Unit 1: Imaging the Filipino Man

Patriarchy
o Has institutionalized masculinity as the bedrock structure that defines power, language &
perception
o According to feminists, patriarchy acts as the mode of culture which dominates and
denigrates women
o Basing from psychologys definition, patriarchy creates caricatures which are damaging
to both men (perennial conquerors) & women (perpetually conquered)
The selections clustered under this theme situate the multifarious domains the Filipino man
occupies
Mill of the Gods Estrella Alfon
Radical depiction of the Filipino man as an ignoble father and husband
Foregrounds the plenitude of literature in exploring how culture and politics emblematize the
patriarchal figure
Patriarchy (theme)
- Pio as the antagonistic husband, father and womanizer
- The man who left Martha for another woman
- The doctor who had a wife and secretly had an affair with Martha
Images/Symbols
- Pigtails: youth
- Knife/Gun: power, violence, bloodshed
- Window: freedom or lack thereof
- Flowers: beauty, gentleness, admiration or death
- Darkness: evil, ignorance, danger
- Saliva: disgust, hatred
- Mill of the Gods: retribution or punishment (slow but certain)
- Crucifix: justice
Figurative Speech
o Simile:

life must seem like a road given us to travel

life seems like an old-fashioned melodrama

o Hyperbole:
both of them struggled and panted and had almost no breath left for words.
o Irony:
Even in play, there was some part of her that never managed to take too great a part
she was so content if they always made her
it in a game of tag, if only they would let her play if only they would only include her in
the fascinating games she could not play alone.

 Point of Views
o Omniscient
Point of view if the story is all-knowing o Dramatic

Like a play; dialogues

Biblical allusion, Mythological allusion, Legendary allusion

Characters
o Engracia - flat character
o Martha - dramatic/ round character
Espeleta o Community
12 years old o Received a first scar from the gods
Mga tauhan
o Martha - Isang maganda at tahimik na babae na dati ay huli sa kanyang pagaaral. May
matinding galit siya sa kanyang ama.
o Ina - Siya ang nanay ni Martha na mapagtimpi sa panlolokong ginagawa ng kanyang
asawa.
o Ama - Ang tatay ni Martha na may kabit. Namatay siya sa huli pagkatapos barilin ng
asawa ng kanyang kabit.
o Espeleta - Ito ang mga kapitbahay at ang lipunan na kinabibilangan ng pamilya ni
Martha. Sila ang nakasaksi sa bawat pangyayari ng buhay nila Martha.
Mga Paksa at Tema
o Patriarchal na lipunan - Hindi nabigyan ng parusa ang ama ni Martha kahit na alam ng
lahat ang pangangaliwa nito. Sa halip ay tinanggap pa rin siya ng kanyang asawa.
o Paghihiganti - Piniling maging kabit si Martha upang mapunan ang galit niya sa ginawa ng
ama.
o Pambababae bilang madalas ngunit patagong gawain - Halos lahat ng lalaki sa
kuwento ay nangaliwa.
Buod
o Martha, the daughter of Pio and Engracia, was 12 years old and was lagged behind others of
her age, whether in study or in play. One night, she heard her parents arguing and struggling
in terrible fury with each other. Martha immediately got out of her room when she heard her
mothers voice and she saw that they were struggling for the knife. Her father had commanded
her to take the knife away from her mothers hand and so she did and threw it out of the
window. Engracia wordlessly slapped her husband a couple of times as soon as he released
her. She clutched at Martha and told her words that were unfamiliar to her; words that were
only half-understood. But despite of this, Martha was crying. Her father went out and was gone
after her mother spat on him, and Marthas mother directed her to find him but she could not.
She went back to the room and cried with her mother.
o When Martha was 18, she fully understood the night that had been a blur to her when
she was still 12. She fell in love with a guy not older than herself, and her seriousness
with love hindered things such as play or game. Martha asked him about their marriage
and he just laughed at her. She realized his excuses meant that he did not want to

marry her. He married another woman and Martha, taking in reality, knew that she had
learned her lesson. That night came back to her and made her hate her father and
regret about throwing the knife.
o Martha turned religious and Espeleta approved because they did not know what she
prayed for. Marthas parents are still together even after that night but between them
there was silence. After she had fallen in love, when she started hating her father, she
also started to hate her mother. Martha graduated with high honors in high school at the
age of 18 and everyone, including her mother and father, was proud of her. Martha
studied nursing and started to have visitors this time they were doctors in the house
again. But out of all the other doctors, Martha chose someone slightly older than the
rest. Between him and her, there had been a quick lifting of the pulse and quickening of
the breath. But for the very first time they talked to each other, he told her he was
married and if ever hell have an affair with another woman, it should be hidden. Martha
found in herself the deep abiding secret against her father and the laws of man and the
church. It seemed like her mothers burden was passed on to her unwilling shoulders.
o One day at the hospital, Martha was in the emergency room and saw a man who had
been shot. She imagined that the man was his father. The doctor she loved was in
charge and she was shocked when he returned her gaze with a look of pain on his face.
She then realized that the man who had been shot was really his father, and as she
walked out of the room she saw her mother crying. She wanted to cry to ease the
tightness in her chest but instead she felt the cruel justness of things. When they got
home, there was a crowd who waited for them. There was also an unfamiliar group
called Colon and they were the witnesses to her fathers death. They told Martha that
the one who shot her father was the husband of the woman whom Marthas father had
an affair with. And after hearing all these, she went to her father, looking at his face that
seemed to be in peace and free from pain. She went to her room and there hung a
crucifix. She prayed and thanked that justice was repaid at last.

Estrella Alfon

o Born on 1917 in Cebu City

o Died on December 28, 1983
o Storywriter, playwright & journalist Well-known
author who wrote almost exclusively in English
o Most prolific Filipina writer prior to WWII
o Only female member of the Veronicans
o Associate of Arts degree (UP)
o Supposed to study Medicine buy was
mistakenly diagnosed of Tuberculosis and
because of that, she stops from her medical
course
o Died from heart attack (suffered on-stage during Awards night of the Manila
Film Festival) at the age of 66 o Writing,

Literary Styles & Technique

Straight forward quality in her stories

Her characters are mostly part of the lower middle-class

Strongly expresses a sense of community in her writings

Her fictional world is defined by family relationships between:

Parents (especially the mother) and children

Wife and husband
Women and lovers
Women and their female friends
Draws inspiration from her real-life experiences

The protagonists in her stories are usually women portrayed as objects and not
as subjects. They are examples of a woman as damaged culture
The questions lurk within her stories, but she never allowed them to surface
Pagkat Lalaki Ka Michael Coroza
Explores how historical and social institutions develop a masculinist unconscious perspective
of supremacy and suggests how this can be fundamentally effaced
Michael Coroza clearly depicts how culture is shaped to favor the masculine model in his work,
Pagkat Lalaki Ka
Specifying concrete examples of how society fosters the patriarchal capitalist culture &
consequently exploit and pathologize the feminization of ideology
He claims that history may have determined to propagate masculinity as the prototype

Nakasanayan na natin na ang lahat ng mga kalalakihan ang may hawak ng kapangyarihan at
ang mga kababaihan naman ay dapat manatili lang sa mga tahanan. Ngunit pinapakita sa tula
na hindi mali na ipakita ng mga kalalakihan ang kanilang mga kahinaan.
Pinapakita sa unang bahagi ng tula na ayos lang umiyak at magsisi. Ang luha sa unang
bahagi ay sumisimbolo sa mga kamaliang nagawa ng isang tao. Ang lahat nga mga naging
kasalanan ay may kaakibat na pagsisisi. At para sa mga lalaki, mahirap tumanggap ng
pagkakamali. Subalit ayon sa tula, ang pagsisisi sa mga kamaliang nagawa ay isang
instrumento upang maging isang maka-tao.
Madaming nagawang mga imprasktraktura ang mga kalalakihan tulad ng Tore ng Babel,
Piramide, Koliseo at iba pa. Dahil dito, mas binigyan ng pansin ang kalakasan ng mga
kalalakihan kaysa sa mga kababaihan. Ngunit ang mga kalalakihan din ang nag-umpisa ng
paggamit ng karahasan sa pakikitungo at pamumuno sa kanilang mga nasasakupan. Dito
nagsimula ang mababang pagtingin sa mga kababaihan.
Ang salitang iluha ay ginamit naman bilang emosyon ng awa ng isang lalaki para sa mga
kababaihang nasaktan. Inako ng lalake sa tula ang pagsisisi sa mga nagawang marahas ng
mga kalalakihan ng sinaunang panahon sa mga kababaihan.
Ang babae ang nagluluwal ng bagong buhay sa mundo. Ang babae ay nagiging ina kapag
nagluwal siya ng buhay sa mundo. Inaalagaan, pinapalaki at minumulat ang buhay na iyon sa
mundo. Sa kanya nagsisimula at sa kanya rin nagtatapos. Ngunit, dahil sa huwad na
pananaw, nawalan ng lugar ang mga kababaihan sa libro ng kasaysayan. Hindi binigyan
pansin ng mga tao lalo na ng mga kalalakihan ang hirap at pagsasakripisyo ng mga
kababaihan.

 Sa huling bahagi ng tula, pinapapatay, pinadudurog at pinapalibing ng awtor ang huwad na

pananaw na namamagitan sa mga kalalakihan at mga kababaihan. Dapat na matanggal ang
kinagisnang kultura, tradisyon o paniniwala na iyon sa ating mga sarili upang mas
maintindihan ang panig ng dalawang magkaibang grupo ng lipunan. Sa pangyayaring mawala
ang kamalayang ito sa lipunan, mababago ang pananaw ng mga tao sa kanilang mga buhay
na dapat bigyan ng halaga at respeto ang mga kababaihan.
Michael M. Coroza
o A multi-awarded poet, essayist, translator, editor, and educator
o Though his parents were from Majayjay and Liliw, Laguna, he was born in
Ermita, Manila on August 26, 1969 o He spent his early childhood in
San Pablo City, Laguna o His family transferred to Parang, Marikina in
1978
o married Jeanette M. Job, principal of Maria Asuncion R. Tiga High
School, in 1994
o They have three children: Miko Idyanale, Jeanne Haraya and Miguel Bulawan
o They have been residents of Nangka, Marikina City since 2005
o Michael M. Coroza finished his elementary education at Parang Elementary School in 1982 and his
secondary education at the Marikina Institute of Science and Technology in 1986
o He obtained his Bachelor of Arts (AB) Major in Philosophy from the University of Santo Tomas in
1990
o His Master of Arts (M.A.) in Filipino Literature from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2001
o His Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Filipino from the UP-Diliman in 2010

Male Myth in Mass Media: Masculinizing the Majority Model

Binary o Are oppositions
Gender myths o Generally influence lives as they stem from the differences between the
biological basis of sex and the cultural category of gender
o Sex - an individuals birthright
o Gender - an individuals construct in performing appropriate roles
in society
Films, televisions and print media have been identified as forms of mass culture
Men
o Gaze (terrestrial beholders)
o Time: actualizing their desires
o Endeavors to be strong
Women
o Gazed upon (enchanting exemplars)
o Time: being object of desire
o Persists to be beautiful
Literary pieces that bolster the myriad possibilities of interpreting the Filipino man as text and as a
decentered object of desire: To the Man I Married & The Spouse
To the Man I Married Angela Manalang-Gloria
Romantic poem which delineates the man as the beloved
Romanticizes man as her love object in the poem
Presents a specific value judgment for a womans man lover, protector, provider, elemental
Metaphor:
o You are my earth and all that earth implies

o the land that stills my cries

o you are my provider

To The Man I Married is not wholly a poem regarding the love of a wife to his husband. On the
contrary, it describes more in detail the limitations placed by the husband to his wife: the
domestication of women. He gives everything she needs and because of this, the wife became
dependent on the husband ("The air I breathe... whose orbit marks my way And sets my north
and south...").
The poem depicts a woman, now accustomed and limited to the reality of marriage, telling her
husband how she loves him in the most realistic description as possible: earthly and mortal.
She tells him how, even when he has provided everything for her, she still longs for the
ambitions she needed to abandon and how, even when she needs her dreams, this does not
lessen her love for him.
Part I
o In the octave, the speaker makes the bold claim addressing the man she married: You are
my earth and all that earth implies. The speakers claim alerts the reader to a metaphorical
comparison: the addressee is her earth.
death also as the earth does.
While the octave implies a very close and sustaining relationship between the speaker
and her husband, the sestet asserts that that closeness does not completely satisfy all
of the needs of the speaker as an individual: If in your arms that hold me now so
near / I lift my keening thoughts to another one.
Even as she acknowledges her close, nurturing relationship with her husband, she finds
that she needs another one, because of her keening thoughts. And then she
metaphorically compares herself to a tree whose roots though long rooted to the earth
raise their leaves and flowers to the sun.
She needs the earth, but she also needs the sky, just as the earth does, just as trees
need the sun. That does not diminish her love for and attachment to her husband, who
is her earth. The speaker wants to make that fact quite clear so she repeats her claim:
You who are earth, O never doubt that I / Need you no less because I need the sky.
Part II
o consists of two quatrains, in which the speaker asserts that she does not want to overstate
her case about her love for her husband, and she even backtracks somewhat.
o Although he is metaphorically her earth, she really cannot compare her love for him to
the ocean, because no such love / And no such ocean can ever be. But she can
love him in a finite way, like the waves that keep crashing against the shore; after all,
those waves do reflect The blue of everlasting skies.
Angela Caridad Legaspi Manalang-Gloria
o Born on August 2, 1907 in Guagua, Pampanga o She died in
1995
o Studied at St. Agnes Academy in Legaspi, where she graduated valedictorian in elementary
o In her senior year, she moved to St. Scholastica's College in Malate,
Manila,where her writing started to get noticed
o Angela Manalang was among the first generation female students at the University of the
Philippines. Angela initiallyenrolled in law, as suggested by her father. However, with the advice

of her professor C.V. Wickers, who also becameher mentor, she eventually transferred to
literature.
o versatile; lyric poet, pianist and editor
o Poems
First and only pre-war anthology of poetry in English by a Filipino Woman
o Rival of Jose Garcia Villa
o idealist turned pragmatist
o Her parents were Felipe Dizon-Manalang & Tomasa Tolosa-Legaspi
o They are from Pampanga but they settled in Albay, Bicol Region
o Angela Manalang was a graduate of the University of the Philippines, an esteemed university known
for shaping strong, critical and ambitious men and women. As such, it is no wonder that she would
describe her love for her husband in a way that contradicts many poems depicting love for a man as
a perfect, everlasting concept; her love is imperfect and so is her relationship with him ("I cannot love
you with a love That out compares the boundless sea... as no such love... can ever be."). Yes, she
loves him, but as a woman and as a person, she too has her own ambitions and dreams. However,
she can no longer reach these dreams as she is now committed and accustomed to her life as a wife
and mother; she can only look on and try to reach out ("If in your arms that hold me now so near... As
trees long rooted to the earth uprear..."). She speaks of her love as limited, only going as far as the
earth may provide ("As finite as the wave that dies...") and tells the husband that his love is not the
only one she seeks but also her ambition for greater things, though it does not hinder her love for him
("Need you no less because I need the sky!").

The Spouse Luis Dato

Explication of the young wife as the lover
Love abstract in the view of the human
Her hair disheveled in the night of passion manifestation of love
Oedipus the only one who was able to answer the mystery
Sender: To the Man I Married (The Spouse)
Addresser: Wife (observer)
Addressee: Husband (earth) (reader)
Characteristics of man: Provider & Hardworking
Characteristics of woman: Realistic & Dissatisfied
This poem is spoken by a third person. It is about a woman who is not satisfied with her life.
She is crying because after their night of passion, when she woke up her husband is already
gone plowing the fields. Isnt that makes you feel alone? Just when you expect youll see his
face the moment you open your eyes after a passionate night, but you only see a rose a
compromise. But she cannot do anything about it. She is just a woman. And she believe she
has no other life but other than this. In the end, it questions: Will there ever be a change? Will
she get the love she deserved?
Luis Guevarra Dato
o July 4, 1906
o Place of Birth: Baao, Camarines Sur
The Nature of Hermeneutics: Man as a Cultural Construct
Hermeneutics the study and the act of discovering meaning and interpretation
Interest are affixed as opinions and the values of the individuals who espouse them, determine
their own perceptions or world-view
Value Systems determine our world-view

 Nature of interpretation is measured by the nature of the interpreter himself, determined by the
culture he is part of
People construct their own social realities because they are a product of these realities
Our projection of meaning is inflected by our own truths, prejudices and value judgments
Unit 2: Imaging the Filipino Woman
Vanity, thy name is woman
Significant One or the inessential Other
Venus and Mariang Makiling
o The muse of love, nature and inspiration
Medusa and Mangkukulam
o Demonic entity casting evil spells and inflicting plagues on otherwise orderly society
o Trademarks: mystery & ambiguity
Luna (the moon)
o Deliberately feminized as a result of her variegated phases
Typhoons & hurricanes predominately carry female names, evidenced by their erratic
shifting fluxions
Nature
o Characterized as an entity which can be preserved, cultivated, or destroyed
o Bears a mother label
Mater Dolorosa
o The silent, grieving mother whose agony and tears foreground her equally agonizing Child
Femme fatale
o Whose sly and provocative schemes lure her men of prey to their doom
TungkungLangit and Alunsina adapted by F. Landa Jocano
Ang kwentong inyong maririnig ay nagmula sa mga Panay, sa isla ng Visayas. Ito y isang
kwentona naglalarawan kung pano nabuo ang mundo dahil sa pag-ibig
Panay Visayan Folktale
One of the most striking depictions of how early Filipino folk conjure hypothetical answers to
their seemingly problematic questions about the origin of sky, rain, and thunder
Glosses over the dichotomy of gender politics, as represented by the two gods:
Tungkung Langit(active male) and Alunsina (passive female)
Tungkung Langit (Pillar of the Sky)
Alunsina (The Unmarried One)
Earth and sea
o trees and flowers o necklace to star o comb to moon o crown to sun
Tungkung Langits tears = rain; his sobbing = thunder
F. Landa Jocano
o in Cabatuan Iloilo City, February 5, 1930, son of a farmer Eusibio Jocano and Anastacia
Landa.
Myth as Metaphor, Symbol, and Archetype
Myths

o have always been regarded as significant prototypes in endorsing concrete perspectives

