Mrs. B and her search for Jonas Burgos

What could be more heartbreaking than a mother searching for her child? A mother searching for her child who did not leave by choice, perhaps. Jonas Burgos was dragged away in broad daylight on April 28, 2007 from Ever Gotesco mall. Witnesses say a group of five males and one female took him in a car with plate number TAB 194. “Aktibista lang po ako!" Jonas shouted as he was taken. A day after the incident, he was able to call his mother. He sounded weak, as if drugged, and said "Naligo lang ako, Moms. Kasama ko si Neil." Since then, his mother Edita Burgos and the entire family have left no stone unturned in their search for Jonas, to no avail. Jonas Burgos was an agriculturist who chose to leave the comforts of his life to join rural farmers in their struggle for true land reform. He and his siblings were brought up to stand up for their beliefs as their father, the late press-freedom fighter Jose B. Burgos and a "kunsintidor," encouraged them to attend rallies. As children, Jonas and his brother, Sonny, would proudly declare "Nakakulong ang tatay namin dahil naniniwala siya sa demokrasya."

During their younger years, Mrs. B would reluctantly allow them to attend rallies, standing by and keeping watch like a mother hen. "Wag kayong magkamaling saktan ang mga anak ko! Tutusukin ko kayo ng aking mga knitting needles!" she says in the play. Desaparecidos It would not do to write about Joi Barrios' Mrs. B as a work of art. Not because it isn't, for it is, in fact, an excellent forty-five minute piece of a life - the life of Jonas Burgos, told through a monologue by his mother, Edita Burgos. But more than that, it is the journey of all mothers who have sons like Jonas Burgos who have become desaparecidos - the disappeared. Edita Burgos is played by Gina Alajar and Bibeth Orteza in this month's staging of the play, directed by Socrates Jose. Jonas Burgos, who appears within the monologue in Mrs. B's thoughts, is played by Brian Arda. Mrs. Burgos, a devout Catholic as depicted in the play, describes the image of Mary stepping on a snake and says that while this shows Mary as fierce, there is another image of Mary that is fiercer. She refers to Mary in the Way of the Cross, where she stands as Jesus is tortured. "Yun ang sukdulan ng katapangan ng isang ina. Bawat ulos, bawat latay, bawat bulwak ng dugo sa bawat pako. You must be just as brave," she said. In the play, Mrs. B says, "Sinungaling ka, General Tolentino. Ano ang kapalit ng promotion? Buhay ng anak ko? Do you have sons, General? The sins of the father will be visited upon the son." In June 2009, soldiers implicated in Jonas’s abduction namely Noel Clement, Melquiades Feliciano and Edison Caga were promoted to colonel by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The most powerful scene, perhaps, is when Mrs. B speaks about a dream where she sees Jonas being tortured. She cries out to him "Halika rito, gagamutin kita," while pleading with the soldiers who deliver blow after relentless blow to her son. "Maawa kayo sa anak ko, tama na!" Jonas, in this scene is shown in fetal position, weeping while singing "Sa Ugoy ng Duyan." At this point, a series of photos from Jonas' childhood is flashed behind Mrs. B. A work of heart Arda, who sees theater as an alternative venue for activism, prepared for the play by speaking with those who know Jonas personally. "Tinanong ko yung ibang mga may ganung experience, habang tino-torture, paano sila, lumalaban pa ba?" Arda shared. "Sabi ng isa sa akin, wala na akong nagawa, umiyak talaga ako. Sabi nga kanina, ‘di ba, kahit buong buo ang loob mo, mababasag at mababasag ka rin," said Arda, referring to a line in the play. Alajar and Orteza had different approaches to playing Mrs. B. Prior to the production, both interacted with the real Mrs. B, picking up on her character, and even her mannerisms. "Kahit yung pagganun ko sa buhok ko, nagaya nila," Mrs. Burgos laughs, demonstrating how she tucks her hair behind her ears. Mrs. Burgos explains that while Alajar's performance is very emotional, Orteza has a different take on the monologue. "Si Bibeth, very strong ang stance niya," shared Mrs. Burgos. "Siguro ang nakita sa akin ni Gina, yung aking soft side." Orteza said, "Yung mga anak ko, kahit malayo, at least I know where they are. Si Mrs. Burgos at yung iba, hindi na nila alam kung nasaan ang mga mahal nila sa buhay." "Karangalan para sa akin na nakuha akong Mrs. Burgos," she added. “Pag kakilala mo yung family, ginagalang mo yung family, you feel their pain." Mrs. Burgos says they plan to take the play to schools, since this is a different way of getting its message to a wider audience. "We should not stop, or lose hope. If we stop, we have given up the fight before it has even begun," she said. She also said the play is especially timely, in the light of the 43 medical workers arrested and detained in Morong. After the play’s performance on Thursday, Mrs. Burgos praised the Supreme Court for issuing a writ of habeas corpus for the 43 detainees. Orteza hopes they will be able to work out a schedule for more performances of Mrs. B, saying that although she and Alajar both have other projects lined up, she really wants to play the role. "I've been an activist for the longest time, naga-attend ng mga rally, nagpa-participate, but naging full-time lang ako uli talaga nung nagkasakit ako,"Orteza said. “You really don't want to just sit at home and wait, kung babalik ba yung cancer ko, o hindi na? You really want to do more things for your community, you want to be of service, so that even if you go, because we all have to go anyway, may mga nagawa ka na napakinabangan ng iba," she said. Under surveillance For all these behind-the-scenes details, Mrs. B grabs the audience by the throat, without choking them. Instead of the usual in-your-face appeals to pity, Mrs. B is matter of fact, presenting the character as she is - a mother looking for her son, transformed into an activist, but still, her life as a mother goes on. "Maghihintay ako na handa sa realidad," she said, but at the same time resolves to fight for justice. "Ako ang magiging tinik sa bawat makukuha at madadakip na aktibista," she says. "Mukha na akong aktibista, si Jonas at ako ay iisa na dahil iisa na ang aming pinaninindigan. Pagbabago. Hustisya. Demokrasya," ends the monologue, before a poem performed by relatives of the missing ends the play. Although the story is inevitably depressing, Orteza manages to lighten the mood a bit with witty ad libs which garner an appreciative laugh from the audience, without detracting from the gravity of the reality that the play describes. The script does this as well, with rules for those under surveillance spread throughout the narrative. Rule # 1 Maging observant. Tingnan kung sinong nasa paligid, pati ang kasuotan. Rule # 2 Tingin sa kanan, tingin sa kaliwa, pero huwag magpapahalata. Rule # 3 When sending a message, make it clear. Rule # 4 Huwag matakot makibaka. Kung nasa matuwid ka, nasa matuwid ka. These rules are told in the context of Mrs. Burgos’ search for Jonas, which continues to this day. – YA, GMANews.TV The play will be staged on February 12 and February 13 at 3 and 6 pm, at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani auditorium in Quezon City. For details and ticket reservations, contact Aya Santos at (02)434-2837 and (0929)441-4270 or Peachy (09167826374). Proceeds of the play will go to the Free Jonas Burgos Movement and Desaparecidos.