Starving artist finally gets his time in the sun

CEBU, Philippines - In popular culture, starving artists are portrayed as people with unkempt hair and ill-fitting clothes who live in a cramped but cozy studio apartment. They wear glasses and spend their days in coffee shops– people-watching, caffeine running in their veins—as they gaze at the sky and ponder love and existentialism.

That wasn’t the case for Bisaya actor Edralin “Bong” Cabrera.

Becoming a starving artist meant starving, literally, and perhaps in his soul as well. It meant taking jobs here and there, renting rooms, making a meager 50-peso allowance last throughout the day. It meant working twice as hard to prove himself in a big city of entitlement. It meant going against his parents’ wishes, and facing the gritty side of passion.

It would be safe to say that Bong was a diamond in the rough—and for so long.

Today, he stars in a film that has competed abroad, won Best Actor awards, and is a proud member of Tanghalang Pilipino, the resident drama company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

“I remember seeing a clip of Lea Salonga winning a Tony for her portrayal in ‘Miss Saigon’”, Bong mused, as if he was in another time space, back in 1991 and not in a media interview at The Social of Ayala Center Cebu.

“I didn’t even know what ‘Miss Saigon’ was, I thought it was a beauty pageant! I didn’t know what a Tony was, I didn’t know what theatre was,” said Bong, who was a high school student at the time. He decided to do his own research and found what would soon be his lifetime calling.

Hailing from Kananga, Leyte, Bong moved to Cebu in 1994 to continue his education. He studied mass communication at the University of the Philippines Cebu and lived at the campus dorm. Bong got by because of his scholarship and the allowance he got from volunteer work. He also became the president of UPStage, UP Cebu’s theatre ensemble.

“Before I got to college, I was set on joining theatre clubs. I figured, I knew how to dance and all that, so why not give it a shot?”

In his time in Cebu, Bong dreamed to get into the Cebu Cultural Center across UP which was then under construction—but really, all he ever wanted in life was a place at CCP.

“I really wanted to get in. Even if all I had to do was hold the spotlight, or act as a passerby. Basta maka-tungtong lang ako sa CCP. And now, the spotlight is on me!” Bong said animatedly, smiling from ear to ear and accidentally kicking the luggage at his feet.

Drastic career move

After completing his studies, Bong was an artist in the corporate world. He took on lucrative jobs, and was assistant director, casting director, and production manager in an international film school in Cebu with clients from Hollywood, working with international talents and producing commercial ads. By then, Bong was paid well and was able to support his family in Leyte.

Until he decided to leave it all behind.

“Every time I quit a job, a corporate job, the reason was, I had a show,” Bong explained of his drastic career move. “So I told myself, ‘It’s the same thing! Why not go to Manila and pursue acting as a profession?’”

The quiet theatre scene in Cebu had been one of the reasons why Bong had to relocate to Manila. Unlike in the capital, Cebu didn’t have theatre seasons, nor companies that could help a modest actor like him hone his craft.

His first week in Manila had been challenging to say the least—he was robbed, and his savings were emptied. His parents weren’t even close to being supportive at the time, misundertanding his endeavors, telling him to come home and look for “a real job.” But like the warrior he is, Bong persevered and went on with regular classes and training for script analysis, voice, acting, improvisation, and almost anything under the sun from 2004-2010.

He made his 50-peso allowance work, auditioned for productions, and milked every single moment during training. But despite all that resolve, Bong had his weakest moments. When he thought he was ready to give up, a good friend and artist, Crispin Ramos, granted him a scholarship and financed Bong for a year.

“During classes and training, I made sure that I did my best so that next year I could get promoted for apprenticeship and then I could get a better allowance. Which fortunately did happen, and eventually I became a member, and suddenly I was earning,” Bong said.

Since then, theatre had been his full-time job.

Through the trainings, Bong was able to participate in many productions, and he received a grant in 2010 from the Asian Cultural Council to take on advance acting studies in New York. During his six months in the Big Apple, Bong met collaborative people from all over the world, and got to learn from a handful of prestigious acting schools such as the Yale School of Drama, among many others.

