By Ruel S. De Vera
Associate Editor

Heroes are a personal constellation. Every person chooses his or her own celestial bodies to revolve around. There are more public personages and more public allegiances—but even those are marked by personal commitment. Our heroes reflect what we aspire for, what we seek perhaps in ourselves, surely in others.

The old heroes were a bit easier to spot. They were usually in front of an army, or in front of a court of some sort, or even in front of death. They were poet warriors and trailblazers, be it by leading a brave last stand at Tirad Pass or by refusing to get up from the seat of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
In these complicated times, even our heroes get complicated. But everyone should have a personal guide to personal heroes. Here’s mine:

Whistleblowers: Definitely the most thankless kind of heroism, simply because it is actually much more difficult to not turn away from wrongdoing. Sometimes, or as recent history shows us, all the time, a whistleblower will wind up raised on charges, living in virtual exile, while those whose malfeasance was uncovered get off scot-free, even with ill-gotten gains intact. Just ask Jun Lozada, or, in a case of justice really miscarried, Acsa Ramirez.

Martyrs: This is what happens when we don’t protect our whistleblowers. Yet many martyrs die for causes obscured by routine and duty. The soldiers in the Mindanao conflict never get noticed until they’re returning in flag-covered coffins. And that’s not to forget those who return maimed. A country can be a cause, and if one lived an entire life in the service of a nation, just like Cory did, then they’re martyrs in a very real sense.

Inspirations: There are people out there who overcome mighty adversity. Just by their example, we find the strength to go on. They overcome everything from mighty odds to terrible sickness and even mind-boggling tragedy. They don’t have to be famous. They just have to live—and teach us by that living.

Voices in the Wilderness: They speak even if people do not want to hear what they have to say. Sometimes, they are unpopular, but they are rarely wrong—and never rash. The Internet has made their voices easier to hear—but it’s also harder to find the true Voices. Gerry Alanguilan continues to treat Filipino comics as something important. Manolo Quezon thinks everything through for us. Conrad de Quiros says it with fire and ice.

Mentors: This goes beyond teachers, though they are the perfect example of mentors. Mentors watch over us and direct us without killing our spirit. Quite the contrary, they fill us up with spirit. Sometimes just knowing that there is someone who really does believe in you will be enough. For me, it will always be my freshman English teacher, Doreen Fernandez. She taught me more than how to write. To this very day, I try to live my life based on what Doreen would have done. Who is yours?

Read about Efren Penaflorida and other Filipinos who made us proud in the October 26, 2009 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.

By Ruel S. De Vera
Associate Editor

MOVIES are a devotion for some people, and going to the movies is a pilgrimage. Yes, the latest movies can usually be found on DVD and there’s a lot being shown on TV, but going to the movies is an event. The best example I can think of when it comes to turning a trip to the movies into something to look forward to comes from a movie itself: “Annie!” In that movie, Daddy Warbucks and the Little Orphan parade down a line of white-gloved attendants—in the middle of a delightfully over-the-top kickline number called, naturally, “Let’s Go To The Movies”—to watch ____. The movie was beside the point; it was the going that mattered.

Today, it takes a herculean effort to get a bunch of people together early and quickly enough to be able to go see a movie together. Texts have been returned and there’s the discussion of which mall to go to and which place to have dinner at before/after… Yep, it’s a big deal. Too bad people don’t dress up to go to the movies anymore—aside from the requisite jacket for the frosty air-conditioning (read: Power Plant Cinema)—would you believe people used to turn out in suits and jewelry to watch a feature? Nowadays, people look like they just returned from a trip to 7-Eleven.

But there is an anticipation that lends itself uniquely to a movie night. All that hassle becomes a countdown to having a good time. There are requisites to such a night of course.

But there are things that can quickly ruin such a major expedition to the cinema. These are the dreaded don’ts at the theater, but people do, anyway.

1) Unspoiled: Imagine that you’ve stayed off the Net, basically ignored friends who have gone to see the movie before you, and been saying “ABCDEFGHIJKL…” with ears covered up all week just so you won’t find out the big twist at the end of the movie. Then, just as you’re waiting to enter the theater… this loudmouth comes out, stating, “Wow, I can’t believe Dumbledore died!” Now, granted a lot of people do this as a joke, blurting out red herrings, but there are many more people who do this still. Look, if I want to know that she’s a guy, Bruce Willis is a ghost and that dude has a friggin’ twin then I will look it up myself. Thanks for nothing.

2) Foot Forward: I understand you are tired from work or saving the world or something, but there is nothing that allows you to a) put your foot on top of the empty chair in front of you, or b) put your foot against my backrest and start whacking it. But that’s not the worst. To do these things after taking off your shoes and socks, what the hell is wrong with you? Where did I hide that Taser…

3) Food Fight: OK, I can see you got that bucket of butter-substance popcorn, but can you please refrain from playfully flinging it at your friend-squeeze-companion because he or she said something funny? That’s because the popcorn inevitably misses your friend completely and hits the unfortunate person behind—who happens to be me. Here’s a deal: you throw popcorn at me and I can throw hotdogs at you. With the bun and dressing.

4) Commentary: Nuff said. If I wanted a blow-by-blow account, I’d buy the DVD.

5) Dialogue Coach: You’re watching the movie and then in the darkness someone’s cellphone is clearly on. Then you hear the hushed but still very much audible dialogue: “Hello! I’m at a movie. What’s that? Really? I’m in a movie…” and on and on for five minutes! Wait, did you not listen to the Kung Fu Panda at the start of the film?

These are a few of my cinema cine-nots, what are yours?

Read about the brouhaha over the movies of would-be national artist Carlo J. Caparas in the October 5, 2009 issue of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine.