Surfers remember the late Poks Esquivel on 'Sayaw sa Alon'

“SAYAW SA ALON”
Dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino
July 1, 2013
 
When storms surge and force most people indoors, these folks race towards the sea.  They scan the waves and wait patiently for the glassy, robust kind that will deliver them to nirvana.
 
They're surfers, a rugged breed of thrill seekers who live to caress one of the most powerful forces of nature. 
 
In the surfing hot spot of La Union, none stood out more than the local dude Ronnie "Poks" Esquivel.
 
Born without one leg, Poks surfed as if his disability didn't matter, developing a  unique style that made him one of the best and most-watched surfers in the country. A carpenter's son, Poks virtually put La Union on the surfing map and could match up with any of the gung-ho foreign surfers who frequented his place. Poks became a competitor who took his bravado as far as Australia, where he inspired crowds who couldn't believe what they were seeing in a sport where balancing on two legs was difficult enough. 
 
Then in 2012, at the peak of his powers and popularity, he died suddenly at the age of 27. 
In the wake of a storm, Howie Severino and his documentary team travel to Poks' hometown of San Juan in La Union to recall the man who became a legend.
 
Howie and his young son named Alon get surfing lessons from two of the surfers who knew Poks best, Luke Landrigan and Jay-R Esquivel, Poks' 16-year-old brother who has become a surfing champion. 
 
Through them and other surfers, Howie learns of Poks' last days, a far cry from the happy-go-lucky image of a surfer's life

(FILIPINO VERSION)
Sa gitna ng bagyo, kung ang iba, pinipiling manatili sa loob ng kanilang tahanan, may ilan na inaabangan ito para sumusugod sa rumaragasang alon ng dagat.  Sila ang mga surfer na nakilala ni Howie Severino sa La Union, tinaguriang Surfing Capital of the North.
 
At kung may isang surfer na namumukod tangi rito sa San Juan, La Union, siya si Ronie "Poks" Esquivel. 
 
Ipinanganak na putol ang isang binti, tila hindi niya ito inalintana at nakisakay sa alon tulad ng ibang mga surfer.  Anak ng isang karpintero, ipinakita niya sa buong mundo na walang makapipigil sa kaniya, alon man o kapansanan.  Mula La Union, nasakyan na ni Poks ang mga alon sa Australia at iba pang mga bansa sa South East Asia para sa iba’t ibang international surfing competitions.
 
Pero ang makinang sana niyang career sa surfing, bigla na lang naudlot.  Nagulat ang surfing community nang biglang mamaalam si Poks sa edad na beinte siyete.
 
Sa gitna ng parating na bagyo, dinayo ni Howie Severino ang balwarte ni Poks sa San Juan, La Union.
 
Kasama niya ang kaniyang anak na si Alon para matutong mag-surf kasama ang mga taong malapit kay Poks: sina Luke Landrigan at 0ang labing anim na taong gulang na kapatid ni Poks, si Jay-R Esquivel, parehong mga surfing champion.
 
Sa tulong nila at ng iba pang surfer, tuklasin ang buhay na naiwan ng isa sa mga pinaka-kilalang surfer sa La Union.   Mapapanood ngayong Lunes, July 1, ang "SAYAW SA ALON", pagkatapos ng Saksi.