“When I came back, I decided to become a freelance actor and that’s how I got involved in films,” Bong shared.

His first lead role in a film was in “Sa Ilalim Ng Tulay” under Cinema One Originals, in which his portrayal of Nono of the Aeta tribe won him the Best Actor award at the 7th Cinema One Originals Film Festival in 2011. He also starred in “Melodrama Negra,” “The Guerilla Is A Poet,” “Independencia,” and in commercially produced works like “Amorosa,” “Maestro,” the film adaptation of the book “Smaller and Smaller Circles,” and had worked with Judy Ann Santos in “Kusina.”

Best Actor

His latest full-length feature film, “Ang Araw sa Likod Mo” (The Sun Behind You), is an award-winning advocacy film that debuted in cinemas nationwide yesterday. The critically acclaimed movie is directed and written by Dominic P. Nuesa and has Bong acting alongside the talented Ping Medina and Mark Liwag.

“Ang Araw Sa Likod Mo” is about the stories of all people involved in the four-decade old war of terrorism in Mindanao. Following the story of Muslim brothers Jamiluddin (Bong) and Omar (Mark Liwag), the film is a gripping account of two brothers reunited despite being separated by conflicting beliefs, as well as the heroism of Filipino soldiers.

The film – shot at the Scout Ranger camp in Camp Tecson, Bulacan – won Best Sound in the recent Nice International Awards, with four other nominations (Best Director for Nuesa, Best Lead Actor for Liwag, Best Supporting Actor for Medina, Best Editing for Javier Abola, and Best Sound for Greg Rodriguez III).

“Ang Araw Sa Likod Mo” was also hailed as the Best Film in the Auckland International Awards, was the Global Award Winner at the Europe-based Around Films International Festival, and had bagged Awards of Recognition for Feature Length at the Accolade Global Film Competition in the United States.

Bong’s portrayal won him the Best Actor award at the Accolades as well, while Liwag won Best Supporting Actor. Director Nuesa, and Ping were able to promote the film at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Philippine delegation, thus their absence during the Cebu promotional stop.

“I think it’s become a trend here, kapag tumunog sa labas yung pelikula, tinatangkilik na pagbalik dito sa Pilipinas,” Bong says.

The thespian still has to get used to press conferences and the additional attention. Bong admits that he would rather let the product speak for itself, but c’est la vie.

Muslim isn’t bad

He has took on roles with different cultural backgrounds, and finds each experience rather interesting because he gets to learn so much. In “Ang Araw,” Bong had to be extra careful of his portrayal of Islamic culture.

“The film isn’t just about our brave scout rangers. Rather, it brings a face to the different people affected by the conflict and shows the situation from the perspective of the civilians, the rebels, the military, everybody,” the actor began as he shared how Ping and the other actors who portrayed the scout rangers had to undergo boot camp to immerse themselves in their roles.

Bong scored the role rather unexpectedly. He shared how shocked he was when he went into the orientation without an audition thinking that it was a final callback, only to be given the lead role on the same day. It turns out that Nuesa had had a taste of Bong’s acting when he previously auditioned for the director.

Bong, a Catholic, says he had to study time and again and had to make sure that he was doing Islam justice: a good example would be the morning prayer of the Muslims called Fadjr.

“I wanted it to be culturally correct. All the nuances had to be right,” says Bong, grateful for the film’s consultants and his talented Muslim co-stars who were willing to help him during the film’s production.

“This was my first time to do a Muslim role, and it’s actually very challenging for me. I want to show that being a Muslim isn’t bad. They are still very much human beings. It’s just that they have their own culture and identity.”

“Ang Araw” is considered a testament to heroism and sacrifice, and presents a challenge to Filipinos to be more understanding, knowledgeable, and to stand against violence for the good of national security.

Beneficiaries

The film’s proceeds will be given to the children of HERO Foundation Inc., an initiative founded by the late president Corazon Aquino to respond to the growing needs of our fallen heroes’ families. Beneficiaries are the children and remaining families of Filipino soldiers who have been killed in action, or are discharged due to permanent or partial disability.

