Pugad Baboy

Pugad Baboy (literally, "swine's nest" in Tagalog) is a comic strip created by Filipino cartoonist Apolonio "Pol" Medina, Jr. The strip is about a Manila community of mostly obese people – "fat as pigs" (baboy is Tagalog for pig).
It started appearing in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on May 18, 1988, and was published exclusively in the Inquirer line of newspapers (Broadsheet Inquirer and its free concise sister tabloid called Inquirer Libre and tabloids Bandera and Tumbok.) Its popularity has spawned numerous compilations, a live-action television series, and merchandise such as T-shirts and figurines.
The strip not only showcases domestic life; occasionally, it features adventure, drama, and pure spoof sequences. More often, the strip mirrors the general sentiment of the Filipino people on relevant topics such as corruption in the government as well as Filipino pop culture. In this respect, the strip has been likened to Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury. Sometimes, political satire is woven into some ordinary strips and adventure stories.
Medina conceived the strip while working under contract in Iraq in 1986. On May 18, 1988, he pitched his strips to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. His strip, named after a friend's piggery in Bulacan, was accepted on the spot.
Medina originally spelled "Pugad-Baboy" with a hyphen in the strip itself, though not in the title.
For many years, the strip was exclusively a black-and-white daily. A full-color Sunday strip in the same paper debuted on October 3, 2004. The full-colored strips ended their run sometime in 2009. Before the tabloid Inquirer Libre debuted, the strip appeared exclusively in the Inquirer broadsheet.
In a strip published in September 2006, Medina commented on online life substituting for physical contact. He mentioned Wikipedia as one of the alternatives to library visits, the other being Google.
The Inquirer decided to discontinue carrying Pugad Baboy in its comics section beginning June 5, 2013, after a strip for the June 4 edition reportedly lambasted hypocrisy among Christians against homosexuals when certain sectarian schools condone such students among their ranks. The newspaper later clarified that the cartoonist was not actually fired and the strip would just be suspended from publication until an internal investigation had been carried out. However, Medina officially resigned from the paper on June 7, 2013. Online news website Rappler later hired him, with the strip being published as a webcomic on the site starting June 17, 2013. The new version offers readers alternative punchlines with the respective voting options.
Its final strip on Rappler, depicting a portal, appeared on March 1, 2018. The strip returned to print media with its first appearance in the Philippine Star and its sister publications, Pilipino Star Ngayon and Pang-Masa, on March 5, 2018.
The Sungcal family reflects aspects of traditional and stereotypical families, with a housewife and an overseas contract worker as members, with a domestic helper to supplement. "Sungkal" is a Tagalog word for the term "digging a hole with a (pig's) snout".
Polgas (derived from the Spanish and Tagalog pulgas for "flea") is the Sungcals' anthropomorphic family dog. Notable for his human characteristics such as speech, optional bipedalism, use of clothing and general behavior, he is called ang asong hindi (the dog who isn't) in material outside the strip proper because of his human characteristics. He acts as an extra member of the Sungcals and is his master Dagul's drinking buddy. However, he still behaves like a typical dog when he chooses to, though usually when he takes a bite out of people or leaks on them, most often Dagul.
Polgas was initially a normal dog which walked on all fours, albeit one who wore shirts and undershirts like Dagul. Medina eventually gave him the ability to talk, followed by other human characteristics like a more humanlike physique. Originally, Brosia, a former ventriloquist, supplied Polgas's voice, but Medina was so dissatisfied with the idea that he abandoned it completely. Medina later explained in a 1995 spin-off graphic novel entitled Pirata that Polgas developed human characteristics due to his master's exotic version of bibingka (rice cake) and exposure to radiation emitted by television sets. Apparently, the combination had a teratogenic effect on him, somewhat similar to the mutation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Medina eventually developed the character into a "man (dog) of action", humorously saving the human characters from danger during story arcs, and later a full-fledged action hero involved with more serious activities. Polgas became a deep penetration agent of a fictional military division called the Organized Canine Bureau (OCB). This organization spoofs the TV series Wiseguy, which features a fictional branch of the FBI called the Organized Crime Bureau, responsible for the protagonist Vinnie Terranova's activities.
Medina's OCB was originally formed to combat the pilfering of stray dogs being sold in Metro Manila for their meat. Wisedog's second mission took place in Baguio, where the selling and eating of dog meat is an illegal industry. (See The Baguio Connection). Polgas's original call sign in the OCB was Wisedog (a homage to Wiseguy). Later, he changed his call sign to Dobermaxx after he and some other residents of Pugad Baboy were accidentally sent to and returned from the year 2078. Subsequently, he is sometimes referred to as "Agent Delta" or simply "Delta".
