ENTRIES FOR PREFINALS:
1. Write
a Reaction Essay on the March of Death (Japanese Occupation).
2. Make
a Poem Analysis on Bienvenido Lumbera’s A Eulogy of Roaches:
·
Discuss the overall meaning of the poem.
Expand on your answer.
·
Discuss how this poem relates to your
life and the society in the general.
·
Then, write a response poem for it.
3. Present
a Summary of Historical Highlights During the Japanese Occupation.
4. Create
your own “Protest Literature” (with regards to a specific current issue in the
society/ government) may it be a poem, an essay or a short story form.
REACTION ESSAY ON THE MARCH OF
DEATH (JAPANESE OCCUPATION)
“Cruelty is a part of nature, at
least of human nature, but it is the one thing that seems unnatural to us.”
Robinson
Jeffers
Death on the hand of a human is a
heartless and merciless act. Many people died in this Death March by an
unexpected war. It was a surprise attack on the Philippines on December 8,
1941, by Japan attacked without warning. It is estimated that as many as 10,000
men died.
But very grateful by the great U.S.
victory, recovered our beloved mother land. On July 5, 1945, MacArthur
announced “All the Philippines are now liberated.” The Japanese had suffered
over 425,000 dead in the Philippines. The Japan's formal surrender was on
September 2, 1945.
The Philippines suffered great loss
of life and monstrous physical destruction by the time the war was over. An
estimated 1 million Filipinos had been killed, and Manila was extensively
damaged. It faced huge problems. The land was destroyed by war, the economy
destroyed, the country torn by political warfare and guerrilla violence.
Filipino and American Soldiers had been
treated with no mercy on that time and undergone such inhumane situations. Japanese
soldiers really are cruel and heartless before. Treated their prisoners as if
they weren’t human beings.
We must be reminded to give our outmost
sympathy to all the people who was been a part of this March of Death and to
those poor souls who had suffered a lot just because they were hoping to survive
and aside from the prisoners. Let show our deepest respect to the Filipino
civilians who was killed, tried to help the prisoners by throwing foods at them
and because they acted as a human, not like a beast.
“Beast”, best describe the Japanese
soldiers. The hardhearted, callous and unsympathetic Japanese soldiers were
consumed by their belief that “those who surrendered was considered shameful”,
which leads to their brutality towards the Filipino and American soldiers.
POEM ANALYSIS ON BIENVENIDO LUMBERA’S A EULOGY OF ROACHES
A poem that
entitled A Eulogy of Roaches by Bienvenido Lumbera is all about the blessed
cockroaches because they have a lot of things to be thankful for such as
follows: No Laws to follow in order to have peace, No Toleration in every flaws
of every another, be it the smell or greed. Don’t judge and don’t struggle to
find to stay as they can live wherever they want. Don’t even have to work in
order to eat and opportunities are everywhere for them to survive.
The “A Eulogy
of Roaches” by Bienvenido Lumbera is a poem pertaining and describing the
cockroaches that are casual in this country Philippines, but what Lumbera
really wanted to tell is to let readers make sense of another connotation of the
term cockroaches that was all about the informal settlers living on the slum
areas of the country, “Squatters”.
The cockroaches
had been the best alternative creature because somehow a well-rounded insect
that could survive and cope up on any instance that may happen. Reality and
truth badly hurts but it had become a norm to this society.
The
meaning of the poem somehow gave me a vision of the misfortunate of our
countrymen that have living on the slum areas.
I cannot somehow reflect my life on the poem’s
words not even on how the poem was all about because as far as I have now I
just can’t fit on the way life had chosen me to live with and I am so grateful,
and blessed at the same time that I had been fortunate with the status of living
I’m having in this world and country of ours.
This relates to
the society in general, to the life of human in every day of living no matter
how hard or tough life can be. Life can be full of different challenges or
hardships that individual must need to be valiant and courageous to go beyond
it. This poem also shows us to be like them, like a cockroach and be thankful
for what we have no matter how modest it may be and learn to appreciate and
value it, and also not to complain to what we don’t have.
ENVY ME
Envy
me, sorrows
For
my tears twisted into a smile;
Envy
me, tomorrow
For
I have forgotten the blemish of yesterday
Envy
me, evil
For
I have millions of angles
Envy
me, death
For
I have countless reasons to live
Envy
me, enemy
For
I am always happy
Envy
me, money
For
I can have you but you can’t have me
Envy
me. Ex-friend
For
you exchange our friendship to a stranger
Crush,
envy me
Because
your new is not as priceless as me.
SUMMARY
OF HIGHLIGHTS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines occurred between 1942
and 1945, when the Empire of Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines
during World War II.