HERO (Help Educate and Rear Orphans) Foundation was able to send more or less 2,700 scholars to school, and will be offering a full college scholarship this year. “

HERO beneficiaries— 23-year-old Computer Science graduate Suzeth A. Dalangin, daughter of the late Sgt. Frederick G. Dalangin; 20-year-old Elementary Education graduate, Maria Samantha C. Batoctoy, youngest sister of Cpl. Redentor C. Batoctoy; and 16-year-old Carl Vincent D. Sewala, son of Ssgt. Carlo C. Sewala, graced the press conference and talked of their experiences as scholars and the hardships they have encountered since losing a beloved family member. It was an emotional conversation, and yet the scholars are proud of their loved ones, and are thankful for HERO Foundation for helping them attain education.

For Bong, especially that he has portrayed a character considered the “enemy,” the film’s takeaway is simple. “The conflict has been going on for so long, and nobody ever wins. Everybody loses,” he says as he urges the youth to listen to what the movie has to say.

“For me, ‘Ang Araw sa Likod Mo’ is poetic. It translates as, as if having a halo behind you and you are moving forward towards nothingness and darkness but at the end of it all there is still life,” he says.

Long queues

Bong also revealed how he wishes that people are more appreciative of films and the work that goes into each movie.

“I want the queue at movie theatres to be as long as the lines you find when you get your NBI clearance,” Bong mused, even laughing at his own ambition. He finds it a shame that quality films aren’t getting the support they need and deserve from their own people. He also thinks that social media, online streaming and piracy have a lot to do with the problem.

Despite his success in the film industry, Bong personally finds fulfillment in theatre.

“It will always be theatre because that’s where I started. I will always go back every time I can,” Bong vows.

Bong admits that it wasn’t until November of last year that his family began to be more open to his calling. There had been dancers and singers in the family but Bong was the only one to treat art as a career. When his mom got to see one of his shows, it wasn’t even a full production, but she was blown away.

“Naiyak siya,” Bong said fondly, obvious that the memory meant a lot to him.

“From then on, she would ask me about my productions and rehearsals. She had become more interested because she was able to see, and nothing has made me happier,” Bong shares.

The 38-year-old finds success relative and is as close to the ground as he can get. Bong says that his journey always reminds him of who he is, and how difficult it has been for a probinsyano like him to infiltrate the capital. His accent was lightly made fun of, but his roots was not something he was ever ashamed of.

“I was never discouraged,” Bong says. “In every production I do, I try my best to show where I come from. I add my own flavor to it, and I guess that’s how they know I’m serious. It helped that I wasn’t from there because I knew my purpose,” Bong says.

Currently, Bong teaches at the Philippine High School for the Arts. He will be busy with rehearsals for his new play, “Ang Sugilanon ng Kabiguan ni Epiphania”—a Bisaya play based on a short story but had been mixed with Manileño flair.

For Bong, it is important for him to impart his knowledge to the new generation of thespians. He wants to elevate the image of Bisaya culture by performing more productions that reflect and showcase its artistry.

“I want to promote where I am coming from. I want to work on material that comes from different regions. Not only in Cebu, but also from Mindanao and different parts of the country.”

Treasure

After his Cebu trip, Bong is set to visit his family in Leyte – his first homecoming in 10 years. Bong left Leyte a hopeful theatre enthusiast, young and unsure. But now, he will be coming back an accomplished actor, a teacher, and a treasure to his family and country.

To artists, Bong has two words: “Don’t stop.”

The actor says that as an artist, you constantly think about critics. But really, artists worth a grain of salt have to believe in themselves first and foremost.

“There are a lot of challenges, but you do not stop. If you have an ambition, go for it,” Bong insists, adding how he was never into theatre for the fame and fortune, but only to practice the gift he knew he had.

Every time he feels on the verge of burnout, Bong reminds himself of where he’s been, where he is now, and why he’s onstage in the first place. And that puts everything in perspective again.

 “You know that you’re here because this is what you love.” (FREEMAN)