guided by customs and traditions
Carl Jungs archetype
o Pictured as an image, symbol, or metaphor bearing a universal understanding from people
regardless of time, place, and backgrounds
o Are inherently universal
o Bear effects on the collective unconscious
o Evoke a representation of our existing culture, no matter how invariably diverse they are in
scope and essence, from the affixed symbol
Northrop Frye Mythic Archetypes
o as realism is an act of implicit simile, myth is an act of metaphorical identity
Classical West: Pygmalion & Galatea and Samson & Delilah
Our own folk literature: Malakas & Maganda and Makusog and Daragang Magayon
Myths are frequently retold and revised in modern cultures and societies
o a living proof is their permanence and relevance
Myths variantly showcase super and supra-realities determined in such a way as to highlight,
appropriate or event distort universally-construed ideas and narratives
Ang Babaing Nangangarap nang Gising Virgilio Almario
The life of a typical Filipina who has experienced a lot of hardships in life. Despite the
challenges and struggles she's been through, she still hopes a better life with her husband.
She dreams of a peaceful and happy married life. She wants to escape these disappointments
and she does it by day-dreaming. She wishes a happy life; she doesnt want to experience any
more pain. Shes been hurt so many times. She wants a perfect life, she may not achieve it in
reality but through day dreaming, it gives her the blissful feeling. Shes a strong Filipina who
possesses the quality of being patient and martyr.
"I think that the poem was written at a time when the country was still on the verge of
industrialization and living in the city was at its peak. The woman in the story symbolizes a
typical person living in the province that is blinded by the fast life and possibly a better future in
the city. This was her ambition. Simply put, to live in the city means to live in prosperity. Now
reality struck her, she got married to a drunkard husband in a home with few to eat. Amidst all
these, still she closes her eyes and dreams a life with violins playing and with sweet care from
her husband."
Para sa akin, ang ibig sabhin ng tulang ito ay, may isang babaeng mahirap at lumaki sa
malansa at bukid na basa sa isang liblib na nayon, siya'y nangarap na sanay makatagpo sya
ng isang prinsipe na maaaring makapagpaganda ng kanyang buhay at mamuhay na parang
prinsesa, kaya lunsod ay kanyang tinungo, subalit ang babaeng ito ay bigo sapagkat nilamon
sya sa tukso ng lungsod at kanyang natagpuan ay lalaking lasenggero lamang, ang lahat ng
kanyang pangarap ay naglaho at ang kanyang mga nais na matupad sa buhay ay hanggang
sa pangarap na lamang.
May isang babaeng probinsyana na nangarap umahon sa kahirapan. Siya ay
nakipagsapalaran sa lungsod ngunit sa hindi inaasahang pangyayari, siya ay nadala ng tukso
o makamundong pagnanasa. Dahil sa pangyayaring ito, naglaho ang kanyang pangarap.
Ngayon, siya na lamang ay nangangarap ng gising. Dahil sa kahirapan at pagkaligaw ng

landas, siya ay napilitang gumawa ng masama. Hindi rin maganda ang naging buhay niya sa
kanyang asawa. Sa tuwing ang lalaki ay darating, siya ay pipikit at magpapanggap na siya ay
sasalubong sa prinsipe niyang lasing at mangangarap ng gising na ang bawat himas ng
asaway kaginha-ginhawa. Lumalabas na siya ay itinuturing na laruan lamang ng asawang
lasing.
Babae Akong Namumuhay nang Mag-isa Joi Barrios
Deflects the tension afforded by the male gaze in constituting the woman, thereby rescuing her
from the commodification and stereotyping brought about by patriarchal idioms
Reader encounters a different kind of woman beset with a different kind of oppression
A woman not only denouncing the subjectivity ascribed to her by her biological nature, but the
multiple binds of being a Third World woman marginalized in terms of her gender, race, and
class
The poem speaks of the past of an old woman. Binansagan siya ng sari saring pangalan. And
the past still haunts her but that doesn't stop her from proving her worth in the society. Lahat
ng mga napagdaanan niya ay may mga dahilan na kapag ibinahagi niya sa lipunan mali pa rin
o masama para sa kanila. Maaaring sa hirap ng buhay napilitan siyang pumasok sa isang
trabahong kinailangang walang malisya o pakikiapid sa iba. Gumamit ng tao para sa kanyang
kaginhawahan. Hindi naging maganda ang propesyon o ibang aspeto ng kanyang
pamumuhay. Pinili niya ang landas na ito maaari dahil sa kagipitan o kawalan na ng paraan.
Inisip niya na kinailangan niyang makasurvive sa hamon ng buhay. Pero kapalit nun ay ang
tingin ng tao sa kanya. Gusto niyang pabayaan na siya ng tao at wag ng pagisipan pa ng
ibang bagay dahil buhay naman niya ito at siya ang pangunahing aktor ng bawat kabanata.
Para sa kanya anong alam ng tao sa totoong istorya ng naging buhay niya. Ipaliwanag man
niya may posibilidad ba na mabago ang pagtingin sa kanya?Nakadikit sa kanya ang kanyang
prinsipyo. maaring ito ay ang prinsipyo ng pakikipagsapalaran sa buhay na hindi malinaw ang
direksyon.
Isang babaeng piniling mamuhay ng mag-isa. Sa pasyang ito, marami ang humusga sa
kanyang pagkatao. Marahil ay hindi naging maganda ang kinagisnang pamumuhay o ang
kanyang nakaraan kayat ganoon na lamang ang pagkutya sa kanyang katauhan. Marami na
siyang pagsubok na pinagdaanan na tumimbang at sumuri sa kanyang katauhan. Ang pag-iisa
o pagpili sa kalayaan ay bumuo ng paghuhusga sa kanya ng lipunan. Hindi niya tinalikuran
ang pag-ibig, pananagutan, pangarap at pag-asa. Ninais niya lamng na magkaroon ng
kalayaan na patakbuhin sa kanyang sariling puso at isipan ang kanyang buhay. Ninais niyang
mailayo ang katauhan sa pangalang ikinabit sa kanya. Ninais niyang maging malaya at
mamuhay ng walang humuhusga sa kanya.
The character in this poem is bitter with her life. She doesnt want to blame anybody with the
life she has right now, its her choice, and its her decision. All that she is asking is that she
doesnt want to be judge and let her live her own life, a peaceful and normal life. Shes been
thru a lot of things but she keeps herself strong and she continues the fight of her life. Maybe,
in a way, shes also asking for forgiveness in all her wrong actions of the past. She doesnt
want to be alone, its not her decision but being alone in life is the best thing she can think for
herself.
It was about a girl who is not liked by the society because of her social status and the kind of
work she had. But then the poem gives us the message that sometimes, it's ok to live alone,

without anyone, away from everyone that to live with criticizing people around you. The woman
here proved that she is strong even if she failed a couple of times before. That she can live
away from all the negative reactions of the people. It's not that she is weak that's why she
opted to love alone, but because she just got tired of the people around her who has nothing
good to say about her. This time, she wants to live her life on her own, without anybody free
from the people.
Woman with Horns Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
"Woman With Horns is a short story written by Filipino writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. The
story was first published in Focus Philippines in 1984 and is part of the author's first short story
collection, Woman With Horns and Other Stories (New Day Publishers, 1987). Woman With
Horns is centered around two personalities, two extremely opposite personalities: Agustina, the
so called Woman with Horns and Gerald, an American doctor in the Philippines at the turn of
the century;
The title refers to a fictional character named Agustina Macaraig, an Ubecan widow, rumored
to have horns. Brainard's character was inspired by fanciful folklore from Cebu,
Philippines,where she grew up in and which inspired her to create the setting of many of her
stories - Ubec, which is Cebu backwards.
The story is set in 1903 a year after the tumultuous Philippine-American War. America was
busy sending American administrators to their newly acquired colony in the Pacific. One of
those who went to the "Islands" and who ended up in Ubec was a New York doctor and
widower, Gerald McAllister. As the Public Health Director of Ubec, he
carries on with his duties of establishing a vaccination program to stop a cholera epidemic. His
initial meeting of the beautiful and sensual widow, Agustina Macaraig, disturbs and irritates the
doctor. It is his assistant, Dr. Jaime Laurel, who reminds him that life is more than work:
"Friend, you don't know how to enjoy life. Look at the sun turning red, getting ready to set
spectacularly. It is a wonderful afternoon, you walk with a friend, you talk about beautiful
women, about life..."
It is Agustina Macaraig who eventually teaches Gerald McAllister to love and live once more."
Gerald is losing his drive to life, he comes to the Philippines to forget the loss of his wife to
cancer; this loss is compounded by his transgression with the nurse who took care of his sick
wife, the wife discovers the affair before she dies - With loss and guilt, Gerald is drying like a
twig, losing his battle with depression... then comes this Agustina, this woman full of life, a
woman who was recently widowed herself, and her appearance starts to rattle the guarded
foundation of Gerald
Agustina is nobler than the rest, her every flirtation, every persistence, every way of being
radical and suggestive and aggressive towards Gerald was her natural way of saving him;
Agustina becomes the doctor and Gerald the patient.
So that, when she joins him in the river to fulfill their desires, she is not a woman with horns but
a goddess of love and compassion as she saves the man she loves.
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard o Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (born 1947) grew up Cebu City,
Philippines, the youngest of four children to Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra and Mariano
F. Manguerra. The death of her father when she was nine prompted her to start writing,

