En 106: Philippine Literature

BSA IV

THE RITUAL by Cirilo F. Bautista

Authors Biography
Cirilo F. Bautista (born July 9, 1941) is a Filipino poet, fictionist, critic and writer of
nonfiction. He was conferred with the National Artist of the Philippines award in 2014.
He received his basic education from Legarda Elementary School (1st Honorable
Mention, 1954) and Mapa High School (Valedictorian, 1959). He received his degrees in
AB Literature from the University of Santo Tomas (magna cum laude, 1963), MA
Literature from St. Louis University, Baguio City (magna cum laude, 1968), and Doctor
of Arts in Language and Literature from De La Salle University-Manila (1990). He
received a fellowship to attend the International Writing Program at the University of
Iowa (19681969) and was awarded an honorary degreethe only Filipino to have
been so honored there
Bautista taught creative writing and literature at St. Louis University (19631968) and
the University of Santo Tomas (19691970) before moving to De La Salle University-
Manila in 1970. He is also a co-founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council
(PLAC) and a member of the Manila Critics Circle, Philippine Center of International PEN
and the Philippine Writers Academy. Bautista has also received Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards (for poetry, fiction and essay in English and Filipino) as well as Philippines Free
Press Awards for Fiction, Manila Critics' Circle National Book Awards, Gawad Balagtas
from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas, the Pablo Roman Prize for the Novel,
and the highest accolades from the City of Manila, Quezon City and Iligan City. Bautista
was hailed in 1993 as Makata ng Taon by the Komisyon ng mga Wika ng Pilipinas for
winning the poetry contest sponsored by the government. The last part of his epic
trilogy The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus, entitled Sunlight on Broken Stones, won the
Centennial Prize for the epic in 1998. He was an exchange professor in Waseda
University and Ohio University. He became an Honorary Fellow in Creative Writing at
the University of Iowa in 1969, and was the first recipient of a British Council fellowship
as a creative writer at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1987.
Bautista works include Boneyard Breaking, Sugat ng Salita, The Archipelago, Telex
Moon, Summer Suns, Charts, The Cave and Other Poems, Kirot ng Kataga, and Bullets
and Roses: The Poetry of Amado V. Hernandez.
His novel Galaw ng Asoge was published by the University of Santo Tomas Press in
2004. His latest book, Believe and Betray: New and Collected Poems, appeared in 2006,
published by De La Salle University Press.
Summary:
The narrator moves to the mountains after leaving his wife of three months. He realized
that he was not yet ready for marriage and decided to just leave a note as a sign of his
departure. He soon finds work in a school as a language and literature teacher wherein
he acquires Dayleg as a new friend. The two of them get to know each other as the
days go by. The narrator discovers Daylegs perspective on the beliefs of his people and
his plan on challenging these beliefs.
Dayleg gathers thirty old villagers and lectures them about choosing to participate in
Christian beliefs rather than continuing to believe in Lumawig. His father hears about
what he did and strides over to where he is inside the school with ten other village
elders following behind him. His father gets angry at him and some of the elders say
that the devil has charmed his tongue and eyes. They expect Dayleg to ask for
forgiveness, but he doesnt causing the leader of the council to speak up saying that a
meeting would be held to discuss Daylegs actions.
One day, Dayleg and the narrator go out to the grove to hunt the white boar that
Dayleg has told the narrator about. After hunting, they return home and decide to rest
after having such a long day. They are both awakened by a noise. They go outside and
see that the white boar that they have hunted has been discovered. Dayleg guards the
white boar and tears a piece of its flesh as if he were taunting the gods. This alarms the
people and they give Dayleg another chance to ask for forgiveness but he refuses.
After that day, Dayleg disappeared.
Two years later, Dayleg appears on the narrators doorstep. The narrator beckons him
to come inside where he meets Roy. Dayleg and the narrator talk about how his people
are now having a difficult time because of the actions that he has made a few years
ago. The narrator urges him to come to the feast that will be held, but Dayleg says that
he would not go. Instead he plans to move far away so that no one can touch him and
that no one else will be affected by the wrongdoings that he has committed.
On the day of the feast, the narrator and Roy stand by the venue as they watch the
people dance and feast. A cow was being prepared as a form of sacrifice for the gods.
A commotion occurs on one side of the venue and people are shocked to see Dayleg
dancing to the sound of the gongs. Dayleg continued dancing in order to ask for
forgiveness from the gods while his people feast on the cow that has been prepared.

Theme:
The storys theme is mainly about going against the grain like challenging traditional
beliefs and trying to replace these with new ideas and views. It shows what happens
when you try to impose your own perspective through drastic measures to people
whose minds are already fixed on only one way of doing things.

Reflection:
In this story, Dayleg and his friend a boar which is sacred in their culture. The crowd
disagree with him because the boar symbolizes an important role to their community
and yet, Dayleg and his friend killed the boar, Dayleg wanted change for his community
but he didnt even think about how the people would feel if he did that.
If I were to compare Dayleg to Marcos, They have similarities when it comes to beliefs,
hes trying to improve the traditions of people regardless of the people beliefs. Marcos
didnt respect the tradition of other people because he wants all people to improve in all
aspects.
The Marcos Administration was seen in the story in a way that no matter how much
change Marcos (Dayleg) was trying to bring the Filipinos (The Tribe), Filipinos at the
end of the day remain loyal to their country. The Marcos brought out the nationalism in
every Filipinos heart.