One for the Books: Ricky Lee

(This article originally appears in Talk Talk Tilaok April 2010 issue)

“Hindi naman totoong walang nagbabasa na Pilipino.” – Ricky Lee

It was a breezy Sunday morning when I walked up the familiar green gate of Ricky Lee’s house in Xavierville, Quezon City. Matagal-tagal na rin simula ng huli akong pumunta sa bahay na ‘yon, na laging bukas sa lahat ng kaibigan, estudyante, workshopper o kahit sino pang gustong bumisita o matuto mula kay Ricardo Lee, the multi-awarded film and TV scriptwriter, fictionist, journalist and playwright. As for me, once an attendee in his 2004 scriptwriting workshop, I’d always have fond memories of learning and simply having a good time in that house.

I couldn’t help but feel giddy to be back in the home of possibly the best storyteller in the Philippines; the mind behind many of the Filipino film classics, from Himala, recently recognized by CNN as The Best Film of All Time in Asia-Pacific, to Moral, Salome and Karnal. Springing in an era considered to have been Philippine film’s golden years, Ricky Lee did not stop churning out thought-provoking stories that captured the Filipino soul: you got Anak, Rizal and Tatarin among his latter works to prove that.

With 150 film scripts since 1979 under his belt, many of them award-winning, on top of his works as a journalist, fiction writer, TV consultant and in the past few years, as a novelist, he continues to write with a childlike openness that only thinks outside of the box.

Sir Ricky greeted me with a warm embrace right off the staircase, akap ng guro at kaibigang matagal nang di nakita. The interview he granted me, while shedding light to his current activities driven by a newfound passion, was also the chance I’ve long been waiting for to rekindle ties with a respected mentor, with everybody’s “Tatang.”

Revived fictionist
Since 2004, Ricky Lee has been ABS-CBN’s drama division creative manager, and on exclusive terms. During this onslaught of TV work, however, the fictionist in him was being brought back to life. He confessed, “Hindi ako nakapagsulat ng pelikula outside. Puro telenovela ang hinandle ko, from Lobo to Maging Sino Ka Man, Lovers in Paris, hanggang Dahil May Isang Ikaw.”

“During those years, dahil buhos na buhos ako sa TV, dun ako nakapagisip isip na matagal kong nabitiwan ang pagsusulat ng fiction, kaya nagkaroon ako ng craving for creative work. On the side, nagsulat ako ng mga nobela. Three years ago nang nasulat ko yung draft ng tatlong nobela,” he added.

On Para Kay B and his new advocacy
His work bore fruit, and on November 30, 2008, his first novel “Para Kay B (O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 Sa Atin)” was launched at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. The book tells of five unconventional yet touching tales of love built on the ‘statistic’ bannered by the title of the novel. Although he has aready previously released books Trip To Quiapo, a scriptwriting manual, and Si Tatang at mga Himala ng Ating Panahon, a collection of his short stories and articles plus the screenplay of Himala, Para Kay B is close to his heart for it was a dream come true.

Bulto-bultong kaibigan, tagahanga, dating estudyante at kilalang celebrities ang dumalo, not only as spectators but also as helpers in mounting the event. Heartwarming, lalo na dahil sa ginawang reading ng mga excerpts mula sa nobela nina Piolo Pascual, Lorna Tolentino, Gina Alajar at iba pang artista.

Lee explained that writing his first novel, along with the launch and the mall tour efforts that followed, propelled his advocacy, na buhayin ang pagbabasa ng mga Pilipino ng literature na sariling atin. He told me of his observations. “Napansin ko, ‘pag pumunta ka sa mga library at sa mga bookstores, usually 10 o 20 percent lang ang Filipiniana.

“Naisip ko, mas exciting yatang pumasok sa field na ‘to at patunayang pwede akong magsulat ng nobela sa Pilipino na maraming magbabasa. Para dumating yung time na pupunuin ko kasama ng iba bang Filipino writers ang mga bookstores natin hanggang maging 80 percent Filipiniana naman.”

“Ginawa kong madaling basahin, para masabi nung mga nakabasa sa iba na ‘Uy mababasa mo ‘to,’ kahit na nobela,” he added. And he was right, for after Para Kay B was released, he was pleased with the response he got from the readers.

“Napatunayan ko na hindi naman totoo na walang nagbabasa na Pilipino. Hahanapin mo lang sila, tutuntunin, kasi nawala na sila sa habit ng pagbabasa, o natabunan na ng TV, pelikula at kung ano ano pa.”

Which is why, he said, instead of simply waiting for people to read published novels, a Filipino book author must go out of his way to reach out to them, and that he did. “Talagang pinagpaguran ko. And then nagba-blog ako, nagfe-Facebook, sinasagot ko lahat ng nagbabasa, nagfi-feedback tungkol sa libro. Kumonekta ako sa readers ko, hanggang nakikilala ko sila lalo,” Lee added.