first in journals, then essays and fiction. She attended St. Theresa's College and
Maryknoll College in the Philippines; and she did graduate work at UCLA.
Francisco Arcellana o Francisco "Franz" Arcellana (Zacarias Eugene Francisco Quino
Arcellana) was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. He was born in
aka Frank V. Sta. Cruz, Manila.
o He is the fourth of 18 children of Jose Arcellana y Cabaneiro and Epifanio Quino. He was
married to Emerenciana Yuvienco with whom he has six children, one of whom, Juaniyo is
an essayist, poet and fictionist. He received his first schooling in Tondo. The idea of writing
occurred to him at the Tondo
Intermediate School but it was at the Manila West High School (later Torres High School)
that he took up writing actively as staff member of The Torres Torch, the school organ.
o In 1932 Arcellana entered the University of the Philippines (UP) as a premedicine student
and graduated in 1939 with a bachelor of philosophy in degree. In his junior year, mainly
because of the publication of his trilogy of the turtles in the Literary Apprentice,
Arcellana was invited to join the UP Writers Club by Manuel Arguilla who at that time was
already a campus literary figure. In 1934, he edited and published Expression, a quarterly
of experimental writing. It caught the attention of Jose Garcia Villa who started a
correspondence with Arcellana. It also spawned the Veronicans, a group of 13 pre-WWII
who rebelled against traditional forms and themes in Philippine literature.
Arcellana went on to medical school after receiving his bachelor's degree while holding jobs
in Herald Midweek Magazine, where his weekly column Art and Life (later retitled Life
and Letters) appeared, and in Philcross, the publication of the Philippine Red Cross. The
war stopped his schooling. After the war, he continued working in media and publishing and
began a career in the academe. He was manager of the International News Service and
the editor of This Week. He joined the UP Department of English and Comparative
Literature and served as adviser of the Philippine Collegian and director of the UP Creative
Writing Center, 1979- 1982. Under a Rockefeller Foundation grant he became a fellow in
creative writing, 1956- 1957, at the University of Iowa and Breadloaf Writers' Conference.
o In 1932 Arcellana published his first story. The Man Who Could Be Poe in Graphic while
still a student at Torres High School. The following year two of his short stories, Death is
a Factory and Lina, were included in Jose Garcia Villa's honor roll. During the 1930's,
which he calls his most productive period, he wrote his most significant stories including,
Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal cited in 1938 by Villa as the year's best. He also began
writing poetry at this time, many of them appearing in Philippine Collegian, Graphic and
Herald Midweek Magazine.
o He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short story in English.
Arcellana pioneered the development of the short story as a lyrical prose-poetic form within
Filipino literature. His works are now often taught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the Philippines.
o Some of his works have been translated into Tagalog, Malaysian, Italian, German and
Russian, and many have been anthologized. Two major collections of his works are:
Selected Stories, 1962, and The Francisco Arcellana Sampler, 1990. He also edited the
Philippine PEN Anthology of Short Stories, 1962, and

Fifteen Stories: Story Masters 5, 1973. Arcellana credits Erskine Caldwell and Whit Burnett
as influences. From 1928 to 1939, 14 of his short stories were included in Jose Garcia
Villa's honor roll. His short story The Flowers of May won second prize in
h o Apostrophe Big Lady o Hyperbole So she can be saved from bursting o
Hyperbole and Metonymy She only comes to eat your sadness (sadness = tears)
o Metaphor She likes sadness, its food. o
Simile Shes sad, like her meals
Symbolisms o The sadness collector/ Bedtime Story

Our Source of Comfort

Separating reality from fantasy o She cant take you away from me

Referring to custody

The story represents the importance of the specific roles played by each of the members of a
Filipino family. It is evident that a mother and a father in a Filipino family tend to have a very
distant role to perform in the household. The father should be the bread-winner while the
mother should stay at home taking care of the kids. In the story The Sadness Collector they
have seemed to break tradition. The mother went to Paris to work and actually be the bread
winner, while the father, although still working, stayed at home with Rica. In the absence of the
mother, the Filipino perspective that the mother is the best person who can look out for the
welfare of her child/children was represented in the story seeing Rica as a confused and
disturbed child because her mom is not by her side. The father was so hard to connect with
Rica because of the reason that it was hard for him to accept the fact that he had to stay with
his child which, for him, is not his real role. Seeing this situation, I can say that a Filipino family
tends to be more patriarchal and breaking this tradition seemed to be, for the many, ruining of
the family. What is also evident here in this selection is the perspective of the very big role
played by the mother in the Filipino family; they keep family ties and a child without a mother
by his/her side tends to grow out of the way, being an incomplete person inside.
At first glance "The Sadness Collector" seems to be your typical story of a Filipino family, one
of which we see on movies. The mother goes to a foreign country, leaving her children behind,
while taking care of a stranger's child with the intent to give a comfortable living for the family.
However, what seems to be the typical story may be classified as a "daily tragedy", Merlinda
Bobis depicted the corroding of what is said to be the essence of a Filipino family, "Close
Knitted Family Bonds". Young girls usually steps within the shadows of their mother, but Rica
not like most girls, lost the chance in her growing years. Suffering a great loss from the
physical distance of the mother from Paris, to the eventual emotional distance of the father,
who refuses to read her mother's letter and answer the questions about the baby pictures. In
this story it is now obvious that the effects is focused on Rica, a model of every Filipino child
that never/forgot feeling of the loving touch of their mothers. In Merlinda Bobis' "poetic" short
story leaves an alarming message, a child who lost the joy of being her mother's daughter,
Filipino family seized of its very essence - what do we do now?
It is a common situation in many families today. Husband and child remain at home while wife
works as a domestic helper in a foreign country. Rica, now five years old, was just three when
her mother left. Her father works in a factory and attends to her only in the evenings.

Sometimes she watches TV and plays with the pretty little things sent by her mother. Early this
year a picture of her employer's baby was included in the packages sent.
Father and daughter Rica are signs each distinct from the other. Sometimes Rica does not like
to eat supper and father resorts to scolding, cajoling or telling stories. She likes especially the
story of Big Lady who comes in the evenings to eat the sadness she has gathered from the
homes. Filled with images about the Big Lady, Rica whiles away the time by drawing stick
figures of her with a tummy that grows bigger every day. She knows that it will eventually burst
and she waits for that moment.
That evening her father comes home late as usual to avoid answering her questions about the
baby in the picture. But he is drunk and shouts. That whore! (In reference to his wife who
has decided to stay for another year in Paris) as he kicks the pots and pans in the kitchen that
fall cluttering on the floor. Rica screams and collapses as he takes her in his arms. The father,
both in anger and remorse tries to assuage and comfort Rica who believes it is the Big Lady
who has come back. For venting his anger at his wife he realizes that the havoc he created
has caused his daughters fears so he assures her of his love without telling his real feelings;
he even hides his closed fists behind her back as she tells about the Big Lady while the father
curses his wife. That Rica does not understand her fathers pain is for her good.
Clearly, the father is the signifier which means sadness, the signified. Rica, also a signifier, and
the father have had enoughtwo years to suffer the absence of the mother. Each tries hard to
keep sane, each a paradigm complementing the other. It is the fathers outburst that draws a
syntagmatic whole and gives meaning to the narrative.
o Actually, the notion of a Big Lady who comes
at night to eat the uneaten food of children who
refuse to eat supper is a Bikol folk custom. I
remember that as a child, 1 used to be told
about the Big Lady by the family help when I
would refuse to eat supper or even finish the
food on my plate. l see this now as a pre
constructed articulation connected to hidden
spirits which Bikols use to threaten children
who can be difficult at times
Merlinda Bobis o (November 25, 1959 present) o Her main interest was painting, but at age
10 she began writing poetry because
painting with words was cheaper o Writer, performer, academic o Born in
Tabaco, Albay o Completed her BA at Aquinas University (Legaspi City) [Summa cum
Laude] o Got her post-graduate degree in (Master of Arts in Literature) University of
Santo Tomas and (Doctorate of Creative Arts) University of Wollongong
(Australia) o Senior lecturer at the University of
Wollongong
Breaking Through Myrna Pea Reyes
Characters o The Persona and its father.
Theme: Filial Love

