10.Octradio ga ga, radio goo goo
Toe was reminiscing about her childhood reads before and how she’d wish for blonde hair and blue eyes (like that UP student who won in the UK). My past was a bit different because the only reading materials I had access to growing up were comics. You know, Pinoy Klassiks, Aliwan, Liwayway, at marami pang iba na nakalimutan ko na pangalan.
My Lola in Manila used to rent comics in her sari-sari store and she’d archive the old issues in rice sacks and bring them to Nueva Ecija - for me! Nanay hated it because I won’t stop until I have read each and every issue. I’d ditch my morning baths, ignore my Saturday cartoons, zip thru my assignments & just slump on the floor next to my sacks (there’ll be 2-3 sack-full!).
Before our black-and-white television, weeknight entertainment was reserved for our transistor radio. You know the type that takes 4-6 big batteries and the back cover is made of cardboard?
My sisters and I will take our radio and place it next to our papag (wooden bed with no mattress). I grew up listening to Prinsipe Simatar and I delight at copying Eng-eng’s high-pitched laughter. If you’re not familiar with these characters, Simatar is a young prince from a far-away mystical land and Eng-eng is a witch. The biggest mystery really was the fact that I was growing and ageing every year but Simatar stayed the same age. Come on I began listening to it preschool and he was still prepubescent when I was in school.
When JC Bonnin came out with a film version, my sisters and I watched it in the cinema. I guess being fans of the Bagets my sisters were happy with it (as far as I can remember). But it’s not the same for me. It wasn’t as exciting onscreen as how I’d imagine it in my head.
On windy nights, I would grip my sisters arms while listening to Gabi ng Lagim. I still remember the intro’s voiceover that goes “gaaabbbiii nnngggg laaagggiiiimmm (awwwwooo and eeeeehhhh)…” I think the series was played on Friday nights. But I know I don’t sleep for a few hours after listening to the suggestive play. I’d see monsters from the shadows in the room and I hated looking outside the window for fear of seeing a manananggal or aswang, but I couldn’t help it I need to confirm if someone was watching me. I become too chicken to pee on my own though our trusty arinola (potty?) was next to our bed. Someone has to watch me wee or else (I’d wet the bed ha ha)! When my sisters were being wicked, they’d scare me to death by feeding my imagination with more rubbish.
My Lola was a fan of lunchtime radio, too. I knew Matudnila because of her. And I laugh at the affected sobbing and Ben David’s notable accent (Did I get his name right? He’s the big guy with the big nose?). There were other shows that my Nanay listened to but I can’t remember.
I remember these entertainments growing up & I easily become nostalgic. When I came home recently I asked about Komiks & learnt my suki doesn’t sell them anymore. There was no market for them. I’m not sure if radio is the same.
I can understand why they’ll disappear. At the age of XBox and digital TV, our kids don’t even know of these Pinoy pop culture unless they become topics in their History class (ok I exaggerate a little). I can only say sayang. I do feel old and odd at the same time.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 8:29 pm and is filed under music / entertainment, past. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
know what, i had almost the same childhood experience.. in my case, it was my tita who had a sari-sari store.. and those horror films, my gulay, pati image ko sa mirror, kinatatakutan ko noon e..
naku! salamat naman at nabisita ako nang pinoy na tiga buckingham palace! alam mo bang ikaw yata ang kaunaunahang royalty na napasok sa palasyo ko? tugma ka. tiga UK ka hehehe!
namasyal na ang lola mo dyan, nakipag tea sa reyna.
your post brings back memories of my childhood. fan din ako ng komiks pero secret lang dapat kasi kabawalbawalan yun ng nanay ko [english teacher kasi]. and i grew up listening to the “dramas” and “gabi ng lagim” on am radio. wala pa kasing cable noon dito sa aming bundok.
those were the days when i would spend my time with my lola listening to bisaya drama over the radio hayyyy simple lang ano but it was fun
dito na ako
Same age yata tayo…hehehe. Parang alam ko lahat yang nasa post mo. Bigla tuloy akong nag reminisce.
Ay, type ko din ang mga komiks before. I like those wakasan para wala na ako inaabangan. Used to get those Mod Jr too. Mejo madami din ako books nun, from relatives abroad, mostly hardbound story books. And I had a boxful of Marvel and DC comics na naiuuwi ng papa ko from Subic Naval Base where he used to work.
Not much a radio fan kasi my Papa would play his long playing records in the stereo then. I was in highschool when I appreciated the radio cassette but by then, music na ang pinakikinggan ko. Tapos pag midnight na, ang naririnig ay Chinese/Vietnamese music/talk.
thanks, Auee, it was fun to remember the simple times.
I used to read komiks too. Our kusinera used to hide them under her pillow and my sisters and I would steal them and hide them from her. My faves were Aliwan, Liwayway, and Wakasan. My all-time favorite characters were Zuma and his daughter, Galema. Tsaka si Mr. Kepweng. Ginawa ngang pelikula yan. Si Snooky nga si Galema. Can’t remember kung sino ang gumanap ng Zuma. Uuy, tsaka mahilig din ako sa Songhits
Nga pala, you’ve been awarded
ahaha, was just remisniscing about the same things — adik din ako sa komiks dati
at sa gabi ng lagim 
at kung ano pa dyan sa listahan mo 
uy, naalala ko tuloy ang nakaraan. hehehe.
oh and since you mentioned jc bonin, did you know that he lives here? i think somewhere in leyton/leytonstone and apparently he’s a priest/pastor of some sort. showbiz chika lang.
analyse, magka-”era” kasi tayo hehe Oo ako din I was scared of looking at mirrors at nighttime coz my sisters keep saying the devil will show up! Gullible then I realise later on, they meant I was the devil ggrrr
reyna elena, kwela ka hehe
anna, kami naman kahit siguro may cable nuon wala namang TV
:-)
sha, yes simple lang talaga… goodluck dear!
ann, magkaka-group tayo nila Analyse
teacher julie, wala akong gaanong children’s book nuon. Puro magazines. I hope you kept the comics, they could be worth something now.
cookie, hehe Si Snooky perfect as Galema, pero bitin yung film na yun. Kepweng si Chikito yata di ba? Songhits — siempre pa! hehe
raquel, good ‘ol days
denden, yup I was going to mention that but changed my mind. Some nurses I know actually met him in Whipps Cross. Mataba na daw.
Hi Auee. I enjoyed this post and it brought back a lot of happy memories. I remember my aunt who had a sari-sari store in Guadalupe Makati. She rented her comics and I was able to read the comics of my choice for free.
My favorite guy in Bagets was Raymond Lauchengco. I also like JC Bonnin and Aga.
I love komiks too, that’s how I learned to read actually :-)
gabi ng lagim, I used to listen to it avidly too, I think it’s still on air, is it not?
have a groovy weekend Auee :-)
When my mom would go to Cebu she would come back with english comics which was a treat for us kids (more pictures, less reading haha). But I was addicted to Wakasan too and rented them at a sari sari store for 25cents. Funny comics was the fad at 6th grade.
I hated having to pee at night esp when our maids tell those scary stories.
Oh wow! These are fun reminiscinces of your childhood. Did the phrase “mukha kang eng-eng” come from that witch? I also liked Bagets though I never got to watch it. I started listening to Matudnila in the 90s… matanda na ko.
That Gabi ng Lagim narration is sooo funny!