Bago Lumamig ang Sabaw (Tagalog: Before the Broth Turns Cold) is a 1976 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by Cesar 'Chat' Gallardo and written by Edgardo M. Reyes.
The film stars Joseph Estrada and Nida Blanca as a garbage truck driver and a teacher who became the accidental guardians of a widower's child. As they took care of the young boy, they unexpectedly fall in love with each other.
The title is inspired by the idiom 'humigop ng mainit na sabaw' (Tagalog: 'to sip some hot broth'), which means to attend a wedding reception or to get married. In Filipino tradition, newlywed couples serve hot broth to the guests.
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| Photo Credit: Lea Productions / IMDb |
PLOT
Jose 'Jo' Nazareno is a garbage truck driver, assisted by Teroy and Bert. They work for the Department of Public Safety - Talimbas. One day, a child stops them to ask for help because his mother is about to give birth. Unable to reach the hospital in time, the mother delivers a baby boy inside the truck.
When Jo returns home, he hears strange noises from the neighboring apartment unit. Peeking through a hole in the wall, he sees a woman spraying insecticide. Her name is Aurea 'Auring' Makahiya. Auring accuses Jo of peeping, but Joe explains that a man used to live there, and they would exchange cigarettes through that hole.
From then on, the Jo and Auring started to quarrel over many things, such as who gets to use the shared bathroom first. Jo also teases Auring for still being single.
One day, Jo sees Auring struggling to get a ride. He offers her a lift, but she refuses. Auring is actually on her way to the home of Mr. Noble, a wealthy widower looking for a private tutor for his son Bombot. Auring gets accepted for the job, though Mr. Noble worries she might not endure the boy's mischief.
The introduction between teacher and student goes poorly. Bombot shakes Auring's hand with a frog hidden in his palm. He later places a banana on her chair. Despite these pranks, Auring remains patient.
Meanwhile, Jo is mugged by drunkards but manages to fight them off. At the Noble mansion, Betty—soon to be Mr. Noble’s wife—is secretly involved with Gildo, a gambler. Betty tells Gildo she will marry Noble, but he dismisses it, seeing Mr. Noble only as a source of money while he provides her "physical needs."
Auring befriends Bombot's nanny, Miding. From Miding, she learns that Bombot used to be kind but became sullen and stubborn after his mother died in an accident years earlier. The same accident left Mr. Noble paralyzed. According to Miding, Bombot refuses to accept anyone replacing his mother.
Betty eventually marries Mr. Noble, who has become impotent due to the accident. Betty understands his condition. But when the couple returns home, Bombot snubs his stepmother.
Meanwhile, Gildo faces problems with Tiger, the syndicate head, for failing to deliver proper gambling accounts. At home, the nanny Inday cooks ginataan for Mr. Noble and Betty, but Bombot sabotages it by adding a dead cockroach. Enraged, Mr. Noble strikes his son, prompting Bombot to run away. He ends up at the garbage dump collected by Joe and his crew. Joe takes him in, and Auring learns of the boy's escape.
Jo brings Bombot along to work, while Auring informs Mr. Noble that the boy is safe. Joe suggests Bombot stay with them for now, as he is still afraid. Joe refuses Noble’s ₱2,000 reward, saying Bombot is simply "hungry for freedom."
Later, Bombot agrees to return home on the condition that Joe picks him up daily with the truck. Betty asks Jo to drive her to the beach. Auring, watching from afar, seems jealous. At the beach, Betty tries to seduce Jo, but he refuses, saying he will not take advantage of someone vulnerable.
Soon after, Jo visits Auring in her apartment unit, saying he has something to confess. Auring grows annoyed when Jo admits he is simply hungry and asks if she has food. Rico, a former co-teacher turned successful businessman and referee, also visits Auring. To provoke Joe's jealousy, Auring claims she and Rico will picnic in Tagaytay.
The picnic is not a romantic meeting; Auring's other former co-teachers also joined her and Rico. Joe and Bombot suddenly arrive, pretending to be Auring's husband and child. Tensions rise, and Joe fights with Rico, but later apologizes when he learns Auring and Rico are not romantically involved. Rico's wife even breaks up the fight. As days went by, Joe and Auring grew closer to each other. At the party of the Department of Public Safety - Talimbas, Joe chose Auring as his date.
Meanwhile, Gildo suffers repeated gambling losses. He demands money from Betty and becomes disappointed with the ₱1,000 she gives from her allowance. He needs ₱30,000 to pay Tiger. He repeatedly calls Betty, and went to the point of threatening blackmail. Betty then calmly told him she has confessed everything to Mr. Noble, who has forgiven her.
At a time that Bombot begins to soften toward his stepmother, a desperate Gildo orders his men to kidnap the child. Auring is caught in the attempt to save him.
Tiger gots arrested, so Gildo lowers the ransom from ₱100,000 to ₱70,000. Joe, along with Teroy and Bert, rescued Bombot and Auring. They were also able to return the ransom money to Mr. Noble.
In the end, Joe and Auring marry in a civil ceremony. Their bridal car is Joe's garbage truck, unknowingly carrying a stowaway—Bombot. The movie ends with Bombot surprising the newlywed couple with his presence in the matrimonial bed.
MAIN CAST
Joseph Estrada ... Jo
Nida Blanca ... Auring
Ric Rodrigo ... Mr. Noble
Paquito Diaz ... Gildo
Vivian Velez ... Betty
Czar 'Bong Che' Victor ... Bombot
Teroy De Guzman ... Teroy
Bert 'Tawa' Marcelo ... Bert
Lorli Villanueva ... Pregnant Woman
Ruben Rustia ... Judge
Carlos Padilla Jr. ... Rico
Estrella Kuenzler ... Miding
SELECTED CREW
Direction ... Cesar 'Chat' Gallardo
Story and Screenplay ... Edgardo M. Reyes
Cinematography ... Ricardo Periodica
Musical Direction ... Ernani Cuenco
Full Movie: Lea Productions / Cinema One / YouTube