 The poem Breaking Through written by Myrna Pea-Reyes is very profound in terms of its
appeal to the reader. The poem is all about the filial relationship between a son/daughter and a
father.
The poem basically revolves around the father and his son/daughter. The plot of the poem tells
the reader that a certain persona in the first stanza receives a parcel that came during that
morning. The persona lamely opened the small box and it takes for him/her a short labor to
undo the tie. Although the box is just small, it is being tied skillfully and very well. It is not stated
in the first stanza where the package does came from but lately, it is being mentioned that its
from the personas father. The package box came all the way across 10, 000 miles of ocean.
While opening the box, the persona can feel the love of his/her father that binds them together.
Breaking Through if examined could be the literal meaning of breaking through or the undoing
of the strong thread of two or three strands that are being twisted together tied around the
package box received by the persona from his/her father. The title itself could be the
connotation of the applied effort of a certain persona in the poem in executing a little labor by
untying the box. This effort of the persona in the poem is very present from line 1 to 7 of the
first stanza. It says that, Haltingly I undo the knots around your parcel that came this
morning. A small box should require little labor, but youve always been thorough, tying things
tight and well. The twine lengthens, curls beside the box.
The title Breaking Through is the metaphorical representation of the filial devotion of the
persona to his/her father. The title could be the denotation of the persona in the poem of the
lessons that he/she had learned from his/her father. It could also mean love as supported
from the last two lines of the second stanza. The line says that my father, this undoing is
what binds us. Although its not directly mentioned that love is the breaking through, it is
showed indirectly through subliminal meaning of the phrase this undoing is what binds us.
What makes the father and the persona bind? The clear and not vague answer is love, nothing
more.
The author also used symbols in the poem. The first symbol is the box. As an assertion, the
box highly symbolizes the love of the father to the persona that is being away from him. It is
distant because the author mentioned in the last lines of the first stanza. It says that the
package box came across 10, 000 miles of ocean. The box also represents the longing of the
father to his son/daughter that is away from him for a long time. Through the box, the father
extends his warm filial love to his son/daughter.
The knots around the parcel also represents that the fathers love is true and fair to the
persona. The love that is true and fair can be supported by lines from 6-7 of stanza 1 that says
but youve always been thorough, tying things tight and well. The twine lengthens and lines
from 11-12 of stanza 1 that says you hoped the package would hold its shape across 10,
000 miles of ocean. In those lines, the father of the persona tied the knots thoroughly to keep
the package in its original shape from the fathers home until it reaches the personas hand. It
only signifies that he wanted that his best regards and love would remain intact after
journeying across 10, 000 miles across the ocean. The knots also symbolized of how patient
the personas father, it definitely reflects he tied the box.
In the poem, there is a mention of belt in the 10th line of first stanza. It says, Once your belt
slapped sharply against my skin, it is being enclosed in the parenthesis for further emphasis.

The belt that the author projects in line 10 only symbolizes that the personas father is a man of
discipline. He slaps the persona sometime in his/her childhood to discipline him/her. Through
the belt, it shaped the persona for he/she know through the fathers slapping, the persona
learned things between bad and good, and right or wrong. The belt also symbolizes display or
the manifestation of power. It only shows that during childhood of the persona, he/she exists in
the patriarchal world. Indeed, during the personas childhood, he/she exists in the patriarchal
society for he/she experienced being beaten by the father.
Not using the scissors in cutting could also mean a lot in the poem. As an assertion, the
persona did not use the scissors to unravel the tight knots of the box because the persona
wanted to savor the moment of unraveling with love. If the person uses the scissors, it will
project that the persona is non-appreciative of the love of the father. Not using the scissors
could also mean that the persona prolonged the excitement by opening it very lamely. It also
means that the persona had learned the craft of patience from his/her father.
The author had also left its readers the dramatic impact by not revealing what is inside the box.
It poses questions of what is inside the box. Is it a food? Books?
Dress? Bag or anything that is liquid? The reader cant figure out for its not revealed.
A strong assertion is that, no matter whats inside the box, it surely resembles the love of the
father to the persona of the poem.
In a contemporary setting, if the author is mentioning about across 10, 000 miles of oceans,
the first that comes into the mind of the reader is that, the persona is situated abroad or in
states. If being assumed that the father is in Philippines, maybe the persona is in West Asia,
America, Europe, Australia and others. The reader does not also know if the persona is
working abroad, married, touring and etc. because its not directly stated. What is very vivid in
the context is that they are away from each other and they havent seen each other for a long
period of time.
The tone of the poem is about longing and sadness. In the first part of the poem, the persona
undoes the box haltingly. Haltingly in other words could mean lamely. In this thought alone, an
assertion came in that the persona is sad because it made him/her feel home sick as the box
arrives. The tone of longing could also be sensed. As the persona is undoing the knots of the
box, the persona reminisce his/her father-his teaching, disciplinary actions and love. Through
the presence of the box, the persona can imagine his/her home that heightened his/her
sadness and longing.
Characterization of the father in the poem is also very effective. In the context, the father is
portrayed as caring for he sends the persona a package box although its very far. Unlike other
father figure, the father in the poem is very mild-not ruthless and cruel. Though there is a use
of belt slapping in the poem, it is being done to discipline his child. The father did do it for a
good purpose, for the benefit of the child when he/she grew up but not in the abusive manner.
The father figure in here is perhaps a gentle and amiable father.
The author also used strong images to convey the meaning of the poem. The delivery is very
suggestive images like the undoing of the box; the scene is very vivid and understandable.
Through this clear description, it brought the reader the catharsis of emotions or eliminating its
complexity, the author effectively carried out the essence and meaning of the poem.

 In terms of form and structure, the author unconsciously celebrated the form over the content.
Like T. S. Eliot, she has done it for she chose to write in free verse or blank verse. She does
not follow rhymes and meters, what she did is the total deviation of the traditional metered
poems. The style is very contemporary, or maybe it belongs to the Romantics.
In general, the Breaking Through is a superb poem. It tackles a rarely touched theme in poetry,
filial love. Through this theme, it makes the poem unique and notable.
Myrna Pea Reyes o She was born in the year 1938 to schoolteacher parents in Cagayan
de Oro, Misamis Oriental. o Her family spent the WWII years in the jungles of Mindanao
where her mother passed away when she was only four years old.
o After the war, her family moved to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental where she
completed her elementary, high school, and college education.
o She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon where she met her
husband, poet William T. Sweet.
o For several years, she was on the faculty of the Department of English and
Literature at Silliman University and the Silliman National Writers Workshop. o In
Eugene, Oregon, where she and her husband now reside, she has taught college classes;
was co-owner of a grocery store and a bookstore; worked in an office supply shop; and is
presently a book buyer for a bookstore.[From River
Singing Stone] o Two of her acclaimed works are The River Singing
Stone, published in 1994,and Almost Home, published in 2004. o Her style:
free verse and contemporary
Bringing the Dolls Merlie Alunan
The poem Bringing the Dolls written by Merlie Alunan is about a mothers realization that in
ones moving on, one need not bring only those considered important.
The predominant image of the poem is the dolls. It can initially be found in the first 3 lines,
which describe the dolls as mangled:
Two dolls in rags and tatters,
One missing an arm and a leg,
The other blind in one eye
The dolls image appears again in line 18, wherein the persona sees the deliberately left dolls
rags, tatters and all. In both appearances, the persona tries to reinforce the idea that the
dolls are unsightly, and as the lines move along to reveal the dramatic situation, this
reinforcement suggests the representation of the hideous past which, like the ugly dolls set
side by side against the neat trim packs (line 19), the persona rule[s] to leave behind
(line 20).
We can see that the poems dramatic situation is the struggle of the mother, as she and
daughter move to a new home, never to take/what must be left behind (lines 13-14): the
past. The poems title vividly presents the dilemma that if the mother concedes to her
daughters bringing the dolls, the mother will be hounded by the past; if the mother does pack
only the barest need:/no room for sentiment or memory (lines 8-9), she will most probably
break her daughters heart. The dramatic situation is very important because the persona
detailing the dramatic situation soon realizes a truth that her child has unwittingly taught her: to

keep her faith, even if things seem trivial. This she discovers only later because she denies
herself the luxury of being sentimental for a while: a smart wind blowing dry/the stealthy
tears [she can] not wipe (lines 16-17).
The persona in the poem is a mother who tries to escape from the past by leaving the
seemingly unimportant (and essentially harsh) reminders of it. She is the one putting in detail
the dramatic situation; thus, she is integral to the poems progress. It is through her that the
truth about keeping ones faith is revealed, amid her attempt to have a stern resolve (line
11) to erase the past through the only way she knows: her own way. The child, however,
insisted in bringing the dolls along (lines 18-20), a defiance: her clean white years unlived
/and paid [her mothers] price (lines 2425).
In lines 21-23, the persona tries to tell us that the child understands what her mother is going
through. She feels empathy as supported by the following lines: Her silence should have
warned me she knew her burdens as I knew mine:
The mother now knows that her child is not oblivious of her problem. Ultimately, her child
teaches her a lesson. The main point of the poem unravels in the last four lines:
when whats at stake is
loyalty or love, hers are
the true rights.
Her own faith she must keep, not I.
The child has the discretion of what is most important to her, and the mother has no right to
insist upon what she deems vital for her child, in this case the childs bringing the dolls, which
the child loves and is loyal to. Her daughters keeping the faith eventually teaches the mother
that memories, even those one will rather forget, serve a function or two, in her case a learning
point as mother and child go on in life. This realization of an old truth fulfills the promise of the
material used in the poem, that the daughter and her rag dolls have a lesson to tell to the toopractical mother, in which case the poem succeeds in projecting the universal theme of
keeping the faith.

