MANG BEBOT, THE SUPERSTAR

Finally met Mang Bebot! Every time I read someone’s film camera has a problem, his is always the go-to name in online forum and groups. I think I’ve never heard a bad thing said about this man; only raves of how good he is at what he does. So when my Canon AE-1 Program’s shutter started to hit and miss, I knew it was my time to pay him a visit.

The thing with finding Mang Bebot is his service hours and location. Apparently, he’s in his house in Parañaque during the day, and then goes to his other shop in Manila at night. What a hardworking man! I've asked around about his Manila address, google-mapped it, and then texted him as well to confirm his availability that day. If you plan to visit him too, here’s how:

From North (EDSA):

1. Take the MRT until the last station Taft Avenue.

2. Through the link, transfer to LRT 1 EDSA station.

3. Get off at Quirino Avenue station.

4. Look for Andok’s and cross Taft Avenue. 

5. If you reach Andok’s, you’re already along Quirino Avenue. Walk.

6. Turn left at Leveriza Street (you’ll pass by F.A. Reyes and Bagong Lipunan Streets).

From South (Roxas Boulevard):

1. Turn right at Quirino Avenue.

2. Turn right at Leveriza Street (you’ll pass by Mabini, Adriatico and Camia Streets).

His shop is located at the left side of Leveriza Street, so you might want to stay left while walking. This is where it becomes tricky because there is really no landmark to refer to when finding his shop. I only remember passing by Vergel General Merchandise, Deme Barbershop and then this building named makabata. You will also encounter two road humps. I can’t forget these because I tripped on them both. A few steps more and you’ll see sort of an empty lot, and then a karenderia. In between them is a small, slightly-open door.

When I saw the door, I knew that was it because there’s a lot camera stuff and tools when you take a peek. We walked in, and I introduced myself. We were greeted by Mang Bebot himself and his friend (I assume). The room was small, only about 10 ft x 3 ft, but I kind of got overwhelmed by it and Mang Bebot himself. He’s approachable, so I didn’t have a hard time telling what I came for. Although the shutter was my main problem, I also brought the speedlite that came with it when I bought it and asked if it still can work. He also saw the fungus in my lens, so I also left it for cleaning. I gave P200 (for cleaning) as downpayment, and he told me to come back after three days.

When we came back, I was happy to see that the lens was sparkly clean! He showed me that the shutter release button was already working, and even gave me mini tutorial on how to use my speedlite. I really have not used a speedlite in my life so I was just nodding the whole time with occasional ahhh and OK po. This is where I saw what everybody was raving about. Mang Bebot really knows his stuff and yet still remained a very simple and humble man. Humble I know, because his friend was so proud in telling me about how Mang Bebot was the one responsible for fixing and cleaning Soviet Camera Store's stuff, and there he was, just smiling. I asked him how long he’s been doing this, and he simply answered, "30 years na". Before getting carried away with the Q&A, I paid him 400 for the shutter release button fix, and additional 250 for the working speedlite. Not bad!

I took the opportunity to ask his other shop. If anyone wants to contact him:

Roberto Bartolome (Mang Bebot)

Mobile: 09393013109

Paranaque Address (Day; until 5pm): 6386 Saint Dominic Street, San Antonio, Valley 15, Sucat, Paranaque

Manila Address (Night; 7pm til midnight): 2258 Leveriza Street, Malate, Manila

WHEN IT'S TIME TO WAIT, YOU MUST WAIT.

"It must be hard for you, but there is a right time for everything. When it is time to wait, you must wait."

Words from my favorite author, Haruki Murakami, that I always hold on to every time I’m near losing my patience on anything in life. It’s so easy to give in to impulse, but I’m slowly learning how to step back and look at the bigger picture.

This outlook seemed true again for me in film photography. After few months of acquiring my Superheadz UWS camera, reading a lot about film, joining groups to learn more of it, I felt a great feeling of want need for a film SLR camera. I knew it was only a matter of time, as there were a couple of moments that I wanted to give in to it already. Reading a lot helped me (but also confused me) to narrow down my choices of target. There’s a lot of good deals around, so I told myself I had to be wise in choosing.

I’ve had quite a number of moments when I’ll browse camera deals and just melt right in front of the screen because I wanted them all so badly, but I know I can’t invest on it yet. I guess you come to an age where you realize it’s not really easy to earn money just to spend it in a whim (or sobrang tipid ko lang talaga ngayon haha).

Anyway, my top 3 choices for film SLR were: Canon AE-1, Pentax K1000 and Nikon FM3. I would frequent online deals to check if there’s a reasonable deal for me.. Until one morning, I saw a recently posted ad that really caught my eye. Somehow it fell all right into my 2 main categories of concern: (1) it belongs to my top 3, and (2) it was within my budget. I immediately sent a text message to the seller and asked if I could buy it on weekend because I obviously have work during weekdays. He said yes, only if nobody has bought the camera yet by that day. So I hold on to dear hope that no one will grab it yet, because I really thought it was a great deal! Come Friday, I asked him again if it was available, and he said yes! Oh sweet baby jesus, thank you! I met up with him in Manila and I was lucky because I think the seller is a good guy. He handed this to me and it was love at first sight (with the camera, not with the guy haha!)

It’s a (rare) black Canon AE-1 Program which only put a dent in my wallet for only P2,500 (roughly $55)! Still in good condition. And what made me thought this was a great deal because attached to it was this:

An FD 50mm f/1.4 lens! Meaning I could shoot in low light and enjoy an awesome depth of field :)

On top of this all, the seller even threw a speedlite for free!

Although he’s not sure if it’s still working mehehehe! And I’m not yet acquainted with speedlites so there’s still no way of knowing if this would work. But it’s okay because I don’t usually use flash when taking photos :)

I feel so lucky to have come across this because I usually see Canon AE-1 priced at around P5,000. Funny story was, the seller’s ad price was originally at P3,500, but his description said P2,500 at the time I inquired about it. So he felt no choice but to give it to me with the lower price, all because of a simple typo! Hehehe!

Now my black series family has added another member!

I feel so happy now, and relieved at the same time. Had I been carried away by my impulse, I would’ve bought the camera that I didn’t like as much with, a much higher price. Whew, thank you Mr. Murakami, for putting out there an inspiration for waiting, and the value of patience :)

Can’t wait to shoot!

This is such a long and emotional post for a camera!