LUZ

(Light)

CHARACTERS
LUZ – 34 y/o, Zamboangueña, female, mother
MAE – 12 y/o, Zamboangueña, female, daughter of Luz
ALLAN - 8 y/o, Zamboangueño, male, son of Luz
WOMAN - 32 y/o, Zamboangueña, 4Ps member

*Dialogues will be in Chabacano

1. INT. HOME. MORNING

Montage of the different parts of the small old wooden house:
- small calendar, family picture, certificates and medals hang
on the wall
- 4Ps guide books lies on a kitchen table
- pot on a dirty kitchen
- sound of a rooster is heard
From the setting, camera shifts to Luz

Luz prepares breakfast for her children, with a serious face.

She cooks fried egg, their usual viand.
Mae and Allan are still asleep in their bedroom.

2. INT. HOME / DINING ROOM. CONT’N

Luz places the plate of fried egg on their old wooden dining
table.
She calls her children to wake them up.

LUZ
Mae. Allan. Wake up. It’s getting late.
(Mae. Allan. Dispierta ya! Atrasa kamo na
escuela.

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3. INT. HOME / BEDROOM. MORNING
- Electric fan is on. Windows are still closed.
Mae and Allan are still asleep.
They are covered with blankets. The mosquito net hangs loosely
on their feet.

4. INT. HOME / DINING ROOM. CONT’N.

Luz mends the fire in the furnace as she puts the kettle on.
Luz notices her children do not seem to hear her call.
She wipes her hand in her damp shirt and makes her way to the
bedroom.

5. INT. HOME / BEDROOM. CONT’N.

Luz sighs as she turns off the electric fan and put the mosquito
net aside.
She opens the window and ties up the curtain, causing sunlight
to enter the room.

LUZ
Wake up now. It’s late.
(Dispierta ya. Didia ya.)

Luz then leaves the room.

Seconds after, Mae wakes up as she begins to feel the heat in

the room.
She then removes her blanket as she scratches her neck.

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Allan wakes up a few seconds after Mae. He sweats out as he
pulls his blanket and throws it away.
He looks at Mae for a moment and asks.

ALLAN
Is it blackout?
(Blackout?)

MAE
No. As usual, it’s mother who turned off the
electric fan again.
(Hinde. Si mamang ya apaga ya tamen con el
electric fan.)

6. INT. HOME / DINING ROOM. CONT’N.

Luz prepares the dining table. She places plates, spoons and
glasses on it.

LUZ
What are you waiting there? Come now let’s eat.
(Cosa pa man ta espera alli? Bene ya ‘qui. Come
ya kita.)

Luz sees Mae as she walks from the bedroom.

Luz and May sit on the wooden chair.
Luz notices that Allan is still in the bedroom.

LUZ
Allan? Don’t make me go there.
(Allan? Numa kumigo manda anda alli ha.)

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7. INT. HOME / BEDROOM. CONT’N

Allan is on top of the chair writing/ marking something on the

wall.
Only face and hand of Allan are shown, not what he is doing.

ALLAN
Coming, mother!
(Talli ya, Mang!)

Allan then puts the old crayon back in the cabinet then runs to
the dining area.

8. INT. HOME / DINING ROOM. CONT’N.

Luz places the fried egg on the table. Mae and Allan see it and
look at each other.

ALLAN
I thought it’s the mother of the egg already.
(Pensaba yo el nana ya del webos.)

Mae slightly smiles on what Allan says.

Luz thinks that Allan’s utterance is humorous, but she pretends
to be serious and not smile.
Ma and Allan, begin to eat.

LUZ
Nah. Let’s have egg for now. Just eat.
(Nah. Webos lang anay kita ara. Kome ya ali.)

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Luz, while preparing the lunch boxes of her children at the
kitchen counter, snatches glances at her children, but
particularly at Mae.
The scene is prolonged.

LUZ
After you eat, get yourselves ready for school.
(Acabar come, prepara ya para anda eskwela.)

BLACK

9. INT. HOME / LIVING ROOM.

Luz packs her children’s things.

Mae and Allan are ready to go to school.

MAE (hands her report card and a ballpen to Luz)

Pabor pirma este card.
(Mom, please sign this card.)

LUZ
Dale ‘qui.
(Hand it to me.)

Luz studies the card and signs it.

LUZ
Ay, Mae, lend me this pen. I have something to
do.
(Ay, Mae. Presta anay yo este ball pen. Tiene yo
cosa hace.)

