New Year has become a time for resolutions but as I said in last week’s column, resolutions are born on any given hour or second every day. Some accomplish their resolutions sooner than others. Some resolutions do take time, sometimes years, to accomplish. In last week’s column, I mentioned two people who come to mind—National Museum of the Philippines senior museum researcher and archaeologist Timothy James Vitales and filmmaker and screenwriter Daryll Yap. Both have on-going projects now, projects born out of resolutions made two decades ago, which are only now seeing fruition. Here is the story of their journeys. 

In search of Ma-i

“I first heard about Ma-I back in 2004 when I was a graduate student at the University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies Program, now U.P. School of Archaeology,” recalls Timothy James Vitales. 

He has since been hooked. Also, no sooner hearing about the lost land of Ma-I, he made it a goal to one day uncover its mystery. 

“I got so invested in studying the Laguna de Bay archeology. So, when I enrolled for my PhD, Laguna de Bay was my dissertation topic. From there I was able to hone in on my research question to whether the archaeology of the lake region can address the question of ‘Where is Ma-i located?’” explains Vitales. 

Ma-i is believed to be the ancient region we now know as the Philippines, mentioned in numerous accounts by China and other major ancient maritime trade centers like Java, Champa (Vietnam) and Sri Vijaya (Sumatra). Chinese records. dating from the 10th to 14th centuries AD mentions Ma-I or Ma-yi and Mo-yi as an active trading partner of the nation, providing a number of “valuable merchandise.”

There is still an ongoing debate about Ma-i’s actual location. Some claim it to be in Batangas, others in Mindoro, Southern Luzon, Cebu, and Laguna, but Vitales believes it may just be in Laguna and The National Geographic is helping him find it.  

“Linking the Lake Region to the historical land of Ma-i may answer questions on the significant role of the Philippines in the Asian maritime world in the past,” says Vitales. “Ma-i may have been so prominent in the maritime trade scene, enough for the ancient Chinese empire to take notice and mention in their accounts.”

From May to June of 2024, funded by The National Geographic, Vitales led a team of archeologists to the lakeshore municipality of Lumban to search for evidence of the long-lost settlement of Ma-i.  

Among the oldest settlements in the Philippines, Lumban was one of the first towns documented by the Spanish when they arrived in Laguna in 1571. According to Vitales this recorded discovery “establishes a pre-Spanish colonial settlement by the lakeshore and one of the most populous” at that. In 1985, along a river in Lumban, during sand dredging operations, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI) was unearthed. An important find, the LCI is an official document inscribed in copper dated 900AD. Although written in Javanese, the contents of the document mention names of local towns still present in the Laguna region to this day. The document also suggests the existence of “an organized political structure in the region and its connection with the maritime Southeast Asian network at the 10th century AD.” 

There have been numerous archaeological finds, including pieces of tradeware along the lakeshore in Laguna de Bay. The ceramics found date back to the Song (960-1279 AD) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties, solidifying the existence of established trade relations during this time.

Another argument presented pointing to Laguna as the possible location of Ma-I is through linguistics. “Based on the linguistic affinity between the names Ma-I (Ma-yi) and the lakeshore town in Laguna called Bay (pronounced as Ba-e),” linguist and Filipino-Chinese scholar Go Bon Juan Juan also believes Ma-I is located in Laguna.

To establish a link between the Laguna de Bay basin and the written accounts by China and other major ancient maritime trade centers, Vitales conducted archeological digs in two sites. These sites yielded more evidence to support an area of trade dating as far back as the Song Dynasty. The lake region is so rich in archaeology. “We have the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, which is the oldest historical document in the country and the practice of cremation placed in ceramic jars, which are distinct only in this region. They have their own pottery tradition and a very active trade as evidenced by the abundant trade ceramics found,” he says. “This certainly helps us value ourselves more, knowing that even before the arrival our colonizers, we already had a very complex and sophisticated culture.”

The Pepsi chaos

The year 2025 had barely begun but Daryll Yap’s latest film The Rapist of Pepsi Paloma (far from being wrapped up) has already been causing waves. It all started with a resolution, a promise of sorts to tell the story of his fellow townmate, actress Pepsi Paloma. 

Pepsi Paloma was a Filipina-American actress in the 1980s. Known as one of the “soft drink beauties,” with the likes of Coca Nicolas and Sarsi Emmanuelle in the roster, she starred in movies some would describe as risqué. Her filmography includes Brown Emanuelle (1981), The Victim (1982), Krus sa Bawa’t Punglo (1982), Virgin People (1983), Snake Sisters (1983), Naked Island (1984), Matukso Kaya ang Anghel? (1984), and Room 69 (1985).

According to reports, Pepsi accused popular comedian and variety show hosts Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Ricardo Richie D’ Horsie of drugging her and raping her at the Sulu Hotel in Quezon City. Vic Sotto’s brother, now Senator Tito Sotto, was implicated when he was accused by the actress of intimidating her with a gun. Tito Sotto denied all allegations while the three accused (who at first denied Paloma’s accusations) knelt on their knees on live television to apologize. Paloma did not pursue her case in court. The year was 1982. 

Daryll calls this period the “Pepsi Chaos.” The scandal was all over the news. It was felt greatly in Olongapo. To underscore the effect Pepsi’s story was on the community, Daryll pointed to the establishment of a barangay named after Pepsi. The softdrink beauty was from Olongapo, Daryll’s hometown, a community Daryll says he considers “a place I carry with pride and deep connection.” 

Pepsi’s story, marked by controversy and tragedy, is close to Daryll’s heart not just as a filmmaker, but also as a citizen of Olongapo, “as someone who shares a bond with where she came from,” he explains.

In 2005, when he was barely 18 years old, Daryll joined the artist group, Artistang Gapo, “Pangako na namin sa Artistang Gapo, na kung sino magkakaroon ng pagkakataon, ikukwento naming ang story ani Pepsi (We swore to each other that whoever of us got the chance would have to tell the story of Pepsi),” he recounts. 

Daryll believes he can shed light on a story that has long been shrouded in controversy and complicit silence. “This film isn’t just about the reported rape—it’s about power, justice, and the voices that often go unheard. Stories like this deserve to be told, not just remembered,” he says. “Through this film, I hope to spark awareness—not just about the life and tragedy of Pepsi Paloma—but also about the larger societal issues her story represents. It’s more than revisiting a controversial chapter in history. It’s about holding up a mirror to our culture, our justice system, and how we treat women, especially those who are vulnerable and voiceless.”

According to Daryll, beyond awareness, I want the audience to walk away with life lessons—about courage, accountability, and the consequences of silence. Stories like Pepsi’s are not just meant to be heard. They are meant to provoke thought, inspire change, and remind us that some voices, even if silenced, still deserve to be heard.”

I asked Daryll why it was important to make films like Maid in Malacañang and The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma. He said it was because they allow us to revisit history—not merely as a sequence of events, but as lived experiences of real people. These stories serve as cinematic time machines, taking audiences back to moments that shaped our society, our politics, and our national identity.

“But revisiting history isn’t just about retelling what happened. It’s about re-examining perspectives, challenging long-held narratives, and encouraging dialogue. Movies have the power to humanize historical figures, uncover untold truths, and bridge the gap between generations who lived through those moments and those who only read about them,” says Daryll. “Because history, when seen through the lens of cinema, stops being just words in a textbook. It becomes something we can feel, question, and learn from.”