Classified as one of the experience poems, Bringing the Dolls (for Anya) is a recount of an
actual experience of Alunan when they, as a family, had to move from Cebu to Tacloban, her
present residence.
While this first interpretation is a kind of inference by this researcher- the analyses of the poem
seem to agree with this inference.
Bringing the Dolls (For Anya)
First, the most striking feature or dramatic quality of this monologue is the persona (who
defines the poems speaking voice, its point of view). The basic storyline of the poem is told
through the persona (the mother) in the form of a monologue. The mother has decided to
move her family to another place, and tells her young daughter to leave her two threadbare
dolls behind. The mother thinks to herself that this is the correct thing to do, since she wants to
teach her daughter some lesson. On the boat the mother tries to hold back her tears when she
sees the dolls tucked away among the packs; it is at this point that the mother realizes the

reason behind her daughters silence: the daughter knew all along what she needed to do,
which was to keep her own faiths and stay loyal to the dolls whom she loves.
Here we find that a good poem is more than its images or its theme; rather it is mainly its
words:
Bringing the Dolls Paraphrase
Each tight luggage - I was economical in my packing
I had packed - I didnt bring
Only for the barest need - unnecessary objects No
room for sentiment or Memory.
To clutter with loose ends
And so the boat turned seaward, - Then the boat sailed out to the sea
A smart wind blowing dry - the tears I didnt want to shed
The stealthy tears I could not wipe tears were blown away by the strong wind
The last three lines dramatize an emotion (one of sadness) in a painfully understated way (a
smart wind blowing dry/ the stealthy tears I could not wipe)
Paraphrased to mean; the wind wipes away the tears for her; in other words, she
cannot even admit to herself that she is crying.
While this poem of Alunan is distinctly clear in telling the theme, making it one easy poem to
teach-it contains its own set of ambivalence or even ambiguity; though its purpose is
intentional. Certain lines do invite ambivalent interpretations, like the following five lines in the
fourth stanza:
Her silence should have warned me
She knew her burdens As I knew
mine:
Her clean white years unlived- And
paid my price.
Whose burdens are referred here- the mother persona or the daughter character in the poem?
Moreover, is it correct to assume that her clean white years refer to the daughters than it is,
of the mothers- because she is younger and still has a long way to go and several
experiences likely to have. Finally, who is paying the mothers price- the mother or the
daughter? In all these, this particular syntax is definitely not a random occurrence. The poet
decided on it precisely to heighten the tragedy of her personas realization- that she must
respect her daughters choice too in bringing the dolls. She knew all along what she needed to
do, which was to keep her own faiths and stay loyal to the dolls whom she loves.
Merlie Alunan o Merlie M. Alunan (born December 14, 1943 Dingle, Iloilo is a Filipina poet.
She graduated Silliman University with an MA in Creative Writing in 1974. She
teaches at the Creative Writing Center, University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban
College. She lives in Tacloban City.
Unit 4: Exploring Filipino Traditions

The God Stealer Francisco Sionil Jose

A short story by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil Jos. It is Jos's most anthologized work of
fiction. It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol, but also about the friendship
that developed between a Filipino and an American, a representation of the relationship that
developed between the "colonized" and the "colonizer". The story was a first prize winner
during the 1959 awards in the
Philippines. It is included in the book by Jos with a similar title, The God Stealer and Other
Stories
Sam Christie and Philip Latak were best of friends and that was possible because they worked
in the same office. On one December dawn, Sam Christie was on his way to Ifugao with his
native assistant. It was his last month in the Philippines and in a matter of days he would return
to Boston for that leave which he had not had in years.
During their journey, they talked about the grandfather of Philip and the different views in the
Ifugao. Philip encountered an acquaintance that he did not want to recognize because the
latter called him by his native name. When they had arrived on the village of Philip Latak, they
met Sadek, Philips brother. From there, Philip told Sam how his brother, as well as all the
others in the village, disliked him. After staying for quite some time in the house of Sadek, they
went to Philips grandfather; but only Philip went inside to meet and talk to the elder.
They visited the Mission the following day after having hiked to the villages. And there
Reverend Doone invited them for lunch. He told them how he reminisced San Francisco and
how he feels like home.
Going down the hill, Sam told Philip that he would not leave Ifugao without a god because its
more than a souvenir and it would remind him of Philip. Philip then told Sam that he would
steal a god for him since he made the vacation and the raise possible.
They hiked to the village and this time it was not as difficult as it had been the previous day.
When they reached the village, they went to the grandfather of Philip. Sam was pleased with
the prospect of being inside a native Ifugao house for the first time. He was able to see the
Ifugao god for the first time, and he witnessed the rite wherein the blood of the slaughtered pig
was poured on the head of the idol, and was returned to where it was kept.
The feast began. For some time, Sam Christie was entertained by the dances and the songs,
but soon he was bored. He told Philip that he would like to return to the boarding house.
Philip Latak went to the boarding house past midnight carrying his grandfathers idol and he
handed it to Sam Christie. They argued if it was better that Philip returned the bloodstained
god back to his grandfather. When Sam Christie woke up it was already daylight. It was Philip
Latak who had stirred him, his voice shrill and grating. H told Sam that his grandfather is dying.
The next day, Sam was told by Sadek that their grandfather is dead and that Philip would not
return with Sam to Manila
Philip told Sam that he would not be going back to Manila and that he was the reason his
grandfather is dead. From that moment, their friendship was broken. Philip Latak did not, even
once, face Sam. He seemed completely absorbed in his work. Sam knew then that Philip was
determined to stay and break his bonds with Sam. Sam realized that Philip was carving a new
god to replace the one he stole from his grandfather.
Elements of the Short Story o Characters

Philip Latak A lso known as Ip-pig, is an Ifugao who became a Christian and
lived in Manila. By becoming a city dweller, Philip became less sentimental with
his cultural identity, beliefs, and customs. His name was derived from the word
Philippines.
Sam Cristie Was an American who wanted to view the rice terraces of the
Mountain Province (also known as the Cordilleras). He was also interested in
purchasing an original figurine of an Ifugao god. His name was derived from
Uncle Sam, a representation of the United States.
Sadek Embraces his culture

Grandfather Symbolizes time, the old days, past story.

o Setting
After World War 2

Manila

Baguio

Rice Terraces

o Plot
Philip and Sam went to Baguio City. During a feast honoring Philip for his return,
Philip and Sam were because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell
any Ifugao statue. Philip plans to steal his grandfather's god in return for the
salary raise given to him by Sam. After finding out that his god was missing,
Philip's grandfather dies. Because of his grandfather's death, Philip decides not
to return to Manila with Sam as a form of repentance. Philip transforms himself
back into an Ifugao attired in traditional clothing that was in the process of
replacing the old Ifugao idol by chiseling a new one.
o Theme

Lost Filipinos Culture and Identity

Colonial mentality of the Filipino people

Filipino is rich in cultural heritage

Francisco Sionil Jose o F. Sionil Jos or in full Francisco Sionil Jos (born December 3, 1924)
is one of the most widely read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short
stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society.
Jos's works - written in English - have been translated into 22 languages, including
Korean, Indonesian, Czech, Russian, Latvian, Ukrainian and Dutch. o Childhood
Jos was born in Rosales, Pangasinan, the setting of many of his stories. He
spent his childhood in Barrio Cabugawan, Rosales, where he first began to write.
Jos was of Ilocano descent whose family had migrated to Pangasinan before
his birth. Fleeing poverty, his forefathers traveled from Ilocos towards Cagayan
Valley through the Santa Fe Trail. Like many migrant families, they brought their
lifetime possessions with them, including uprooted molave posts of their old
houses and their alsong, a stone mortar for pounding rice.

One of the greatest influences to Jos was his industrious mother who went out
of her way to get him the books he loved to read, while making sure her family
did not go hungry despite poverty and landlessness. Jos started writing in grade
school, at the time he started reading. In the fifth grade, one of Joss teachers
opened the school library to her students, which is how Jos managed to read
the novels of Jos Rizal, Willa Cathers My Antonia, Faulkner and Steinbeck.
Reading about Basilio and Crispin in Rizals Noli Me Tangere made the young
Jos cry, because injustice was not an alien thing to him. When Jos was five
years old, his grandfather who was a soldier during the Philippine revolution, had
once tearfully showed him the land their family had once tilled but was taken
away by rich mestizo landlords who knew how to work the system against
illiterates like his grandfather.
o Life as a writer

Jos attended the University of Santo Tomas after World War II, but dropped out
and plunged into writing and journalism in Manila. In subsequent years, he edited
various literary and journalistic publications, started a publishing house, and
founded the Philippine branch of PEN, an international organization for writers.
Jos received numerous awards for his work. The Pretenders is his most popular
novel, which is the story of one man's alienation from his poor background and
the decadence of his wife's wealthy family.
Jos Rizal's life and writings profoundly influenced Jos's work. The five volume
Rosales Saga, in particular, employs and interrogates themes and characters
from Rizal's work.
Throughout his career, Jos's writings espouse social justice and change to
better the lives of average Filipino families. He is one of the most critically
acclaimed Filipino authors internationally, although much underrated in his own
country because of his authentic Filipino English and his anti-elite views.
"Authors like myself choose the city as a setting for their fiction because the
city itself illustrates the progress or the sophistication that a particular
country has achieved. Or, on the other hand, it might also reflect the kind
of decay, both social and perhaps moral, that has come upon a particular
people."-F. Sionil Jos, BBC.com, July 30, 2003
Sionil Jos also owns Solidaridad Bookshop, which is on Padre Faura Street in
Ermita, Manila. The bookshop offers mostly hard-to-find books and Filipiniana
reading materials. It is said to be one of the favorite haunts of many local writers.
In his regular column, Hindsight, in The Philippine Star, dated September 12,
2011, he wrote "Why we are shallow," blaming the decline of Filipino intellectual
and cultural standards on a variety of modern amenities, including media, the
education systemparticularly the loss of emphasis on classic literature and the
study of Greek and Latin--, and the abundance and immediacy of information on
the internet.
The Wedding Dance Amador T. Daguio

