Pages: The Manila of "Trese"

I came across "Trese" when I had the urge to visit National Bookstore in Robinson's Galleria, tempted by my curiosity to grab a copy of my own. Eventually, I did not think twice of buying the fourth edition, entitled "Last Seen After Midnight," hoping that every page of this komiks would be worth it.

Eventually, a week later, I found the time and money to buy the first three editions, knowing that in every case tackled by protagonist Alexandra Trese would be interesting, especially that it involves Philippine mythology that was last spoken by our lolos and lolas to keep us in bed not only at night but also after lunch during vacations. After all, who wouldn't be curious with weird phenomena caused by aswang and engkanto, investigated by someone who belongs to a rich, powerful, Tagalog family (a traditionally large family, I should say. Take note that one of Anton Trese's brothers became a priest and a teacher respectively, holding important and prominent positions in a typical barrio or bayan) who has connections in the underworld and knows how to deal with them? Working alongside industrious and honest police officers (which we hope exist in real life), we see how Alexandra, together with her kambal bodyguards, uncover the mystery that shrouds each case of theft, murder, or kidnapping, finding them not to be of some opportunistic crook but of these mythical creatures who believes that they can get what they want from human beings.

Perhaps it's the way Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo approached the mysterious and macabre had my head and hands on every edition of "Trese," which I think deserves praises, not only because it is original and creative, but also and more importantly, native.

*The perfect amalgamation. I have seen four things perfectly blended in "Trese," making it a genuine Filipino fictional work that is never ashamed of its Western influence while at the same time scream of its being Pinoy.


First, there is the mitong probinsya that speaks of the different creatures that coexist with the human society, something that a lot of the youth of this generation have never heard of except in lame MMFF films that I believe don't give them much credit. Trese is a work that keeps alive the stories that most of us have heard in the province: the nuno sa punso who wants its home respected, the white lady who roams the night, or the kapre and the tikbalang living their own lives and pose themselves as frightening figures for the common tao, and this is what makes "Trese" a significant work apart from the rest.

But this element was made more alive when these creatures were brought into the streets of Manila, not only in the places that the alta ciudad prefer to go to and describe as places-to-be, but also in the common streets, poverty-stricken zones, and antique places in Manila. "Trese" takes us to the stores of Binondo, the streets of Bonifacio Global City, and student dormitories of Katipunan Avenue, and these are streets in Manila where the creatures which we believed to be mythical and dwelt in the province lived and coexisted with the people. Who has ever thought of the nuno living in the manhole? Or the half man, half snake entity that lived in the underground basement of a mall along Ortigas that spends its life surfing the net and getting to know girls who try on clothes in the mall's dressing room (and not killing it, contrary to what rumors say)? Or the tikbalang that dwells in the highest tower and a lightning entity that dwells in the highest tower and the richest village of Makati?

"Trese" becomes interesting simply because of one thing: it melds the old with the new, part of the traditional and part of the modern. It creatively wove Filipino mythology with the modern Filipino way of life, which had me looking at Metro Manila with a renewed wonder and enthusiasm, with an air of mystery created by these aswang, engkanto, and diwata living with us. Alexandra Trese's way of handling cases and his encounters with the supernatural tribes connected to his family invites us to take another look at thi s old and overpopulated city. In the same way, it draws us to re-imagine the creatures we used to shun and be afraid of, letting us view them as important and interesting figures that shape and are shaped the way we want them to be, action-packed beings that are part of the life of the Manileno.

*Komiks or Graphic Novel? The combination of the Filipino myth and the urban Manila lifestyle is only one half of the combination that is "Trese," poured over into a concoction of two distinct literary styles from the opposite sides of the globe.

I do not claim to be any expert of contemporary literary styles, particularly of the graphic novel (except when we talk about critical theory), but despite its being modern, I still see "Trese" as one who belongs to the komiks tradition. Despite its being written in English and its manga-like art style, it still is Filipino komiks. It's in the line of the works we commonly see in "Liwayway" and, perhaps more recently, "Culture Crash," during the high points of the Pinoy comic book era. It still speaks of the characters, elements, and the themes that baffle us, which occur in typical settings in particular Filipino areas. While Alex Trese is no "Darna" or "Captain Barbell," we see in the underworld investigator-slash-proprietress of a Malate bar that serves the best barako in the morning the aura of a Filipino hero, always wanting to get the job done with all the powers bestowed upon her and providing an insight about life after vanquishing the foe and restoring peace and order in the city. Now isn't that Filipino enough?