The day after Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor,
on December 7, 1941, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began. The
invasion of the Philippines started on December 8, 1941, ten hours after the
attack on Pearl Harbor. As at Pearl Harbor, American aircraft were severely
damaged in the initial Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the American Asiatic
Fleet in the Philippines withdrew to Java on December 12, 1941.
On April 9, with his forces crippled by starvation and disease,
U.S. General Edward King Jr. (1884-1958), surrendered his approximately 75,000
troops at Bataan. The surrendered Filipinos and Americans soon were rounded up
by the Japanese and forced to march some 65 miles from Mariveles, on the
southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando. The men were divided
into groups of approximately 100, and what became known as the Bataan Death
March typically took each group around five days to complete.
Japan occupied the Philippines for over three years, until the
surrender of Japan. A highly effective guerilla campaign by Philippine
resistance forces controlled sixty percent of the islands, mostly jungle and
mountain areas. MacArthur supplied them by submarine, and sent reinforcements
and officers. Filipinos remained loyal to the United States, partly because of
the American guarantee of independence, and also because the Japanese had
pressed large numbers of Filipinos into work details and even put young
Filipino women into brothels.
America avenged its defeat in the Philippines with the invasion
of the island of Leyte in October 1944. General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964),
who in 1942 had famously promised to return to the Philippines, made good on
his word. In February 1945, U.S.-Filipino forces recaptured the Bataan
Peninsula, and Manila was liberated in early March. General MacArthur kept his
promise to return to the Philippines on October 20, 1944. The landings on the
island of Leyte were accomplished by a force of 700 vessels and 174,000 men.
Through December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro were cleared of
Japanese soldiers. During the campaign, the Imperial Japanese Army conducted a
suicidal defense of the islands. Cities such as Manila were reduced to rubble.
General Douglas MacArthur escaped Corregidor on the night of March 11, 1942 for
Australia, 4,000 km away. The 76,000 starving and sick American and Filipino
defenders on Bataan surrendered on April 9, 1942, and were forced to endure the
infamous Bataan Death March on which 7,000–10,000 died or were murdered. The
13,000 survivors on Corregidor surrendered on May 6. Between 500,000 and
1,000,000 Filipinos died during the occupation.
After the war, an American military tribunal tried Lieutenant
General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the
Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was
executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
PROTEST LITERATURE
HEY, SMOKER!
Smoker here, smoker there, smoker
everywhere.
Have you ever felt like you have
been smokin’ and now paying the price for it when you are certain that you have
not even took a puff?
Almost every day of my life, I feel
this. It is so irritating, to smell like you have been partying when it is only
09:00 in the morning. By someone who wants to kill his self wanted you to join
him in his pain and agony that is why you suffer endless cough pits.
Exactly, how dangerous it is to be
second hand smoke? It increases your risk to lung cancer, breast cancer, nose,
ear and throat infections, heart disease and asthma. It can lead to premature
birth to pregnant women. It increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS), lung infections, asthma, Bronchiolotis, Tuberculosis, Allergies,
Crohn’s Disease and Developmental Delays.
It is really had because people are
not aware of these effects. They only know that smoking is bad for the health.
But they do not care that much because most of them thinks that the worst to
happen is that the receivers of their second-hand smoke will just cough.
Now, I am not aiming to stop
everyone from smoking and I know how hard it is to quit once you have become
addicted and dependent to it. I know people who have tried and failed – a lot
of times. I am not wasting my precious wishing for the impossible to happen.
What I am asking for is for smokers to have a heart, to give consideration for
other people who have a bright future ahead of them, even those who does not
but would like to strive and fight. Do not kill passive smokers.
Based on my researched the Tobacco
Regulation Act of 2003 prohibits smoking in the following places: centers of
youth activities such as playschools, preparatory schools, elementary schools,
colleges and universities, youth hostels, and recreational facilities for
persons under eighteen (18) years old; elevators and stairwells; within the
building and premises of public and private hospitals, medical, optical and
dental clinics, health centers, nursing homes, dispensaries and laboratories;
public conveyance and facilities including airport and ship terminals, train
and bus stations, restaurants and conference halls except for designated
smoking areas; food preparations areas.
The laws are most often good but
then implementation comes next. Since the authorities seems to be having a really
hard time implementing this law, maybe we can use this vacation to do something
beneficial for everyone. Educate a friend, a loved one, someone close to you
about the effects of second-hand smoke to other persons. If you are a smoker,
you can try to minimize if not totally quit and do smoking in a private place,
far and far away from other people. If you have the time, the means and the
desire o indulge in a grand endeavor, start an organization about public
smoking, coordinate with the authorities in your localities. You can also seek
the assistance of the Local Government’s Health and Sanitation Department, the
health workers to conduct seminars and programs that will inform people about
the effects of passive smoking.
