Sarah Aurora W.

Tabada Literature IV (MTh 2:30-4:00)

February 11, 2013

Life in the Past in Reflection to the Present Brigido B. Alfars poem entitled Tigulang sa Banika is a part of his literary collection Mga Balud sa Paghandum which is a well known Cebuano Visayan literary work. The poem was created on 1947, a time when many Filipino people still lived a simple and convenience-free life. They were free of the polluted and noisy environment which characterizes our environment now. The poem starts with the writer describing Iyo Luis, who he calls tigulang sa banika which means old man of the dry fields. The writer shares with the readers how happy and content Iyo Luis was with his life even though he was bone-tired and sweating from working/tilling his land. Iyo Luis revels in the fruits of his hard work such as the breadfruit, tomatoes and roosters he can conveniently prepare and eat. After working, he can easily relax even if his lunch was just a simple meal of anchovies and kamunggay. Moreover, because he is his own boss, he could decide for himself when to stop working and sleep since no one owns his time. For Iyo Luis, freewill is a precious thing because through this he could easily attain the things he arduously wished for. At the end of the poem, the writer addressed Iyo Luis and tells him how lucky he was for being able to live an idyllic life in a rural area. Iyo Luis was free of the encumbering thoughts that disturb the rich people who continuously think of money. Although he was destitute, he still praised God for the simple things in life that makes him happy. The character and way of life of Iyo Luis help us see how we could live our life even without the conveniences we enjoy right now such as electricity and gadgets. In addition, the poem helps us realize that the way we live right now is so different from how our ancestors lived before technology changed the whole world. The writer made me understand that if we were to work for our own and enjoy a simple life, we could still find happiness and be able to find more time to spend praising God. Moreover, the poem made me reflect on the values and type of society that characterized the previous century in contrast to what we have right now. As what Ive recalled from my history class, the Philippine society during 1947 was still slightly similar to that of the previous centuries but with small advances in technology. In addition, the values were more or less the same with that of the previous centuries such as formal courtships and demureness of the ladies. However, it seems like with the advancement of technology is the deterioration of the good values Filipinos had in the past. The society we have

Sarah Aurora W. Tabada Literature IV (MTh 2:30-4:00)

February 11, 2013

right now is the complete opposite of we had before. Nowadays, teenage pregnancies, extramarital affairs and sex scandals have plagued our society and have become a common occurrence. The values and principles that we used to stand for seemed to be forgotten. Before, couples were not allowed to be near each other without a chaperone and a simple a touch of the hand by the couple was frowned upon. In the past, if a girl becomes pregnant out of wedlock, she would be forced to leave her home, suffer the insults of the people even if she was able to marry the father of her child. Now, if a teenage girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, it would be more or less accepted by her family although she will still be insulted by the society, it will no longer hurt because being pregnant at a young age and out of wedlock is a common thing and she will not be forced to be a pariah. Moreover, extramarital affairs like that of unmarried couples have become more or less accepted since almost all of the couples practiced this. But what really reflects the values of our society right now are the sex scandals created by unmarried couples that plagued the media and society. The act of sex itself shows/reflects the values that characterized our society. Those who are involved in the scandal and those who partake in sex out of marriage think that what they are doing is right. However, even though we have freewill and minds of our own, it still doesnt look good to us Filipinos to think this way. It seems like we lost the good values that we used to have due to the influence of other nations especially that of USA. Moreover, the response of those involved in sex scandals especially the female make it look like to other countries that we are already condoning having sex without the blessing of marriage which is not really true for all. Due to the sex scandals, the image of chastity, demureness and purity that Pinays used to have was changed and the dignity of those who do not believe in condoning sex was crushed. Thus, I think that there must be an intervention done to the entire Philippine society. There must a change of outlook so that the good Filipino values will once again be upheld for the progress of the entire Philippine society not only in an economic way but also in a spiritual and mental way. If there are good values left, it must be retained and preserved so that the next generation will be able to enjoy living a life closer to God. Lastly, we, Filipinos must let go of our colonial mentality so that we will be able to fully appreciate what is ours especially our values and at the same time, be proud to uphold it.