Carlo J. Caparas

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Carlo Magno Jose Caparas (March 12, 1943 – May 24, 2024) was a Filipino comic strip creator and writer-turned film director and producer. He is best known for creating such Filipino superheroes and comic book characters as Panday, Bakekang, Totoy Bato, Joaquin Bordado, Kamagong, Kamandag, Elias Paniki, Tasya Fantasya, and Gagambino among others. He was also known as the writer-director of numerous sensationalist "massacre" films such as The Myrna Diones Story, The Maggie dela Riva Story and Lipa "Arandia" Massacre.

One of the nine children of a laundrywoman and an unemployed father, Caparas took numerous jobs to support his family, as well as his secondary schooling, including a water carrier, boatman, construction laborer, and factory worker. However, Caparas later dropped out of school. He was also an avid lover of books.^[2]

At age 19, Caparas became a security guard at the Carmelo and Bauerman Publishing, a local publishing company in Makati, working mainly from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.;^[2][3] he continued there his reading habit within "[a thousand] nights."^[2] One day, he was hit by a stray bullet during a company strike, forcing him to take a rest.^[2]

It was in his youth when he started to be devoted to arts. He used to draw comic strips to express his anger towards what he said were his oppressors.^[3]

His recovery following his shooting gave him more opportunity for reading, eventually discovering his storytelling skills. He had his first comic story, Citadel, serialized in Superstar.^[2]

At age 22, a passerby noticed in his notebook a full romance comic novella which he completed, Ako'y Nagmamahal Sayo, I Am Your Beloved. It became his first published work.^[3]

Caparas was known for his contribution to the country's pop culture, especially during the heyday of comics from the 1960s to the 1980s.^[2] He wrote over 800 novels and short stories for comics,^[4][5] some of them later had film and television adaptations;^[5] the reason he was called the "King of Pinoy komiks".^[6] Caparas decided to stop such career in 1987 to concentrate on his family,^[2] while seeing that scriptwriting was more profitable than the slow illustrating process.^[3]

In 2007, in efforts to revive the comics industry, Caparas led writers and illustrators of works which were later published in newly-launched titles;^[6] and proposed activities sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.^[7][6] These culminated with the unveiling of his five new komiks in a ceremony, led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila in July.^[5] Later that year, Caparas began to write a so-called "diario novela"—the first of its kind—for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, entitled To Have and to Hold.^[4]

Caparas began his film career in the 1980s^[3] as a film director.^[8] He headed Golden Lion Films International along with his wife and film producer, Donna Villa,^[8] who helped him draft film titles.^[3] Such films with long titles were based on true stories of outlaws and crimes, one example was Wilson Sorronda: Leader Kuratong Baleleng Solid Group in 1995. Some of his works notoriously called "massacre films" (which included films narrating the Vizconde massacre case and the stories of Lilian Velez and Myrna Diones)^[8] were made within seven days in the mid-1990s to reach viewers, hence the so-called "pito-pito" style. For this reason, his works were criticized by his fellow filmmakers. Some of his films became entries in the Metro Manila Film Festival, producing box office earnings and award nominations.^[3]

In early January 1989, Caparas began producing a film about the Camp Cawa-Cawa siege at the same time as it was occurring,^[9] eventually finishing the film within two months and releasing it under the title Arrest: Pat. Rizal Alih – Zamboanga Massacre on March 8.^[10]

In February 2001, Caparas began plans to produce a film about EDSA II;^[11] it eventually became the 2003 biographical film Chavit, about politician Chavit Singson. In May 2003, he offered to produce a biographical film for then-chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Bayani Fernando,^[12] though on July 31, Fernando revealed to reporters that he declined any offer for a film adaptation of his life due to election laws preventing any campaigns from being held before the campaign period for the 2004 Philippine presidential election began in December 2003.^[13]

Overall, Caparas wrote at least a hundred screenplays, many of which he directed.^[4]

A civil case was filed in December 1988 against Caparas and Villa by Amy Austria, who portrayed the lead role in the biographical film Celestina Sanchez: Bubbles (Enforcer: Ativan Gang) where Caparas was the director and Villa was the producer. The film, produced by the Golden Lion Films, was supposed to be finished within almost two weeks but due to delays, its was only screened for that year's MMFF a week later than the original schedule. Caparas hired professional dubbers to dub the actress' voice in some of the scenes, and continued despite the complaint. In 1990, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 60 dismissed the complaint; the decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals in 1995.^[14]

Caparas and his wife, Donna Villa, had two children—son CJ and daughter Peach. Villa died of cancer in 2017, at the age of 62.^[8]

In 2018, Caparas went on to direct films with his daughter, and sole protege by blood, Ysabelle Peach. ^[15]

Caparas died on May 24, 2024, at the age of 81.^[16]

In 2019, Black Ops Studio was slated to execute the Viva x Caparas tandem of all the late writer's major superheroes. However, this was also stalled due to the pandemic. His protege, Ysabelle Peach, will determine the future of all Caparas titles left with Viva Entertainment in 2011 following the creator's death. ^[17]

