nameabledays Archive One

Claro, Joga, Vics, Glenn & Ben at Oarhouse


Let me reintroduce a group of friends I met mainly on the web, the Banggaan e-group. Lately, however, I’ve been getting to know them in the flesh, funny bones and all. Although I feel a little like an interloper among these accomplished photographers, I am nevertheless honored and thrilled to be counted as one of their members. Photography need not be their sole trade, but this unique, fascinating group of artists and painters, writers and musicians, have photography as their common, even consuming, interest. And boy, you should see their photos in Ben Razon’s blog, http://oarhouse.blogspt.com.

A Claro Cortes photo for Reuters

To give a sampling of the illustrious names in this group: the award-winning writer, artist and book designer Ding Roces, the famous cartoonist Edd Aragon, both of Australia; Claro Cortes of Reuters, based in Beijing; Ed Labadia and Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels from the USA; and from good old Philippines, Glenn Bautista, the painter, Ben Razon, who presides over the unofficial headquarters at Oarhouse on Mabini, and Heber Bartolome of Banyuhay fame (a friend before Banggaan, at the poetry group Galian sa Arte at Tula or GAT).

From right, Lynette & Claro, Irene Roces, Heber, Ding Roces, Fats & Trevor, and Maurice Arcache


I will not pretend to know intimately the history of the Banggaan e-group but one can see how their name alone hints at a lot of intrigue—of course the artistic sort. Meaning either ‘collision’ or ‘conflict’ in Filipino, the word has been given by the Banggers (their nickname for themselves) an entirely new dimension. They mean it as ‘encounter’, and encounter in all the word’s possibilities. One Bangger will publish a photo on the web via the e-group and any of the members can initiate a digital transformation of the original photograph, then another would introduce his own modification and so on, with comments and all, to which the other members would put in their comments or digital modification. And the game, sophisticated and child-like at the same time, but always fun, continues. The results are simply fascinating. Or, one member can post a verse, usually a witticism or a funny take-off from a proverb, to which the others would respond mainly by adding their own jests or arguments in rhyme. The e-group is a true forum of ideas and images.

Ben Razon, left, joins the group

As usual I have been mainly a ‘lurker’ in the group, enjoying from the sidelines their exchanges of verse and pictures, watching the lines become insightful or outrageous poems, the images gaining new details or nuances, or becoming surreal or extraterrestrial (I am a computer graphics illiterate, well, I know only the most basic Photoshop). The lurking was broken only with one poem I posted, “The Log Pond,” which is included in the book. Now I'm no longer lurking and will even feature these artist-friends on this blog from time to time.

Serendipitously I ‘stumbled’ onto the group while looking for the person who could give me permission to use one of the late Santi Bose’s paintings as cover artwork for my book. The person turned out to be Glenn Bautista, the owner and subject of the painting, which Santi titled ‘Glenn’s Innerscape’. Melissa Nolledo-Christoffels, who was here to attend a commemorative launch of a new collection of her father’s short stories (he was the great Wilfrido Nolledo) invited me to the group’s usual Friday libations at Oarhouse and to introduce me to Glenn. And the book of course is one of the reasons for this blog. And the occasion for making new friends—at Banggaan.

And so one November afternoon last year, I think it was on his birthday (which is only a few days from mine), Heber calls up to organize an impromptu get-together at his house on historic Banlat Road, off historic Tandang Sora Ave. which are both settings of important events in the Philippine Revolution. The occasion was in honor of Claro Cortes, of Reuters, who was visiting home from Beijing. It was a grand afternoon of small talk and a sumptuous Filipino repast of pancit, palabok, spaghetti, salads, juices, and an assortment of tasty kakanin, and later beer, with the solicitous attention of Heber’s always gracious significant other, Tipay. All this at Heber’s spacious painter’s and musician’s studio-residence along storied Banlat Road. We explored its lush garden and the customary artist’s clutter in the work loft, climbed up to the roof deck and looked out to the metropolitan skyline in the haze of a deliciously idle afternoon.

(Hey, Banggers, the photos were sent to me and you in the e-group and didn't have much in the way of credits so my captions and photo credits might not be accurate. Please feel free to send corrections.)