 The Wedding Dance is a story of Lumnay and Awiyao, who as members of a

tribe in Cordillera, have to conform to the dictates of their culture. After seven
harvests, Lumnay and Awiyao are still childless. Not habing a child creates a
problem with them. Lumnay, as a woman is expected to be suspected as
infertile. Awiyao has to look for another wife even if he loves Lumnay so much.
At the day of Awiyaos wedding to Madulimay he paid visit to Lumnay for the
last time and invited her to come to his wedding. They are both wretched.
Lumnay tried to fight for her husband.
She wanted to defy the unwritten law of the tribe, besides, they both love each other. During
the course of their conversation Awiyao explains his opposition to his marriage to other woman
but is defeated with cultural dictates. Awiyao called by the load sound of the gongs goes back
to the ceremony. Lumnay considered breaking into the ceremony but ends up alone in the
company of bean plants. The love for their tribe reigned over Awiyao. Lumnay becomes the
image of a woman whose qualities as a good wife and the best dancer among all the other
women in their tribe mean nothing if she cannot bear a child.
SYNOPSIS/ SUMMARY o Awiyao and Lumnay were husband and wife for
seven years, but now the husband has to marry another woman, Madulimay,
because Lumnay was not able to give him a child. (In their culture in the
mountains during those times, having a child to follow after the husbands name
was a must.)
o On the night of the wedding, Awiyao goes to his and Lumnays house to personally
invite her to the traditional wedding dance. However, Lumnay, the best dancer in the
entire tribe, refuses to go. Then, during their conversation, it
is revealed that both of them still love each other, but because of their tribes custom,
they have to separate.
o Awiyao goes back to the wedding, to the wedding dance, after being fetched by some
friends. Lumnay wants to follow, partly because of the dance, and partly because she
wants to put a stop to their tribes tradition of having to marry another partner just to
have a child.
SHORT STORY ELEMENTS o A. CHARACTERS

1. Lumnay a woman who was left by her husband because he had to marry
another woman/ Developing
2. Awiyao- the husband stated above / Flat

3. Madulimay Awiyaos new wife / Flat o B. PLOT Linear

a) Introduction

b)

d)

The story opens with Awiyao entering his and Lumnays house.
Rising Action
Things start to heat up when Lumnay says she does not want any other
man. c) Climax
There is more intensity when Awiyao says he does not want any other
woman.
Falling action

 But they both have to follow their tribes tradition.

e) Denouement
Awiyao has to go back to the wedding dance.
o C. SETTING
a) place in the mountains somewhere in the Philippines

b) time- a long time ago

c) weather conditions- fine

d) social conditions- lower-class

e) mood or atmosphere- sad and tense o D. POINT OF VIEW

The Point of View used in this short story is the Omniscient Limited - The author tells
the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it,
etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows
him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author
chooses to reveal them to us. o E. LITERARY DEVICES
For me, there is an extensive use of the literary device Symbolism. There are many
symbols here, and these are the darkness, the houses four walls, the smoldering
embers, and the beads. The darkness symbolizes how the two lead characters feel.
Meanwhile, the houses walls symbolize the former couples imprisonment. The
smoldering embers that become glowing coals symbolize the love that both of them
still feel towards each other. Finally, the beads symbolize Awiyaos great love for
Lumnay even if she was not able to give him a child. o F. THEME
In my opinion, the theme True love never dies is applicable to this story.

o G. CONFLICT
The conflict here is Man vs. Society. The lead characters have to follow their
tribes custom
Amador T. Daguio o Amador T. Daguio was a poet, novelist and teacher during the pre-war. He
was best known for his fictions and poems. He had published two volumes of poetry,
"Bataan Harvest" and "The Flaming Lyre". He served as chief editor for the Philippine
House of Representatives before he died in 1966.
o Daguio was born 8 January 1912 in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, but grew up in
Lubuagan, Mountain Province, where his father, an officer in the Philippine
Constabulary, was assigned. He was class valedictorian in 1924 at the Lubuagan
Elementary School. Then he stayed with his uncle at Fort William McKinley to study at
Rizal High School in Pasig. Those four years in high school were, according to Daguio,
the most critical in his life. I spent them literally in poverty, extreme loneliness, and
adolescent pains In my loneliness, I began to compose verses in earnest. He was in
third year high when he broke into print in a national weekly, The Sunday Tribune
Magazine (11 July 1926), with a poem, She Came to Me. He was going to be
valedictorian or salutatorian, but his teacher in utter lack of justice put down my
marks in historymy favorite subject. That just about broke my heart because then I
would have had free tuition at the U.P.

o Thus out of school for the first semester in 1928, he earned his tuition (P60.00) by
serving as houseboy, waiter, and caddy to officers at Fort McKinley. He enrolled for the
second semester with only P2.50 left for books and other expenses. He commuted
between the Fort and Padre Faura, Manila, walking about two kilometers from Paco
station twice daily. He would eat his lunch alone on Dewey Blvd. and arrive at the Fort
about 9 oclock in the evening. This continued for three years. Then an uncle arrived
from Honolulu who paid his tuition during his third year; before this, he worked Saturday
and Sunday as printers devil at the U.P. and served as Philippine Collegian reporter.
During all this time, he learned the craft of writing from Tom Inglis Moore, an Australian
professor at U.P., and was especially grateful to A.V.H. Hartendorp of Philippine
Magazine. His stories and poems appeared in practically all the Manila papers. o One
of ten honor graduates at U.P. in 1932, he returned to teach at his boyhood school in
Lubuagan; in 1938, he taught at Zamboanga Normal School where he met his wife
Estela. They transferred to Normal Leyte School in 1941 before the Second World War.
During the Japanese Occupation, he joined the resistance and wrote poems in secret,
later collected as Bataan Harvest. He was a bosom-friend of another writer in the
resistance, Manuel E. Arguilla.
o In 1952, he obtained his M.A. in English at Stanford U. as a Fulbright scholar.
His thesis was a study and translation of Hudhud hi Aliguyon (Ifugao Harvest
Song). In 1954, he obtained his Law degree from Romualdez Law College in Leyte.
Daguio was editor and public relations officer in various offices in government and the
military. He also taught for twenty-six years at the University of the East, U.P., and
Philippine Womens University. In 1973, six years after his death, Daguio was conferred
the Republic Cultural Heritage Award.
The White Horse of Alih Mig Alvarez Enriquez
"The White Horse of Alih," the title story in this collection, talks of the exotic Moslem culture. It
is the story of two brothers, who in their attempt to regain the honor that they have lost, decide
to become juramentados. The story further shows the gap between the Moslems and the
Christians Filipinos and blood-brothers who are set apart by cultural and religious
differences. This dichotomy achieves concreteness in the river (The school was across the
river. The Moros were not allowed to set foot on the reservation .) In the end, their plans fail
and ironically, it is Alih who kills his brother Omar because of the formers obsession with
women ( Alih simply, did not love his white horse as he did his houri ). The white horse
with wings they had envisioned as a reward for killing and which would transport them to
heaven, remains what it is an illusion ( conjured by fanatics in their attempt to give
reason to their behavior. The prophet never taught it. He was a man of peace.) They adamantly
refuse to heed the Imams wise words, and persist in their plan. Omars death at the hands of
Alih manifests the truth that to take the life of a fellow human being is to take the life of your
own brother.
The story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people. It was a happy day for
everybody because they are celebrating the big American Holiday. Among the crowd was Alih,
a Moro who was then looking for his brother, Omar. That day was intended for them to fulfill
their plan. Their plan is to kill these people.

 So Alih waited for his brother, he went out of the crown and sat under the acacia tree. While he
was sitting and looking at the parade, he remembered his past, his childhood and his growing
years where he met the women whom he wished and longed for and he remembered his
mission. That is---to kill the people. But people can't notice them as Moros because they were
in disguise.
When he saw a man riding a horse and controlling the crowd, he remembered how much he
longed for a horse for himself. He recalled when his brother punished him because he spent
his earnings just to ride in a merry - go- round. He wanted to ride on a wooden horse because
he saw the girl whom he liked most and her name was Lucy. Lucy was the girl who lived in the
reservation area where the Americans live. Moros were not allowed to enter that vicinity. But
because he needs to go to school, he cross the river and reached the reservation area. There
he saw the first girl he liked. Though, they were not given the chance to see and talk to each
other since then.
When he grew up, Omar told him about how the American soldiers killed their father without
any reason. Their father was known and respected in their village. With these, Omar taught
him to be brave and be able to fight against these people because he believes that only by
killing could they wash away their shame. He taught him words to live by and beliefs to be
respected and attained.
As he grew into a mature individual, he met another woman named Fermina. Fermina was a
beautiful bar maid with a mole near her mouth. He likes her so much but the woman doesn't
like him because of his impertinent manner towards her. He was put to jail for six months
because of what he did.
Remembering all of these from his past, he thought of what Omar said about the promise of
their prophet to those who are faithful to him. That is to have a white horse ride to heaven and
as many hours as the number of infidel heads he could lay before Allah. But when he thought
of what their Imam said that white horse, as a reward for killing is an reference conjured by
fanatics in their attempt to give reason to their behavior. The prophet never taught them about
that because he was man of peace.
So back to reality, he continued searching for Omar into the crowd. Soon he saw a float with a
girl whom he thought of as Fermina. He went near the float and assisted the girl to go down to
the ground. As he was about to hold her completely, Omar came but to his surprise, he was
drunk and tipsy! All along, he realized that Omar had been drinking tuba. He knew that Omar
was afraid to kill that is why he drink tuba first before he go to the town.
Omar shouted and leap to the street, and then he gets his fatal blade from his pants.
The crowd screamed. Fear and panic seized everyone. Everyone is running and escaping from
Omar, even fermina jumped into the ground and run away but she got stuck from a bamboo
frame of the float because of her long flowing robe that hooked on the edge of the bamboo
frame. She tried to set herself free but she saw Omar coming to her swinging his blade.
Fermina screamed and screamed because of fear.
The screams struck Alih because he saw that Fermina the girl he was love is in danger and get
his blade from his leg immediately and then he leaped to his brother Omar and hit its back by
his sharp blade repeatedly. Omar died.
The town spoke out about the strange tragedy for many days after. But nobody had known
Alih, and nobody could figure out why he turned against his brother.