On the other hand, I see traces of Western influence in it, not to mention that the works are largely in English, inserted with various familiar Tagalog phrases. I have read that the creators are true blue Neil Gaiman fans, and I see his influence in the story lines. "Trese" contains the Gaiman way of leaving an aura of mystery and continuity in the stories' endings, leaving interpretations and further events to the imagination of the reader. Also, I also seem to find a bit of Alan Moore in it in a sense that it also leaves big moral and existential questions that seem to distort our conceptions of things that we take for granted. These traces of Western graphic novel thought and style leaves us something to ponder on, imagine, recreate, and talk about after we finish each section of "Trese" that actually gives us a snapshot of Manila seen through the lens of someone who has gained insight about it, and this makes "Trese" a thing of beauty not only for the sight but also for the mind.

*Pinoy creativity. "Trese" is nothing like any of the works of Filipino literature and media that we have seen for countless years already. What makes it new is that it gives Philippine mythology a new package, intending it to be more action-packed instead of being horror-filled. The mystery that it intends to have is that which does draws us not to fear of it but instead to be question it and explore more of it. It does not only give us a new view of the city but also that of the diverse Filipino literary tradition that we learned to love or hate over time. They express these themes through things and places that are very common to us and shape our beliefs and lives (and believe me, they are not being too obvious when they refer to places like Livewell village in Makati and persons like Manuel the boxer from Gen. Santos City). "Trese" is like chucking in Manila and the whole gamut of Philippine mythology in a blender and serving it to the common Filipino to easily comprehend and become curious about.

*Social commentary? I don't know if the creators of "Trese" would agree with this, but I think it is valid to have another perspective on this literary work (and furthermore, Roland Barthes talked about the death of the author). I think that "Trese," beyond the pages of mystery and fantasy, contains fragments of Filipino life and society that needs to be noticed and addressed, especially when it comes to peace, justice, and the current condition of the society.

I think that the stories of "Trese" still belong to a symbolic order, reflecting those things in the society that cry for evaluation, critique, and eventually reform. "Trese" is a hit on the way life has become more difficult for the common Filipino when it should not be such. It is a commentary on the rich and the filthy who find ways to sacrifice the poor and the lowly for the sake of their comfort and advantage. It is a picture of the sectors in the society that we take for granted and fail to notice that these very structures that swear to protect the society end up to be its corruptors. Heck, it even has a slight comment on abortion (which I do not prefer to interpret as a nudge on the issue of reproductive health) and the support of the society on athletes and prominent figures it brands as its heroes. And beware, the aswang and engkanto might not be mythical creatures in the society, but rather, are persons that you greet in every single day or see on television and campaign adds. They might just be the ones causing your misfortunes and all.

"Trese," in fact, invites us to see something that goes beyond its fantastic aspect, perhaps to a view of society that maybe not everyone is aware of (especially you, comic book reader who has not touched a page of the newspaper and never cared about what you see in Manila).

*Further fantasy. It's only now that I have tried to regain interest in the Filipino komiks (or graphic novel) after Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and I might have not seen everything, but I think "Trese" can be big if it will be given opportunities to rise. I really hope that the "Trese" franchise can expand and go beyond these graphic novels-slash-komiks and become more interesting as the times go by. I also recently discovered through the "Trese" blog that there is a separate blog that talks about the different stories from Alexandra's bar "The Diabolical," most of them going beyond what is narrated in these four books. Also, how about a TV series or a movie stint for Trese? ABS-CBN's "Okatokat" (featuring Agot Isidro and company) became such a huge Tuesday evening hit a few years ago, and "Trese," which is definitely better and more awesome, could be, too. So I'm fervently praying that it will have its own timeslot in the local TV or in the theaters.

After all, a "Trese" cosplay in Komikon gave us someone who can play the part, cutting the time and expenses that should be allocated for auditions.

Credits to the Trese blog for the pictures, save for the last one, which belongs to Jay Tablante's DeviantArt album (good job, sir!).