MANILA -- First, the good news is that the legendary Conspiracy Garden Café and Bar will open soon in another venue.

Though details on when and where remain to be answered, for the meantime the major shareholders want patrons to own a piece of what was once described the “cultural center of Quezon City.”

And by “owning a piece,” they’re not referring to memories as they mean it in a literal sense. As of this writing, there’s still an ongoing online auction of paintings once exhibited at the café. In the last few days of August, they’ve sold almost all of their kitchen appliances, chairs and tables. Even the electric fans, drinking glasses, spoons, forks and knives were put on sale.

Whatever amount they’ve earned, they would be pooled in to pay some bills but most of it would be allotted for the livelihood of the remaining four employees — two waiters, cashier and a cook — as they look for new jobs.

“We have a transition team, of which I am a part of. We are closing muna. We’ll see. It’s not easy because this has been an institution. It’s been 19 years, mahirap na rin i-gather ang mga owners. Am referring to the 140 shareholders,” Raul Socrates Banzuela, one of the major shareholders, told ABS-CBN News. Banzuela is also member of the café’s board of directors and for a few years, functioned as the chairman.

We caught up with Banzuela during the farewell gig at the café a few Fridays ago. Ebe Dancel was singing the last few lines of “Burnout” when we arrived. One can feel the sentimentality and nostalgia in the air. Almost everyone was holding a bottle of half-finished beer, croaking as they sang with Dancel.

The crowd was so thick that the occupied tables spilled at the café entrance’s covered walkway. Getting inside the bar proved impossible because there were people standing up and singing with him in almost every available spaces, including those beside the row of ornamental plants near the walls.

“O kay tagal din kitang mamahalin… Salamat, Conspiracy!” Dancel said before standing up.

Earlier, there were Johnny Donoy and a band called The Bugs Life. After Dancel went down from the stage, curiously some members of the audience left. Suddenly, you can get through and reach the bar inside, up to the comfort room.

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Bayang Barrios was next. We’ve learned each performer was limited to four songs. When she sang Joey Ayala’s “Walang Hanggang Paalam,” now a modern classic, we felt goosebumps all over for her heart-wrenching rendition. We remember when she was with Ayala’s Ang Bagong Lumad group, she sang it in a duet with Ayala. When she went solo, she had it as part of her regular repertoire. Despite other local artists recording their own versions, Barrios proved she’s the only female voice who can give justice to the song.

We saw some tearful members of the audience when she sang the lines, “Ang bawa’t simula ay siya ring katapusan …At habang magkalayo. Papalapit pa rin ang puso…”

ARTIST-CENTRIC

Inside the bigger round table near the bar, there was Banzuela and a few shareholders.

“People are going in their own ways, ang hirap na i-converge. We can’t even have our quorum for a general assembly. Wala na, hirap na. Very difficult. We’re not also doing good financially kasi this is very much artist-centric. And there are few artists who are commercially viable,” he told ABS-CBN News.

Banzuela was with Conspiracy from day one, together with the first six artist-owners Noel Cabangon, Bayang Barrios, Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander, Cooky Chua and Gary Granada.

It is said that musicians, or artists in general, most of the time are poor managers. Thus, the need for someone like Banzuela, who has been used to managing an organization. His day job is executive director and national coordinator of PAKISAMA, or Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (National Confederation and Movement of Peasant Organizations).

“We’re helping small farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous communities, rural women manage their cooperatives and more. I am a music lover, so I’ve been part of Conspiracy. I love supporting them.

“So this was good when there’s Bayang, Ebe, Noel, kumikita 'pag sila but these are only a few nights. Most performers are upstarts eh so wala pa talagang following, sila sila rin. Eh may fixed cost na. So hirap financially,” Banzuela said.

Despite the financial difficulties, the owner of the property was very kind to them for the last 19 years. Up to their last few months, they paid the same monthly rent of P30,000. We asked Banzuela who’s the owner but what he can only share was that she’s an old lady who requested not to be named for privacy reasons.

“Mabait ‘yung may-ari. Ang computation namin in total, siguro she donated to us around P26 million in the past 19 years but then she’s already aging. She has to leave the property sa anak nya, kailangan walang tali, ipapamana na.”

Banzuela said when they learned of the owner’s decision to close the venue, they looked around for a new place in the nearby area.

“We looked around the neighborhood here along Visayas Avenue and we were surprised. We can’t afford the rent. The range is from P150,000 to P250,000 and the available venues are smaller than this one, even half of the floor area and without a garden,” he said.

Conspiracy’s original performance venue was the airconditioned ground floor of the old, Hispanic house. This area also served as the art gallery. The other half was where the bar, kitchen and a few more tables were located. The house turned café has a spacious front garden, which, due to the pandemic safety and health protocols has served as the open-air main performance area.

EARLY YEARS

Banzuela is still positive they’ll make it again because the business they are running is supported by volunteers. He recalled the early years of the café when the six founding artists started it.

“In two weeks’ time, more than a 100 individuals invested,” he said. The minimum amount then was P5,000 to be a shareholder.

“I was here when this was named. It was Bayang who named this place. Galing sa kanya ang Conspiracy. Noel suggested Katipunan but it was Bayang’s suggestion that was approved by the majority.

“Then Joey (Ayala) put some meaning. ‘Co-inspiration’ because we co-inspire. Alam mo naman 'yun,” Banzuela said, giggling.

