Romeo & Juliet, aka, Marcos-Nalundasan Story

Nagsuratac ken ni Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili idi Enero 9, 2009:

Dear Ariel,

Hope you're having a better year than the last one.

Last time, you mentioned you were writing a play in Ilocano. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I watched the Oscar-winning 1961 musical, "West Side Story", that remake of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", and a bulb [although not original] popped out. You with your talent and creativity could easily do an Ilocano adaptation using the following (copied it from Wikipedia):

Julio Nalundasan (died September 20, 1935) was a Filipino politician who was one of the political rivals of Ilocos Norte politician Mariano Marcos, father of Ferdinand Marcos (who later became the tenth President of the Philippines).


Nalundasan was slain in 1935. Indicted for the murder was Mariano Marcos' son, Ferdinand Marcos who was later convicted. However, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, through a decision penned by Associate Justice Jose P. Laurel (who, like Marcos, also became President).


With Marcos' influence still a veritable force in Ilocandia, I believe you might initially be able to make a Broadway-type production which you can stage in the major cities of Ilocandia, like Batac, Laoag, Vigan, etc. If the play gets a creditable reception, there's no telling if a film adaptation might be a commercial option later on, thanks to you and your courage and imagination to write it. (Oh, it doesn't have to be written in Ilocano. You could use Filipino for a much broader national audience to try to secure a semblance of commercial success.)


How about it, Ariel? IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO CAN DO IT, IT'S YOU!

Manong Joe

Daytoy ti sungbat ni Ariel:

Manong Joe,

Diak ammo no apay a mabasbasayo ti panunotko. Daytoy a Nalundasan episodetayo, nakabaybayagen daytoy a mangar-araria kaniak.

Kinaagpaysuan, saggabassit-usit a dakdakamatek daytoy kadagiti immunan nga insursuratko. But the way you sketched it is giving me a broader picture of how to proceed and make it a full-blown project of our tragedy as a people. Ngem trahedia tapno makaduktal (koma!) iti maysa a paripirip nga agtunda iti pannakaisalakan.

Ala, patiray-okak man ti sirmatak--ken ti imahinasionko--ta sapay ta mabalinak nga ibaklay daytoy a karityo kaniak. No madaerak daytoy a karit, ibagakto koma sika ti naggapuan dayta nga enerhia.

Sapay ta nakalablabon ti 2009-yo.

Ariel

Nga isu met ti pinasarunuac iti:

Patgec nga Ariel,

Cunac la ngaruden a dackel ti potential na diay "West Side Story" cabayatan ti panangbuyac iti TV. So much so that while I was watching, the first thing that came to my mind was YOU and the significant literary parallelisms with the Marcos-Nalundasan episode. As the plot for a play, it allows itself to a myriad of literary licenses.

No, there's no need for you to ascribe the energy to write/create the play to me. Like the guy seen picking up and throwing back to the ocean a few starfish left behind by the low tide, I shall be satisfied coming out of the movie theater after watching a screening of your soon-to-be classic movie production, mumbling to myself with a chuckle and an irrepressible smile: "I made a difference for that one."


Manong Joe