Panudlak

Last week, several bloggers were invited on the premiere of VSO Bahaginan’s “Panudlak”. It is a part of the Cinemanila 2008 celebration.

While I was watching the movie, i realized that there are a lot of things one should be thankful for that they were born in the Philippines despite the fact that we are tagged as one of the third world countries. I am also grateful because I am capable to access wifi, buy my own clothes and  my favorite jewelry

 

The film is a docu-fiction that revolves around the essence of Filipino volunteerism in Cambodia. This kind of volunteerism is likened to the process of planting, with the use of dramatic metaphor in the practice of “panudlak”, a Hiligaynon term for beliefs and rituals in the Western Visayan region of the Philippines to expect a good harvest.

 

Represented by two volunteers – organization & project management adviser Manuel Reyes and education adviser Debbie Satentes, the film talks about the volunteers’ passion, frustrations, dreams and problems they have encountered. 

 

On the other hand, the intercuts of the literal and figurative meaning of planting, as well as the ritual expressed through dances and chants inspired by the Panay Suludnon tribe (which is the “stylized” and “symbolical” part that emphasizes the fiction aspect of the film) will weave all these into one.

 

In a hopeful note, the film ends with the volunteers expressing their persistent hopes and views on the fruits of volunteerism.