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Deadma Walking

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Ang pamatay na beshie story

2nd Prize, Dulang Pampelikula, Palanca 2016

John and Mark are gay beshies for life whose friendship is put to the test when one of them has a terminal illness and asks the other to help him stage his fake death, wake, and funeral as his dying wish. The result is a comedy of "deadly" proportions.

190 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read

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Eric Cabahug

3 books1 follower

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for K.D. Absolutely.
1,820 reviews
December 30, 2017
This book of reminded me of the second habit in 1988-published Steven Covey's book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." When I attended its workshop around that time, there was this exercise when we were asked to close our eyes and imagine that we were entering a funeral and we did know who was in the coffin. Then when we look at who's inside, we saw ourselves. The big question: what do you want to hear people say about you? That was the facilitator's intro to the second habit of "Begin with the end in mind" because the habit is about creating a vision and mission in life and that includes how do we want to be remembered when we die.

If you have seen its film in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF - 2017), I am sure you enjoyed it. I only saw this Eric Cabahug's opus and "Ang Larawan" because both started as books. I liked them both but I had more laughs, really loud laughs, while watching "Deadma Walking" and just after a few minutes found myself teary-eyed. It's a complete package similar to what our general-evaluator guest in the recent Toastmaster's club meeting said that prepared speeches (or speech for the matter) become more memorable if it can make the audience think, cry and laugh at the same time. "Deadma Walking" did just that to me.

Think. Mapapaisip ka kung bakit lalong nagalit si Mark kay John noong sabihin nitong hindi minahal ni John si Peter. Kung minahal ba, kahit inaahas na sya, magka-calm down si Mark? Pareho ba ito noong tinanong ni Roda ang driver ni Guia kung minahal ng driver si Guia noong sila sa "Sixty in the City" ni Lualhati Bautista? Pareho lang ba ang importansya ng minahal o hindi minahal ang taong nakasiping sa kama sa heterosexual at homosexual relationship?

Cry. Yong closing scene kung saan nagkabaligtad ang pangyayari. Sabi ni Ronie, na-predict daw nya na mangayayari yon. Sabi ko ako hindi. Nauna kong napanood ito kaysa nabasa at ito yong rare instances na parehong maganda ang book at ang movie (kadalasan, sa mga readers na gaya ko, mas maganda ang book kaysa movie). Ito rin yong rare instance na habang nanonood ako, hindi nag-cross sa mind ko na hulaan kung saan dadalhin ng author ang kuwento. Masyado akong "nadala" ng kuwento at nawalan na nang panahon na isipin kung anong mangyayari sa mga karakters.

Laugh. Sa burial scene, kung saan pagkatapos ng "I love you" ni Luke ay biglang nagsalita si John at sinabi ni Mark na isang himala, nakakapagsalita na ang ating kaibigang si Yolly. Lahat nang antics ni Mark rito panalo. Kaya hindi nakakagulat na manalo nga siya ng Best Supporting Actor.

Gays ang major characters pero hindi ito usapin ng kabaklaan. Usapin ito ng kamatayan at kung kung paano ba dapat paghandaan ang paglisan natin sa mundo. Usapin din ito ng pagkakaibigan. Sabi nga ni Mark: "Na hindi lang pala romantic ang tinatawag na soulmate. Puwede pa lang maging soulmates ang dalawang magkaibigan."

Isa sa mga maituturing kong tumatak ng kuwento sa isip ko ngayong 2017. Salamat, Eric Cabahug sa isang makabuluhang akda at pelikula. Mabuhay ka!
Profile Image for Clare.
76 reviews8 followers
December 4, 2017
Ang Deadma Walking ang kumumpleto sa aking Reading Challenge yahoo!

Ang Deadma Walking ay isang script na ipinanlaban sa Palanca Award for Literature noong 2016 at nanalong 2nd place. Pero hindi ito ang original piece na ipinanlaban kundi expanded version.

Tungkol ito sa isang baklang pamin na may malalang sakit. Sa kagustuhang maranasan ang sariling burol at libing, nagpatulong sya sa kanyang matalik na kaibigang out na out sa pagiging bading para maisakatuparan ang kanyang plano.

