Robert Grace Hit "A Dream" in TVJ's Shoot That Ball

In the 1980s, one of the foreign songs that became popular in the Philippines is A Dream (Dumio) by Robert Grace. Played constantly by the leading radio stations of that era, the song was a hit among the regular attendees of the occasional Saturday night disco parties in many barangays all over the country. There is little information on the Internet about this dance hit. Fortunately a YouTube channel called RAGElite offers some details. According to the channel, A Dream (Dumio) was an underground hit in Melbourne, Australia circa 1986-1987. In those years, Grace was possibly the only Australian representative of the Italo-disco movement.

A Dream (Dumio) was so well-liked all over the Philippines that the comedic trio of Tito, Vic and Joey parodied the Robert Grace hit in Shoot That Ball, a movie produced by Regal Films in 1987. During those times, it seemed to be common practice in the local movie industry to imitate or cover chart-topping tracks from abroad with exaggerated humor. Intellectual property law was less strictly enforced than nowadays.

Image Courtesy of Video48

Going back to the scene, the parody of A Dream (Dumio) can be viewed from the 46:00 to 50:00 minute window of the video below. In that scene, Pidiong, Manong and Tinggoy (respectively portrayed by Tito, Vic and Joey are students at the Agricultural School of the Orient (ASO). ASO is the rival institution of the Philippine University of Sciences & Arts (PUSA). This rivalry and other details, will be covered in future posts on this blog. 

Mrs. Mercedes Kasusuan (portrayed by Florence Carvajal) is their teacher in Animal Husbandry. Her students cannot afford to buy the Hong Kong goods she sells in the classroom. In order for the trio to pass her class, Mrs. Kasusuan tasked them to fill a pail with cow's milk in 10 minutes The song-and-dance sequence ensues.

LYRICS

Hay! Ang buhay sa farm ay ang galing! Walang kasinsarap

If you're a nature lover, Darling ikaw tiyak na mangangarap

Hayop ang ang view, nakakaloko, oh nakupo Diyos ko!

Maraming bundok, paikot-ikot, oks talaga dito!

So green ang paligid all the time

Naku! Nakakagigil! (Ayayayay!)

Sariwang hangin ang lalanghapin, ang bango ng amoy dito!

Sariwang bogchi ang lalapangin, ay parang five-star din (Ayayayay!)

Hay! Napakahirap magpalabas sa baka ng gatas

Baka iba ang mahimas, madisgrasya iba ang lumabas

Milking! Milking! Milking! Ay mabuting exercise

Milking! Milking! Milking! Ay mahusay na tunay

Gatas ng baka sa umaga ay good sa wankata natin 'to

Gatas na pula, mag-iingat ka at malamang namang baboy 'to

Hayop ang ang view, nakakaloko, oh nakupo Diyos ko!

Maraming bundok, paikot-ikot, oks talaga dito!

Milking! Milking! Milking! Ay mabuting exercise

Milking! Milking! Milking! Ay mahusay na tunay

Gatas ng baka sa umaga ay good sa wankata natin 'to

Gatas na pula, mag-iingat ka at malamang namang baboy 'to

It was nice that Regal Entertainment provided the closed captions in English.

Oh! Life in a farm is awesome! 

Nothing compares to it!

If you're a nature lover, darling you'll surely dream!

The view is unbelievable! Oh my God!

There are many mountains around, it's really cool in here!

The surrounding is green all the time.

Oh my! It's really irresistable!

You will smell fresh air, it smells so good in here.

The food to eat is fresh, just like a five-star!

It's so hard to get milk out of a cow.

You might squeeze something else, and something else comes out.

Milking! Milking! Milking! It's a good exercise!

Milking! Milking! Milking! It's really awesome

Cow's milk in the morning is good for out body.

Be careful with red milk because most probably, it's a pig!

What a view! Unbelievable! Oh my God!

There are many mountains around, it's really cool in here!

There are many mountains around, it's really cool in here!

Milking! Milking! Milking! It's a good exercise!

