YR 47 Issue 1 2011
Letters
Book Review
Desaparecidos
The wrath of desaparecidos
By PATRISHA VANESSA Q. SANTOS
THE DECLARATION of Marti al Law in the country brought chaos and unrest in the lives of Filipinos primarily because of the unjust killings, human rights violati ons, and rampant abducti on of oppositi on members during the era. In an att empt to focus on the secret abducti on of people during this period, Lualhati Bauti sta conti nues to tell the remarkable tales of Filipino victi ms in her book Desaparesidos (2007).
The ti tle can be directly translated as “missing ones” in English, but in an arti cle from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), Bauti sta personally defi ned the word as “the disappearance or absence of acti vist parents in the lives of their children as they elude arrest to pursue their revoluti onary goals.”
The novel is split into two parts: the fi rst one provides fl ashbacks about Anna, a former New People’s Army acti vist and her life in the movement, while the other half narrates her life after serving her sentence in prison.
The book started with the scene 20 years aft er the declarati on of Marti al Law, showing fl ashbacks of the events when Anna lost her husband and child in the madness of the rebellion. The main plot of the story revolves around Anna’s desperate search for her infant daughter Malaya whom she left in the hands of Karla, a fellow member of the movement. Anna never knew what happened to her child, but she never stopped searching for her.
The story broke off in the middle of the book where Bautista wrote an essay narrati ng the history of Marti al Law and how the People Power Revoluti on ended the Marcos regime in 1986. The second part then opens with the story of Lorena, Anna’s fi rst child with her second rebel husband, Roy. Lorena grew up without the constant presence of her parents. The last part of the book also answers Anna’s questi ons regarding Malaya and provides closure for most of the characters.
Bauti sta relates through Anna’s story how gruesome and cruel the militaries were to the rebels and their families. She wrote Dekada ’70, her more famous work, to express her strong feelings about the Marti al Law. At fi rst, she thought she gave it justi ce, “But there are sti ll so many stories waiting to be told about that era,” she said in an article published in the PDI. This urged her to write a new book that also tackles the harsh realiti es of marti al rule.
While Dekada ’70 chronicles the struggles of a mother who had sons who were harassed during the period, Desaparesidos gives readers the accounts of another mother who lost the chance to witness her child grow because of being personally involved in the revoluti on.
The book is not striking at fi rst glance, for it is barely noti ceable when placed next to the bestsellers. Yet, the small book with a simple black and red cover will not disappoint its readers. Desaparesidos gives morbid anecdotes described in careful detail eff ecti ve enough to make one cringe. Writt en in the vernacular, Bauti sta’s words are raw and unforgiving that can make readers despise the soldiers and pity the rebels. In addition, she ruthlessly tackles sensiti ve topics like rape and abuse without sugarcoating them.
This work by Bautista is not for the faint-hearted for it is not characterized by happy endings and comic releases. Reading it is comparable to witnessing a car crash—traumatic and horrifying yet continuously captivating.
Overall, the book is for those who crave for real and palpable emoti ons that could open their eyes to the harsh realities of life. F
The wrath of desaparecidos
By PATRISHA VANESSA Q. SANTOS
THE DECLARATION of Marti al Law in the country brought chaos and unrest in the lives of Filipinos primarily because of the unjust killings, human rights violati ons, and rampant abducti on of oppositi on members during the era. In an att empt to focus on the secret abducti on of people during this period, Lualhati Bauti sta conti nues to tell the remarkable tales of Filipino victi ms in her book Desaparesidos (2007).
The ti tle can be directly translated as “missing ones” in English, but in an arti cle from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), Bauti sta personally defi ned the word as “the disappearance or absence of acti vist parents in the lives of their children as they elude arrest to pursue their revoluti onary goals.”
The novel is split into two parts: the fi rst one provides fl ashbacks about Anna, a former New People’s Army acti vist and her life in the movement, while the other half narrates her life after serving her sentence in prison.
The book started with the scene 20 years aft er the declarati on of Marti al Law, showing fl ashbacks of the events when Anna lost her husband and child in the madness of the rebellion. The main plot of the story revolves around Anna’s desperate search for her infant daughter Malaya whom she left in the hands of Karla, a fellow member of the movement. Anna never knew what happened to her child, but she never stopped searching for her.
The story broke off in the middle of the book where Bautista wrote an essay narrati ng the history of Marti al Law and how the People Power Revoluti on ended the Marcos regime in 1986. The second part then opens with the story of Lorena, Anna’s fi rst child with her second rebel husband, Roy. Lorena grew up without the constant presence of her parents. The last part of the book also answers Anna’s questi ons regarding Malaya and provides closure for most of the characters.
Bauti sta relates through Anna’s story how gruesome and cruel the militaries were to the rebels and their families. She wrote Dekada ’70, her more famous work, to express her strong feelings about the Marti al Law. At fi rst, she thought she gave it justi ce, “But there are sti ll so many stories waiting to be told about that era,” she said in an article published in the PDI. This urged her to write a new book that also tackles the harsh realiti es of marti al rule.
While Dekada ’70 chronicles the struggles of a mother who had sons who were harassed during the period, Desaparesidos gives readers the accounts of another mother who lost the chance to witness her child grow because of being personally involved in the revoluti on.
The book is not striking at fi rst glance, for it is barely noti ceable when placed next to the bestsellers. Yet, the small book with a simple black and red cover will not disappoint its readers. Desaparesidos gives morbid anecdotes described in careful detail eff ecti ve enough to make one cringe. Writt en in the vernacular, Bauti sta’s words are raw and unforgiving that can make readers despise the soldiers and pity the rebels. In addition, she ruthlessly tackles sensiti ve topics like rape and abuse without sugarcoating them.
This work by Bautista is not for the faint-hearted for it is not characterized by happy endings and comic releases. Reading it is comparable to witnessing a car crash—traumatic and horrifying yet continuously captivating.
Overall, the book is for those who crave for real and palpable emoti ons that could open their eyes to the harsh realities of life. F
Year 47 | Issue 3 | 2011
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