A passive smoker is an innocent
endangered because of another person’s action. Do not be one. Know the law.
Know your rights. It will save you, me, us and our loved ones.
ENTRIES FOR FINALS:
1. Write
an essay regarding Dictatorship, Martial law and the EDSA People Power.
2. Make
a Film Review on Lualhati Bautista’s Dekada ’70.
FILM
REVIEW
Please
use the following format to write your film review:
Heading
Name
of Film
Director
Genre
(use your judgment)
Introduction
Introduce
the film you saw. Be sure to include any background information about the film
that may be interesting to the read. Also, introduce the director and stars. At
the end of the introduction have a thesis stating your opinion of the film; was
the film worth screening? Be creative in your wording of the thesis.
Plot
Synopsis
Provide
a BRIEF plot summary of the film. Is the plot original or cliché? Is the plot
predictable? Please do not give away endings, but you still must show competent
knowledge of the film.
Themes
What
was the main theme of the movie? Does the movie teach the viewer anything about
life, love, etc.? Include what these themes are as well as how they are
conveyed to the reader.
Visual
Elements
How
was the film’s visual appearance? Is there anything interesting about the
camera work (angles, shots, etc.) or the set designs (costumes, locations) or
the lightning (light/ dark).
Conclusions
Conclude
the review with your opinion of the film. Be creative and try to persuade the
reader to either see or not see the film based on your review. Also, rate the
film. You can do this with thumbs up/ down, a scale of 1-10 or any other of a
million possibilities.
3. Reaction
Paper on the Indie Movie Production Activity.
ESSAY REGARDING DICTATORSHIP,
MARTIAL LAW AND
EDSA PEOPLE POWER
Human existence was accompanied with a culture which
everyone proclaims and professes. Being nourished, practiced, preserved and
valued. Events in our past serve as a mirror which reflects our race, our
country, our attitude and what we stand on how our land runs.
Fighting for everyone’s freedom and democracy, defeated,
disintegrated corruptions, disregarded discrimination and putted equilibrium
against inequality. Different senses which God given to us, eyes to perceived,
sense of touch to feel our suffering from brutal hands., olfactory sensation to
smell the rotting acts of our politics, tongue to savor those unpleasant taste
on how mendacious people manipulates, deceived, worst empowered the innocence
of everybody that were trapped to eternal poverty, ears to hear weeps of
people, ear-sickening promises and deafening cries.
Sin's policy of "critical collaboration" during
this time, was combined with increased indignation over the fate of citizens
and religious brutalized by the government, and growing alarm over the
"radicalization" of the clergy and other people in response to these
abuses.
The growing feeling of revulsion among businessmen was
strengthened by the fate of the idealists whom they had hoped would temper the
regime's excesses. The fate of Marcos' technocrats added to his undoing. Marcos
had, in the beginning, swept away those irritating creatures, politicians, and
welcomed into the highest ranks of government highly-educated, honest and
competent men who only cared about running their departments -a style of
administration dear to businessmen's hearts. When these men began to defect
from the regime or were increasingly deprived of influence, it became obvious
that here was a return to the old-fashioned style of government by extortion;
and if this was the case, why put up with it when you could put into office the
thieves of your choice, as was the case before martial law?
\ In 1983, on the anniversary of the
Plaza Miranda bombing, which Marcos had attempted to use to raise a cloud of
doubt over Ninoy Aquino's integrity, Ninoy Aquino came home to die. The man who
was hustled down the side stairs of the MIA tunnel where his China Airlines
flight had docked was a man far different from the ebullient senator of 1971.
He was a man of unshakeable conviction and the very exemplar of the moral high
road the opposition had chosen to take.
Unlike former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez who had been
nearly killed in an ambush in the early 1980s because of his opposition to
Marcos' coconut policies, the assassination of Ninoy would succeed, and gain
international coverage. Marcos, true to form, after emerging from seclusion,
blamed it on a communist hitman.The middle class wouldn't fall for Marcosian
red herrings anymore, after it had finally understood that such things existed
when Marcos had lumped intensely burgeouis businessmen and professionals with
Leftist sympathisers and even true Leftists.
