Photos by Raphael Emmanuel V. Kalaw
With colored illustrations from renowned artists, Cargasus: The Flying Carabao is one collector’s item that tells of a mythical and folkloric story that is also very Filipino.
Written by University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD) Regent Rev. Fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, O.P., the heavily illustrated novel follows the adventures of Pikoy, his father Maguilas, and their pets: a flying carabao Cargasus, a fowl named Labuyo, and a dog called Kahol. Their journey takes place in a fantasy world where they meet a kapre, aswang, sea dwellers and creatures such as a whale and giant octopus.
The story begins in Cagsawa with the majestic Mt. Mayon as its backdraft and proceeds to bring readers to visit exotic places in Masbate, Panay Island, Palawan and the Sulu deep. In these different locations, the 12 year old Pikoy overcame challenges with the help of supernatural gifts endowed to him by his Archangel friends, St. Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. Pikoy’s character exemplifies that “there is always a hero in a good-willed person in all ages, in particular, young boys and girls,” adds the author.
The story was hatched in 2003 and the author continued to work on his manuscript until it was completed in 2018. Without the benefit of any formal training in creative writing, it was the author’s inspiration to be a storyteller to young children that kept him going and writing his story. “I loved to tell stories to my nieces and nephews, and now to my granddaughters and grandsons in the likes of ‘Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang.’ In my younger years, I was also fascinated by Filipino epics and novels such as Ibong Adarna, Lam-ang, Ibalong, Bernardo Carpio, and characters of Greek mythology.”
To visualize the scenes in the book, the author initially made sketches and later on called on to his artist friends to render them in the respective mediums (watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastel, pen and ink, digital art, and sculpture, as captured in a photo) they are known for.
The artists that were chosen to be a part of the book include Dean Jaime de los Santos, Willy Tadeo Layug, Ninoy Lumboy, Florention “Jun” Impas, Caloy Gabuco, Nemie Miranda, Asst. Prof. Danilo Santiago, Asst. Prof. Noli Vicedo, Augusto O. Santiago, Benedicto “Bong” Ducat, Thomas Daquiaog, Al Perez, Noel Flores, Raphael “Paeng” Kalaw, Roman Cruz, Joseph Endiafe, and Ramil Tumampos.
“As CFAD Regent, l was blessed that l could ask favors from them. The illustrations would specifically capture the scenes, because l thought that the novel should be more visualized than just imaginative. l also wanted to give an impression to the readers that the artists have their own way of rendering or seeing things from a different angle,” the author said. His pen and ink sketches were also included in the book to give readers a peek of the collaborative process the final artworks went through.
The result is a beautiful collection of different artworks in glossy pages that can be enjoyed by readers and patrons of the visual arts. These artworks should be reason enough for the book to fly off the shelves. But just how good is the story? Well, that’s another story in itself.