After my shift last saturday, I immediately prepared myself on my trip to Quiapo.I have been planning of going to Quiapo for so long but I really have no time to do so.Finally I have the time last saturday.Well this is about my DVD hunting.
So I went to the DVD lair of Manila.Marami nang nagsabi sa'kin na mura at malinaw ang copy ng mga pirated DVDs sa Quiapo.For only PHP60,makakuha ka na ng kopya ng paborito mong movie na matagal mo na hinahanap.
I know na iba pa rin ang original and I do understand that piracy kills the movie and music industry yada yada yada however times are tough and I have to be practical.So forgive me if I support piracy.Besides yung mga art films at classics na nandito sa Quiapo wala na sa mga legitimate stores.At totoo piracy of arthouse films brings movie appreciation to a higher level wherein the masa can now appreciate reading subtitles. Ewan ko kung magagree kayo.
I really dunno where exactly could I get clear copies of pirated DVDs in Quiapo.What I did was I tried to research over the net to find the Quiapo map where I can find my treasure.So I got this link and it made my trip to Quiapo easier.This is what I got from idiotboard.blogspot.com/ 2004_08_01_idiotboard_archive.html.Thank u dude.Post ko na rin dito if ever may mga interesado, may mga pics sa link nya so pakiclick na lang po yung link.Talagang niresearch ko daw ba?Hehe.
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The hidden location of the pirate's lair. Just go into Arlegui Street.;Hmmm... And so the plot thickens. This is one of the entry points to the infamous Quiapo DVD market. From the Quiapo church, you have to cross the underpass to the other side of the avenue.
There, you can ask for directions or better yet just follow where most people are going. Here, Arlegui street poses as one of the less crowded access to the fabled stuff. Just go straight. Do not panic if you see a cop because as far as anyone with an IQ higher than 90 knows, they are frequently batting a blind eye to this seemingly illegal trade. I think their philosophy is that as long no one is hurt, killed, maimed or kidnapped, then everything's well.
Caution: Do not bring lots of cash, or credit cards for that matter. Do not show off your cellphone in public, or use it in the streets. Do not wear expensive watches or jewelry for they can become targets for street pickpockets. Do not wear formal clothes because Muslim merchants are wary of giving discounts to coños.
Furthermore, do not make any snide remarks ala GWBush about Muslims because you won't get any discount that way. (I was about to write "you won't be able to escape Quiapo alive if you do insult them.")
Inside one of the many alleys in DVD country;There are lots of places to start. And you have to be discriminating with your choice of DVDs. Just don't take it as it is because if something is wrong with it, it can be very difficult to return it back for exchange. There are rows and rows of DVDs and with luck, you can stumble on rare titles (like the works of Paolo Pasolini & Kurosawa), or better copies of unreleased films. The DVDs are stack on shelves upon shelves extending from the floor to the ceiling. When they say DVD copy, it means it was copied from the original, but when they say "Clear copy," it means it's not worth buying the disc yet.
My routine:1. Check for the titles.2. Check for scratches and defects on the shiny side of the DVD.3. Have you choice be tested on their DVD player.4. Haggle. Currently, it's P70 ($1.30) per disc. If bundled into three purchases, you can get them for P65 ($1.20) each.5. Make sure they stamp/mark the DVD title insert, so if you return them, you can argue that it was from their store that you've bought the disk from because if not, they can play that Shylock argument that you "might have bought it from other stalls."An otaku shopping for anime;There are lots of films to choose from. Just remember to have the presence of mind on what to buy and a limited budget for your trip, so that you won't indulge on impulse buying. It's difficult to control oneself once you're there, especially if you have been afflicted with the shopping bug.
Many of the films being peddled in Quiapo are:1. Unreleased Hollywood films a. copied from a promotional discb. copied inside a theater2. Released Hollywood films (copied from the original DVD)3. Classics (Hitchcock, Kurosawa, war movies, etc.)4. Arthouse films (infrequent, scarce supply, rare titles) ex. Criterion collection5. Asian foreign films (Korean, Japanese)Raids are frequent in Quiapo.
However, if Edu and his cohorts have a scheduled raid, more or less, the sellers have already been tipped off and are extremely vigilant during that particular day. You can see them talking about the impending raid, having boxes readied, and their supplies are not 100% displayed. Besides, if a raid ensues, the news spreads like wildfire and within a span of five minutes, all of the shops are closed. Should you encounter one such raid, then simply head to the nearest convenience store and take cover.So, be sure to send a postcard on your next trip to Quiapo.
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Pagpunta ko sa place overwhelming talaga yung dami ng pirated stuff,VCDs,MP3s,CDs, VCDs and all the gadgets.I studied in Manila pero takot talaga ko pumunta sa Quiapo kaya I am not really familiar with the place.Notorious kasi ang lugar na ito sa dami ng mandurukot at manloloko.Kaya the moment I got there,talagang maingat talaga ko sa pera at cellphone ko.Pati bag ko yakap yakap ko.
Pumasok ako sa street na malapit sa Mini Stop gaya ng sabi sa treasure map ko.Sa street na yun dikit dikit na yung mga nagtitinda ng pirated stuff.Sa bungad pa lang may magaalok na sayo "Boy poren, tripol ex gusto mo?".hehe.
Sa totoo lang sa dami ng movies na nandon ang hirap magisip kung anong bibilhin mo.I should have prepared myself a list ng mga movies na gusto kong panoorin.Kasi mahirap magtanong sa mga tindera,"may movie ba kayo na ganito?"Pag medyo old na yung movie at hindi sila familiar sasabihin nilang wala kaya kailangan mo talagang iscan ng mga mata mo yung mga nakadisplay.Mostly mga movies na bago lang or being shown in movie theaters yung mga nakadisplay so kailangan matiyaga ka maghanap.
Pati mga Korean, Chinese, art films,television series meron sila like Sex and the City, Smallville,CSI,Alias,Queer as Folk,Memories of Bali,Hotelier.Meron ding mga concerts,music videos and documentaries.Kompleto talaga.Pero kahit na naoverwhelm ako sa dami ng mga DVDs I only got myself Pulp Fiction by Quentin tarantino,Y tu mama tambien,Korean flicks like My Sassy Girl,Windstruck and Crazy Love.I am not really into korean flicks pero dahil kay Ferdie nacurious tuloy ako why he go gaga over these Korean movies and series.hehe.check ko nga ano meron dito.
ewan ko.Wala naman akong time manood ng DVD sa mga panahong ito so nagisip rin ako na huwag mag pakaimpulsive buyer besides isang beses ko lang papanoorin.But still next saturday, attack na naman ako sa Quiapo at maghahanda na ko ng list of movies na gusto kong panoorin.hehe.Aja.
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