Ang Nagpapabulag sa Nagpapasilaw
A Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag Analysis
Jobs and occupations are tough to acquire, especially in the Philippines years before. People will go through thick and thin just to earn money or make a living. The Philippines may be advertised to the world for its national beauty and landmarks, but what people fail to see is the struggles daily Filipinos face, especially people who live in poverty, people who struggle to find a well payed job, people who struggle handling the family and household, and people who are victims and witnesses of crimes and wrong doings. Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, a 1975 drama Film, is considered as one of the most iconic and most prevalent film of the Philippines. Staring Bembol Roco who played as Julio Madiaga, played one of the most memorable roles he played as an actor. Showing the hardships of a Julio, the protagonist, and his way of living, earnings, and “relationship”. The film sheds light to not the beauty of Maynila but the evil that lurks within it and its people.
The film is coherent, original and realistic in nature. It was filmed in various places in Maynila, and depicted the atmosphere and authenticity of Maynila. It also showed how tough it can be living in a very urbanized city especially if you’re not used to it such as Julio when he was working as a construction worker. The moral aspect of the film is strongly not for the underaged, it’s a film that phenomenally showed the sexual side of Maynila and its people. The sexual elements in the film were not romanticized, the sexual elements were not present to woo the audience, but to show how vast it is and how much people desire it most especially in times where you need money. Julio engages with escorts with the intention of getting money, and besides that, the film also covers prostitution (Ligaya and Ah-Tek) and how devious acts like this can still exist in our country. And it shows the complexity of urban cities and the film itself. There are literal people who engage in sexual activity for money because they had no other means of earning, how people can be (easily) tricked in prostitution, how gloomy it can be to work especially as a construction worker, and how family and closed loved ones can be greatly affected with your deeds – all captured into a beautiful 2 hour long film.
The referential meaning of the film has some underlying symbolism. Julio’s last name is Madiaga, a play on the word “Matiyaga” which means hardworking. Ligaya, Julio’s childhood sweetheart, means joy. Ligaya is literally the ligaya is Julio’s life, Ligaya gives Julio the joy and happiness he desires, he sees her as the paradise or his paradise of joy, which is why his heart strongly beats for her. Ah-Tek is a play on “kita”, money. Ah-Tek is a reference to how greedy a person can be and all he cares for is what s/he earns most especially money. And lastly Mrs. Cruz, the one who tricked Ligaya to Maynila for prostitution, is a reference to cruz or cross, meant to represent the “burden” she carries. Cruz can also be an alias, because Cruz is a common Filipino surname, which could explain why she gets away with things and/or not being suspected as a suspicious person. It overall shows the hard work (Julio) we have for our joy in life (Ligaya), and we have to be determined and patient in order to get what we love, even if our burden, sins (Mrs. Cruz) and greediness (Ah-Tek) makes us lose our way towards joy.
The symptomatic meaning is how society comprises a lot of variety in terms of financial recovery, job listings, family struggles, economic decay, and sexual favors, can be hidden in even the central cities of our nation. Our entire world spins if money continues to spin, it is because money is so powerful it can define an entire future. 1 peso today is not much compared to the time of the film, around the 70’s, where 1 peso is worth more than it is. And when people struggle to earn money especially if their job blows, it’s tough to find other ways to getting money that often engaging in sexual favors in exchange for money becomes a legitimate option. People would dare to leave their families and their hometown in hopes of getting better job opportunities. And there are also times where family cannot help you. When Ligaya was held captive by Ah-Tek, she couldn’t even tell her family about her situation especially if her life’s on the line.
It was such a blast watching this film. This film is actually listed in the “1001 movies you must see before you die”, Maynila sa mga kuko ng Liwanag is one of the, if not, the only Filipino film/s present in the list, and it shows. An old classic film cleverly captivates the viewer with it’s story, themes, and social constructs. The implicit meaning for how I interpreted the film is how there’s always a bright side and a dark side in life, and more often than not, the dark side is bigger. Both Julio and Ligaya left home in hopes of getting better jobs, they looked at the bright side where there is more to look forward to in a big city. But only to end up as a construction worker, and held for prostitution, doesn’t seem that much of a bright opportunity. Maynila, as told by a number of characters, is “mahirap”. It is never easy to live in such a city. Sometimes there is also light in the darkness, and darkness in the light as well. Prostitution and escorts are not a pretty “occupation” but at the very least you can technically earn from doing so, which is what both Julio and Ligaya have had in mind, when there’s no other way to go. Again knowing that there’s always darkness in light, Julio and Ligaya plans to escape and go back home, with a plan already in stored what’s the worst that could happen? Apparently, a life’s cost, Ligaya lost her life in attempts of trying to go back with Julio and leaving with her kids. And with Julio’s despair, he plots to kill Ah-Tek, thinking it could bring his emotional peace but only to end up being beaten up himself by a crowd of people. There are times where our deeds often lead to a bright thing but we take for granted the dark side of it, and often times, we have to settle to the darker or more devious choices because it’s our last and only choices.
The explicit meaning is how in the real world, it will not always be pretty, and evil can lurk in any crook, especially in ourselves. In the film, Julio was so retaliated and shocked how he instinctively fought purse snatcher and almost gotten to fight with another man, knowing he will actually end up being a bad guy himself by killing the person who kept Ligaya and (allegedly) killed her. We could take our actions and choices for granted, not knowing where it could lead us. And other thing to add, is how much we can get and lose things in life. Julio has lost so many things in his life, his family when he left, his money, his job, his friends, and Ligaya. While we still have these things with us, let us make the most out of them, and not take the wrong turn that can make us lose all of them one-by-one.
Maynila sa mga kuko ng Liwanag is one of the most profound Philippine films and a definite must-see. Beauty can have its flaws, and beauty can have its ugliness. Maynila is a beautiful city even before, but it’s not always the case because if you take a closer look, and experience the place, you can see how every nook can have its darkness. The film gravely captured how in the real world, how it ugly it can be and how evil can lurk in what’s bright – Maynila in the claws of the light.
Written by Keith Daniel Nicodemus