Flying embers and a fortress: The unyielding search for Jonas Burgos
April 2024 marked the 17th year since the disappearance of Jonas Burgos. He was abducted in broad daylight while having lunch at a mall in Quezon City.
Burgos was a farmer-activist, advocating for the rights of farmers and indigenous peoples. His family alleged that the military was involved, as witnesses identified the license plate of the vehicle used in the abduction. This was traced back to a vehicle impounded within the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The military denied having custody of Jonas. In the second year since the abduction, Jonas’ mother, Edita, led a prayer rally in front of the gates of Camp Aguinaldo. Military police blasted loud music to drown out the rally.
Throughout these years, Edita Burgos courageously became the voice of the desaparecidos—the term for those secretly abducted and who have become victims of enforced disappearance. Unrelentingly, she rallied support for finding Jonas. She attended court hearings, traveled to other countries to talk about her son’s abduction, and met face-to-face with government officials.
Edita is now 80 years old. Her other son, Jose Luis (JL), is now taking the reins in keeping the memory of Jonas alive. JL’s documentary about his brother, Alipato at Muog, is the only documentary entry in the full-length category of the 20th edition of Cinemalaya.
History repeating itself
The Burgoses are no strangers to oppression and impunity. The family’s patriarch, Jose Burgos, Jr., was the foremost figure of the ‘mosquito press’ during the Martial Law era of the 1970s. Mosquito press was the term used by the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. to describe newspapers that were critical of his administration. Joe Burgos was jailed after a raid on his newspaper’s office in 1982.
“Nakulong yung tatay ko nung panahon ng Martial Law e. So, parang yung time na yan, ‘Bakit nga ba siya nakulong? Ano bang ginawa niya? Nagsusulat lang naman siya sa diyaryo,’” JL said, explaining how that experience has informed his sensibilities as an artist.
“So, bata pa lang kami, alam ko na kung ano ibig sabihin ng martial law, definition ng ‘diktador’. From that experience, bitbit ko na siya. Malaking impluwensya ang tatay ko sa amin,” he continued.
During his time as a painting major at the University of Santo Tomas, JL and his brother Jonas found inspiration in social realism artists. JL was particularly influenced by his colleagues, the esteemed painters Antipas Delotavo and Egay Fernandez. However, his artistic journey turned towards filmmaking due to financial reasons.
“Mahirap ang painting na propesyon sa Pilipinas. Hindi siya mahirap kasi mahirap gawin, pero sa pagbabayad ng bills, kailangan maghanap ka ng ibang pagkakakitaan,” JL said.
While honing his editing skills, JL realized the potential to learn filmmaking itself. Inspired by the works of Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal, he learned how to direct scenes.
JL went on to release two documentaries that tackle human rights and social justice: Portraits of a Mosquito Press in 2015 documented his father’s brush with a dictatorship, and Han-Ayan in 2017 addressed the injustices experienced by individuals who opposed the government.
“May mga personal na pelikula na akong ginawa before this. Pero, medyo kakaiba ito kasi perspective ko ito. Boses ko ito,” he said of his latest, Alipato at Muog.
“Tapos, siyempre, napaka-personal niya. May mga instances na mabigat talaga kapag nage-edit, kapag nagshu-shoot. I have to go back from the very start, and you have to remember the pain, how you feel. Literally pawis at luha yung proseso.”
Kung mapanood mo yung pelikula, makikita na yung mga cases ng desaparecidos ay isang continuous phenomenon. Hindi naman ako nangangarap na kaya kong ihinto 'yun, or na ang pelikula ay mayroong kakayanan na kaya niyang ihinto. Pero at least magkaroon ng pagkakataon na pag-usapan yung mga ganitong klaseng kaso.
Platform for Desaparecidos
When Cinemalaya called for entries, JL and his team submitted their concept. They were chosen as one of the top 20 entries that were workshopped in Cinemalaya’s Sinelab. Theirs was the only entry with no script, so they workshopped the film’s treatment.
“Noong nagpi-pitch ako, kasama ko yung mga fellow filmmakers ko, technically competition kami e, no. We're 10 finalists competing,” JL said.
He continued: “Pero nung nag-present ako, sabi ko sa kanila, ‘if you know my story, I'm not looking for competition. I'm looking for allies.’”
Two days after his brother was abducted, JL started filming everything about the case. He said that he did so to document evidence. He also thought he might need to film identifying his brother’s body.
“Pero our film is not only old footage. Nag-shoot din kami this year, mula last year. Minerge namin yung lumang materyales sa mga bagong materyales,” JL said.
He acknowledges the huge platform that Cinemalaya has given his family in keeping the memory of Jonas alive in the minds of Filipinos.
“Kumbaga, naghahanap ako ng panibagong venue to tell the story. Yung mga human rights cases, ang kailangan nila ay maiparinig ang ganitong klaseng mga istorya. At yung Cinemalaya ay panibagong daan, panibagong venue para sa amin para maipaliwanag ang mga kaso ng desaparecidos."
There was a movie about the Jonas Burgos case that was shown in Cinemalaya in 2013. The movie was entitled Burgos, and it starred Lorna Tolentino as Edita and Rocco Nacino as Jonas.
“Malaking tulong yun sa amin. Marami siyang naitawid na hindi namin natatawid dati. Siyempre, Joel Lamangan 'yun, Lorna Tolentino 'yun, at Rocco Nacino. May iba silang following na hindi namin naaabot. So ang laking tulong nun talaga sa amin.”
During that period, several creatives helped make people aware of Jonas’ disappearance. There was also a monologue stage entitled Mrs. B.
“Pero 'yun nga e. Kasi nangyayari pa rin siya hanggang ngayon. Kung mapanood mo yung pelikula, makikita na yung mga cases ng desaparecidos ay isang continuous phenomenon,” JL said.
“Hindi naman ako nangangarap na kaya kong ihinto 'yun, or na ang pelikula ay mayroong kakayanan na kaya niyang ihinto. Pero at least magkaroon ng pagkakataon na pag-usapan yung mga ganitong klaseng kaso. Ok na kami dun.”
Still, he is thankful for the opportunity to show his documentary at a film festival as renowned as Cinemalaya.
“Ang problema, yung opposite side na gustong sabihin na wala naman human rights violations na nangyayari sa Pilipinas ay more powerful, with enough resources, and enough platforms. Mas malaki. Isa siyang controlled and powerful campaign para sabihin na walang human rights violations (na nagaganap),” JL said.
“Siguro meron din kaming kahinaan. We have to cut across barriers. 'Yun yung kailangan namin gawin. Kaya rin ako talaga sumali sa Cinemalaya. Partly because of that.”
Mostly, though, he just wants a resolution to the case of his brother’s disappearance.
“I really don't care about awards. The real award for me is finding Jonas. Yun yung dulo niya,” JL said.
“Jonas is still missing. Sana pwedeng makatulong itong pelikulang ito in eventually finding Jonas, whatever state he's in.”
This year’s Cinemalaya will be held at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Catch “Alipato at Muog” along with other entries from August 2 to 11, 2024.