Miss Ganda

Play by | January 10, 2010

MGA TAUHAN:

Maggie Dela Victoria: Labing-siyam na taong gulang na student Nurse. Maganda. Makapal kung mag make-up.
C.I. Leon De Lima: Clinical Instructor nila Maggie at Rhea. Boyfriend ni Liza. Naka-eyeglasses.
Liza Mandacawan: Girlfriend ni Leon. Pasyente sa bed A.
Nurse Tan: Ang NOD (Nurse On Duty sa eleven to seven shift) sa Delivery room
Dr. Ruiz: Ang magpapaanak sa mga pasyente.
Rhea Valera: Matalino, ngunit pangit na classmate ni Maggie.
Patient 2: Pasyente sa bed B
Patient 3: Pasyente sa bed C

Lunan at oras ng dula: Gabi. Makalat ang tatlong hospital beds sa Delivery room ng Davao Medical Center. Lahat ay busy sa pag-aasikaso ng kani-kanilang endorsement call. Si Doktor Ruiz, Nurse Tan, at C.I Leon lang ang on duty. Pupunta ang studyanteng si Rhea sa bed B at uumpisahan ang pag-assess sa kanyang pasyente. Si Leon naman ay uupo sa Nurse station table at uumpisahang i- checheck ang Student Nurse Records. Biglang bubukas ang pintuan. Mahingal-hingal na dadating si Maggie.

Continue reading Miss Ganda

Ang Traydor

Poetry by | January 10, 2010

May tao akong nakilala
Sa kanto dose nakatira
Ang pangalan niya’y Pasito
Trabaho niya’y pagtataho.

Umupo ako sa kanyang silong
Pansin ko’y suot niya’y ‘sang dumihin
At putikang kamiseta
Nabahiran na ng grasa

Ng kapanayamin ko siya
Halatang si Pasito’y nangangayat
Epekto raw iyon ng karukhaan
Ng gobyernong ‘di makandungan

“Noong unang panahon”
Dagdag niya, “Ako’y may nagawa.
Naging bahagi ako ng kudeta
At gobyerno aking inasinta”

“Nang mahuli ako ng mga opisyal
Dinala ako sa isang nanlilimahid na lugar.
At doon ako’y kinawawa
‘Di nila alintana ang aming paghihirap

Sa gilid ng bulubundukin
Pinarusahan, iniwang duguan
Sa buhos ng malakas na ulan
Naging lugmok aking katauhan

“Katarungan nami’y hinarangan
Kalayaan, aming inaasam-asam.”
Sa sobrang ipit ‘di ko napansin
Nawala na si Pasito sa aking paningin

Naalala ko huling hirit nya
Habang binulay-bulay mga alaala
“Pag-atake sa mga tiwali
Sadya nga bang mali?”

—-
Hannah Louise Enanoria is a 3rd year AB Sociology student of ADDU.

Jeepney

Fiction by , , | January 3, 2010

“One order of Adobo,” uttered Mario while drawing a 20 peso bill out of his battered wallet.

Maja stood up from her wooden stool and took a glance at the bulky man at the counter. Probably at his mid-forties, he had a white towel hung on his left shoulder and wore a simple white shirt and faded jeans. Behind him was a shabby karinderia with just four tables and a few plastic chairs. Fortunately, it was break time. The usual people: the jeepney driver, their 12-year-old neighbor, the college student and the street vendor were there. Her father, Felipe, was not — as usual. Where was he? She couldn’t tell.

Continue reading Jeepney

Hanuy nga Dalan (Padu’ng unta ngadto sa Gensan)

Poetry by | January 3, 2010

(usa sa mga daghang pagpahinumdum sa usa ka higayun kaniadtong Nobimbre dus mil nuybi)

Sementong dalan
Gikan cotabato kutob sa gensan
Hanuy ang padagan
May agian pang kapinyahan

Ug sa kalit
sa duha ka gamay’ng rotunda muhapit ug manamilit
Nga ‘daw sa mata, usa ka pagdalit
Kay diay misteryoso ang dalan sa sharif

Abe ko pa man gani
Dakung balay katu sa pari
Taliwala sa lapad nga yutang kasagbutan
Nga hawan ug pit-os ang mga katawhan

(Sa wa damha, petsa baynti tres sa Nobimbre,
kapinkulang saysenta nga gitusak-tusak ang natimbre)

Karun, duna nay mga kamut sa armado’ng sundawo
Nga muwara-wara sa mga byahero
Bawal na daw sa imperno

Continue reading Hanuy nga Dalan (Padu’ng unta ngadto sa Gensan)

Nobyembre 23, 2009, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao

Poetry by | January 3, 2010

May araw ding ang luha mo’y masasaid, matutuyo…
–Amado Hernandez

Musmos pa lamang nang aking isinaulo
Ang obrang tula ni Ka Amado;
Mga titik nito’y idinambana sa isipan,
Medalya’y nasungkit mula sa paligsahan.

