Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo

Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo (transl. Once a Moth) is a 1976 Filipino drama film directed by Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara and written by Marina Feleo-Gonzales. It concerns a Filipino nurse, Cora de la Cruz, who dreams of moving to the United States. When her brother is killed, her ideas change. The film criticizes the American military presence in the Philippines[1] and for the failure of the Philippine judiciary to provide justice to the poor.[2] The film was released on December 25, 1976 by Premiere Productions, it was an entry to the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival and won five awards at the 25th FAMAS Awards, including those for best picture, director, and screenplay.

Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo
Official poster for the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival
Directed byLupita Aquino-Kashiwahara[lower-alpha 1]
Screenplay byMarina Feleo-Gonzales
Story byMarina Feleo-Gonzales
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJose Batac Jr.
Edited byEdgardo Vinarao
Music byResty Umali
Production
company
NV Productions
Distributed byPremiere Productions
Release date
  • December 25, 1976 (1976-12-25)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguagesFilipino
English
Box office₱10.5 million

The film was restored by the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project through Kantana Post Production in Thailand; the restored version was released on October 12, 2018, as part of the Cinema One Originals film festival of that year.[3]

Synopsis

The Dela Cruzes and the Santoses are two lower-middle-class families who live in Pampanga. Set in 1969, Cora de la Cruz is a nurse who dreams of living in the United States. Her papers are ready and she organizes employment at an American hospital. She hopes to get a green card that would allow her to stay in the US, achieve immigrant status, and then bring her family to that country for a better life. Cora's mother and younger brother encourage her, but her grandfather, Ingkong, disagrees. He believes that moving to America is a betrayal of their country.

Bonifacio Santos is Cora’s fiancee. He intends to join the United States Navy so that he can be with Cora in America. His mother and their maid are saving money to help him with the expenses. The families make no reference in their plans to instances of crime, including murder, committed by American soldiers in the Philippines who are indemnified against prosecution under laws of extraterritoriality. Bonifacio's mother works at a commissary at an American base.

Cora is appalled at the failure of the Philippine courts to provide justice for Mrs. Santos but continues with her plans to leave for America. On the night of her despedida (farewell party), Cora's brother is shot dead by an American soldier while scavenging in the garbage dump of the American base. Cora stays to seek justice for her brother. She discovers that the case cannot continue as the soldier has been reassigned to another country.[4]

Cast
CharacterActor
Corazon "Cora" Dela CruzNora Aunor
The eldest and breadwinner of the Dela Cruz family. She is a qualified nurse and she dreams to work in the United States as an opportunity to get out of poverty and also, becoming an American citizen. She lives with her mother, younger brother, and grandfather who served in the Bataan Death March.
Bonifacio "Boni" SantosJay Ilagan
Named after Andres Bonifacio by his parents. Boni is Yolanda's only child and Cora's fiancé who dreams to join the US Navy in order to be with Cora. However, this decision was abandoned when his mother was harassed by a Filipino female guard in Clark Air Base and their PX goods at their store were violently confiscated.
Mercedes "Chedeng" dela CruzGloria Sevilla
Cora and Carlito's widowed mother and Ingkong Menciong's daughter. She agrees her daughter work in the United States and become an American citizen. She is a housewife who sells military surpluses from Vietnam.
Yolanda SantosPerla Bautista
Bonifacio's mother. She works in the commissary on the premises of the Clark Air Base. She insisted her son join the US Navy since her family is suffering from hardships. Just like Chedeng, she is a widower.
Carlito dela CruzEddie Villamayor[5]
Cora's younger brother who loves kiting in the open fields, especially at the nearby American military base. He, along with his mother, agreed to her sister's decision of becoming an American citizen. He was later killed by an American soldier, prompting his sister wanted justice for him and abandon her plans to work in the United States.
Ingkong MenciongPaquito Salcedo
Cora and Carlito's grandfather and Chedeng's father who used to be a survivor of the Bataan Death March. He strongly opposes her granddaughter becoming an American citizen, believing that she would lose her Filipino citizenship.

