Passing Through: Sugbu

By: Iñigo Jaldon
Bob Marley Festival: 2002-2003

Our ferry docked at the Cebu port on a February morning and were met by our host. Our man had this rasta-inspired hat on, with the intention of looking like an eighth, absent, hippie-dwarf from the Brothers Grimm classic. With bumble bee sunglasses and flowing tribal tattoo on his left arm to complete the image - he practically stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the hues of blues worn by the porters. It was not hard to spot him. In my private thoughts, I christened him Stoney.

En route to the hotel, I noticed old warehouses strewn around the pier area. Probably belonging to old Chinese families who have come to make this island-city their home after decades, if not, centuries of trading. Our host and our band leader were having a conversation, I overheard some names of the acts performing the next evening, which made me more excited as it was the first ever gig I had outside of Davao City. I was now a 'sessionist' playing the percussions for the Davao band P.L.O, headed by the kaliweteng gitarista(left-handed guitarist), Popong Landero. Budoy, Stoney's real name, was informing the band regarding the details of the itinerary.

We were ushered to our respective rooms to get a little rest before rehearsals. A few hours later, we were instructed to proceed to the “Backyard”. Immortalized in the Jr. Kilat song “Original Sigbin”. It was just a five-minute walk from our hotel. Upon reaching the spot, we were treated to a filling afternoon meal of humba rice(an adobo variation), which apparently, was the house specialty.

With tummys filled, we then got down to business and started rehearsing. We were halfway through our first set when we were briefly interrupted by our host. The festival we were performing in was an annual tribute to the original “ghetto superstar”, Robert Nesta Marley. The crew from a then fledgling guerilla network was covering the event, they were asking permission to shoot our rehearsals so they could show it on TV. Why not? It would be a trip to be on TV!

So there we were, no shower, half naked because of the heat in the studio, and about to be shown on national television. Many days later, I would miss every show covering the festival. Never getting to see how we looked. Our drummer would later tease me that I just missed half of my life for never getting to see our mugs of television. With the unshowered look, we probably came across as an exotic bunch to most of the viewers. Which I believe, is still cool.

The “Backyard” was then a venue for a closed-knit bunch of Cebuano musicians. I was humbled, and at the same time, envious of the passion Cebuano folks have for their craft. On that same afternoon, I found a part of myself.

Fast forward to the gig: I find myself among a very enthusiastic crowd. We were skanking to the chunky bass lines of the band on stage. I was ecstatic with the idea that the night was still young, and that there were still other bands lined up to play. Everyone played their hearts out that night.

I chanced upon a bunch of interesting souls that night. One was an Igorot with a four-stringed instrument resembling a kudlong(boatlute) which he crafted all by himself. Apparently, back home, he would religiously sneak into his neighbor's wood shop every afternoon while its' owner was out for work. He would toil for a few hours each day until he was done fabricating his trademark weapon. He decided to settle in the Queen City Of The South to live a musician's lifestyle. We ended up commenting on the vibe that night. The crowd seemed to be emanating this yellow, almost visible energy. Or maybe it was just the beer.

Other individuals included an exotic-animal-loving Godfather of the genre. Upon discovering a thriving reggae scene in Cebu, he theorized that since the city was in the same latitude as Jamaica, the city would then have a similar vibe and lifestyle.

Stoney's alter ego, Jr. Kilat, emerged that night. It was my first time to see the chap perform. Years later, his band would make it big in the industry with their unique brand of bisaya reggae.

The hours just seemed to pass by. It was already our band's turn to play. By then, I was already
pretty tipsy from the free sponsored cervezas. The set went on well, the crowd was still skanking although they were now a bit steady. After our last song, the artists all gathered for the ceremonial jam, singing to Bob's classic, One Love. It was a jam session I will forever cherish.

I traded some of my hand made trinkets for a Jr. Kilat cd, our drummer got a free t-shirt. We were now quite exhausted and dawn was fast approaching. A big-boned lady with a cooking pot the same size as her, invited us for some warm dugo-dugo(pig's blood with intestines) with puto(rice cakes) to cap the night. We helped ourselves to a few delicious servings. With our souls happy and our bodies sleepy, we decided to head back to the hotel.

Our last few hours in Cebu were spent loitering around crowded malls. A sign that businesses are doing good in the city. The events during the previous days instilled a newfound fascination for a city that I knew existed but did not have the chance to experience until the festival. I had a taste of the energy and passion that drive her inhabitants. I made a vow to myself as we boarded our ferry back home, I promised to visit the Queen again.

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