There was both sunshine and a little rain when the KLM 747 flight which took us from Manila to Amsterdam finally landed at the Amsterdam Schipol airport. The air terminal was huge, but bigger was the crowd, mostly Filipinos residing in Amsterdam, who welcomed us. Although there were happy smiles in their faces, I eagerly looked around for familiar faces. Sure enough, Gil Portes, my Miss X director, and Mark Gil, my leading man, were there. Both waved happily at me. I waved back at them. “Where to now?” I heard my mommy ask Gil when all the proper and necessary introductions were conducted. “Since it is a Sunday,” Gil suggests, “Why don’t we hear mass at the church of the Bigginhoff?” The church is situated in a strategic area, along several residential houses, and it is one of the only two Catholic churches in Amsterdam. Since between the two churches, it is the Bigginhoff which celebrates one mass in English, it is where most Filipinos attend their Sunday mass. The front yard of the church, after the mass, serves as a melting pot of sorts for most Filipinos. It si here where they renew acquaintances, exchange tete-a-tete, or get the latest tsismis about a fellow Filipinos. It is in this area where my group and I chanced upon Eddie Gutierrez, who was on the last leg of his European tour. Eddie works as a promotional salesman for Belcraft International, a firm which has its main office in Canada and which specializes in household wares.

“But Vi, stores in Amsterdam are closed on Sundays, ” Gil warned me. Apparently, he thought I wanted to go on a shopping spree, as is the usual case among woman travelers. “But Gil,” I reasoned, “at least, give me the chance to get the “feel” of Amsterdam before we start shooting tomorrow morning.” Indeed, I wanted, in particular, to ge the ambiance of the popular “red light” district before we finally explore the area for the much-needed highlights in Miss X. As expected, touring the entire Red Light district, watching the girls do their “thing” inside their display windows and accommodating a customer for a 15-.minute moment of pleasure was a truly marvelous experience. But mind you, the girls have class, and with a capital C, no less. There is no age limit among the participants, I noticed. Thus, there are girls on display who appeared even much younger than my sister Winnie (and she is 17), while a few looked old enough to be grandmothers. But most of the girls are about 18 and above. Sila rin and pinuputakti ng mga marino. Where their dressing habits are concerned, there seems no particular requirements. So, you see them clad in different attires, but mostly the attires enhance the girls’ ’exiness. But they are quite expensive attires. There are a few, though, who take to wearing just a panty and a bra. Me, when my turn came to be “one among them,” I chose to wear a fiorrucci one-piece bathing suit, Ano, patatalbog?

It is said that each girl in the escaparate, even on what is known as the lean season, gets as much as 300 to 400 guilders a day. Which is big moola, if you ask me. No wonder, when Gil and Danny Datu, acting producer of Miss X in Amsterdam, talked to the girls for a short appearance in the flick, they had a hard time convincing them. But it is of course, going ahead of the story. The weather suddenly became extremely bad when we had our first day of shooting. Since I promised to be thoroughly authentic even with my costumes in this particular movie, I had mommy shop for me new jackets, gloves, shoes and some other paraphernalia. The amount she spent was a big dent in our pockets, considering the fact that we were spending in pesos but buying in guilders (a guilder is equivalent to four bucks, Philippine money). But what is an extra amount compared to what my wardrobe would contribute to the credibility of the flick? Really, if not for an unpleasant incident, which involved the loss of our cameraman, Mang Bert Bitong, Nagra, the Polaroid camera which Miss X assistant director, Roger Vivero used for continuity purposes, and Mark’s newly bought pair of boots, we actually had encountered no problem in the shooting.

Now that I am back home, things which I should have done and which I shouldn’t keep rushing back into my mind. Truly, my days in Amsterdam continue to evoke memories for me, both pleasant and otherwise. For example, how can I forget the group who made up Miss X? They were such a happy lot that I would love working with them again. Gil, my director, despite himself, is a dear. I love the guy, since I know he loves me, too. Mark G., my leading man, will forever hold a special place in my heart. He proved so sweet, so pleasant to work with, so much so, I pray he will succeed. And my Ductch leading man, Max van Os, he did make my last days in Amsterdam memorable. I will always take him as one of the most warm-heated persons I’ve ever met in my whole life. My memories of Amsterdam will never be complete without me mentioning the kindness and generosity of the Filipinos residing there. The way they welcomed and treated us in their respective homes truly amazed me. I love them all and will cherish their memories for a long, long time. – Vilma Santos as told to Ethelwolda A. Ramos, Photographed by Bing Cruz, Expressweek December 20, 1979 Source: Pelikula At Iba Pa (READ MORE)