The message of “Ang Babae” was said it all by Eugene herself when she said that the

script of the three filmmakers boils down to SURVIVAL. If she is able to survive the

stench of the septic tank – or, in the case of Mila and her children and other slum

dwellers – then, she would survive anything.

Ang mensahe ng "Ang Babae" ay sinabi ng lahat ni Eugene mismo nang sinabi niya na

ang script ng tatlong mga gumagawa ng pelikula ay bumabalot sa SURVIVAL. Kung

siya ay makakaligtas sa baho ng septic tank - o, sa kaso ni Mila at ng kanyang mga

anak at iba pang mga naninirahan sa slum - kung gayon, makakaligtas siya sa anuman.

Thus, when Eugene churns out demands like “yung pagkain sa set, Direk, dapat

masarap;” or “yung quarters ko, dapat airconditioned, ha” and so on, the public

understands because these are stars who are larger-than-life. The so-called star status

is even more emphasized by the presence of factotums or alalays or PAs, as how they

are called, who practically worship the ground that these stars walk on – well, that is

what they are paid for, anyway – like Eugene’s PA who sprays perfume as she passes

by and who is forever by her side at her beck and call.

The advantage of indie films, like “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank,” lies in the fact that they

can tackle a myriad of issues that are oftentimes not possible in the so-called

commercial films. Thus, indie films can afford to be very realistic, allowing the viewer not

only to see, but to SMELL the stench of Payatas, to SMELL the foul odor of a little girl’s

“pu-pu” and squirm at the sight of a cat eating the girl’s “pu-pu,” and to SMELL and

FEEL the grossness of the contents of the septic tank which, ironically, Eugene as

herself was trying to avoid at all costs, but was still subjected to it.
Eugene survived her septic tank experience. By God’s grace, each of us would also

survive the personal quagmire we are in, albeit in varying levels and different degrees.