What a trip to my childhood! Although I was born a year after this was released, I grew up seeing this on our television along with the other 90s flicks. I knew it was a cult classic but I never really remembered what it was about. In celebration of Peque Gallaga's life, I jumped at the chance to watch it again on iWant. I'm telling you, I was captivated at the first minutes. In an instant, I got transported back to the days where my cousins and I would watch movies at the Cinema One early in the morning. But more than the nostalgia, I was amazed how well-made it was. The music was so moving! Cinematography was therapeutic. And the writing was truly comforting. I just think that some action sequences were too dragging and that it lost its momentum several times in an effort to expand the world. Nevertheless, it's a landmark film through and through! I'm just utterly sad because they don't make it now like they used to!
Today, the Philippine mainstream cinema is flooded by stories of teenage romance, adult crisis, and mindless comedy disguised as family movies. A futile attempt in one size fits all approach that continues to kill the audience and paralyze the art of filmmaking. What happened to the stories of the children? We are fond of saying that the children are the future of our country but what can they hope for when their sense of heritage and nationalism are replaced by quick and irrelevant entertainment. How will their creativity get honed when they are dispassionately exposed to technology without a solid root of their homes? I firmly believe that it's high time to revisit what the new generation of young Filipinos are consuming.
In Magic Temple, we were reminded how we led our lives with strong regard for the Filipino values. We defy anyone who harms our friends or families. Our culture of respect recognizes the differences and acknowledges our shortcomings. Learning is a vital tool in our survival that provides us the experience to champion our struggles. Now, everything is turning blurry. We openly welcome the tyrants in our homes. The sense of unity is nowhere to be found as every Filipino fights for themselves and terrorizes others. Respect is nothing but a strange concept now for many. Clearly, more than building life for the present and future Filipino children, all Filipino adults must look themselves in the mirror and reflect on their own upbringing. Have we lived up to the values of our Magic Temple days? Will Jubal, Sambag, and Omar be proud of how we all turned out? We all once dreamed of an adventure like them and now that we have our own missions to accomplish, we must keep in our hearts all the lessons of wonder and bravery they left us.
RIP Peque Gallaga.