Between rumors of his failing kidneys, lupus, and the
bewilderment with which he first greeted the news of Ninoy's murder, and the
inevitable conclusion in the minds of many people that a cabal composed of
Imelda Marcos and Gen. Ver were in the ascendant, the regime lost much of the
bark that had intimimidated ordinary people for so long. They began to probe
and see if the bite was as bad as they had previously thought. From the first
timid testing of the waters demonstrated by the people who lined up to view
Ninoy's remains, and who marched in his funeral procession or lined up in the
streets in an act of quiet defiance (which may have seemed so timid to those
who had been involved in the opposition from the start, but which signalled the
gathering momentum of politicization on the part of the middle class), it
became obvious that the year had the makings of an annus horribilis for the
Marcoses.
Just a few days after Ninoy's death oppositionists came
together and formed JAJA - Justice for Aquino, Justice for All, whose position
paper stated: "We demand the immediate resignation of President Marcos,
the entire Cabinet, the Executive Committee, members of the Batasang Pambansa,
and top generals of the military. A responsible transition government composed
of men and women of unquestionable integrity should be established to pave the
way for the realization of genuine democracy in this country. We demand the
immediate restoration of the writ of habeas corpus throughout the country, the
immediate release of all political prisoners, and the grant of unconditional
amnesty to all political dissenters and dissidents. We demand a fair, open,
independent and impartial investigation of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino.
We demand the complete restoration of freedom of speech, the press, of peaceful
assembly, and all other constitutional rights and civil liberties. We demand a
stop to US or any other foreign intervention in Philippine affairs. We demand
an end to the militarization of our society and to repression and terrorism.
These objectives would remain the aim of the opposition
from then on. It contains within it ideas which served to unite the opposition
accross party lines, and divide it along ideological ones; it expressed
thoughts that owed much to the rhetoric of past resistance to Marcos on the
part of nationalist and socialist groups which would remain too extreme for the
middle class, which embarked on a crash course in the political techniques of
those it considered radicals. The fruits of this crash course would be Cause
oriented Groups, and the Parliament of the Streets. The gulf left open by the
refusal of the middle, professional classes to participate in sordid political
affairs was now closed, and opposition to Marcos now included every possible
grouping from one end of the political spectrum to another. FM would try to
make use of his tried-and-true strategy, to divide and conquer, embarking in a
race against time which he lost as the ranks of his opponents closed in faster
than he could divide them.This period as "a movement of unity and struggle
-of oneness in opposition to the Marcos regime, it's authoritarian apparatus,
and its abuse of the Filipino people; of differences within a movement colored
by various shades of political understanding, at times sadly marked by personal
political ambition; and of unrelenting struggle against a dictatorship propped
up by the government of the United States." All this is true; it took some
groups longer to get over their cautious inclinations than others, but at least
all the key players were in place. The Church was there, as the primate (in
fact if not title) of the Philippine Church officiated at Ninoy's Funeral Mass;
the middle class was there, the old fighers, too, in complete sympathy with the
loss that was well-nigh national in scope.
In retrospect this process seems to have been a
continuous march, along city streets lined with buildings raining yellow
confetti, to the tune of ati-atihan drums and the wailing of the military's
sirens. In reality it was a series of skirmishes and crises, of exhilerating
advance and painful retreat and reconsolidation.
Edsa, the apotheosis of the middle class (in contrast to
Marcos' hollow self-apotheosis in 1981), was ahead. The inauguration at Club
Filipino, which the more Socialist-oriented grumbled was a mere restoration (as
well they should, their having felt that the Left had been deprived of the just
rewards for its years of agony and struggle), which of course, it was.
But the people who had marched in isolation in the early
70s and 80s, should have expected nothing less from those who had swelled the
ranks of the opposition at the time of Ninoy's murder; these people had decided
that the time for involvement had come precisely becuase the things they valued
-order, decency, the burgeouis values and principles- had been taken away. And
had to be given back. They, who had always been skeptical of politics,
politicized themselves and made possible the return to the politics they
understood, with a crucial element added: morality. Morality, to be precise, of
buregouis sort. This was the rug that pulled Marcos of his feet, and
ironically, left many others puzzling over the way they had suddenly become
irrelevant.
Benigno Aquino, the one man who would remain a thorn in
his side for years, even hounding him out of power three years after his
assassination would unleash nonstop protests.
'Marcos had lied from the start'
Today, it is not surprising that many political leaders
continue to capitalize on or hype the political stigma of Mr. Marcos, even if
they were never involved in the political struggle during the martial law
years. The brutal heel and the iron fist of martial law may indeed never be
forgotten, but its other legacies, and its crucial lessons of governance are
obviously very much around, seamlessly woven into the national fabric like some
plague. One only has to recall how every branch of government can be easily
corrupted, as seen in the pork barrel imbroglio, to know this to be true.
Martial law as a proclamation is dead, but after 41 years, its legacy lives.