As an agent, Polgas was issued with a prototype garapata (tick) gun, which shoots droplets of tick sweat that causes itching that lasts for six months. Later, he was issued a tiny surveillance robot flea named "Gary" and ballistic arnis sticks. After his first mission, he was issued a customized Porsche 959, the Thunderdog. As a result, from his adventure in 2078, he acquired a technologically advanced garapata gun. Later he also acquired the Thunderpuppy, a Harley Davidson V-Rod motorcycle.
As Wisedog/Dobermaxx, Polgas has fought many foes over the years, ranging from the mundane (drug pushers) to the fantastic (a lord of supernatural creatures). His most prominent foe is Atong Damuho (Renate Domingo), erstwhile drug pusher, dognapper, illegal logger and most recently, magic mushroom courier.
He appears in many other guises such as Dr. Sigmund Floyd (a spoof of Sigmund Freud), Pol Torero (World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE's The Undertaker), Amorsolo (a non-existent Ninja Turtle), Aquapol (Aquaman), Growlsbuster (spoofing The Ghostbusters), Darth Paul (spoofing Darth Maul), Polverine (a spoof of Wolverine, an X-Men character) and many others.
The Tangaras are two siblings from Gingoog City that both share a close relationship with the Sungcals, they are one of Pugad Baboy's few thin, slim residents. Their surname is a play on tanga, a Tagalog word for "stupid".
The Sabaybunots reflect a very violent but tolerably quiet household. "Sabay, bunot!" is used by the Philippine military as an oral Tagalog command during martial ceremonies when the drawing of weapons is called for, as in the drawing of officers' swords. It roughly means "draw simultaneously". This may be in homage to Tomas' military background.
Igno (Benigno Ramos; not to be confused with the Sakdalista movement founder of the same name) – Introduced to the series in 1998 as a bodyguard for Mao's son Jong, Igno is Tomas' cousin and an ex-convict from the actual National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. He claims he was incarcerated because of a Breach of Contract with his former boss, who employed him as a bodyguard. Possibly due to his being an ex-convict, he is actually more competent in survival skills than his cousin. He specializes in "improvised weapons employment", and even took a part-time job as a bounty hunter at one time in order to earn some cash. He drinks very often, but is afraid of ghosts and the supernatural. In fact, his frequent drinking caused his breath, blood and urine to become highly flammable, especially while drunk. Igno is also extremely tough and invulnerable, able to shrug off most things that, at worst, would have destroyed a normal person's body. His name is a play on ignoramus. At the end of the Returnee, Igno starts his own high-tech greenhouse beside his kubo. During the epilogue chapters of the "Dugo ng Shinobi" Arc, 33 years later, an aged Igno is still seen to be in good health despite his history of maintaining a very dangerous and unhealthy lifestyle.
Lamon is a Tagalog verb meaning "to eat [food] in great quantities", or more loosely, "pig out", and is commonly used as a label pertaining to one's gluttony. The surname was spelled "Lamon" at first.
There are also recurring characters in the strip, including:
Other minor characters in the strips serve as antagonists to the residents. See: Villains of Pugad Baboy. On the other hand, the Pugad Baboy gang are often aided by friends and acquaintances they meet during these escapades. See each article of the story arcs for info on these allies.
Prominent personalities, both local and foreign, have also made cameo appearances in Pugad Baboy. Among them are presidents Ramos, Estrada, and Arroyo, martial artist Ernesto Presas, politicians Robert Jaworski, Rene Saguisag and Richard Gordon, singer Freddie Aguilar, comedian Leo Martinez, boxer Manny Pacquiao, Pope John Paul II, Mel Gibson, and Michael Jackson.
Medina drew many of the above minor characters for the covers of some compilations, but these did not appear in the selected strips. Some of these appeared either earlier in the comic strip's run (such as Father Marty) while others were just mere extras (such as the Los Kosas Muntinlupas, Igno's former fellow inmates in Bilibid Prison). Many of these were only given official names in "character guide" supplements in compilations (such as the inmates and the school principal, mostly hitherto unnamed). These names are then carried over to future strips.
British English words are prevalent in the strip (like -ise words) and Medina uses these kinds of words in his own write-ups.
