Prime-time Amaya climbs the ivory tower

Tasked to write an academic paper about ancient rituals, UP Diliman students Franchezca Ann Bande and Quinn Denmark Braga settled on a decidedly non-academic topic: Amaya, the gorgeous lead character in GMA 7’s prime-time “epicserye." “Our initial topic was about the babaylan," said Bande. “Pero nag-stick kami sa binukot matapos mahanap sa research kasi pwedeng example si Amaya." The character played by actress Marian Rivera was once a binukot (princess), who was demoted to the lowly stature of uripon (slave) before being becoming an alabay, or an apprentice babaylan (priestess). Their study on the binukot is just one of the many instances that the show, which was created to entertain mass audiences, has climbed the ivory tower to fixate the attention of nerdier types. History professor Vic Villan, PhD, one of the show’s history consultants, called this phenomenon a sign that the television show is “groundbreaking". “Nagsilbing daan (ang Amaya) sa pagpupukaw ng interes (ng mga mag-aaral) para maging proyekto nila sa eskwelahan," said Villan at a forum held at the UP College of Mass Communication. He mentioned having a lengthy interview with a Centro Escolar student who is writing his thesis about the show. The UP history professor also believes that the epicserye will pave the way for similar shows in the future that will spark viewers’ interest in Philippine history. “Dahil yung mga tinuturo ko sa klase ay tulad din nung sa Amaya, nauugnay nila ang dalawa," said Villan of the Philippine History and Philippine Nationalism classes he teaches. “Yung learning process, napaka-light and ang retention ay mas effective." Professor Neil Santillan, PhD, another history consultant for the show, said it has made people think about a part of the nation’s history that has been greatly ignored. “Nagkakaroon ng malalimang diskurso tungkol sa sinaunang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas," said Santillan. “Malaking ambag ito para sa pagbuo ng kamalayan sa ating nakaraan na binaon na sa limot." Historical fiction The show’s creators relied heavily on classic Philippine history reference materials such as the Boxer Codex, an early pictographic account of Filipino culture and physical appearances around the time the Spaniards began colonizing the islands. But the historians are quick to remind that the story is still fictional. “Dapat may pagkilala na ang Amaya, may artistic license sa produksyon," said Santillan. Head writer Suzette Doctolero also shared that while they do have access to actual babaylan chants, they opt to use invented lines instead.

“Hindi namin ginagamit kasi nirerespeto namin ang mga babaylan, at nirerecognize namin na maaaring powerful ang mga (chant)," said Doctolero. She recalled a historian’s contributed data, a translated babaylan ritual for recalling the soul of a person who just died. “Mahirap na, baka magkamultuhan sa set," Doctolero quipped. Asked about the basis for the name “Amaya," Doctolero admitted that it was not a Filipino name. Santillan and Villan clarified that this could represent the Nasuntara era, when adopting objects and names of foreign origin was the norm. “Kung sino man ang nakalayag palayo at nakauwi nang buhay at may dalang bagay mula sa labas ay naging tanyag," said Villan. “Kasama na diyan ang mga pangalan na mula sa labas, na kapag ipinangalan sa anak mo, ay nagbibigay dito ng tingkad at tanyag Having a critical audience is a sign of victory for director Mac Alejandre. “Ibig sabihin nito, naiintindihan ng mga manonood ang konteksto ng Amaya," said Alejandre. “Halimbawa kapag pinupuna kami na may nakakalusot na Spanish-based words, ibig sabihin alam nila na pre-colonial nga ang setting ng kwento." As part of the celebration of History Week at UP Diliman, “Isang Talastasan sa Teleseryeng Amaya" featured Santillan, Villan, Alejandre, and Doctolero discussing the epicserye and its impact beyond entertainment. Also present were GMA Network Vice President for Drama Lilybeth Rasonable, Program Manager Cheryl Sy and Amaya cast members Gina Alajar (Dian Lamitan) Sid Lucero (Bagani), Ayen Munji-Laurel (Hara Lingayan), and Mikael Daez (Lumad). — HS, GMA News