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 MAE
OK
(Segui, Mang.)

LUZ
Just borrow from your classmates. The test is
over, anyway. I’ll just return it to you later.
(Presta ya lang anay na classmate. YA acaba ya
man el test. Debolbe lang man yo luego.)

Ma and Allan continue to prepare themselves for school. Mae

combs Allan’s hair and fixes his uniform.

LUZ
Temprano bolbe luego ha. Mira el sena. Denoche ya
yo pwede bolbe cay tiene pa yo donde pasa.
(Come home early. Prepare your dinner. I will
come home late tonight. I have to do errands.

Luz looks at Allan intently.

Allan seems to understand her mother’s stare.

ALLAN
We will go now, Mother.
(Anda ya came, Mang.)

LUZ
Go now. Take care of your brother.
(Anda ya. Mae, Bisya con Allan.)

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 MAE
Yes, mom.
(Si, Mang.)

Mae and Allan walk their way to school.

BLACK

10. EXT. STREET ROAD. MORNING

Montage of the different of the street in the morning:
- Jeepneys, motorcycles, and other vehicles passing with
students riding in them.
- Vendors start to open their stores.

Mae and Allan walk their way to school.

Mae looks at Allan and asks her brother.

MAE
Why did Mom borrows my ball pen?
(Porke gaha si Mamang ya presta mio ball pen?)

ALLAN
Maybe she will draw.
(Baka man drawing le Ate.)

MAE
Nonsense! Are you sure she’s going to draw with
the use of ball pen?
(Loko man bo! Keber man drawing. De ball pen
gayot?)

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Allan laughs at Mae.
Palpable silence between Mae and Allan is felt.
MAE
Let’s go home early this afternoon. You heard mom
a while ago. Help me with the chores.
(Temprano quita bolbe luego ha. Ya uhi bo con
Mamang enante. Ayuda comigo na maga cosas que
hace na casa.

Allan listens for a while.

ALLAN
Where do you think mom will go?
(Ate, donde gaha si Mamang anda?)

MAE
I don’t know.
(Nusabe yo.)

Allan looks at Mae from his periphery and smiles.

They continue to walk.

BLACK

11. INT. HOME / LIVING ROOM. LATE MORNING

Luz is seen writing.

Camera is focused on Luz rather than on what she writes.
Luz is already done writing/listing.
A shot on the paper where Luz writes is seen.

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 - Agua –
- Kuryente –

Luz then puts the ballpen and list in her small bag, then places
it on the table and prepares herself.

BLACK
Luz is already dressed. She pins her hair up and gets her small
bag. She makes sure the lights are off and no wires are plugged
in the socket.
Luz closes the door and leaves the house.

12. EXT. ATM MACHINE. NOON

- busy streets are shown

- morning sunlight is already visible
- 4P’s beneficiaries falling in line

Luz is the seventh person in line.

Luz patiently waits for her turn as she looks at her watch and
alternately looks at the length of the line.
Eagerness is visible in Luz’s face as her turn approaches.

A short chitchat happens in the line.

WOMAN
Thank God it is released today. It is a big help
to us who are poor.
(Gracias a Dios release ya, no? Grande ayuda
gayod este para canaton maga pobre.)

LUZ
Indeed! We are lucky the government has this
program for us.
(Amo man! Bueno gane tiene programa el gobyerno
para canaton.)

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 WOMAN
Life is hard nowadays. But we are lucky someone
helps us.
(Tormento gayod el vida este maga tiempo pero
bueno gane cay tiene quien ta ayuda canaton.)

LUZ
Indeed!
(Amo man.)

It’s Luz’s turn. She covers her other hand while typing and
withdraw the money.
When Luz receives the money, she counts it to be sure it is
complete.
Luz keeps the money inside her small bag.
Luz then smiles slightly and continues to walk away from the
machine.

13. INT. SCHOOL. LATE AFTERNOON.

Mae waits for Allan near the school gate. She looks a bit
agitated already.
A few minutes passed, Allan arrives with his clothes dirty. He
carries a yellow balloon on one hand.
Mae sees Allan with meeting eyebrows.

MAE
Why are you just now? And what’s with the
balloon?
(Porke bo ahora lang? Pati para kosa se balloon?)

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 ALLAN
We played. Our team won the game. This is the
prize.
(Ya huga came. Ya gana di amun grupo poreso chene
yo balloon.)

MAE
I have been waiting for you. Mom told us to go
home early, didn’t she? Come on.
(Enante pa yo combo ta espera. Ya habala ya gane
si Mamang bolbe kita temprano, hende ba? Bene
ya!)