Nakaeengganyo nga namang makita sa istante ng malaking bookstore ang tatak na nanalo ng Palanca award. Tapos ngayong MMFF 2017, may movie din ito (starring Joross Gamboa at EA De Guzman my loves!). Kaya mas nagkaroon ng push para basahin. Tapos unang beses ko ring makababasa sa ganitong format (script) kaya sa tingin ko magiging refreshing ang pagbabasa ko.

Nakakatawa, nakatutuwa, nakakatouch ang kwento. As in. Pero grabe naman, more than 10 ang typographical errors ang nakita ko! Maganda ang kwento oo, walang kwestyon dun pero sana naman mas chineck kung may errors bago ipinublish. Sayang kasi e. Though hindi naman kabawasan sa kalidad ng istorya ang mga pagkakamaling typo, parang masakit sa ulo nang kaunti sa pagbabasa kapag may nakikitang mali sa binabasa. Di ba? O ako lang?

Sana magkaroon ng panibagong edisyon na naitama na ang mga pagkakamali. I, thank yah!
Profile Image for Ron.
403 reviews
May 3, 2018
Baklang bakla, can't wait to see the movie!

"Message:
Condolence po.
Rest in peace be with you po.
Amen." 😉😂
Profile Image for Joni.
275 reviews37 followers
January 28, 2018
I enjoyed reading this.

This is the first time I read with this format. Honestly, I would have given it 4 stars if it was not written like that, but the book is a screen play, so I can't do anything about it.

I guessed the ending when I was 5 pages away from finishing it.

I really enjoyed this, and I think the movie will be much better. Sadly it is no longer showing on the cinemas.
2 reviews
June 2, 2025
"Diva beshies for life... and death.. and beyond."

As a gay man, pota ang LAUF ko sa book nato 😭 una sa lahat very funny siya especially if may idea ka na may movie adaptation siya, you can imagine how the scenes and lines are going to be delivered. Also have to mention that this book is a screenplay version, which really focuses on the first-person interaction rather than the inner thoughts of the characters.

Sa story, it's cliché but hello this is LGBTQ representation to mainstream media. Screenplay, ang ganda halata talaga na bakla ang author, effective siya and I was moved and hooked in a way I finished this in a day.

If totoo man ang ganitong pagmamahal, I truly believe that friendship is in the higher hierarchy than romantic relationships. These divas literally went up and down with each other (even panunulot). Ibang klase ang dynamics ng pagkakaibigan meron sina Mark at John hindi man sila parehong ugali bilang bakla, pero kung ano ang puwang ng isa, ang siya na mang tatapalan ng isa na para bang isang puzzle kaya sila compatible sa isa't-isa, sila ang yin at yang, nagbibigay balanse sa buhay. Pinagbibigyang halaga dito na minsan mas matimbang talaga ang pagmamahal ng isang kaibigan kaysa sa mga kadugo nito. Sa life lesson, nothing that much because it leans more on the comedic side rather than of drama.

Overall, I can say it is a decent book with a cute and cheesy story.
Profile Image for fooleveunder.
166 reviews
January 5, 2026
Profile Image for henry.
164 reviews7 followers
November 17, 2022
"Condolence po and rest in peace be with you po. Amen."

best line, hands down
Profile Image for Bianca Nagac.
64 reviews6 followers
June 26, 2019
Gustong-gusto ko ang pagiging relatable nitong librong ito habang ipinapamalas nito ang kahalagahan ng buhay at pagkakaibigan - at ang koneksyon nito sa isa't isa.

Mas una kong napanuod ang pelikula nito (by the way, napakahusay nina Joross at Edgar Allan sa pagganap ng mga karakter dito) kaysa mabasa ang script na inilathala para maging libro. Sa totoo lang, mas patok sa akin ang mga linya habang binabasa dahil nagkakaroon ako ng sariling imahen ng mga tauhan. Napakagaling ni Eric na buhayin ang pagiging malikhain ng ating mga utak. Straight forward at hindi mahirap intindihin ang nais iparating sa atin ni Eric. Subalit hindi naman nababawasan ng mga ito ang kabuluhan ng kwento.

Isang mensahe lamang para sa mga bibili at babasa ng librong ito: May mga typographical errors ang librong ito. May isang eksena dito na maling pangalan ang naibigay sa isa sa mga karakter.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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