Milking! Milking! Milking! It's really awesome

Cow's milk in the morning is good for out body.

Be careful with red milk because most probably, it's a pig!

Movies That Mark 30th Year in February 2024

The Filipino movie industry was much more prolific in 1994. At least 10 movies were released  in February of that year. Many of these movies can be viewed on YouTube, while others are occasionally aired on free television.

Chop-Chop Lady: The Elsa Santos Castillo Story

Dino Obrero: Haring Daga
Hatay Tataw Hataw
Kapantay ay Langit
Geron Olivar
Pinagbiyak Na Bunga: Lookalayk
Bawal Na Gamot
Matinik Na Kalaban
Ultimatum
Multo in the City

Details of each mentioned title follow.

It's Juan Ponce Enrile's 100th Birthday Today

In my opinion, today is a historic Valentine's Day (and Ash Wednesday) because a colorful figure in Philippine politics is celebrating his 100th birthday. Juan Ponce Enrile is the name of the man. Currently serving as the Presidential Legal Counsel, Enrile is the oldest incumbent public official in the Philippines. He is also entitled to a 100,000 peso cash gift from the government. (An infinitesimal sum compared with his net worth). Also known by the nickname Johnny, he has become a staple in pop culture in the past few years because of the memes that poke fun on his longevity.  

Many people are in awe with his ability to stay alive that long while supposedly possessing mental clarity. (I am one of those who wish to achieve that feat in the decades to come.) My interest in Enrile's longevity started in 2012, when ABS-CBN Publishing released his memoir. Enrile was already 88 years old then, so many observers thought that the book was meant to be some sort of a "swan song." The following passage is even found in the back cover: "I have been judged and condemned many times. But I fear only the ultimate judgment of God and of history."

If I am not mistaken, the book had a price tag of about 1,200 pesos at the time of its release. Although I wanted to get hold of a copy, I ruled against shelling out the amount. I would have to work for a few days to earn the amount needed. Furthermore, there were voices saying the book was too expensive for what some reviewers labeled as "fiction." (To be fair, I would also embellish my own memoir if I would write mine.) 

The publishing house is part of ABS-CBN, a multimedia giant in the country. As part of the book's promotion, the then-active TV station of the company aired Enrile's story as a two-part episode of the drama anthology "MMK." Bugoy Cariño and Enrique Gil portrayed Enrile in his years as a child and adult, respectively. (Side Trivia: Enrique Gil's movie "I am Not Big Bird" is going to open in movie theaters today.)

I forgot about the book until it came to my consciousness six years later. Let me tell you a background story. Before the work-from-home era, I used to commute from the province to my office in Quezon City. There was a policy that anyone logging in beyond 10 a.m. was considered late. One day in July 2018, it was already 10 a.m. and the UV Express van I was aboard was just approaching SM North EDSA. In instances like that one, I would alight the van and proceed to the mall. I would have early lunch and do some window shopping. I would do bulakbol first before working.

On that day, I decided to eat bulalo at the Food Court and make a pilgrimage to National Bookstore. In the latter establishment, I saw shopping carts holding copies of Enrile's memoir I was planning to buy about six years ago. I was amazed that it was on sale for only 125 pesos. Of course, I promptly bought a copy, along with Asuncion David Maramba's "Seven in the Eye of History." The book eventually disappeared from the store's bookshelves and became some sort of a collector's item. In 2021 or 2022, I saw a Facebook post of a media personality saying that she bought a second-hand copy for 3,000 pesos. 😅 For now, I have no plans to sell my copy.

Due to work-related and personal obligations, as well as the challenges of commuting, it took me another two years to finally read Enrile's memoir. (My thoughts about the book will be the subject of a future post.) As my reading intensified during the pandemic, I sought more online articles to supplement my book list. One of those articles is about him attributing his long life to a vegetable called saluyot. In an effort to boost my immunity, I also started to include this vegetable in my diet most days of the week. It can then be safely asserted that Enrile is not just a pop culture figure but also a health influencer.