Be competitive, efficient, and effective for us to take
the righteous path. Yesterday is our lesson, today our obligation and future
will be the trials of powerful decisions.
FILM REVIEW ON LUALHATI BAUTISTA’S
DEKADA ‘ 70
Dekada ‘70
Chito S. Roño
Politics, Historical Fiction and Drama
“Buong buhay ko yan na lang lagi ang sinasabi
nila sa akin…wala kang magagawa eto ang gusto ng asawa mo…wala kang magagawa
eto ang kapalaran mo…wala kang magagaw dahil dapat…putris naman, dapat hindi
ganuo…tapos sasabihin ng daddy n’yo hindi lang ang anak ko ang pinatay hindi
lang ang anak ko ang dinukot…lalo akong nanggigigil, lalo akong nagagalit dahil
kung nanay ka talaga, hindi ka lang dapat nanganganak kundi naiapaglaban mo rin
ang anak mo dapat kaya mong pumatay para sa anak mo…gusto ko lang malaman bakit
nila pinatay ang anak ko…hindi masamang tao ang anak ko, kahit sa oras na ito
humarap ako sa diyos kahit sa dimonyo hindi masamang tao ang anak ko…hindi
masamang tao ang anak ko!”
– Amanda Bartolome
“You could stop being
proud of me! Nagsawa na ako sa ganuon, gusto ko naman ngayon ako mismo just for
a change, maging proud sa sarili ko!”
– Amanda Bartolome
Dekada ’70 (English: 70s Decade) is a 2002 Filipino drama
film released based on a book called Dekada ’70 written by Filipino author,
Lualhati Bautista. The film tells the story of the life of a middle-class
Filipino family who, over the space of a decade, become aware of the political
policies that have ultimately led to repression and a state of Martial law in
the Philippines. Dekada '70 is a
beautiful film and a wonderful novel that provides a glimpse of Filipino family
life in the '70's though perhaps not so accurately.
Vilma Santos delivers an understated, profoundly moving
performance as the matriarch whose awakening redefines the traditional mother
and wife role she donned for years. This is the story of an incredible
character that survived an unforgettable decade. Filipina actress Vilma Santos
stars as Amanda, who realizes the implications of living within a dictatorship
after sorting out the contradictory reactions of her husband and five sons. Her
husband (Julian), played by Filipino actor, Christopher de Leon, supports his
eldest son’s (Jules), played by Filipino actor, Piolo Pascual; efforts to rail
against the government while refusing to follow Amanda’s wish to find a job.
Her second son (Gani), played by Filipino actor, Carlos Agassi, is in the
United States Navy. Her third son (Eman), played by Filipino actor, Marvin
Augustin, writes illegal political exposes. The fourth son (Jason), played by
Filipino actor, Danilo Barrios fell victim to a corrupt police department, and
her youngest son named (Bingo), played by Filipino actor, John W. Sace, is
still a boy.
At the center of the film and the family is Amanda
(Filipino cinematic diva Vilma Santos) who vicariously experiences living under
a dictatorship through her husband and five sons’ different reactions before
coming into her own as a person. Her husband, Julian (Christopher De Leon),
seems a walking contradiction: He offers rationalizations for the government
while supporting his eldest son’s revolutionary activities, but has a fit when
his wife wants to get a job. As for the sons, firstborn son (Piolo Pascual)
joins the guerillas in the mountains. The second son (Carlos Agassi), forced
into a shotgun wedding, defiantly works for the American Navy. The third son
(Marvin Augustin) writes journalistic exposes he can’t publish, while the
fourth son (Danilo Barrios) is a mystery to his family until his brutal,
motiveless murder (probably by police) reveals a lost girlfriend. The fifth son
(John W. Sace) is still a boy. Santos’ Amanda effortlessly and movingly
chronicles the changed consciousness of the family and the country, with
understatement her most reliable tool. Pic begins and ends with images of
Santos at the forefront of a political demonstration, and nothing, from first
image to last, for 128 minutes, is allowed to spontaneously or slyly deviate
from the logic of her consciousness-raising.
