MEDIUM RARE

Meet Sassy and Kikay, modeled after the modern Filipina who wears extended eyelashes as part of her makeup, day or night. The dolls wear their hair long, like the skirts which, if you lift them a few centimeters, will reveal black silk stockings underneath.
Sassy and Kikay live at #1 Ibuna street, where their landlady is the former mayor (for three terms) of the City of San Juan, Guia Gomez. The ladies’ home is a one-story villa that has been there since I first met Guing decades ago, when she was first lady of the then mayor. Because it had been so long ago since our last meeting in 2019 BC (Before Covid), Helen Massab thought it was time for a tripartite reunion. The ingenious Ms. Massab made it a real repeat by ordering the exact same Greek menu that we had feasted on three years ago. Except that this time around, we were lunching in Guing’s dining room, a few steps away from where Sassy and Kikay were holding court with a host of Christmas angels in white and silver, a squad of Hukbalahap guerrillas standing beside a team of Katipuneros who were but inches away from a group of Ilustrados, and a clutch of elegant ladies dressed up in the distinctive weaves of indigenous tribes.
The dolls do not come in uniform sizes because they’re not supposed to be in the same Dioramas ordered by private museums. “Diorama” implies that the costumes, as with the props and background scenery, must be historically accurate. The museums are in Tarlac and Dapitan, a source of pride to Guia that her artists and researchers are recognized for their attention to detail.
The dollhouse used to be on Mabini street, until it was destroyed by fire. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, now that the creators of the dolls can work under one roof at #1 Ibuna. Even without a brand, the dolls are known as a product of Guia’s long-time community program, BSK for Balikatan sa Kaunlaran. In the company of her angels and dolls, Guia looked serene and gracious. Her beauty secret? “Moisturizer, no maintenance meds... I pray... What happened had to happen, I don’t dwell on the past.”