The characters are typically ageless, and their actual ages are usually vague. The few characters whose present ages are stated are Dagul (48), and the kids (8 or 9). Utoy and 'Adre are the only characters to have visibly aged in the strip through the years, barring flashbacks (Utoy first appeared as a baby; 'Adre has lately lost some of his hair). A "holdover hippie" from the 1960s, Bab nevertheless seems to be only in his twenties or thirties, which would be impossible in real life. In the early-1990s story arc Ang Hiwaga ng Dueñas (published in Pugad Baboy 4) the faith healer Mang Danilo, an old acquaintance, mentions that Bab was teenaged at the time of Woodstock (Bab immediately covers the faith healer's mouth as the word "Woodstock" is mentioned). A series of strips published in Pugad Baboy X (1998) implies that Bab is at least over 28 years old. In the same compilation, Tita Cel mentions that Jolen is 27 years younger than Bab and since the stock age of the Pugad Baboy children is 8–9, Bab is possibly 35–36. The first volume of the Polgas Comics collections has a story called "Class Reunion" illustrated by Jerald Dorado which has Bab attending an elementary class reunion for the 'Batch of 1969' which further enforces this view of his age.
One of the strip's running gags is the depiction (or at least the description) of Arabs having very foul body odor. Examples of this running gag are Kules' Saudi friend, which the former calls Lancaster (because the friend smells like the langka or jack fruit), and the stinky concentrated chemical agent PSSI (pawis ng singit ng sundalong Iraqi or Iraqi soldier's jock sweat) mentioned in the story arc The Baguio Connection. This running gag is likely based on the author's personal experience. It is also reasonable, considering that the desert atmosphere in most Arab countries prevents their people from taking daily baths. Other such gags include the monotonous diet of chicken in Saudi Arabia (also likely based on personal experience), Paltik's blatant aversion to the "coming of age" ritual of circumcision, and Polgas and Dagul de-appetizing Debbie on the breakfast table. And stereotyped Iraqis are seen in earlier works.
Medina usually voices out his takes on events, people and the like through Polgas and Mang Dagul. (Polgas is also recurringly shown as a comic strip artist, like his creator.) According to Medina, the characters he most identifies with are Polgas, Mang Dagul, and Utoy; like him, they wear earrings on their left ears. Medina himself has even appeared once in the strip proper, holding a cartooning workshop in Palawan, though he avoids breaking the fourth wall by not referring to himself as the strip's creator.
As mentioned earlier in this article, the strip does not showcase domestic life alone as Medina has created story arcs which involve the various characters in adventurous, dramatic or other plotted situations.
There is no standard as how long a story arc may last, since it can run from several weeks to a few months. The story arc is only titled when it is included in a compilation.
This list below contains named story arcs that last at least 15 strips long and which compilation each appears.
Not included in the list above is Planet of the Dogs, Medina's homage/parody to Planet of the Apes. This story arc (which appeared in Disi-Sais!) is relatively short at only nine strips long. Since that arc, it took Medina three years before he came up with Benigno Ramos: Bounty Hunter, and then another three with Bodyguard.
The first compilation of Pugad Baboy comic strips was originally part of a thesis by Frank Aldana, a student of De La Salle University. This compilation became so popular that Medina himself made more. Typically, a new compilation is released near the start of each year. Including Aldana's compilation, there are currently 34 Pugad Baboy compilation books:
Medina also made other Pugad Baboy original works:
The popularity of Pugad Baboy also spawned some merchandise such as DogStyle Apparel and Polgas P-gurines (a set of figurines depicting Polgas and some Polgas characters). They are currently distributed by Medina's company, Pol Medina Jr. Novelties.
On September 25, 1993, Pugad Baboy was made into a live-action TV show called Rated PB (Pang-Bayan) – Pugad Baboy Sa TV. Directed by Leo Martinez, the show featured Edgar Mortiz (Bab), Giselle Sanchez (Brosia) and Rudy Meyer (Mang Dagul) among the cast. Though the show was live-action, the opening logo featured limited animation. Some of the episodes were based upon earlier plots in the strip, while others followed a skit show format. It was aired on GMA 7 and lasted only two seasons, 15 episodes in all.
In the ninth book, Medina states that he dreams of making a Pugad Baboy cartoon.
Besides Pugad Baboy books, Medina has also published compilations of his editorial cartoons for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, called the Ink and Politics series. The cartoons sometimes feature Pugad Baboy characters. Polgas always appears on covers of these books. Three books have been published as the newspaper stopped hiring him as substitute political cartoonist in around 2006.
Medina includes photos and caricatures of himself in some of the strip's compilations.
Some Pugad Baboy characters can be seen on the ads of Dencio's, a notable restaurant chain in the Philippines. They are also featured as endorsers of Quake Overload Cakes, a line of pastries made by snack company Jack 'N Jill. Animation has been done by another great Pinoy artist, Arnold Arre