 THE ISSUE INSIDE THE STORY o Psychological effect of man's alienation from the society he
is at o Racial Discrimination o Traditions in religion o Psychological impact of an individuals
experiences o Quarrel between religions o Discrimination based on religion
ELEMENTS OF STORY o Setting
The story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people.
o Characters
Alih
A Moro who plans on killing the people celebrating the Filipino- American
Friendship Day Omar
The older brother of Alih who dictates him on what to do in every aspects of
his life
Imam

The village priest who tried to dissuade the two brothers, he explain to them
that the prophets did not teach to do it Lucy
Girl who lived in the reservation area where the Americans live She is the
first girl Alih liked Fermina
A beautiful bar maid with a mole near her mouth
Alih likes her so much but the woman doesnt like him because of his
impertinent manner towards her.

o Plot
Conflict Alih did not want to kill but the fear he had for his brother while he was
growing urged him to the killings and also because his brother taught him that
killing will be their way to wash away their shame and gain respect for their father
who had died by the American soldiers without any reason.
Complication When they decided to become merchants there were rebels who
stole their commodities
Rising Action He saw a float with a girl whom he thought of as Fermina. He
went near the float and assisted the girl to go down to the ground and found out
that it is Fermina when he saw the little black mole on the corner of the girls
mouth
Climax As he was about to hold her completely, Omar came but to his surprise,
he was drunk and tipsy! All along, he realized that Omar had been drinking tuba.
Omar was about to kill Fermina.
Falling Action Alih kills his brother despite their plans to gain the white horse for
him to protect Fermina.
Resolution After the incident, many speculations was made of what happened.
Some said Alih became insane that is why he killed his brother. But the thing is
Alih didnt want his white horse anymore.
o Theme- the short story tells about the tradition, beliefs and faith of the

Filipinos o Point of View Third person

limited

 LITERARY APPROACHES USED o Historical Approach

Since the author was born on 1925, this may influence his work on The White Horse of
Alih. The setting of the story happened on July 4th in a city with a parade of people. The
author might experience this big event in the history wherein the July 4th is considered as
Filipino- American Friendship Day. o Mimetic Approach
The text is can be related to the reality. It there were discrimination among races,
differences among religions and traditions. And the moral aspect of killing is an issue of
their faith. o Freudian Approach
The main character tries to overcome his feelings on this text but Alih shows his intention
to Fermina in the middle of story when he ask for a kiss to the lady.
VOCABULARY WORDS

o Houri - (h'r, hou') one of the beautiful maidens said by some Muslims to dwell in
paradise for the enjoyment of the faithful. The passages in the Qur'an detailing the
physical delights of heaven are considered by many Muslim critics as allegorical.
o Imam- a leader of congregational prayer in a mosque, a religious teacher o Jihad- A
Muslim holy war or spiritual struggle against infidels.
o Qur'an or Koran- The sacred text of Islam, considered by Muslims to contain the
revelations of God to Muhammad.
o Shia or Shiites - A member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants
as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs.
o Juramentados - The term juramentado was derived from the Spanish verb juramentar,
meaning "to swear an oath." A rushing Moro warrior with shaven hair, fiery eyes and
plucked eyebrows, brandishing kris or kampilan to attack infidels until he was slain. It
was a person who had chosen to fight in the Way of Allah in his individual capacity
since. A sacred duty and when he died in the course of his attack, he became shahid or
"martyr" with paradise as his ultimate reward. As with any real Muslim warrior, the
juramentado loved martyrdom more than life.
Mig Alvarez Enriquez o Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez was born on the year 1925. He is a Filipino
by birth. He started writing at the age of 20. He is a novelist, story writer, and playwright.
Among his famous literary works are: Blood on the Moon, A Tale of
Two Houses, Cachil Kudarat (Sultan of Mindanao) or Cachil Corrala, and Labaw,
Donggon. All of this short stories won Palanca awards in the year May Day
Eve Nick Joaquin

Nick Joaquin o Nick Joaquin, by name of Nicomedes Joaquin (born May 4, 1917, Paco,
Manila, Phil.died April 29, 2004, San Juan, Phil.), Filipino novelist, poet, playwright,
essayist, and biographer whose works present the diverse heritage of the Filipino people.
o Joaquin was awarded a scholarship to the Dominican monastery in Hong Kong after
publication of his essay La Naval de Manila (1943), a description of Manilas fabled
resistance to 17th-century Dutch invaders. After World War II he traveled to the United
States, Mexico, and Spain, later serving as a cultural representative of the Philippines to
Taiwan, Cuba, and China.

o Starting as a proofreader for the Philippines Free Press, Joaquin rose to contributing
editor and essayist under the nom de plume Quijano de Manila (Manila OldTimer). He was well known as a historian of the brief Golden Age of Spain in the
Philippines, as a writer of short stories suffused with folk Roman Catholicism, as a
playwright, and as a novelist.
Carlos Bulosan
(November 2, 1913 September 11, 1956)
Carlos Bulosan was born in the Philippines in the rural farming village of Mangusmana, near
the town of Binalonan (Pangasinan province, Luzon island). He was the son of a farmer and spent
most of his upbringing in the countryside with his family. Like many families in the Philippines,
Carloss family struggled to survive during times of economic hardship. Many families were
impoverished and many more would suffer because of the conditions in the Philippines created by US
colonization. Rural farming families like Carlos family experienced severe economic disparity due to
the growing concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the economic and political elite.
Determined to help support his family and further his education, Carlos decided to come to America
with the dream to fulfill these goals.
Traveling by ship, Carlos arrived in Seattle on July 22, 1930 at the age of seventeen. With only
three years of education from the Philippines, Carlos spoke little English and had barely any money
left. Desperate to survive, he soon began working various low-paying jobs: servicing in hotels,
harvesting in the fields, and even embarking to the Alaskan canneries. During his hardships in finding
employment, Carlos experienced much economic difficulty and racial brutality that significantly
damaged his health and eventually changed his perception of America.
From several years of racist attacks, starvation, and sickness, Carlos underwent surgery for
tuberculosis in Los Angeles. His health condition with tuberculosis forced him to undergo three
operations where he lost most of the right side of his ribs and the function of one lung. Yet, he
recovered and stayed in the hospital for about two years where he spent much of his time reading
and writing.
The discrimination and unhealthy working conditions Carlos had experienced in many of his
workplaces encouraged him to participate in union organizing with other Filipinos and various
workers. Carlos become a selfeducated and prolific writer determined to voice the struggles he had
undergone as a Filipino coming to America and the struggles he had witnessed of other people. Like
many of his fellow Filipinos in his time, Carlos never had the opportunity to return to the Philippines.
After years of hardship and flight, he passed away in Seattle suffering from an advanced stage of
bronchopneumonia. He is buried at Queen Anne Hill in Seattle.
Jessica Zafra
Jessica Zafra (born 1965) is a fiction writer, columnist, editor, publisher, and former television
and radio show host. She is known for her sharp and witty writing style. Her most popular books are
the Twisted series, a collection of her essays as a columnist for newspaper Today (now Manila
Standard Today), as well as from her time as editor and publisher of the magazine Flip. She currently
writes a weekly column for InterAksyon.com, the online news portal of TV5. She resides in Metro
Manila, Philippines, where she is working on her first novel. She also managed the Eraserheads
during the 90's.
Her work often are about current events (both Philippine and international), tennis, movies,
music, cats, books, technology, and her personal life. Her work has been the subject of academic
study. The main ingredient to her work is often fun cynicism and irony.

She went to St. Theresa's College, Quezon City, from prep school until 6th Grade. After which,
she went to the main campus of the Philippine Science High School then to the University of the
Philippines and majored in Comparative Literature
Alejandro R. Roces
Alejandro Reyes Roces (13 July 1924 23 May 2011) was a Filipino author, essayist,
dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary of Education
from 1961 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
Noted for his short stories, the Manila-born Roces was married to Irene Yorston Viola
(granddaughter of Maximo Viola), with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa. Anding
attended elementary and high school at the
Ateneo de Manila University, before moving to the Arizona State University for his tertiary education.
He graduated with a B.A. in Fine Arts and, not long after, attained his M.A. from Far Eastern
University back in the Philippines. He has since received honorary doctorates from Tokyo University,
Baguio's St. Louis University, Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, and the Ateneo de Manila University. Roces was a captain in the Markings Guerilla
during World War II and a columnist in Philippine dailies such as the Manila Chronicle and the Manila
Times. He was previously President of the Manila Bulletin and of the CAP College Foundation.
In 2001, Roces was appointed as Chairman of the Movie and Television Review and
Classification Board (MTRCB). Roces also became a member of the Board of Trustees of GSIS
(Government Service Insurance System) and maintained a column in the Philippine Star called Roses
and Thorns.