FLIM'S LAPU-LAPU

Cess saw a black folder tucked in beside my graphic novels.

CESS: “ LAPU-LAPU? What is this?

She leafs thru it.

CESS: “ It’s a script? It’s a film script! “

FLIM: “ Made that back in 93. It’s supposed to be an epic. Around 2 hours plus! With a cast of thousands! Three full-scale galleon ships in the background being boarded by the warriors of MACTAN. It’s going to be the national epic! Like the MAHABHARATA! “

CESS:” It’s actually completed! “

She reads certain pages.

FLIM: “ That would be fun to do. With 40 million pesos! “

CESS: “ Hey it’s actually funny!

FLIM: “ Kinda. I find everything irreverent. Guess that’s my personal spin.”

CESS: “ Even KING Philip’s funny.”

LAPU-LAPU is the first national hero of the country. The first to say FUCK YOU! To the SPANIARDS when the tribes were too busy bowing and kissing Portuguese butts! Rizal is the most popular but doing a movie about his life is for MERCHANT AND IVORY. LAPU-LAPU is blood on spears, bolos with remnants of human skull and hair glinting in the noonday sun. GORE! BEHEADINGS and primal screams in the forests!

CESS: “ Hey this is very funny.But the historians will tear you to shreds!”

FLIM: " I dont want to do a straight forward film adaptation.That would be pretty boring.I want to do my own spin on it.But LITO LAPID pretty much damned any LAPU-LAPU material.That subjectwould be untouchable for another ten years.But then again I dont think ten years is enough to raise 40 million pesos."

I peeked at the page.

FLIM: Maybe I can add my name on the title. You know like FLIM'S LAPU-LAPU. To defferentiate it from LAPID'S APU-LAPU.

Just the same way that LAPID'S CHICARON (dried pig skin)ensures the buyers that they are buying not just any other chicharon . But LAPID'S!

Cess continues to read it.

CESS: " Funny and strange! "

FLIM: “What’s funnier is LITO LAPID as LAPU-LAPU. Saw that movie. The music was lifted off PLANET OF THE APES. They could have composed their own. We have a lot of indigenous musical instruments to make it unique. I don’t know. But I did find the death of LAPULAPU in the film quite interesting. I just don’t know if it was historically accurate.

CESS: “ What happened to him? “

FLIM: “ He was tied to four different carabaos going on four different directions. Sounds like the government right? ”