Dekada 70 journeys with the central character Amanda
Bartolome (Vilma Santos), the reticent wife of an alpha-male husband, and the
worrying mother of a boisterous all-male brood. Thoroughly relegated to
domesticity in a world slathered in testosterone, Amanda begins to undergo a
transformation when her family becomes imbricated in the sociopolitical
realities brought about by the Marcos dictatorship. The declaration of Martial
Law, the lifting of the writ of habeas corpus, the curfews and police searches,
all these could have easily floated past Amanda’s head had her sons not found
themselves caught in the crossfire between the government and the pro-democracy
movements. As one son after another faces the oppressive forces of the
dictatorship, Amanda gradually realizes that the personal is political. While
chanting slogans for sociopolitical change, she finds her own voice and comes
to terms with the fullness of her own person…There are touches of seventies
style Filipino humor that foreign audiences might miss; they effectively
establish that this is a real, average Filipino family trying to navigate
through the eye of the political storm. The acting is generally impressive,
most especially that of lead actress Santos, who gives a luminous, sensitive
performance. Santos essays the transformation of Amanda so effectively that we
do see clearly at the end of the film that there has been a fundamental change in
her character. If there is something to be faulted about the film, it is Roňo’s
failure to keep melodramatic moments in check. The funeral sequence of one of
Amanda’s sons, for instance, becomes an over-extended session of copious tears.
The rich story material of Dekada 70 could do away with such “in your face”
paroxysms, which only work to dull the film’s cutting edge political
trajectory. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that Roňo had created a
noteworthy, epic-scale Filipino film, and on a Third World budget at that. It
also cannot be denied that Roňo had not forgotten the sentence of history on
his home country.
Plot
Synopsis
Dekada 70 is a story of a family caught in the midst of a
tumultuous time in Philippine history – the martial law years. Amanda (Vilma
Santos) and Julian (Christopher Deleon) is a picture of a middle class couple
with conservative ideologies, who must deal with raising their children, five
boys – Jules (Piolo Pascual), Isagani (Carlos Agassi), Emmanuel (Marvin
Agustin), Jason (Danilo Barrios) and Bingo (John Sace) in an era marked by
passion, fear, unrest and social chaos. As siblings struggle to accept the
differences of their ideologies, as a father faces the painful dissent of his
children, a mother’s love will prove to be the most resonant in the unfolding
of this family’s tale, will awaken to the needs of her own self, as she embarks
on a journey of discovery to realize who she is as a wife, amother, a woman and
a Filipino.
Themes
This movie is not just a mere re-enactment of the 70's
and was not just about martial law. It is a melo-drama of a true Filipino
family which can transcend even to the succeeding generations. It is definitely
one of the smartest screenplays of our time. It was well directed and the cast
was well casted. Everything from the cinematography, production design, musical
scoring and lights really gave more impact and drama to the film. It was able
to bring us back and make us feel the film. I recommend this film,it is worth
every peso to watch it. It touches pertinent issues in the society such as
politics and the importance of parents and the value of the family in shaping
the nation,by promoting nationalism and love for country.
Dekada ’70 tells of how under hate, greed and corruption,
one normal person transcends beyond right and wrong: instead learns that it is
freedom that entails survival. Set in the 70′s, urban Metro Manila, Amanda
Bartolome is a middle-class mother of five young men. Amanda acts as a supposed
symbolism of detachment. First of all, she was a mother, a housewife; such were
not considered integral parts of society during those times. She was not the
breadwinner; she did not experience the foremost effects of the decline of the
Philippines economy back then. She was a member of the middle class; her family
did not take money, like the rich, nor did her family suffer the worst of the
financial crises, like the poor. The lives of Amanda’s children each went in
different directions in the story, and each varied. Her eldest son was Jules.
Jules grew up normally, similar to every other ideal family. His upbringing was
that of what ideally conformed to normal standards and circumstances. Being the
eldest, however, Jules lived, and more importantly, matured through the shock
caused by the declaration of President Marcos’ martial law. Thus, Jules lived
his adolescence exposed to rebellious reading material, and inevitably molded
his mind into that of guerilla. Jules grew up to become a member of the communist
New People’s Army, and his evolution came full circle.
Like Regal Films, Star Cinema has been compelled to throw
in its stable of stars so that the Bartolome siblings look distractingly too
much like a boy band. But because they play well-thought-out characters, their
damage is put to a minimum. In some cases, like Piolo Pascual as Jules, the
young communist rebel, the effect is heart-wrenching. Pascual plays, along with
Vilma Santos as Amanda, one of the centers of gravity of the movie; the other
center consists of Santos and Christopher de Leon. As arguably the first
unabashedly feminist Filipino novel, “Dekada” shows a woman’s awakening to her
nature and gender through the men of her life-her husband and her first born.
Their age, generation and preoccupation divide both men, and Amanda serves as
their bridge and transition. In the process, Amanda herself is transformed. She
becomes herself. The most moving scenes of the movie are of Jules and Amanda
meeting on the sly and forced to carry on mother-and-son endearments hurriedly
because of the threat of arrest. But the most poignant scene is Julian and
Amanda confronted with the terrible loneliness of their advanced years, left by
their children, he turning away from her to hide his tears, and she asking him
to face her and not to be ashamed. It helps that the scene is played by Santos
and De Leon, truly one of Filipino cinema’s most effective screen couples.
