Lechuga, Andrea Klein T.

1-B
Legal Philosophy

Reaction Paper: “Liway”

This educational film “Liway” gave me all sorts of emotions. I have never heard
about such movie. All I know is that it is a requirement, which means I have to wake up
on a Saturday morning and go to school to watch this film. I have no expectations
regarding the movie and I was a bit surprised knowing that it is a Cinemalaya film. From
that fact alone, I knew the film would be interesting.

"On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law all
over the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation 1081. His basis for issuing the order: rising
lawlessness and violence by leftist elements made it necessary so he can "save the
Republic" and build a new society. By abolishing Congress and assuming legislative
powers, President Marcos was able to rule by decree, in the next 14 years, in a
government that he described as a form of "constitutional authoritarianism. Under Martial
Law, Marcos curtailed press freedom, limited civil liberties and ordered the arrest of
militants and his political opponents. Those who were suspected of subversion were
arrested and detained; many were tortured, thousands were picked up in the dead of
night and never heard from again, becoming "desaparecidos" (the disappeared).

Perhaps, every Filipino is familiar with the Martial Law. “Liway” is based on a true
story about a young mother with a mysterious past who uses storytelling to protect her
child from the realities of growing up inside a prison camp during the Martial Law. The fair
recollection of truth is what I admire in this film. It is not perfect but it is truly compelling
because it is a part of our history. It is true that prison is never ever an ideal place for a
child to live in. In the movie, Day, the mother of Dakip made their place cozy to live in
despite the harshness of reality. Dakip’s history is both the playful and painful. The film
showed us Martial Law persecution through the eyes of a little boy which is very
traumatic.

The closing credits was so dramatic upon the revelation that it is an

autobiographical film—that Dakip, the child born and raised in prison, is the same person
as Kip, the film’s director and co-writer. Also, everyone inside the auditorium
spontaneously clapped to the statement that "a portion of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth
was used to make this film." It is a film that actually educates everyone about the truths
of the aforementioned era, instead of just instilling fear in this generation’s minds. It may
not be your typical romance-comedy portrayed by top celebrities but its authenticity was
enough to get the audience talking. Overall, Liway was worth my time and watching such
a great movie was the best decision I made last Saturday morning.