Muro Ami

The film Muro Ami, roughly translated as reef-hunters, vividly depicts the life of young children who suffer one of the worst kinds of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo, played by Cesar Montano, is the opportunist and cruel captain of the fishing ship which holds 150 Muro Ami Divers.

The divers hunt fish by pounding and crushing the coral reefs, wherein the fishes reside, to flush them out and scare them into the fishing nets. This style of fishing is discouraged by animal welfare activists because it forces out even the little fish into the net. Thus it disrupts the natural flow of the ecosystem.

But the style of fishing is nothing compared to the harshness done to the Muro Ami divers. Because of a high quota to meet, Fredo forces the divers, mostly children, to complete at least 8 dives a day to meet their goal. Tired and harassed after the burdening task being given to them, they are forced more into sub-human living, in The Aurora, the Muro Ami ship. The lives that the children live under the sea and above the boat makes for a depressing setting because it seems that wherever the characters go, no option is appealing.

The story has a strong social relevance because it depicts a reality that only a few witness. It also touches an intriguing and powerful topic such as child labor. The actors of the film powerfully played their roles and were ultimately believable.

The movie received numerous awards and citations. It was a winner of thirteen awards of its sixteen nominations at the 1999 Metro Manila Film Festival including Best Child Performer (Rebecca Lusterio), Best Story (Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Ricardo Lee, Jun Lana), Best Screenplay (Ricardo Lee and Jun Lana), Best Director (Marilou Diaz-Abaya) and Best Picture. It also received the Jury and Public Choice Award in the Bénodet Filmfest in France.

The cast of major characters included Cesar Montano as Fredo, Pen Median as Dado, Amy Austria as Susan, Jhong Hilario as Botong, and Rebecca Lusterio as Kabo. The film was directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.

The Nipa Hut

The nipa hut, considered as the national house of the Philippines, has in existence even before the colonization of the Spaniards. It served as the main shelter of native Filipinos during the pre-Hispanic period and it still is the shelter of many Filipinos in the provinces to this day. The numerous nipa houses in the Philippines are unique in every region. Most nipa huts are built by hand from bamboo poles and other indigenous materials found near the community of the natives. It is usually raised a few feet above the ground and constructed out of bamboo tied together, with a thatched roof of dried grass. This sort of architecture proves good ventilation and is very inexpensive. It is easy to construct because it is made out of light materials. It also works well against average winds and rainfall.

The nipa huts in the Philippines vary depending on their locations. The huts are made by the natives to adapt to their environment. Some nipa huts in Banaue, are built with stilts high as high as three to four meters of the ground above the ground and are accessible only by a ladder which they bring up when they are about to sleep or when they leave the house to younglings. This is made to deter creatures which sleuth around the night to crawl between the slits of the floor and enter the house. The space underneath the house, called the silong, can serve as a workspace, a storage space, a granary, a pen for livestock. Sometimes, there is an open front porch, pantaw or batalan, where jars of water would be kept to wash dishes. This gallery also serves as a lounging area for the inhabitants. Some nipa huts, those inhabited by fishermen along the coastline are held up by tall bamboo trees which allow the huts to stay above sea level even during high tides. This would then allow the fishermen to launch their boats with ease as they are already in the water. The “regular” nipa hut is the most widely known kind. These huts are iconic symbols of that stereotypes what a house looks like in the provinces.

The structure of the nipa hut is made in such a way so that it can resist the frequent earthquakes in the country. The native lowland houses have a light structure on top, and heavier materials on the bottom thus making the nipa hut a stable structure. The bamboo poles are tied together by rattan to make up the frames and the walls. The flooring is made up of bamboo slats, usually place convex size up making the floor comfortable, almost to the point of therapeutic, to walk on. Floor is spaced apart for effective ventilation and the roof is made of nipa shingles or cogon thatch. The house is handmade, with the use of a bolo, by the head of the family, the whole family, or the family and their friends. This is where the spirit of bayanihan comes in. Sometimes the friends and neighbors of the family aid them in building their houses and help the family if ever there was a need for “house-moving”. This familiar scene can be seen in many local movies where a large number of able bodied men, likely friends of the family, carry the nipa hut to a new location while a beautiful and young Filipina sings beside the window, inside the house.

