Doc PenPen: A Filmmaker and Poet

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The movie industry has long been accused of harboring recalcitrant hordes of arrogant, narcissistic, and shallow operators whose twin goals have always been glory and gold. Despite fame and fortune, most actors and actresses enjoyed little or no respect at all, for the most part through fault of theirs. Their headline-grabbing antics frequently put them in bad light or hilarious situations which continuously supply fans and watchers with regular doses of cheap fun. It is against this backdrop that it is always a welcome breath of fresh air when one of their kind figures in a meritorious undertaking. One fine example is Doc PenPen, writer and director of “Takipsilim”, an award-winning indie docu-film that tackled the sinister side of human existence and the inescapable eventuality of death.

Due to the success of “Takipsilim”, Doc PenPen is now busy preparing the film’s sequel, aptly titled “Bukang Liwayway”. This time the theme will deal with personal battles against overwhelming odds and triumphs over them. To ensure that the sequel would even be better, Doc PenPen has engaged the assistance of renowned director, Celso Ad. Castillo, and hit maker director, Mauro Gia Samonte.

Simultaneous with his moviemaking preparation, Doc PenPen is officially launching what he calls “Exodus Poetry” as a continuance of his philosophical inquiries. The objective of Exodus Poetry is to emancipate libertarian poets from the bondage of restrictive traditionalists, to set them free from the tyranny of the conservatives. It is a forum where poets of diverse backgrounds, education, beliefs and styles can meet, exchange ideas, and learn. It is a vehicle that will bring enslaved poets to the promise land of writing opportunities where hard-nosed big...

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...st Outstanding Public Service Program given by Pope John Paul, and a membership at the Radio Hall Of Fame. Mr. Calpito, an author himself, was challenged by Doc Penpen’s film and poems, finding them mystifying in style but lucid in substance, disorganized in structure but tidy in essence, and seemingly incomprehensible in form but robustly rational in message.

Incidentally, on Aug. 28, 2011, Doc Penpen was awarded “The Father of Philippine Visual Poetry” in a fitting ceremony held at the grand ballroom of Cloud Nine, a classy boutique hotel perched on a hill in Antipolo. The man in the mask has a face at last! The award has further ignited Doc PenPen’s commitment to do “Bukang Liwayway” and to release his book of visual poetry before the year ends. Verily, his rendezvous with destiny and appointment with history can no longer be postponed, much less canceled.

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