We can put this Payaso issue to rest now, but what if tomorrow I post something else, proudly thinking that it was originally Filipino made. And then it turns out it was copied from Frank Frazetta or Alex Raymond? The thing is, I would not know until someone notices it. In the meantime, it’s up there for all to see, and I end up looking foolish and stupid, like I have for years with this Payaso cover.

Pero ginising ni Gerry ang aso, pinakawalan naman ni Rod, meron tuloy isang nakagat, pero ang na-RABIES ay ang lahat na mga pinoy na mga dibuhista. Tumigil na kayo, metrocom ini si JM, napapaligiran kayo niya, at baka magalit na ito ng husto at paghahambalosin tuloy kayo ng DOS-POR-DOS, hhhhhhh. Hindi, KUWATRO-POR-KUWATRO pala iyong kay JM.

Ouch! Now it’s like a kick in the teeth!
Kinopya nga.

It’s by Noly Panaligan!

I’ve finally confirmed the artist of the cover to Tagalog Klasiks #109 featured in the March 16 entry below. Noly Panaligan’s son Hero sent an email to confirm that the painting was done by his father, who was the writer and artist of Payaso currently being serialized on the pages of Tagalog Klasiks at the time.

Hero recalls seeing studies of the above painting in his grandmother’s house in Malibay.

Posted 3/22/2005 03:01:00 PM by Gerry Alanguilan

That’s a long shot, considering that it was 1953. The editor maybe is long gone. But Gerry is right, the illustrator maybe has passed it of as his own.The editor maybe clueless about Leyendecker.

The Roces magazines, if you look at the old copies of 1950s, 60s & 70s, were full of foreign articles and or photos, which I suspect were just used without permission because there were no credits where the photos came from and some of the articles have no bylines either. Even POGI komiks, for instance, used many articles with photos in them with Caucasian people in them yet no credits whatsoever. English articles were translated into tagalog, and voila! May article na. Naturalmente, dahil wala namang magrereklamo, eh, di everybody happy in da pilipins. Nakakatawa nga, minsan ay may na-publish doon na pinik-up verbatim from Alfred Kinsey of the Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

HHHHHHHHHHH.
Baka pati si DR. RUTH nakopyahan din, eh.

In my TV show ALINDOG, our theme song was the music from CARRIE. Nang mag-reklamo ako na mag-compose kami ng original, pinagtawanan ako ng mga executives. “Ayaw mo bang may easy recall na ang theme song ng show?” O, laban ka rito?
Yung mga spinners natin noong 1970s ay nagpipiyesta sa kagagamit ng mga well-known recordings na walang pahintulot. Iyong Channel 2 noon, ang station ID ay ginamit ang sound ng CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. O, laban ka uli diyan? At ang Atlas at GASI noong 1970s ay biglang nagsa-WARREN. Porke’t nakita ng mga publishers na napakalakas ng circulation ni VAMPIRELLA, aba’y halos lahat ng drawing ay mukha ni VAMPIRELLA. Tuloy, may mga kuwento akong contemporary, nang masaksihan ko ang komiks, PERIOD PIECE bigla ang dating. Paano, yung illustrator, pinagsabihang kopyahin ang costume nina Maroto, Gonzales et al.

HHHHHHHHHHH.

Hindi ba’t RIDICULOUS ito?

Tama ka, what the publishers were doing was an egregious abuse of copyright. I may sound too callous, but this sort of thing doesn’t surprise and/or bother me anymore. The swiping was rampant and it was done whereever, everywhere, and forever.

It’s very simple. We were not liable in any way since other countries can also steal anything from us (can you imagine that our very own Banaba tree which is a very good source of remedy for Kidney ailments, is now patented by Japan)?
We have the tree in the Philippines, yet Filipinos can no longer market it because Japan now owns the patent for its medicinal value? This one shocks me, really. It’s so ridiculous it’s shocking. But, then again, this thingy can happen onli in da Pilipins because we allow the foreigners to do it. Maybe you guys should vote for a candidate whose platform was like that of CARLOS GARCIA: “FILIPINO FIRST POLICY.” Masyado nang naaabuso ang mga Filipinos.

Gerry:

I think that this Leyendecker art is not an exception. It is indeed part and parcel of the old practice in olden days where somebody, anybody, everybody, and busybody plagiarist would do – like inhaling and/or exhaling. To tell you the truth, I think those guys who did this didn’t even think he was ripping off someone.

It’s sad, I know. But the only thing we can do about it is: let bygones be bygones. I think the younger generation has the awareness now of what is going on out there. Besides, now that RP has signed the agreement, there will be complaints happening if the artists don’t clean up their acts.

Maybe this practice will have an end eventually. And by then, we will be able to produce world class songs like the ones attempted by George Canseco, such as MY DAUGHTER (shockingly not available anywhere!); RAIN; or D’amarillo’s ONE DAY. Ironically, EFREN MONTES’ KISS ME, KISS ME, is AVAILABLE! Yung GRAMMY AWARD WINNER ni CANSECO, wala. Yung infantile song, available.
Hmmm, something’s rotten in Bocaue, Bulacan?

By then siguro, tayo naman ang magrereklamo dahil tayo naman ang gagayahin ng mga puto maya.

:)