But true to Ayala’s words, the dream of the six founders, who are all singers and composers, to have a sort of cultural hub in Quezon City came true.

“Naglagay na ng art exhibit dito na every three weeks, pinapalitan. The whole year, art exhibits. Some of them would sell. We earn only 20 percent for each artwork sold,” he said. The artists ranged from upstarts to the veterans. Regular art galleries would charge 40 percent, some even 50 percent.

Not only for artists but musicians who paint. We recalled the likes of Dong Abay putting up his solo exhibit in the café.

Veteran visual artist Eghai Roxas, who was in the audience, told ABS-CBN News he was among the first curators organizing the monthly art exhibits. He invited his friends to show their works. He said if Malate had (now closed) Penguin Café and Art Gallery, there’s Conspiracy in Quezon City.

Early this year before the elections, Roxas said Cesar Montano, who also paints, was an occasional visitor in the café and they were talking about putting up another group exhibit.

“Cesar liked it here because he is not treated a celebrity. Even to the waiters, he is just one of the customers,” Roxas said. They knew each other from way back and had mutual respect. Roxas, in jest, said he can tell Montano straight in the face, “Ang pangit ng paintings mo.”

Seriously, like his friends, Roxas is sad about the closing of the café. Even if it opens in another venue, it will never be the same. “Siyempre iba na 'yung environment sa nakasanayan mo. I hope makahanap sila ng parang ganito rin, may garden, simple lang, at home ka, parang nasa bahay ka lang talaga na may mga bisita na gustong makasama.”

CLOSURE PROBLEMS

Banzuela said it’s not the first time that Conspiracy encountered closure problems.

“Basically we earned in food and drinks. If there’s a performance like a band or a solo singer, 'yung entrance sa artists. We used to have, when we started, we had 14 waiters, may security guard pa and manager, paid manager, not volunteer.

“But we’re losing like around P2,000 a day. Mataas ang sales, pero mataas din expenses. Our first three years, we lost around P1.2 million already. Nag-dissipate nang husto. We had a general assembly back then and we decided ituloy pa rin natin,” he added.

They had to make hard decisions and let go of some workers. “Nagbawas ng staff. We let go of the security guard and the general manager. Ni-retain na lang isang senior staff na may leadership skills. We appointed a volunteer manager. Doon nag-umpisa yung volunteer management.

“We had five managers in 19 years. The first two years, a regularly paid manager. The remaining 17 years, volunteers na. Now, looking back, baka may downside kasi volunteer eh. You need more vigor in management, sa mga decision making process. If we had a full-time manager, baka nasalba,” Banzuela said.

Like all establishments, they had to close when the pandemic struck in March 2020. They remained closed until the end of the year. In 2021, they tried to open in January but had to close again in March. Like hiccups in the business, then came the two-to-three months intermittent lockdowns that made it impossible for them to continue.

They opened with an upward trajectory early of 2022. “When we opened in February this year, we started to earn, we were able to pay the landowner. We were able to settle the accumulated water bill, the Meralco bill, naibalik namin ang internet and telepono. Nakabili rin kami ng freezer. Naayos mga bayarin sa city hall, sa BIR,” Banzuela said, with a smile.

The kind owner of the house also didn’t ask for back rental payment during those months they were not in operation. “Tinanong ko siya, ‘Ma’am, paano noong kasagsagan ng pandemic. She told us, ‘Bakit, may pambayad ba kayo?’,” he said, laughing.

But they already had reduced the staff when they opened this year. “Sa staff, down to four lang. Isang waiter, isang cook, isang cashier, isa tumutulong din sa kitchen food preparation.”

During days when there were big-name performers, they had waiters and cooks on call. When Dancel had a solo show in July, they had about 14 in the service staff. “Like today, we have 14 staff but during ordinary days, back to four,” Banzuela said.

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Contrary to rumors that they were not given ample time for a proper closure of the café, Banzuela said it was not that abrupt.

“Nag-usap kami July 26, pero stop na operation after July 31. Nakiusap kami to have a good closing. So eto talaga 'yung closing gig.” The date, August 19, was ideal because, well, for the simple reason they lasted for 19 years.

For now, the task is to talk to every shareholder, all 140 of them. “Kasi may legal matters, so iisa-isahin mga shareholders, ipapaliwanag ang nangyari.”

We asked him how soon is the opening of the café?

“Wala pang lugar, kung mahusay 'yung ma-propose. Let us just say our target date is as soon as possible.”

Before he sang “Kanlungan,” Cabangon said to the audience, “As one of the founders of Conspiracy, I would like to extend my gratitude for all the support. Marami nang nangyari dito, nagkaibigan (people falling in love), may nag-propose, may nagka-iyakan. There were albums and books launched here. Eventually we turned out to be a cultural hub, not only for artists but activists and kahit sinong gustong mag-usap….”

“But business like this, we need capitalization, that’s why we invited shareholders. We’re not capitalists but the problem is, we’re in a capitalist venture. Still, we managed to put this up as a community, as a cultural hub. We would like to thank all the artists as there are a lot of memories flooding in,” Cabangon said.

He strummed the opening chords of “Kanlungan” and everybody sang, “Pana-panahon ang pagkakataaon, maibabalik ba ang kahapon….”

For the meantime, owning a piece of Conspiracy would be a big help.

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