Ely Buendia as Doring in Padamlagan. Courtesy of Padamlagan
For Cinemalaya 2025, director Jenn Romano sheds light on the Colgante bridge tragedy through the film Padamlagan.
On September 16, 1972, a tragedy occurred in Naga. During the Peñafrancia pluvial procession, the wooden Colgante bridge, overburdened with a large crowd of devotees, gave way, sending them into the river below and causing an estimated 138 deaths. The fatal incident seemed to be a warning of darker times ahead. Days after the tragedy, former President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in the Philippines. At this year’s Cinemalaya film festival, the tragedy is revisited through Padamlagan, an official full-length entry directed by Jenn Romano.
Although the incident cost many lives, what struck Romano was the lack of investigation and commemoration of the Colgante bridge tragedy. “What I noticed was that we were the only ones who knew about the history of Colgante,” she shares with Vogue Philippines. During her archival research, she notes that after the last two headlines in the local newspapers, Martial Law was declared, and a media blackout followed. “It became intangible,” she says. “In the history of regional histories, there are a few sources, little information, regarding specific periods.”
The film’s lead actor Ely Buendia only heard about the tragedy when he was asked to join the cast. Buendia was two years old in Naga when it happened, and yet, he has no recollection of the tragedy. “I never heard of it growing up, and it was such a surprise to me that this thing that happened wasn’t talked about enough,” he says. He found that, though it was a significant part of Naga’s history, it was also a painful one. “I think Filipinos don’t like to dwell on tragedies like that. Especially in a regional disaster, they’d rather bury it than remember it.”
And yet, remember they must. “I feel that regional histories are very marginalized, even the resources,” Romano says. Looking into our history and remembering the past, she says, ensures that it won’t be repeated. Through her lens, each frame feels like an act of recalling a memory. To tell the story, Romano sought out witnesses, victims, and survivors of the tragedy. From there, she weaves in this series of archival photos and interview recordings into the fictional story of Doring, a father looking for his missing son.
Buendia, who plays Doring, surprised Romano when he accepted the role. Known for his contributions to Original Pilipino Music (OPM), he himself had apprehensions about taking on the film. But knowing the context of the story compelled him to take on the challenge. “I wanted to get back to my roots and try to tell this particular story,” he says. He shares that he has spent many summers in Naga City, but that he had never experienced it the way he did while shooting the film. “I soaked it up in the 10 days that we shot there,” he shares. “It made the emotionally gruelling shoot kind of a reprieve from that mental state. It was like a vacation, actually, that I never knew I needed.”
Although he has acted in a few projects before, Buendia doesn’t consider himself an actor, which presented him with a challenge. Padamlagan also marks his film debut. “I love film, but I’d rather stay in the background and write or direct a movie,” he says. He considers the role an honor, which came with the fear of not being able to deliver. That fear, he says, was the biggest challenge. But instead of letting it get to his head, he chose to trust the process and Romano’s direction.
There were takes where the director said, ‘Oh, this is a good take.’ And of course, I have my personal biases,” he shares. “But again, in the end, it’s her film. Whatever she says is good for the film; it will be good for the film. My job is just to flesh out the character.”
Aside from Buendia, the film also prides itself on having a Bicolano cast: Sue Prado, Flloyd Tena, Esteban Mara, Frank Peñones, Mildred Anne Estela, and Ivan Gioceff Papa. “They all have roots in Bicol,” Romano shares. “So there’s a sort of connection between the cast and crew.”
As Padamlagan hits the silver screens this week, Romano says that she is “giving it to the audience.” “We did our best for the film. Hopefully, the message that we want to convey will be translated,” she says. At the end of the day, both Romano and Buendia have one hope for the film: that it will be a reminder to give importance to history. “It’s really about remembering the lessons of the past. And educating oneself and trying not to repeat past mistakes,” Buendia says.
In that sense, Padamlagan is a fitting title for the film. Meaning “night light” in the Bikol dialect, the film sheds light on a dark past, with the hope that it will no longer be lost in the shadows.
