Dekada '70 Paper

Mark-Darrel D. Contreras

10638245

The Martial law era was one of the darkest times in Philippine history. For the first time, democracy was challenged, the whole nation was plunged in fear as the government seized complete and total control of the media and the activities of its citizens. Those who stood against the government suffered a horrible fate, all of them were hunted down and killed. This was also a time of “greening activism”, young people learned to participate in what the country is currently experiencing by joining the cause even if this means that their lives will be in danger.

Indeed, our country’s darkest era was also the brightest era as seen through the eyes of Amanda Bartolome, a mother of 5 sons and a masochist husband. In reality, Amanda was torn between the feeling of how is she supposed to feel that her eldest son, Jules, being involved too early in anti-government sentiments. Even her husband, Julian, is involved in some way. I’m sure any mother would have been hyperventilating after knowing that a family member could just vanish anytime without a trace, only to find out later on, that her son’s/daughter’s body was found floating in some river. The despotic ruler does not know of mercy nor forgiveness, anyone who is found guilty of antigovernment sentiments will be tortured and killed later on.

Amanda is the typical housewife, conservative and traditional. She even restrained herself from initiating sex with her husband Julian because it is a taboo for

women to be the initiator or express liking in sex. As she puts it: “Hindi ko dapat ipakita and pagkasabik ko sa sex dahil ako ay isang babae, marami pang bagay na mas importante kay sa sex.” She lives up to the expectation of feminists by trying to free herself from the binding grasp of society through an attempt to really show how she feels about sex, sexuality of women.

Oppression existed in 2 different ways, one is through physical oppression like forced arrests without warrants and later on torture then death. The other one is emotional oppression by exercise of excessive control over the nation not normally seen in a democratic country. What merits the most attention for political activism I think is the emotional oppression, people become disturbed, helpless and crying for freedom.

By any chance, if such a family existed during the Martial law era, they would have been the gem of the state, a triumph of society’s basic unit in an attempt to decide the fate of a nation. Although not so perfect, the Bartolome family is both an image of tragedy and courage in tough times. Amanda’s boldness in being a mother, it seems, has given her a revitalized role in bringing up a family not only as an individual or mother but more importantly, the active role of women in building society.

Lualhati Bautista, to say the least, is brilliant. He had an eye for that particular tumultuous time in our country’s era nobody else had. He must have forgotten that Amanda, Julian and Jules along with the other characters are just characters he created in reliving the power of the family and women at the same time.