Allegorical and symbolic references

Since the film criticizes the American military presence on Philippine soil, there are many references to imperialism, past events (particularly World War II and Ingkong Menciong's experiences), globalization, immigration (Cora's filing of permanent residency), and the Vietnam War being featured, as stated in the article by Tito Genova Valiente. Cora and Carlito's grandfather, Ingkong Menciong, was one of the people who served during the Bataan Death March as well as being a survivor and by the time he sees a funeral of the children who were killed in the nearby base, he asked himself if the Americans are truly their ally or enemy.[6]

Earlier in the film, a pig is slaughtered for Cora's farewell party. This scene is referenced later when Cora is told that the American soldier mistook her brother for a pig, leading to her oft-quoted response: "My brother is not a pig."[7]

Release

The film was released on December 25, 1976, as one of the entries for the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival where they won two awards: Best Editing and Best Story.

Film festivals where the film has been shown or has competed
  • 1986 - Opening Film, Bay Area Asian American International Film Festival
  • 1998 - Filipino Film Retrospective Lincoln Center, New York, July 31-August 20
  • 1998 - PHL Centennial Film Festival
  • 1998 - Lincoln Center New York Film Festival
  • 1998 - Filipino Retrospective, Guggenheim Museum
  • 2018 - Cinema One Originals, October 2018

Television broadcast

The digitally restored and remastered 4K high-definition version of Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo was first premiered on Cinema One on May 19, 2019, as part of its Restored Cinema presentation.

It also received a free-to-air television premiere on ABS-CBN on March 8, 2020 as a feature presentation of its Sunday late-night presentation block Sunday's Best under the Restored Classics banner. The ABS-CBN broadcast attained a nationwide share rating of 2.3%, which is tied with GMA Network's showing of the 1997 horror-thriller film by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes for Octoarts Films, Halik ng Vampira.[8]

Number of times Broadcaster On-air date Broadcast time Audience rating Remark
1Cinema OneMay 9, 20199:00PM - 11:00PMCable television premiere.
2ABS-CBNMarch 8, 202011:30PM - 1:30AM2.3%Free-to-air television premiere. Aired as a feature presentation for the network's Sunday late-night special program, Sunday's Best.

Reception

Critical reception

Criticism of the film was mixed.[4][9]

Controversy

In 1976, criticism of the presence of American military bases in the Philippines was censored by the government.

Accolades
Year Group Category Nominee Result
1976 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Editing Edgardo Vinarao Won
Best Story Marina Feleo-Gonzales Won
Best Actress Nora Aunor Nominated
Best Picture Nominated
Best Director Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara Nominated
1977 25th FAMAS Awards Best Picture Won
Best Director Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara Won
Best Editing Edgardo Vinarao Won
Best Screenplay Marina Feleo-Gonzales Won
Best Story Marina Feleo-Gonzales Won
Best Supporting Actor Paquito Salcedo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Perla Bautista Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Gloria Sevilla Nominated
Gawad Urian Awards (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino) Best Picture Nora Aunor Nominated
Best Director Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara Nominated
Best Screenplay Marina Feleo-Gonzales Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Paquito Salcedo Nominated

Adaptions

The Philippine Educational Theater Association conducted the play Minsa'y Isang Gamu-gamo in 1991. The stage play follows the plot of the film.[10] Aunor starred in the play, which marked her first appearance on the stage.[11]

Notes
  1. Credited as Lupita A. Concio

References
  1. Capino J. B. "Dream Factories of a Former Colony: American Fantasies, Philippine Cinema." University of Minnesota Press, 2010 p39. ISBN 145291527X, 9781452915272. Accessed at Google Books 6 January 2014.
  2. Creekmur, C.; Sidel, M. (25 June 2007). Cinema, Law, and the State in Asia. Springer. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-230-60491-9. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  3. San Diego Jr., Bayani (October 13, 2018). "'Gamu-gamo' is forever". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. Tiongson N. G. "Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo: Filipino with a Passion."The Philippines Daily Express. 1976. Accessed 3 May 2013.
  5. San Diego Jr, Bayani (29 June 2016). "Eddie Villamayor; 56". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. Valiente, Tito Genova (October 25, 2018). "Rekindling the flame: 'Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo'". Business Mirror. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  7. "Her Brother is Not a Pig! The Classic Ate Guy Film You've Always Been Quoting Gets a New Look". 8List.ph. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  8. "National TV Ratings (March 6-8, 2020)". ABS-CBN Newsroom. March 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  9. "Minsa'y Isang Gamu-Gamo." Eboy Donato blog. Accessed 19 July 2013.
  10. Ang, Walter (13 September 2018). Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History. Walter Ang. ISBN 978-0-9996865-2-2. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. Cadiz, Gibbs (27 July 2017). "Peta wins Ramon Magsaysay Award, only organization among 2017 awardees". Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
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