Bagong Lipang Kalabaw

LIPANG KALABAW is a satirical-political entertainment weekly Tagalog magazine that was circulated in the Philippines in three different periods: 1907-1909, 1922-1924, and 1947-1948.

Owned and edited by Lope K. Santos, the Lipang Kalabaw of 1907-1909 tackled the relevant issues of politics, society, and culture of the day. The caricatures of the famous personalities of the era made it a very controversial magazine. According to art historians, this early Lipang Kalabaw caricatures were drawn by Jorge Pineda. The magazine folded in 1909, as a result of pressure from the government.

In 1922, Santos revived the magazine, calling it BAGONG LIPANG KALABAW and with the byline “Gamot sa Magagalitin at sa Nalulungkot”, a possible attempt by Santos not to let the ghost of the first Lipang Kalabaw haunt the new one. It may also be a ploy to hide the true intent of the magazine: to once again attack the bureaucracy. The magazine contained the popular comic strip Ganito Pala sa Maynila, written by Santos and illustrated by Amorsolo. The comic strip was the second to have been published in the Philippines, the first being Kiko at Angge published in sister magazine Telembang a few months ahead. In 1924, Bagong Lipang Kalabaw was closed down due to a libel suit filed against it in relation to the Philippine National Bank scandal.

In 1947, Lipang Kalabaw was once again resurrected, albeit briefly. Sadly, this Lipang Kalabaw series lacked the humor of the original series. It also lacked the artists who made the Lipang Kalabaw one of the best illustrated weeklies in the Philippines.

GANITO PALA SA MAYNILA

 GANITO PALA SA MAYNILA
Written by Lope K. Santos
Illustrated by Fernando Amorsolo
Bagong Lipang Kalabaw, 1922-1924

GANITO PALA SA MAYNILA is the second regular komiks strip to have been published in the Philippines, the first being Kiko at Angge. Written by eminent Tagalog writer Lope K. Santos and illustrated by Fernando Amorsolo, Ganito Pala sa Maynila was a popular cartoon strip which satirized the social issues during the American occupation of the Philippines, serialized in the Bagong Lipang Kalabaw magazine from 1922 to 1924.