FOR writer and podcaster Lio Mangubat, fascinating yet less well-known tidbits of history had always been the driving force behind his many endeavors, be it a magazine article or an episode of his podcast The Colonial Dept.

He was therefore pleasantly surprised when Singapore-based Faction Press’ publisher Chye Shu Wen reached out to him and suggested compiling all the research and writing he had done for various articles and podcast episodes into a nonfiction book. Thus Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period, 1565-1946 was born.

The book features 13 essays on episodes of history that were not taught in school, from Mexican fighter pilots flying dangerous missions over the Philippines during World War II, to the importation of talented Filipino orchestras and bands in Shanghai, to American occupiers falling victim to a mysterious illness called “Philippinitis.”

Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves was first launched in July, is included in the top reads at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Singapore. It is now available in the Philippines at the independent bookstore Everything’s Fine in Makati City.

“I love that I’m in Kinokuniya, but this is a book about the Philippines, written by a Filipino, and I’m proud of that. We need more of these kinds of books in our reading diet,” Mr. Mangubat said at an Aug. 31 talk at Everything’s Fine.

“My main consideration is that I really wanted to make history accessible, entertaining, something fun to read,” he said. “You get immersed in another world, and it’s a world that actually happened. It transports you.”

FASCINATING FACTS
Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves tackles a wide range of topics, some peculiar and others a marvel to ponder.

One chapter talks about how baseball was once the most popular sport in the Philippines, which Mr. Mangubat first discussed on his podcast and later adapted into the book.

“To think that we have a very huge and strong basketball culture here now when, less than a hundred years ago, it was another sport capturing the imagination of Filipinos!” he said.

The chapter follows an all-Filipino baseball team (unfortunately named the Brownies for, well, obvious reasons) and their tour of America, where they played exhibition games. It culminates with a match where they face off with the all-black team.

Mr. Mangubat said at the talk that one of his favorite chapters is on his interview with Filipino-American author Albert Samaha, whose book Concepcion traced the story of his ancestors. On Mr. Samaha’s mother’s side, he is descended from Maguindanao sultans, while on his father’s side, he is descended from the family of Andres Bonifacio.

“There’s a line in it where his great-grandparents met in a schoolhouse in Mindanao, and the way he wrote it was that there was an American flag fluttering above the daughter of sultans and the son of revolutionaries, and they fell in love. And I thought, wow, that is such a great encapsulation of the colonial era, of the Philippines,” said Mr. Mangubat.

He invited the author to guest on his podcast, but the book goes even further by describing Mr. Samaha in detail, bringing him to life for the reader.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN VOICES
Faction Press’ Ms. Chye explained that, while they are new in publishing, the need for more Southeast Asian voices in literature around the world is a pressing one that must be addressed.

“The fact that the book is doing well in Kinokuniya shows that people want to read more about our region, our history,” she told BusinessWorld. “We want to uplift the voices of Asian authors from different parts of the globe.”

Mr. Mangubat added that he hopes historical nonfiction as a genre isn’t relegated to something academic. “There are lots of history books but, for casual readers, they can be intimidating. A book like this is not geared towards the academe or someone writing a thesis, but towards the average Filipino who can walk into a store and fall in love with history,” he said.

History professor Micah R. Perez from the University of the Philippines, whom Mr. Mangubat consulted for the project, said that Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves approaches history like it’s an interesting story to tell friends.

An inspiration for Mr. Mangubat was David Grant, who wrote the historical novels Lost City of Z, based on British explorers finding ancient cities in the Amazon, and Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the Osage tribe murders and the founding of the FBI, both of which have been made into films.

“These books showed me you can make history very entertaining. Grant zeroed in on a specific topic and expanded it into a novel, connecting dots along the way. If I had the time, I would want to write a book like that, but I can only manage a chapter per topic,” he said.

While various university and independent presses have published similar types of books over the years, Mr. Mangubat told BusinessWorld that having a plethora of these on the market will build a strong readership of Filipinos interested in history.

“I wish that more of it will continue to get published, and that more of it will be available to many more people.” — Brontë H. Lacsamana

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Ballet Review
Giselle
By Ballet Manila

FOR the final production of Ballet Manila’s 26^th performance season, the ballet company welcomed renowned Russian dance couple Renata Shakirova and Alexei Timofeyev in a moving restaging of the love story Giselle.

“There are some ballets that one can watch again and again with many different casts and still not get enough of. I think Giselle is one of them,” said Ballet Manila Chief Executive Officer and artistic director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde in her opening notes at the Sept. 1 show.

“In presenting Renata and Alexei to the Philippine audience, I feel like a proud big sister — as we both consider our teacher at the Russian Ballet Academy, Tatiana Udalenkova, as our mentor and second mother,” she said.

While the season saw Ballet Manila successfully take on the classic Le Corsaire in February, and short stories by Lola Basyang in May, it is with Giselle that the company shines amid its gradual post-pandemic resurgence.

The two superstars from the Mariinsky Ballet bring their strong connection as a real-life couple to the charming attraction and eventual drama of Giselle and Albrecht’s story. It is a wonder to think that it is their first time performing it together (and what a privilege it is the Philippines that witnesses the result).

Giselle is a technically challenging ballet, requiring a high level of artistry and technique as the dancers perform numerous jumps and lifts, often at speed. In terms of stage and costume design, it is a full production but does not really require elaborate visuals — though the recently updated LED projections installed at Aliw Theater do give it a boost.

Ms. Shakirova is a true romantic ballerina, her movements full of poise and grace as the kind village girl Giselle’s heart is won by a dashing peasant man. Mr. Timofeyev as Albrecht conveys the sense of nobility that he is trying to hide, and when his identity as a count and betrothal to another lady is revealed, he quickly embodies remorse and sorrow.

As for Giselle, who dies of a broken heart, the Mariinsky Ballet prima ballerina fills the role with rueful madness, driving home the story’s tragic nature. Act 1, full of life and song and dance, has a jarring shift in tone as Act 2 opens at the graveyard where Giselle is buried.

The entire corps de ballet similarly undergoes a shift in atmosphere, as the colorful and lively villagers are replaced by a haunting horde of Wilis — ghosts of maidens who were betrayed by their lovers — decked in radiant white dresses. The entire stage, from the set to the costumes to the people themselves, suddenly appear to be pulled from a horror movie — a treat for fans of the gothic and macabre.

Stephanie Santiago as the Willis queen Myrtha adds an interesting dimension to the narrative. She plays up the harsh look on her face in contrast to the way she gracefully dances, as one would expect of a vengeful queen of maiden spirits. It is later announced that she is Ballet Manila’s newest soloist — deservedly so.

As Giselle and Albrecht are locked in a deadly pas de deux, their lovely dance from Act 1 now morphed into a somber yet moving conclusion in Act 2, one gets the impression that Ms. Shakirova and Mr. Timofeyev’s interpretation is likely one of the best put to stage.

Giselle is truly a fitting finale to Ballet Manila’s performance season, with superstar guests weaving their own romantic feelings into the powerful story. It’s a haunting production that leaves one wondering where Ballet Manila will go in its upcoming 30^th year as a company.