ode to sir velasco

The professor in my film102 class suddenly decided to change the film to be viewed in class today. Instead of Macarthur, he chose the local film Sabel. He gave quite a few justifications for such a change and I did not quite bother to listen. However, the next few lines somehow struck me.

"My friend would have liked it, Professor Jovenal Velasco."

Sir Velasco was my professor in my film104 class, a course on film genres. He was a big man, always seemingly smiling, a leg quite weak that he walks with a cane. He said he was a member of Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), before he had a stroke. He used to teach acting, he proudly said in our class, and I actually felt quite frustrated as I see how restricted his movements were when we would see hints of his passion for teaching film.

I didn't like him at first. He was often demanding and I hated how he would simultaneously call students for recitation. I hated the tension as I often intentionally neglect reading his required readings because of my other academic load. As it turns out, most of his questions requires only practical answers.

I also remember how I commented how much I enjoy watching films except horror during the first meeting. The same day, I was assigned in a group that was tasked to report on horror and science fiction. Since the group were to be divided into two, I demanded that my partner and I be assigned for the science fiction instead. It was enough compromise for him and for my other group mates.

Unlike my film12 class, bulk of the class discussion focused on the ideologies of each genre, how theses ideologies change over time. Though conventions in terms of cinematography and themes exist, he greatly emphasize the importance of these ideologies in the making of the films.

I also often get bored in class since the reporting started.

However, as I was doing my part in the report, as I was watching all the films, I inherently started to appreciate film genres, most especially science fiction. I endured watching the gory movie Alien, the amusing Close Encounter of the Third Kind, even to that point that I bothered watching the 1901 film Les Voyage Dans La Lune though it was not required. Indeed, Sir Velasco had achieved what may be his greatest goal for me, to learn to appreciate science fiction movies, more so genre films.

I remember him commending my ability to argue and justify the words used and contents of our report. It must be the change in classroom, he often follows, promising never to hold classes in the basement area the next time he teaches another subject.

For my final paper, I was tasked to do a research on how the television series Encantadia depicts social criticism. For this paper, I was privileged enough to be able to interview the head writer, Suzette Doctolero, who not only gave me inside stories on the creation of the series but also toured me in the editing rooms and studios as her new series Lupin was to be on its first week.

I ended the semester proud of myself for taking up the class and having him as a professor. It was one of the best classes I ever had.

As it turns out, he will never be having a class in the basement area.

About a month ago, I received a text message from one of the film representatives informing me of the UPFI professor who died on a Saturday morning. Sir Velasco never woke up on the morning of September 1, 2007.