring message: "San Francisco is a beacon of freedom of expression, with deep respect for artistic creativity and diversity of cultures. Over the last thirteen years the Pistahan Parade and Festival has illuminated the talent and beauty of the Filipino people and culture through performances, arts and crafts and cuisine. The work is hard but the results benefit us all." You got it right down pat, Mayor!
A most heartening break we didn't expect was a literal display of the bayanihan spirit the Pinoy is famous for. People moved aside to give way to a rural house anchored on entwined bamboo planks borne by bare shoulders who would transport the dwelling to a new neighborhood. Were the spectators moved? Did the sight prick the deadened conscience of the cynics who have stopped believing in the caring concern, cooperation, and commitment of fellow Filipinos? I think so. It must have shaken the few from the ice of cynicism, banished the wavering belief of some hardened souls and made them believe as Ninoy Aquino did that the Filipino is worth dying for. The whole of Pistahan itself, across the years, epitomizes the bayanihan spirit of the Filipino.
Nobody but nobody could have surpassed the choice for the Pistahan's Parade Grand Marshal: Major General Antonio Taguba. The whistle blower of the Abu Ghraib scandal rose to international acclaim by speaking truth to power. His expose of the abuses in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq cost him his career as a military man when he was forced to resign in January 2007. But no matter. Here was a man who stuck to his principles, standing high and mighty, dwarfing men of pretentious, ponderous powers. A man who exemplifies moral courage that a Filipino can be capable of at the most trying times.
The EXPO magazine gave special mention to a gallery of talents that have graced the affair through the years, starting from 1904 to 2006. From the list, I reprint herein the 1994 forerunners: Andrew E. Danongan Kalanduyan, Chris Millado and Teatro ng Tanan, Carlos Villa, Lenny Limjoco, Kayumanggi Presence artists, Lav Diaz, Angel Shaw, Jessica Hagedorn, Sheila Coronel, Ceres Doyo and Doreen Fernandez from the Philippines, Violeta Noriega from Seattle, Isabel Escoda Taylor from Hong Kong, and psychologist Margie Holmes from North Carolina. They were the ones who first gathered and re-kindled what is truly Filipino in the Filipino heart. Our grateful salute to them and to all the talents and organizers up to the long list of 2007.
(Comments to lagoc@hargray.com)