Professional Mourners

Philippine movie star Sharon Cuneta acted in the movie "Crying Ladies.” While I did not watch the movie, the picture tells about ladies being hired to cry in funerals for rich Chinese-Filipino families. Could it be that people are hired to cry in funerals because today’s fast paced lifestyles no longer enable us to feel or express our emotions? Think about stories where the dead are left in funeral parlors to be visited or viewed on a scheduled basis. Whether this is true or not, vigils for the dead in Mountain Province are a 24 hour activity. But how is a wake in Bontoc, in particular?

Singing of golden oldies, church hymns are interspersed with the funeral dirges of the old folks. In the early days hymnals were borrowed from the local church to be used during the group singing. Singing was a way to keep awake, aside from the drinking binge or staying put at the gambling table. But for most people, exercising one’s vocal cords were the more common activity. Senior citizens led by Mrs. Faustina Gomez (wife of the late Henry Gomez) had a song book printed. The song book was a collection of old songs, standards, and church and Igorot compositions. While the song book was not specific for use during wakes, the song books were lent anyway every time there was death in the community.

The song book was sung from page to page. Someone during the wake announces the page number to be sung. Either the people sing starting on page 1 or jump from one selection to another depending on the mood and popularity of the song for those in the group. Somebody else gives the pitch or the “page announcer” would lead the song. It would also be nice if somebody good at playing the guitar accompanies the “singers.” The song book contains standards like “Green Green Grass of Home,” church songs like “Amazing Grace,” “Rock of Ages,” “Mansion Over the Hill Top,” and others. Kundimans and compositions by the late Mr. Khensay are found on the last pages. Even a song from the Phantom of the Opera “All I Ask of You” is found in the song book. As the vigil goes deep into the night and up to the wee hours of the morning, the song book keeps everyone awake.

One aspect of a Bontoc wake is the presence of the gay members of the community. Ensconced in their salons by day, they fulfill their social obligations by attending the wake- as long as there is one to attend to at night. The gay community has a knack for “inventing” titles and other figures of speech. The gay community of Bontoc invented the title “Professional Mourners.” Anyone earns the title of a Professional Mourner by the number of times one is present in a wake, his or her ability to last through the next day, his or her capacity to know as many songs in the song book. The title is mostly bestowed to most of the gay community members and others in Bontoc who could match the singing, drinking and “staying awake” capabilities of those who were bestowed the title earlier on.

Always a happy bunch, the members of the gay community would enthrall others with stories and even the latest updates from the elite of the community. So the “kwentong barbero” is not the monopoly of your neighborhood barber but the salon divas could match the secret spilling skills of the latter. Of course spilling secrets is just a cliché in this blog, but the matter is that its part of the stories that they tell albeit not too loud for all to hear. In a Bontoc wake it is the singing that keeps everyone awake.

Happy are the small grocery owners (sari sari store) as the liquor ban is lifted and the sales of round post or quarto cantos (local terms for San Miguel sugar cane liquor) go on a high note. For the Professional Mourners, you would be rest assured they would be in your home during the death of a family member. They don’t have to be hired to sing or keep vigil. It is still a social obligation for people in this province.

But as always, you would expect less people to come if you are not a common presence during a vigil for the dead in Mountain Province.