Visual
Elements
Dekada '70 is an inspirational film I will never forget.
Dekada
'70 is one of the most exceptional Filipino films I have seen. The film had
depth and was very meticulously created. Owing to the fact that it was based on
a novel, the plot of the film was very coherent. Unlike other Filipino films
Dekada '70 gave justice to the Philippine Film Industry. Among the typical
films that have been sprouting in this generation Dekada '70 left its mark. The
quality of the film was astounding. Through the set designs, costumes, and
make-up, I was able to get a realistic glimpse of how things looked like in the
70's. Even very minor details were given much attention to make everything look
and feel as part of the 70's. I feel that it is very important to stage or film
relevant events that are part of our History as a Filipino people. By doing so
a wider number of people is reached and awareness on historical events
increase. In a phase of apathy and hopelessness, movies like Dekada '70 reminds
us that all is not lost for the Philippines is always worth fighting for.
Dekada '70 is as pop as the 70's is propagated today. The
setting, costumes, props even the role assignments in the family is made to be
iconic. Chito Rono made an aesthetically wonderful movie with the color
complements and quite theatrical acting of the characters. Nonetheless, i felt
that the actors are a bit short or rather over in their acting. Although I
admit that I got very taken by Vilma's monologue to Christopher, it still
lacked authenticity to fully captivate the audience. The roles are played
exactly but lacked genuine emotions from the actors. Considering the book is
made to capture the sympathy of its readers, which it does, for women of the
70's as well as the sufferings of the Filipinos during martial law I expected
the movie to draw the same amount of passion if not even more especially since
the best of Filipino cinema are employed. The acting however on an overall
analysis felt practiced/ mastered rather than felt from within. Nonetheless,
the movie is rendered wonderfully plus the screenplay is quite informative.No
scene is wasted, no useless pandering to the viewer’s sense of spectacle or
penchant for soap opera is even attempted. The competent production design, the
agile editing, the stark photography (which impresses even the Paris-based
Filipino-Spanish painter Sanso who calls it comparative to the best in Europe)
ensures a panoply of images that is immediate, recognizable, and keen.
Conclusions
Gawad
URIAN
• Best Picture
• Best Screenplay
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Best Supporting Actor - Piolo Pascual
PMPC
STAR Awards
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Best Supporting Actor - Piolo Pascual
• Best Screenplay - Lualhati Bautista
FAP/Luna
Awards
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Best Supporting Actor - Piolo Pascual
• Best Production Design
Gawad
TANGLAW
• Best Film
• Best Director - Chito Roño
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Best Actor - Christopher de Leon
• Best Supporting Actor - Piolo Pascual
Young
Critics Circle
• Best Film
• Best Director - Chito Roño
• Best Screenplay - Lualhati Bautista
• Best Performers - Vilma Santos and
Piolo Pascual
• Best Sound
25th
Catholic Mass Media Awards
• Best Film
Cinema
One's RAVE Awards
• Best Film
• Best Performance - Vilma Santos
Gawad
Pasado
• Best Film
• Best Director - Chito Roño
• Best Screenplay - Lualhati Bautista
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Best Actor - Christopher de Leon
• Best Supporting Actor - Piolo Pascual
CineManila
International Film Festival
• Best Actress - Vilma Santos
• Netpack Film Awardee - Dekada '70
As expected, the
beginning has a brief prologue with the country’s political climate before
jetting off to deal with the Seventies in a year-by-year basis, mostly
revolving around a rotation of drama between a married couple’s five growing
boys, and their growing involvement in the country’s politics. (Down with
imperialism, down with feudalism, up with communism, etc.) The momentum moves
along smoothly from 1970 till 1975, with the title-marked year at each transition
helping to feel a sense of accomplishment in Cliffs Notes-ian breakdown. But,
as much of the familial drama heats up (this son joins a militant group, that
son writes communist propaganda, another son gets a girl pregnant, et al),
circa 1976-1979, the pacing is botched and things are slowed down a great deal
without a separation of time. During that period, though not to much surprise,
the perspective is tendentious to the repressed mother, whom all of her
children find to be the voice of reason and understanding, as much as their
father tries to play it cool. It remains soap-operatic without any stretch of
the imagination (well into the epilogue in 1983), though despite many of its
faults, there is a certain educational value consistent throughout and applied
systematically via the various functions each of the children entail. Lualhati
Bautista adapts her own best-selling novel, and feminist agenda aside, the
story and the movie would crack without the mother character, and the
solidifying presence of Vilma Santos, whose only unfortunate requirement is to
give voice to all of the repressed Filipinas at once. Directed by Chito S.
