Kulas and his Misadventures: the Search for the Filipino Identity

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Ganito Kami Ngayon Paano Kayo Ngayon constructively describes the Philippine setting in the 20th century as the  the reign of Spain closes to an end as the Americans replace them while the indios are still fighting for the country's sovereign and independence from foreign control. A mix of all the sectors in the society, the film vividly showcased the social standards, conditions, errors and falsehoods of the society, the evilness that resides in the characters as the portray people in the society and the "makwela" scenarios in which the protagonist Kulas face the challenges as he journeys in finding his identity, his country men's affinity through the war times. 

It would be right to say that Kulas was a very naive man, a person who is a "kaladkarin" which  were evident in the first parts of the movie as he happened to meet a friar who required much needed help to find his son, asked him a favor to the task. He immediately answered a yes despite the fact that he was mistreated first when he helped the friar get back to his convent. He wandered and found the said son, Bindoy. One interesting detail on his way to get Bindoy was the group of Katipuneros having a meeting. That was Kulas' first encounter of the revolutionary men and he did not mind them or did not even seem curious of them for he was just focused on his prior goal of getting Bindoy back to his father. That scene indicates the primary introduction of the revolution. The urge to join the fight might not be surfacing at first as to what happened to Kulas, yet it will slowly surge to the exterior.

He also encountered a group of performers who were on their way to Manila. Diding was one beautiful woman who was a part of the group who captured Kulas' eyes. He was left awestruck by her beauty, a woman whose ambition was to become an actress. From there they separated ways as the alleged independence of the Philippines from Spain took place and the group stayed in Cavite. Everyone was joyous and the celebration was in the air. Kulas and Bindoy continued their long journey to Manila as they meet a Chinese merchant, Lim, who became an integral part in Kulas' life later in the movie.

In Manila, he was given the a prize of a house owned by Padre Gil and along with this is the dividends of the friar. Kulas became an overnight rich man yet he was in a state of shock for how could a mere country bumpkin be a man of the mansion, he had no educational background, had no idea how the upper class people lived. He accepted the offer wholeheartedly for it was his nature, not able to say no to things asked of him. Here, he serves as a clean canvas, fresh from the ideas of the revolution, the world of parties and celebrations, recreational activities such as fencing. From there his path crossed with Diding's once more as he was trying to escape from Kidlat, his jailmate. He made sure to follow Diding and offered her to live under his home. They became a thing yet Diding was more interested in achieving her dream, therefore using another man to get this. He was Don Tibor who used his powers and connections to help Diding be in the spotlight. Diding just decided out of the blue, left Kulas to be with Don Tibur.

Kulas was left devastated. He had his first heartbreak. Amidst this emotional turmoil, he was sent to the guardia civil headquarters to be asked as a witness of Kidlat. Both of them were jailed once more and they managed to escape as they were beng transferred to another area. The both went to Lim's place to seek refuge and their Kidlat expressed his revolutionary notions. He was a part of the revolutionists and from there Lim helped them cross the bridge to Mandaluyong and camouflaging the two detainees using copra. There, gunfire was already crossing from the two groups, Kulas was shot and Lim was shot dead as he was trying to save Kulas. Kulas then realizes the passion of the revolutionists, the love of Lim to his friends, and the intensity of the war that impacts his life. He woke up in an American Hospital area and there he saw the injured men that were involved in the war. 

He was taken under Don Tibor's home to fully recover even if it was against his will, and there, Diding was present now eager to be with Kulas in marriage. They enjoyed each other's company at first but as Don Tibor became paralyzed and the wife of his came of Iloilo, things went downhill in their relationship. Diding was deeply in love with Don Tibor and once again, Kulas was left at the sidelines. In their final scene together, Kulas expressed his wondering mind, his deep love for Diding, but he arrived at a much greater calling. He wanted to join the revolution, a spark inside of him was lighted. His current life, a limited one, made no sense to him anymore and cannot go back to his past reality, his past way of living especially as the war grew larger. He bid farewell to his beloved Diding and went far to see how he can achieve his goal once more. The final scene was very simple, yet after all the ups and downs in the previous ones, it was a great movie ender when Kulas emphasized to the kids that he's met that they also were Filipinos, not just " taga diyan, taga roon, taga rito's. " I felt the whole scenario and made me realize that anyone can be a Filipino, as long as you claim your right to be one and you exercise it by acting upon your duties as a Filipino, contributing to the society.

Kulas was a blank space yet to be filled with the rough motions of life and the sequence of events in his life taught hin many lessons that brought him to a higher ground. At first it evident that Kulas enjoyed the simpler ways of life, only with his horse Kidlat, the bonding moments with Bindoy, and such. But he became enlightened as his life progressed, seeking for a greater purpose. He became open minded. He became an actual citizen of the country not just a mere Tagalog. He achieved that level of progress and to me it was what's important. He proved himself as a Filipino as he metamorphosed in embracing his becoming of a Filipino.