The happy, angry voices during National Artist Ricky Lee’s birthday

Jovial was the general mood and atmosphere during the 76th birthday bash of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricardo Lee, better known in the four walls of the arts industry as Ricky Lee.

Instead of holding it right in his house inside Xavierville in Loyola Heights which he had been doing all these years, Ricky decided to host it this year at the clubhouse of the village.

“Nag-birthday kasi ‘yong apo ni Tatay Ricky dito sa clubhouse so naisip niya na dito na rin gawin ang kanyang birthday (Father Ricky’s grandchild held the party here in the clubhouse so he thought of holding his birthday here),” volunteered Marlon Nicol Laudet, one of Ricky’s retinue who regards the award-winning screenwriter as his surrogate dad.

As the invite stated, I told fellow entertainment journalist Art Tapalla that we cook chami (a kind of Chinese noodles) to bring to the potluck party.

When Art and I appeared in the gig, Ricky was talking with movie writer Noel Ferrer and singer Bituin Escalante.

After handing in the trays of chami to Ricky’s assistants, we found our seats in the neatly arranged chairs and tables covered with white mantle accentuated with multi-colored flowers, however, synthetic, at center pieces.

We saw lady director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil and progressive playwright Rody Vera in a huddle in one table.

I didn’t notice Herbert Bautista was around not until comedian and writer Inday Garutay told me, after getting his food from the buffet table, that she was seated at the former Quezon City mayor’s table with movie columnist Mell T. Navarro.

When I went to Inday’s table, though, Herbert had just left.

But look who I bumped into when I turned my back from where Bistek was!

Vandolph who has slimmed down.

“Hindi ko kayo makakalimutan (I cannot forget you). I am fine,” exclaimed Vandolph who was beside the versatile actor Ping Medina, one of his co-stars in the ABS-CBN action caper “Batang Quiapo.”

I used to see Vandolph when he was still a kid at Alma Moreno and Dolphy’s digs in Greenhills.

Vandolph said his mom Alma is also fine and dandy and they are both Paranaque residents.

I looked at the mustached and bearded guy beside Ping.

Yes, he was Joem Bascon who was with partner Meryll Soriano seated somewhere with friends among the happy crowd.

Who wouldn’t be happier than Ricky if most of his friends available to show up in his party were around like Agot Isidro, Ricky Davao, Bela Padilla, Joscephine Gomez and oh, those amazing filmmakers who are all protégés of the celebrator before they became prizewinning directors here and abroad like Lav Diaz, Adolf Alix, Jr., Jerry Sineneng, Petersen Vargas, Sari Dalena, Rod Marmol, Jay Altarejos, among others.

I asked Adolf if Nora Aunor would drop by since the Superstar lives in the vicinity.

“Ay! Hindi ko po alam (Oh! I don’t know),” he replied.

I asked him, anyway, about his film “Pieta” with Nora. “Ipapalabas po sa mga special screening sa iba’t ibang lugar (It will be shown) not necessarily in cinemas,” said Alix, Jr.

Later, Adolf led Gina Alajar on her way to Ricky but I halted them by greeting the actress which she responded with excitement.

I reintroduced Gina to my seatmate, the award-winning Production Designer Fiel Zabat who came to town from New York where she worked at Macys.

Of course, Alajar and Fiel are familiar with one another from Adam.

Gina jumped with joy when she saw Zabat again so they hugged and I took photos of them.

Fiel is a total woman now.

Meanwhile, Jay told me his “Guardia de Honor” movie which starred Laurice Guillen, Allen Dizon, Sunshine Cruz etc. will be shown at the Moscow International Film Festival in Russia this week.

This could very well make up for his shelved film project with Aunor.

One of the most touching scenes that evening was the presence of ideal couple Jose F. Lacaba, also known as Pete Lacaba and Marra PL. Lanot.

Springing back from a serious ailment, Pete couldn’t reconcile, mostly, names and faces of his colleagues in the entertainment and literary fields.

“Kilala ko ang mukha mo pero di ko alam ang pangalan mo (I recognize your face but I don’t know your name),” he said matter-of-factly to me, who was most of the time with him before he fell ill.

He also didn’t recognize Art whom he also ran around with before he got sick.

I told Tapalla that Pete’s condition must have something to do with what he harrowingly experienced in his incarceration during Martial Law, the same fearful period when Art was also put behind bars for being an activist.

Lacaba and Lee’s reunion was tearful and nostalgic as Pete recalled their working together in various progressive and free press magazines and periodicals such as Asia-Philippines Leader, TV Weekly etc. and as colleagues in the scriptwriting field.

There were musical numbers to the delight of the guests when tenor Jonathan Badon and soprano Sharon Vicente did a duet and solo performances.

Fiel appreciated and applauded Jonathan and Sharon’s classics’ covers.

I noticed, though, that Joscephine (who is also a soprano), stood up and walked away as Sharon was performing.

Perhaps Gomez had a pressing appointment to beat at the time.

* * *

The loudest and most irreverent performance at Ricky’s party was the heavy metal rock music of the group called The Brockas Band led by movie director Khvan de la Cruz.

The band name is obviously inspired by the name of Lino Brocka, one of the fiercest and bravest filmmakers of his generation.

And The Brockas’ styles and contents are mostly dissenting (very characteristically Brocka), like when they played an original composition with the cursed lines “…Putang ina mo (Son of bitch), Jade Castro…” repeatedly.

It wasn’t really downgrading or cursing Jade Castro (“Endo,” “Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington,” “My Kontrabida Girl,” “Beki Boxer,” among others) a fellow filmmaker.

It was an indirect indictment of a flawed justice system of the land.

After their songs, I asked Khvan if the cursed expressions on Jade Castro were an “encouragement.”

He flashed the thumbs up sign.

Perhaps “encouragement” to the guests and the public who might have been frustrated if not disappointed with the justice system in the country to collectively act against the oppressive setup.

If we recall, Jade and his three companions were illegally arrested and imprisoned at the Catanauan Municipal Jail in Catanauan, Quezon for allegedly torching a modern jeep in the town.

Jade and friends were in a beach resort in Mulanay, Quezon after attending a fiesta when they were wrongfully accused of the crime because the police had no physical evidence against them.

No warrant of arrest to serve them.

Thus, the case closed.