Ilang taon pa’t kamalayan unti-unting nagising
Bakit luha ng bayan ay hindi maampat;
Ang bayan ko’y alipin, hindi ng ibang lahi,
Ang bayan ko’y busabos ng kapwa kayumanggi.

Sino ang kakapitan?
Kapitalista, pulitiko, gobyerno ay iisa;
Bingi sa panaghoy ng lugaming bansa
At ng katarungang inilibing sa hukay.

Ngayon, mga luha mo’y said na at tuyo
Sa harap ng nagbabagang apoy ng mga sulo;
Habang ang mga mata’y nakatuon sa nahukay na mga biktima
Sa malayong bayan ng Shariff Aguak.

Continue reading Nobyembre 23, 2009, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao

Communion with the “Presences” in Lami Nusa

Nonfiction by | December 20, 2009

The tiny crescent island in Sulu where I was born and learned my name is unknown and hardly even visible in a map of the more than 7,000 islands of the Philippine archipelago. In the sixties or even earlier, when it started getting the attention of some anthropological researchers, it occasionally got briefly written about or sometimes mentioned in passing by Western authors in some ethnological studies for its famous pandan [reed] mat of exotic designs and riot of colors or else for the katakata, stories and story-tellers of never-ending amazement and deep mysticism. Allegedly, weavers and chanters fell into trance and met their muses in dreams.

Continue reading Communion with the “Presences” in Lami Nusa

Some Assorted Maniacs I Know

Nonfiction by | December 6, 2009

It seems to me that the whole village is just crawling with them—neighbors, professionals, government employees, even my own kin—lilintian! I don’t know how I’ve managed to live this old and managed to escape from these assorted maniacs and a fate worse than death, although I’ve seen many who have enjoyed that fate worse than …. But I caught myself from being repetitious. Yes, once a teacher always a teacher, and although I’ve been an English supervisor these five years now I still teach the rules of composition better than any of them—better than these new tissle-tassle methods that lead to nowhere! But back to these assorted maniacs. Why, even in our school there’s that Mr. Jover. Don’t ever make the mistake of letting him take you home. Oh, not even with a group—unless you make sure you don’t sit beside him because, Blessed Arkangel! he has a way of maneuvering-maneuvering and before you know it he’ll have his paws right on your blossoms quite by improbable accident. Or you’ll feel an arm pass by through your hip. His maneuvering is quite famous and he makes no discrimination between young and old, plain or pretty, so that you can’t even feel complimented by it. Why, even Mrs. Olarte the very staid Super from Manila was a victim of this maneuvering, and if it were not such an awkward thing to put on paper, she would have recommended his demotion. What would happen to poor Mrs. Jover who is such a pretty but nervous little wife who is hardly seen at all, what with her nine children—and some more coming, you can be sure. You’d think he would be satisfied with that? But no, some men are never, never satisfied—nor some women, for that matter.

Continue reading Some Assorted Maniacs I Know

Sa Pagitan ng Kahapon at Ngayon

Play by | December 6, 2009

Panahon: Gabi. Sa kwarto. Sa isang bayan. Dalawang matanda. Sila na lang dalawa ang naiwan sa bahay, sa kanilang sariling bahay. Ang mga anak nila’y nag-sarili na rin at nakapag-asawa na. Isang panahon sa isang sulok. Sa isang takdang panahon.

Mga karakter:
Lola Eneng (tipikal na matanda, ang damit duster na may long sleeve na nakasapaw at may belo para sa lamig)
Lolo Iniong (tipikal na matanda, naka pajama, naka sando at t-shirt sa loob at nakasapaw ang polong suot; may salamin at may dalang tungkod, at may tuwalya sa balikat).

Unang maririnig ang plawta pagdaan ng 16 counts. Papasok ang gitara (16 counts). Nakapwesto na si Lola Eneng at Lolo Iniong sa gitna ng entablado. Ilaw naka-dimmer lights, spot light (yellow at blue) over the head ang ilaw. Pag middle light na , makikita na sila ng tao. Maguumpisa na sa pagtimpla ng kape si Lola Eneng.

Continue reading Sa Pagitan ng Kahapon at Ngayon