Mae and Allan walk their way home.

They walk silently.
Mae walks a few inches ahead of Allan. Allan walks from behind,
holding the yellow balloon.

When they can see their house from afar already, Allan looks at
Mae and speaks.

ALLAN
What do you think about tomorrow? Isn’t it
tomorrow is your birthday, Ate Mae?
(Kosa tu ta pensa para manyana? Hende ba manyana
de tuyu birthday?)

MAE
I think mom forgot about that.
(Ya ulvida man gaha si mamang.)

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 ALLAN
You think so
(Ta mira tu?)

MAE
It does not matter, anyway.
(Dyalo lang!)

There is a moment of silence between them.

Allan then gives the balloon to Mae.

ALLAN
Here, take this balloon.
(Taqui o, dituyu ya lang este.)

Mae looks at Allan for a while. Then takes the balloon.

They continue to walk.
As they reach home, they see that the door is closed.

ALLAN (sits by the doorway)

Why is mom not yet here?
(Nohay pa man si Mamang?)

Mae hands the balloon to Allan and tries to open the door. Then
she succeeds.

MAE
Remove your uniform instantly so that I can wash
them. Then go fetch water.

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 (Quita dayun el uniforme cay laba yo se.Acabar
man salud agua.)

Allan moves in the house after Mae.

BLACK

14. INT. HOME. EARLY EVENING

Luz arrives home. She rests her loads on the table.
She goes to the kitchen and checks the rice cooker that is
filled with cooked rice.

A few minutes passed, the power turns off.

Luz moves to the furnace and lights a kerosene lamp. She carries
it and moves to the bedroom to check on her children.

Mae and Allan are already asleep.

A few notebooks and pens are sprawled on the floor. Luz gathers
them and places them in her children’s bags.
She looks for a carton to improvise a fan. She finds a carton
calendar inserted among clothes in their cabinet. She opens it
and sees markings on it.

She lies down with her children and start to fan them.

A few minutes passed, Luz stands and exits the room.

BLACK

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15. INT. HOME / BEDROOM. MORNING
Sounds of rooster and birds are heard.
The chills of the dawn are palpable.
Mae wakes up then she stretches. She turns to look at where
Allan should be lying and finds him nowhere.
Mae gets off the bed and starts to search for him. She goes to
her mom’s bedroom first and finds it empty. Then she moves to
the kitchen.
Then Mae freezes to a surprise.

There, under an overhead light, at the dining table filled with

food, stand Allan, holding a yellow balloon, and her mom,
holding a cake.
(This scene is prolonged.)
Luz looks at Mae and smiles at her.

LUZ
Happy birthday!
(Happy birthday, Nak!)

Mae smiles widely at her mother.

Focused shot on mother as she looks at Mae with an unexplainable
happiness in her face.
- Flashback scenes on how the mother comes up with the surprise
birthday celebration:

1. EXT. STREET
- Luz walks to the market with the scorching heat.
- She paused by a store and buys some water and
biscuit for lunch.
- While she’s eating, she sits and continues her list
with the ingredients needed and the amount it will
cost.

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 - After, she said to herself:
LUZ
I will just walk. Besides, the market is near.
(Kamina ya lang yo. Serka lang man el tiangge.)

- She continues to walk carrying her small bag close

to her.

2. EXT. MARKET
- Vendors selling their goods in the market.
- Crowd is visible.
- Luz patiently looks for the ingredients she listed,
ensuring she will have the cheaper ones.
- After she buys the needed ingredients, she carries
them on plastic bags and walks her way home.

3. INT. HOME / KITCHEN

- Luz takes out what she bought in the market and
prepares them to cook making sure her children won’t
wake up.
- Luz did not sleep and cooks for the birthday of her
elder, Mae.

Mae is teary. Allan smiles widely.

Allan gets the matchstick and light the candle at the top of the
cake.

ALLAN
Ate Mae, blow your candle!
(Man blow ya de tuyu candle, Ate Mae!)

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Mae looks at Luz and Allan.
Luz smiles widely.
LUZ
Come!
(Nya!)

BLACKSCREEN

- Testimony part of Jackie-Lou P. Macrohon (4P’s beneficiary and

the owner of the story).
- Recorded voice of Jackie-Lou is being played as the background
with Jackie-Lou in it.
- Jackie-Lou’s speaking voice is in Chavacano dialect with
English subtitles provided in the screen.

END

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