Doing ‘Bagets’ in 1984 was so much fun and quite an experience. This was a time when conversations and belongingness in the community would abound. There were no gadgets. No mobile phones. Social media was still decades away. All of us in the main cast — me, Aga Muhlach, Raymond Lauchengco, J.C. Bonnin, William Martinez — were teenagers. I was 17. Our minds weren’t occupied with the worries of the world. We just had fun. You know, boys will be boys and girls just want to have fun!
MANILA, Philippines — I began writing this short essay in Alabang before Christmas, Dec. 20, 2025. Life happened — as it always does — so I finished it days later in Quezon City, on Dec. 31, with Sade playing softly in the background. It felt like the right music for remembering.
Hi, I’m Herbert Bautista.
I played Gilbert in the 1984 film “Bagets,” produced by our iconic Boss Vic Del Rosario under Viva Films and wonderfully directed by the late, multi-awarded Maryo J. de los Reyes.
In the film, as in real life, I came from a lower-middle-class family.
My parents in the film were portrayed by Luz Valdes as my nanay and my real-life father, actor-director Butch Bautista, as my tatay. As a lower-middle class family, we went through life’s struggles: pambayad sa kuryente’t tubig, baon naming mga anak sa school, naghahabol sa pambayad ng inutang sa kaibigan or money lenders. But we did get by through various endeavors, like other Filipino families.
Doing this film was so much fun and quite an experience. This was a time when conversations and belongingness in a community would abound. There were no gadgets. No mobile phones. Social media was still decades away. (Note that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1984).
All of us in the main cast — me, Aga Muhlach, Raymond Lauchengco, J.C. Bonnin and William Martinez — were teenagers. I was 17. Our minds weren’t occupied with the worries of the world. We just had fun. You know, boys will be boys and girls just want to have fun!
As cast members, we engaged in a lot of memorable experiences on camera and most especially behind the scenes. Ang daming mga kalokohan. Good ones, of course. Naughty stuff were “good” as well. Did you know that it was Raymond who taught us about … secret!
And because the atmosphere and setting of the shoot were happy, everything turned out well and everyone was happy. (I don’t know about direk Maryo though because there were moments when he would lose his patience with us. Hahaha!)
What the movie showed was the authenticity and the natural emotions we felt in the scenes we did. I think that’s what our generation liked about the film. It had the first kiss, heartbreak and a May-December affair, pero puppy love pa.
It paved new styles in youth-oriented movies, especially through our costumes, hairstyles and lingo (“Nice one!”). And that’s what the youth in the 1980s copied.
And the music! This was the era of the British Invasion. Spandau Ballet, U2, Duran Duran, Culture Club and Tears for Fears, to name a few. As the Tears for Fears song goes: Everybody wants to rule the world! Yoohoo! But there were US influences still — Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, etc.
It was good that Boss Vic started in the music industry kaya huling-huli niya ang tunog ng ‘80s at that time. Of course, Tito Ricky Del Rosario was the one who put together the music of “Bagets.” Kudos!
For me, personally, the movie “Bagets” gave me that big break in my career as an actor. From there, the work kept coming — in television and film — right up to this day. Boss Vic also tried to turn me into a singer, but my singing career only went as far as doing the theme songs for my movies. At least! Hahaha! Thank you, Boss!
Now, four decades have passed, but “Bagets” remains relevant. I’ve watched it again and again — on DVD, on television, even on YouTube — and the story never fades.
It’s because the film has a universal theme. It’s a story of young friends who go through various experiences in life. A story of different families that mirror the culture and society of every Filipino.
I remember what my Philosophy and Literature professor said: “When you read a novel today, then read it again after five or 10 years, your understanding changes. That’s because you’ve changed. Life has added layers to how you see the story. Yet something in the novel always remains constant.”
In “Bagets,” many things change because of the different experiences of each character in the film. Even more so in real life. You experience many things that give your life different meanings and lessons.
But the constants remain: faith in God, true friendships and the love of family. Thank you so much to my Viva family.