On being encouraged by OFW readers
Ricky Lee went on to tell me about OFW readers’ response to Para kay B, and how this further encouraged him to write more books, specifically his second novel in the works, “Aswang.”

“Si Ricky Lo, na madalas ipagkamali sa akin, bumili sya ng 20 copies at nagregalo sa mga kaibigan nya abroad. May mga tumawag na daw sa kanya kaagad, saying ‘Uy nabasa na namin in one sitting! Ano pa bang mga gawa ni Ricky dyan?’

“So lalo akong na-encourage na ituloy itong advocacy, at ituloy ko itong Aswang at iba pang mga libro. Hindi ko magagawang magbasa sila lahat pero may malaking number ng mga Pilipino na nagbabasa na enough para mabuhay ka bilang isang nobelista.

Joan: Is there a difference in terms of fulfillment between finishing a screenplay and a novel?
Ricky Lee: Oo, ibang-iba, ang sarap sa nobela! Kasi sa pelikula, from step 1 hanggang final draft ng script, hanggang matapos ang shooting, may nakasawsaw at mas may kapangyarihan pa kaysa sa’yo. Pagkatapos ng lahat, madalas hindi mo na ma-recognize yung trabaho mo.

Sa nobela, marami akong kinonsulta. Nagfocus group ako, nag-survey, nakinig ako sa lahat ng tao. But in the end, ako pa rin ang nasunod. Sa pelikula, pag pinanonood na, natutukso akong sabihin sa katabi kong nanonood na ‘yung part na yan, hindi akin yan. Pero sa nobela, aking-akin.

Joan: So, more books from Ricky Lee in the future?
Ricky Lee: Oo, maglilibro ako ng maglilibro. Importante ang libro e. Importante rin ang pelikula at TV, magkakapatid lahat yan. Pero libro ang kailangan itulak, so gusto ko doon.

Joan: How about your writing workshops?
Ricky Lee: Hindi naman ako tumigil sa pagwoworkshop ko ng libre sa mga gustong magsulat, simula pa noong 1982, at hindi pa rin ako titigil. Magpapaworkshop pa rin ako, under ABS-CBN or kahit ako lang, sa film and TV, maybe even fiction writing.

Iba rin ang kasi ang nakakapag-share ka ng talent. Kung i-co-consider ko ang sarili ko as mahusay, malaking dahilan doon ay dahil hindi ako tumigil sa pagwo-workshop. Kung may naituturo man ako sa kanila, natuturuan din nila ako. Kaya naman nagiging mas bukas ako, mas flexible and in the end naging mas imaginative.


Joan: You’ve been talking of Ricky Lee as a writer. Sino naman si Ricky Lee bilang isang tao?
Ricky Lee: Hindi ko hinihiwalay ang pagiging writer ko sa pagiging tao ko. Parang ang isang doktor, nanggagamot siya may bayad man o wala, dahil doktor siya. Ako writer, parang part ng breathing ko na iyon, magsusulat ako hanggang sa mamatay dahil writer ako.

Kalahati ng writing ko ang pagtuturo. Ang paniniwala ko kasi, an artist has to share always. Di ka huhusay kung di ka nagsi-share. Mabubulok ang talent mo. And finally, music. Music ang passion ko. Maski anong klaseng music---rock, ballads, broadway, jazz, rap, hiphop. Nagpapatugtog ako habang nagsusulat.

Joan: What is your message to OFWs who also want to write?
Ricky Lee: Isa sa mga topics closest to my heart ay ang buhay ng mga OFWs. Ang first and second plays ko, Pitik Bulag sa Buwan ng Pebrero at DH with Nora Aunor ay parehong tungkol sa mga OFW. Marami rin akong pelikulang nagawa tungkol sa kanila, Miss x, Flor Contemplacion, Anak at Dubai.

Pero gaano man ako kainteresado o karami ang maisulat ko tungkol sa mga OFWs, in the end ang pinakamakakapagkuwento pa rin ng buhay nila ay sila rin. Napakarami nilang mayayamang karanasan doon na sana ay marinig natin sa sarili nilang boses.

He needed to go to Regal Films for a meeting he said, and was sorry he had to rush; it was already past lunch time. Habang nililigpit ko ang laptop at siniguradong na-record ang aming interview, nakangiti akong napaisip sa mga susunod kong gustong gawin: basahin ulit ang Para Kay B, iba pang akda ni Ricky Lee at ng iba pang Pilipinong manunulat, at patuloy pang magsulat at mamuhay nang bukas ang isip. Thanks to ever-generous, tireless artists like Ricky Lee, people like me can prove that yes, Filipino books can flourish; and that yes, life itself can be much fuller and more meaningful.