The Filipino folklore and culture highlighted in Tan and Baldisimo’s ‘Trese’
The eighteenth century Spanish priest Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga observed in his Estadismo de las Islas Filipinas (The Condition of the Philippine Islands) that many Filipinos — despite centuries of their communities practicing the Catholicism brought to the Philippines via Western colonialism — retained their beliefs in pre-Western spiritual concepts like magic amulets, demons, and monsters. Zúñiga was an early observer of the Philippines’ unique blend of Asian and Western cultural influences. This mix of cultures has produced distinctive Filipino comics (or as they are called in the Philippines, “komiks”), including Trese by writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo; as a compelling horror mystery komik, Trese utilizes Filipino folklore to great effect .
Trese Volume 1: Murder on Balete Drive (from publisher Ablaze) features Alexandra Trese; following in the footsteps of her grandfather and father, Trese protects humanity from the occult entities that haunt the Philippines, ensuring that these entities do not break the rules that restrict their interactions with the human world.
The owner of The Diabolical, a popular nightclub in Manila, Trese is often called by police captain Guerrero to consult on criminal cases that involve the occult. Trese is assisted by the Kambal, two stylish, muscular twins with apparent supernatural abilities, who wear their respective comedy and tragedy theatre masks while in battle.
In her investigations, Trese encounters a variety of strange creatures based on Filipino mythology, folklore, and urban legends: the fiery Santelmo; a gang of fearsome shapeshifting Aswang; the equine Tikbalang; nature spirits like the Nuno; and a female ghost known as the “White Lady” that haunts Manila’s Balete Drive.
As a komik, Trese highlights a rich Filipino mythological tradition that has resisted complete supplantation by foreign cultural influences. In A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos, author Luis H. Francia recounts Zúñiga’s eighteenth century observations of the pre-Christian practices retained by Filipinos:
The locals, according to Zúñiga, still clung to old beliefs in animist spirits, or nonos. Their attitudes implied a healthy respect for nature and the environment. Thus, “when they wish to pluck any flower or fruit, they ask permission of the genius or nono to pluck it. When they traverse any field, river, creek, big trees, groves, and other places, they ask for the good favor of the nonos. When they are obliged to cut any tree, they ask pardon of the nonos, and excuse themselves to those things by saying, among other things, that the Padre ordered them to do it, and that it was not their own purpose to fail in their respect to the genii, etc.”
Just as Zúñiga observed the continuing belief in mythical creatures or spirits like the Tikbalang and nonos among Filipino Christians, these old beliefs also persist among practitioners of the Philippines’ second largest religion, Islam.
In Culture and Customs of the Philippines, writer Paul Rodell notes that Muslim Filipinos retain pre-Islamic spiritual beliefs:
Although Islam offers a connection to a vibrant world religion, its Philippine converts continue to cling to pre-Islamic beliefs similar to those found among their Christian neighbors. Like the Christian, the Muslim Filipino pays attention to the local spirit world even while praying in the great tradition of his adopted religion. So, for example, he will make an offering to his pre-Islamic rice spirits before planting a crop, but later give a portion of the profit to the mosque to support the zakat (religious tithe). Important are the awliya (early mystics) as well as rituals and rites given to spirits (diwatas, tonongs, and hantus) and powers quite outside of the Islamic belief system.
Utilizing fantasy, the creative team’s depictions of Trese’s adventures highlight the dichotomy between the Western and pre-colonial traditions existing in Filipino culture. Trese is called upon in each adventure by Guerrero (who, as a police officer, represents a modern, Western-influenced secular Filipino society) to deal with supernatural beings that belong to a pre-colonial Filipino mythology.
Outside of the narrative, the komik itself is an example of the Philippines’ cultural diversity. Creators Tan and Baldisimo craft Trese with apparent influences from both Asian and Western comics. Baldisimo’s gorgeous black-and-white renderings, kinetic layouts, and bold character designs are reminiscent of both Asian manga and European comics art styles. Tan acknowledges that in writing Trese, he was influenced by American comics such as Batman, Hellboy, The Sandman, Hellblazer, and Planetary, as well as the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell.
With its mix of Asian, European, and American influences, Trese is an excellent representation of the Philippines’ unique comics tradition. Covering a variety of genres and read widely by the public, Filipino komiks emerged in the context of Western colonialism and survived censorious actions from then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with Filipino artists making a significant impact on American comics.
In The Essential Guide to World Comics, writers Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks note the various cultural influences on the Filipino comics artform: “The Philippines is unique in Asia regarding its comics’ influences. Whereas the rest of the region succumbed to the mighty manga in some form or other, the archipelago state was in the thrall of Spanish and American influences, thanks to years of colonialism and occupation.”
Pilcher and Brooks also consider the influence that Filipino komiks artists have had on American comics:
In the 1970s, Filipino komiks suffered a “brain drain” as many well-established artists looked to America to expand their creative horizons, their financial incomes and as a way of escaping the repressive Marcos regime. Established names like Tony Zuñiga, Nestor Redondo, Alex Niño and Alfred Alcala became household names in the USA as they all either emigrated or started working for the big publishers, like Marvel, DC and Warren, and creating a school of Filipino comics art within the comics community.
Trese is an intriguing, well-crafted supernatural mystery series with a compelling protagonist. But the komik also highlights the unique history, culture, and folklore of the Philippines, and serves as an excellent representation of the distinctive quality of Filipino komiks.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING:
Trese Volume 1: Murder on Balete Drive (Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo; Ablaze Publishing, 2020)
A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos (Luis H. Francia; The Overlook Press, 2010)
Culture and Customs of the Philippines (Paul A. Rodell; Greenwood Press, 2002)
The Essential Guide to World Comics (Tim Pilcher, Brad Brooks; Collins & Brown, 2005)
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