7 Dec 1943 / Artist: Tony Velasquez / Tribune

The Kalibapi Family was a comic strip by Tony Velasquez (1910-97). It ran in the wartime Tribune for almost a year from 1942 to 1943. The Japanese probably chose Velasquez as one of the illustrators of the Tribune due to the popularity of his prewar comic strip Kenkoy, which was a comic look at the cross-pollination of Filipino and Western mores. The characters in The Kalibapi Family, on the other hand, encouraged local mores and customs and the learning of the Japanese language. Many critics have therefore dismissed Velasquez’s The Kalibapi Family as mere tool of Japanese propaganda. In the 7 Dec 1943 issue, The Kalibapi Family counters this claim as Velasquez offers a satirical commentary on the dire state of affairs during the war and the inanities of Japanese programs (Cheng Chue 2005, 83-5).

Peppered throughout the strip are witty but subtle commentaries referring to the difficulties experienced by ordinary Filipinos who could not eke out a living during the occupation and the rampant food shortage. It also referred to the valueless peso and how little one could buy with one’s money. The comic strip shows Tio Tasyo sulking as he laments over the difficulties of buying and selling. Feeling hungry, he goes to a restaurant and checks out the menu and the price of food. Surprised by the cost of food, he asks a waitress if chop suey (mixed vegetables) and a plate of rice really costs 3.50 pesos. The waitress confirms the price, reminding him that the price is inclusive of tax. The next panel shows a rather peeved waitress telling Tio Tasyo not to eat if he has no money. Tio Tasyo then reluctantly agrees to order food, saying he has no choice since he has to fill his stomach. The last panel depicts Tio Tasyo reacting with revulsion as he overhears another customer saying that he has heard that the restaurant serves cat meat as a substitute for chicken or pork. Here, Velasquez questions the wisdom of the substitution the Japanese imposed to address the shortage of resources in the country. In some of his comic strips, therefore, Velasquez was able to use wit and humor to subtly undermine Japanese programs.