FOREVER WITCHES Estrella Alfon ACHIEVEMENTS Born in Cebu City on July 18, 1987

and died on December 28, 1983 at age of 66. PALANCA AWARDS A well-known
prolific Filipina author who wrote on English. Because of unwavering and poor
health, she could only manage an Associate of Arts degree from the University of
the Philippines. Became the member of the U.P. writer's club and earned the
privileged post of National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U.P. Creative Writing
Center in 1979 A storywriter, playwright and journalist published her first story,
"Grey Confetti", in the Graphic Weekly Magazine in 1935 the only female member of
the Veronicans, an avant garde group of writers in the 1930's. In spite of only having
an A.A. degree, she was eventually appointed as a professor of Creative Writing at
the University of the Philippines, Manila. STORIES Magnificence and other stories
(1960) Stories of Estrella Alfon (1994) (published posthumously Servant Girl (short
story) English Forever Witches, One-act play (Third Place, 1960) With Patches of
Many Hues, One-act play (First Place, 1962) Tubig, One-act play, (Second Place,
1963 The Knitting Straw, One-act Play (Third Place, 1968) The White Dress, short
story (Second Place, 1974) 1940: A collection of her early short stories, Dear
Esmeralda, won Honorable Mention in the Commonwealth Literary Award 1961-
1962: Four of her one-act plays won all the prizes in the Arena Theater Play Writing
Contest: Losers Keepers (first prize), Strangers (second prize), Rice (third
prize), and Beggar (fourth prize). 1961-1962: Won top prize in the Palanca Contest
for With Patches of Many Hues. 1974: Second place Palanca Award for her short
story, "The White Dress". 1979: National Fellowship in Fiction post at the U.P.
Creative Writing Center. (cc) photo by theaucitron on Flickr A province not too far
from a sophisticated city
Early in the morning in the house of the aunts SETTING CHARACTERS the charming
spinster Andiya old spinster of Andiya Lourdes Andiya and Lourdes' niece, young girl
Maring young girl, rival of Maring Loretta Maring's suitor Julio PLOT The play opens
on an early morning. Lourdes and Andiya were in the living room. Dancing t the tune
being played. Julio came to fetch Maring since she promised that they are going to
the beach Unfortunately, Maring had a nightmare that she got drowned but Julio did
not help her since he was busy flirting with other girls. Then they started fighting
with each other leaving Maring very disappointed and decided not to go to the
beach while Julio left the house. Aunt Andiya and Lourdes tried to ask her about
their ordeal. Then Julio came back to the house with Loretta, hoping that Maring had
changed her mind and join them but it ended Maring and Loretta exchanging words
against each other. After the unexpected fight of the two ladies Loretta went home
while Julio tried to talk to Maring to settle things out. Since Maring only wanted
Julio for herself she uses the art of witchcraft, which she learned from her aunts, to
spellbind him Helplessly devoured from the spell, Julio, desperately clings to
Maring to the point that he cant live without her. Due to the oppression that she
felt from Julio, Maring now wants to reverse and unlearn the spell, but unfortunately
the aunts can no longer undo it. THEME SYMBOLISM the Rose represents LOVE and
the more we hold a grip on it, the more we will get hurt by its thorns. Young love are
source of selfishness, jealousy and rush decisions that do no good to anyone. ROSE
full of THORNS

Forever Witches
Estrella D. Alfon
Alfons fantasy-themed play, Forever Witches, revolves around the character of 17 year-old Maring who expresses her
jealousy towards her boyfriend, Julio, as she believes that he has an affair with another girl named, Loretta. Maring seeks
help from her two spinster aunts, Andiya and Lourdes, who are then revealed to be witches. The two aunts warn Maring of
the danger of using black magic as one has to pay the price afterwards just as the both of them did when they took revenge
on Lorettas father who was once their suitor. Maring ignores her aunts warning, and goes on to insist that she be taught so
that she can have Julio all to herself. The spinster aunts finally give in to her request, and Andiya teaches her how to cast a
spell, how to voodoo, and the like. Maring then gets her revenge on Julio who has now fallen desperately in love with her.
Time passes, and Maring regrets everything she had done since she first learned witchcraft as she now couldnt shake
herself free from Julios possessiveness. Her aunts console her that the love spell cannot be undone, and the best she can
do now is to just use her powers for good. The plays story ends with both Andiya and Lourdes addressing the audience
that witches are all over the place, and that those who are close to them are witches as well.

In the context of romance, I find Alfons Forever Witches the kind of play that satirizes young love because of the
impulsive decisions and actions that the youth make for the sake of love. Maring is the embodiment of this love, or
rather, infatuation. Julio represents ignorance and submission to the same kind of sentiment. Meanwhile, Andiya and
Lourdes, besides symbolizing the regret that can spring from love, also symbolizes that in romance, there are those who
remain single throughout their lives. The use of witches and witchcraft to deliver an issue of the romantic kind can perhaps
reflect the mystery that the emotion of love brings in every relationship how is it that there are those who are attracted
towards this kind of person, and such related inquiries. The said device can also reflect a rather an aspect of the Philippine
setting wherein its inhabitants believe, or at least, are aware of characters and issues stemming from Filipino folklore, such
as witches and witchcraft. The cat, the familiar of Andiya and Lourdes, symbolize the presence of the unknown within
ones surroundings the cat roams around the house which at first glance, does not have any queer or eerie ambience. The
play, in terms of its form on the paper, is accompanied by so many written descriptions that detail the setting, the
characters, and the mood involved in a specific scene.Forever Witches does not have a clear resolution at all. Rather, it
ends with a brief conclusion that suggests the possibility of the presence of these mystical creatures, as well as their nature
towards humans.
http://lourdesbraceros.weebly.com/alfon--forever-witches.html]

2013-04-02T23:23:33-0400
Forever Witches
Literature Presentation

by

Michaela Katrina Ragasa

on 27 September 2012

https://prezi.com/mnmnmvf5maix/forever-witches/