Church of the Holy Sacrifice

The Church of the Holy Sacrifice is a church that can easily be noticed because of its peculiar dome-shape, an architectural characteristic not usually found in churches. Built in 1955, it is considered as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural treasure by the National Historical Institute. Then Diliman Catholic Chaplain. Fr. John Delaney S.J., commissioned Leandro Locsin to design a church that can easily be opened and can accommodate a thousand people. The result was the first round chapel in the Philippines with the altar at the middle and the first church to ever have a thin shell concrete dome. It is lauded as “masterpiece of Filipino artistry and ingenuity” by National Historical Institute Chairman Ambeth R. Ocampo.

The dome of the church is held up by pillars situated at the sides of the church, so that there will be no need for supports to block the space inside. The unique design of the dome allows natural lighting and ventilation. At the center of the dome is a round skylight, which supports the triangular bell tower. The tower extends to the interior, supporting the crucifix. The arrangement of the interior of the church is concentric, with the altar in the middle.

The design of this parish veered away from the orthodox style of churches built during the Spanish era and even from the style of churches after that. Its dome shape gives it a distinctiveness not to be found among other churches. The flooring of the church was designed by Arturo Luz, the Stations of the Cross by Vicente Manansala and Ang Kiukok, and the double-sided crucifix and altar base by Napoleon Abueva. All of them are now National Artists.

Since it was first built, there have been many changes to its exterior and interior designs. The dome which had originally been white is now green. The altar base was also changed from wood to marble. All of this were continues works of National Artist Napoleon Abueva. But the most striking change done to the church is that it is now fenced off. The once open grounds that surrounded the church are now landscaped. It is now surrounded by the U.P. Health Service Building and the U.P. Shopping Center.

Bahay na Bato (Stone House)

The bahay na bato or the Colonial Filipino house is a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. These houses are were usually owned by the rising upper-classes, otherwise known as the principalia and the ilustrados. The bahay na bato is a mixture of the original structure of the nipa hut mixed with stylistic elements from Europe and Asia.

The structure is typically raised or two-story. The main living area is on the upper level while the lower walls of the classic bahay na bato, the zaguan, was used to store the family carriage and processional cart in the old days. Today, however, it usually functions as an office, shop or the family's sari-sari store. The lower walls of the classic bahay na bato were usually done in stone but modest homes have wood walls for the second floor and the zaguan.

After colonizing the Philippines, the Spanish conquistadores brought their art with them and this included their architecture. But their architecture of stone houses proved to be unstable, unsafe and unproductive in a country ridden with earthquake faults. This brought about the innovation of the bahay na bato which proved to withstand the earthquakes of the shaky archipelago.

The structure of the house symbolizes the native Filipinos’ fondness of confort. The architecture of the house was made in such a way as to take advantage of the cooling breezes. Large windows surrounded the upper floor with the window sashes, which commonly have capiz shell panes, can be opened wide or closed for privacy or in stormy weather. Vents above the windows, protected by the roof eaves, let air in even when it's raining. Small shuttered windows below the large windows, called ventanillas, are screened with balusters or grillwork and can be left opened when the large windows are closed such as at night.

The bahay na bato served as the model for townhouses from the 19th century until World War II and is considered the quintessential Filipino house. These houses today, to be found in good condition, are a rarity. There may be a number in Metro Manila, but rarely is there one in good condition. Most of these houses – houses with a rich history – are now dilapidated buildings, crooked and forgotten. There are some in the provinces which the locals preserve as a means for attracting tourists. Vigan, in Ilocos Sur, prides itself for having a street of stone houses which it has preserved throughout the years. The town of Taal, Batangas is also notable for some of its stone houses. But other than those provinces, the bahay na bato will be rarity to find. It is like an endangered species which is being threatened to extinction. The houses that once dominated the streets and corners of the country are now relics, rare pieces of history that we neglected to preserve.