Rono; with Christopher De Leon, Piolo Pascual, Marvin Agustin, Carlos Agassi,
Danilo Barrios, and John Wayne Sace.
This novel of Lualhati Bautista
always caught my eye whenever I find myself on a decent bookstore. Its
mysterious appeal tickled my interest in one of the most dramatic eras of
Philippine history, the Marcos era. The writer is one of the most respected
writers of our time, and is a Palanca award winner.
It's been a big question mark why it
hasn't won as the best screenplay in the Filmfest. No doubt as to say that
Dekada 70 has a most heart-wrenchingly brilliant storyline. It let's us be
witness to the events in the life of a simple family during the tumultuous time
of the 70's. During the Marcos rule, the Martial Law, and during the struggles
of the subversive fugitives. Piolo Pascual, (who deservingly won as best
supporting actor) played the son who was adamant on foregoing with his leftist
idealism and his nationalist struggle, despite the risk of tragedies which may
strike and affect his entire family. It was particularly heart-wrenching during
the scene when Piolo is seen coming out from a detention cell, damaged with
marks of torture. It was far more wrenching when we see Christopher De Leon,
the padre de pamilya, going berserk and screaming "Pinatay nila ang anak
ko!" (they killed my child). De Leon convincingly played a father whose
emotions and decisions played a large game of risk and endure. Vilma Santos,
who played the mother of the children, the only woman in a family of men, is
the central character of the story. It seems that she has been the only strong
character among the men in his life: his husband and his children, all of which
has been clouded by their own weaknesses, their emotions and how they try to
desperately hide it.
Marvin Agustin, delivers a simple
performance as the child who gets into writing and arts instead of being as
subversive as his brother. While Danilo Barrios plays a memorable character who
carries the sunshine among the family with his bubbly humor and amusing
innocence. (On the other hand, I found it idiotic and was laughing at those
gossip magazine critics who made a fuss and praised Carlos Agassi for his
performance, when he did not really do some acting. All he did was grab his
crotch, attempting phone sex. A CGI Dobey can act far more better.)
I admire the director of this movie
for being able to make a dramatic film based on a ground-breaking novel. It
really pays tribute to the Philippines' Martial Law history. I really felt the
seventies in this film. Too bad, this one didn't qualify for an Oscar Award in
2002. But it doesn't matter at all. This is really and excellent film. Vilma
Santos once again acted like a superior actress who kbows no bounds.
Christopher de Leon was okay. All their children did a good job acting. I also
admire the make up designers of the movie who made everything fit to the
seventies: the house, the furniture, the clothes, the hairstyle, the fashion
and etc. I also liked the ending as well and the soundtrack song. It was really
touching. People who like based-on-history films should really watch this one.
Dekada 70 the movie was simple and
yet excellently produced. Shot in a simple setting yet true to detail. The
cinematography was able to sew together the movie; the lighting was good, the
angles were good, and most importantly the sound mixing was good as opposed to
other Filipino films which have bad sound. Perhaps the most important aspect of
the film which carried the whole aesthetic values were the actors. It’s a given
that it was a star studded cast but what will impress you is the way the
cohesiveness of each actor brought the best in themselves. Watch this film and
be touched by family togetherness and how each handles the adversities that
come with it. Really, Heartwarming.
REACTION PAPER ON THE INDIE MOVIE
PRODUCTION ACTIVITY
An Indie Movie Production Activity
under my direction. At first I am so afraid to do this activity and lead my
friends/classmates to something I know that it is beyond their limits. But as
what I can see they put my doubts set aside.
Today in our society, based on
people around me, this indie movie activity we had best represents the
prostitution, more often than not, there is the dilemma of values and
priorities and its relation to the person’s morality. But when no such reason
caused a young woman to engage in such a promiscuous habit, who should the
judge’s finger point to?
To the parents or guardians who were
not able to give enough attention, support and build a strong foundation for
their child’s morality? The school that was not able to inculcate values that
were far more essential than the academics? To the church that was not able to
inspire a sister in faith to take the path less traveled? To the government who
was not doing its part enough to prevent crimes such as prostitution? To the
people who take advantage of one another? Or the individual herself who refused
to accept the efforts and teachings that will lead her to be righteous?
For someone out there who we
dedicated this film and for someone planning or just started this event, I pray
for all your health, for all your safety and for all your soul for when all
else fail, prayers are all that what I have, and GOD who is the greatest
teacher and wonderful miracle performer.
