BY JUSTINE AMORA & ANDRE AMPIG/UM Interns
THE NATIONAL Museum of the Philippines-Davao kicked off the “Budots: The Craze” (2019) screening and scriptwriting for cultural stories on Friday, May 22, 2026, to celebrate the National Heritage Month.
Museum director Marianathe Kay F. Misa opened the event with a speech, followed by Philip James Castor, a tourism intern from the University of Southern Mindanao, who briefly discussed the history of the National Museum of the Philippines-Davao building.
The event featured the screening of “Budots: The Craze,” a documentary directed and produced by Jay M. Rosas, featuring the history, production, and evolution of the music and how it became part of Davao’s culture.
“It might be modern heritage because of its very nature. It’s music, and at the same time, it is a derivative of electronic music, which is a Western concept. What somehow made it indigenous in a way because, na-weave niya ang mga cultural elements that we have here in Mindanao,” said Rosas.
The screening was followed by a film appreciation segment, the first in a series, that guided attendees through how to appreciate film. From identifying genre to understanding a film’s importance, goals, and structure, followed by presenting the film analysis diagram by Nick Deocampo.
The afternoon session carried the second part of the series, centering on documentary filmmaking. Rosas presented several documentary works, including “Panicupan,” which portrays the harmonious coexistence of Christians and Muslims in the community, and “Mga Gipaambit Gikan sa Tubig of Mindanao,” a travel documentary highlighting various bodies of water across the region.
Attendees then took part in an activity called “Walking-Thinking-Writing,” where they explored the museum premises and interpreted artwork through their own perspectives.
The event concluded with an inspiring call for attendees to pursue documentary writing with passion, anchored on the reminder that “Thinking is writing.”