In 2008, the Bureau of Posts issued two stamps, both featuring him with the one with comic character Gagambino. Meanwhile, Caparas was the first artist to have a street, situated in Pasig, named in his honor.^[18]

In July 2009, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo named Caparas as one of seven National Artist of the Philippines proclaimed for that year, under the new category of "Visual Arts and Film."^[19]

The title National Artist of the Philippines is given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. Such Filipinos are pronounced by virtue of a Presidential Proclamation to be National Artists, having been conferred membership in the Order of National Artists. Aside from the prestige associated with the proclamation, benefits they enjoy from then on include a monthly pension, medical and life insurance, arrangements for a state funeral, a place of honor at national state functions, and recognition at cultural events.^[20]

This led to controversy, however, when the nominating committee for the award, composed of representatives from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), revealed that Caparas and three other individuals that year had not originally been recommended by the committee for proclamation to the Order of National Artist, and had instead been proclaimed when Macapagal-Arroyo exercised her "presidential prerogative."^[20][21] A number of artists, including a number of previously proclaimed National Artists,^[22][23] protested. Protests specifically raised about the declaration of Caparas, and of NCCA executive director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, who heads the NCAA secretariat that receives nominations for national artists, was that he was supposed to be disqualified from being considered for the honor as per the National Artist guidelines.^[20][21]

Complaints regarding Caparas' proclamation centered on the complaints that he did not illustrate the comic books he wrote and was therefore not qualified for the honor under visual arts,^[21][24] and the assertion of protesting artists that his work in the category of Film is supposedly "sub-par", consisting largely of exploitation films such as "massacre films" whose focus was sensational crimes, and his rushed pito-pito films.^{[21][22][25][26]}

National Artist for literature Bienvenido Lumbera who is chairman of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and a member of the combined "final selection committee" of the NCAA and CCP, remarked that Caparas’ nomination was twice rejected by two NCAA panels, first as a nominee for literature and later for visual artist.^[20] Film Academy of the Philippines director general Leo Martinez noted that "He was obviously added by Malacañang."^[20][27] Caparas was then known as a vocal supporter of then President Arroyo.^[25]

Petitions and blog posts also proliferated against Caparas following his National Artist Recognition.^[28] Lourd de Veyra, frontman for the band Radioactive Sago Project, also satirized Caparas, and compared his work to fecal matter in a blog post about a sign that said "Bawal Tumae Dito."^[29]

The Arroyo administration defended its choices of individuals to be named to the Order of National Artists and said the administration would "stand by the qualifications, qualities, track record and reputation of those named as National Artists".^[25]" Caparas also defended his proclamation, saying that other aspirants to the honor ought to wait their turn.^[30] He also urged people in the entertainment sector to "unite and work together to revive the ailing movie and komiks industry."^[30] He attributed his win to the fact that he managed to cross over from comic books to film and television, and saying that his triumph was significant because he was a National Artist who came from the working class.^[21]

On July 16, 2013, the Supreme Court nullified the proclamation of Caparas and three others as National Artists^[31] on the ground that the "preferential treatment" given to them by Arroyo violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court observed a "manifest disregard" of the rules, guidelines and processes of the NCCA and the CCP when Arroyo considered names that were not screened and recommended by the boards of the two entities.^[32] It decreed:

While the Court invalidates today the proclamation of respondents Guidote-Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa and Moreno as National Artists, such action should not be taken as a pronouncement on whether they are worthy to be conferred that honor. Only the President, upon the advise [sic] of the NCCA and the CCP Boards, may determine that. The Court simply declares that, as the former President committed grave abuse of discretion in issuing Proclamation Nos. 1826 to 1829 dated July 6, 2009, the said proclamations are invalid. However, nothing in this Decision should be read as a disqualification on the part of respondents Guidote-Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa and Moreno to be considered for the honor of National Artist in the future, subject to compliance with the laws, rules and regulations governing said award.

— Supreme Court En Banc through Associate Justice Teresita J. Leonardo-de Castro^[32]

• Ang Panday (1986) - RPN
• Pangarap Kong Jackpot (1995-1998, 2010) - PTV/NBN^[33]
• Panday (2005) - ABS-CBN
• Bakekang (2006) - GMA Network
• Carlo J. Caparas' Kamandag (2007–08)
• Carlo J. Caparas' Joaquin Bordado (2008)
• Carlo J. Caparas' Tasya Fantasya (2008)
• Gagambino (2008) - GMA Network
• Pieta (2008–09)
• Ang Babaeng Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang (2009) - GMA Network
• Totoy Bato (2009) - GMA Network
• Agimat: Ang Mga Alamat ni Ramon Revilla Presents Carlo J. Caparas' Elias Paniki (2010)
• Dugong Buhay (2013) - ABS-CBN

In February 2007, during the National Arts Month,^[5] Caparas, along with four (posthumous) "legends of Philippine komiks", was among the seven individuals who were given Presidential Medals of Merit by President Arroyo at the Malacañang Palace.^[34]

Caparas was awarded the 2008 Sagisag Balagtas Award.^[35]

• Carlo J. Caparas at IMDb