The Story behind the Giant Puppets of Masskara

THE GRAND ARRIVAL OF THE GIANT PUPPETS

If you are either a local or a foreign tourist who come to Bacolod for Masskara, somehow you know what to expect when you go to the festival. You have in mind what the typical scenes are- the colorful smiling masks; the street dance competition;  parties here and there; the carnival rides; streets filled with people; an array of stalls and the seemingly endless activities happening around the city. Masskara has evolved from being a simple celebration of smiling masks and street dancing, to a highly acclaimed festival in the country and even abroad. With Masskara, there is always something to look forward to.

Last year, everyone was surprised to see a new attraction – the Giant Puppets of the La Consolacion College of Architecture, Fine Arts and Engineering Department (ARFIEN). The puppets were about 12 feet high, being carried by one person on his back and assisted by two others who control the arm movements. The ARFIEN students of LCC-Bacolod created these amazing and gigantic puppets. People were amused by the sight of it. It’s something new to everyone. It’s something new to the Masskara scene. Undeniably, people who witnessed it seemed to really enjoy.  But little did we know how these Giant Puppets came about during last year.

LCC’s PARTICIPATION IN MASSKARA

The school has been joining Masskara for many years now. They even won 2^nd place in the Street Dancing Competition way back in the 90’s. There came a time that they quit joining. There were many artists in the institution, and as artists, they were naturally creative and imaginative. They didn’t want to be dictated on what they should do or not do. They couldn’t be put in a box. They would always get out. They couldn’t be stopped from doing what they wanted.

There was a time, they joined the competition wearing enormous heads of different cartoon characters, and in another year, they created very big masks with small feet. They were disqualified. Although they were allowed to participate, they were no longer legible to win any prize. People who saw them enjoyed. As a matter of fact, they were the most photographed during that time because of their mass appeal. They were instantly adored by the crowd. For them, it’s no longer about winning, but giving joy to people is their driving force.

They stopped joining for 4-5 years. But the institution never stopped thinking of a comeback. But how did they come back to Masskara? As an art school, they thought about it for so long.

FROM A TV SHOW TO THE BIRTH OF THE GIANT PUPPETS

One Sunday, while watching TV, Mr. Rialino Alisbo, the dean of the ARFIEN Department saw this festival in Japan with moving structures of a fish and other creatures. This tickled his imagination.

With enthusiasm, he told this story:

“The next day, I went to school, it was August last year, I told my fellow faculty members about it.”  He encouraged them, “Why don’t we come up with something like this, moving and dancing, and join Masskara?” The initial idea was to create something that all people can see. They began researching on the internet and came across the Gigantes Festival of Lucban Quezon. They thought it was great, but the movements of the structures are limited, the most it can do is move from side to side. “We can’t make something like the Gigantes, because it will appear as imitation.” He said. “Children cannot see the dance parade because they are small. I believe Masskara is for all, young and old alike should be able to enjoy it. We asked ourselves, what are the enjoyments of the children? Of course, watching the parade, but most of them cannot see, either they must be carried by their parents on their shoulders or climb on the roof of a vehicle. ..so unfortunate of them!”

They continued to research on the internet. They gathered all the information they could find. Therewere a lot of videos on Youtube teaching how to build giant puppets. Their concern was how they could adapt it to the Philippine setting. After all the researching, brainstorming and sketching of prototypes, they were able to come up with what we see now as the Giant Puppets of the ARFIEN Department of LCC Bacolod , 12 feet high, three dimensional, colorful and smiling. Mr. Alisbo added, “Our system (of building the puppets) is found in the internet, we only improve some of them.”

When it was announced to the students that they were joining Masskara and build giant puppets, they all applauded. For Mr. Alisbo, it was a sign that the students are up to the project and that they liked it. By September, they proposed it to Silver Masskara Organizers and was approved immediately. The whole department committed to participate. Students were grouped into 5-10 members. They get incentives from all their major subjects. The teachers gave their students the freedom to display their artistry and creativity. 

They were given guidelines to follow. The puppet has to be smiling; it should jive with the Masskara theme and must be in full colors. “Give us something that people will enjoy during the Masskara Festival”, were the words of Mr. Alisbo to the students. One month before the festival, students began working on the giant puppets. The classrooms, the lobby, the studios, served as their working area. They made use of the little spaces they have in the building.  “If you’re an artist, you should be versatile” Mr. Alisbo said. These students are amazing. Not only they are creative, they too are resourceful and very adaptive. The activity serves as a training ground for them. They could create a work of art out of simple materials like paper, plastics and remnants of cloth. The students were dedicated to complete the puppets. Some would even stay up late just to get the work done. The beauty of the activity is, students get inspired. They look at their puppets with pride and honor. Camaraderie is strengthened. “When students’ work is appreciated, it boosts their morale. Those who are always absent in class, show up during building the puppets”, Mr.  Alisbo wittily observed. The teachers still get surprised each time they see the work of their students. Some works exceed their expectations. It can’t be avoided that some parents would complain about the expenses. Mr. Alisbo would explain to them that the activity is part of the students’ school life. In a way, it serves as a reliever for them from the pressure of the normal classroom routine. This activity is something they look forward to be shown to Bacolod.

Masskara came. More than 50 Giant puppets were paraded in the streets of Lacson. For the first time, the crowd was seeing, in great awe, the creations of the ARFIEN department of LCC Bacolod. The reception was overwhelming. It was a hit for tourists. All the hard work, the tiredness, the effort and the late hours paid off. It was worth it and fulfilling. It was all they dreamed of.

GIANT PUPPETS AND BEYOND

“I cannot claim that I created it. Maybe I was the one who started the ball rolling. With the help of all the faculty members, it snowballed”, Mr. Alisbo humbly admitted. “We dreamed of going back to Masskara…without being judged of our uniqueness and being different. Our goal is that people will enjoy seeing us perform. Isn’t Bacolod the City of Smiles? Let’s bring more smiles especially to children.”

Last April (2012), the puppets reached worldwide audience when the Masskara Dancers used them as props for a competition on “It’s Showtime” a noontime program in ABS-CBN. They were used in several events in Bacolod. Some of the puppets were sold already.  This year, the 800+ students of ARFIEN department are showcasing 73 giant puppets - refined, improved and made even better. They have learned from their experiences last year where some puppets didn’t last long. They also made miniature models this year which are on display for exhibit at the main lobby of the school.

Mr. Alisbo dreams for the giant puppets to expand and grow in the coming years. “We have established it. We will pass it on to them. Having established it, is already a ‘feather in our cap’…We wanted to share it with Bacolod. We wanted to teach Bacolod how to build giant puppets.” He believes that if Bacolod learns how to build them, giant puppets will have a promising future just like the smiling masks that were once very simple but now have evolved into something sophisticated, elegant and world-class. “It (giant puppets) started as an idea, and then it grew. It’s a potential tourism attraction. It could help Bacolod. People will know that Bacolod is really an artists’ haven, that there are really great artists here…If only given a break or a venue, just like the students.”