Dekada '70 (novel)

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Dekada '70
Author	Lualhati Bautista
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Carmelo & Bauermann Print Corp
Publication date	1988
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
ISBN	971-17-9023-8 / 9711790238

For the movie adaptation, see Dekada '70 (film)

Dekada '70 (Dekada '70: Ang Orihinal at Kumpletong Edisyon), translated into Filipino as the '70s decade, is a Filipino novel written by Lualhati Bautista.^[1]

Dekada '70 is the story of a family caught in the middle of the tumultuous decade of the 1970's. It details how a middle class family struggled with and faced the changes that empowered Filipinos to rise against the Marcos government. This series of events happened after the bombing of Plaza Miranda, the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus, the proclamation of Martial Law and the random arrests of political prisoners. The oppressiveness of the Marcos regime made people become more radical. This shaping of the decade are all witnessed by the female character, Amanda Bartolome, a mother of five boys. While Amanda's sons grow, form individual beliefs and lead different lives, Amanda reaffirms her identity to state her stand as a Filipino citizen, mother and woman. Dekada '70 introduces the new generation of Filipino readers to the story of a family of a particular time in Philippine history. Its appeal lies in the evolution of its characters that embody the new generation of Filipinos. It is the story about a mother and her family, and the society around them that affects them. It is a tale of how a mother becomes torn between the letter of the law and her responsibilities as a mother.

A defining but not subversive Filipino novel, Dekada '70 was one of the two grand prize winners for the 1983 Palanca Awards for the novel. ^[2] It was adapted into a film by Star Cinema in 2003, starring Christopher de Leon and Vilma Santos.

1 Novel
- 1.1 Context
- 1.2 Plot summary
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Novel

[edit] Context

For more information, see also Philippine History - Martial Law

Dekada '70 is set in the turbulent Martial Law era in Philippine history. In the 1970's, the Republic of the Philippines was under the rule of then President Ferdinand Marcos. On September 21, 1972, Marcos declared Martial Law which placed the country under the rule of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but kept himself in power. Under the Martial Law era, Marcos consolidated control of the armed forces, freedom of the press was severely limited and opponents of Marcos were detained.

[edit] Plot summary

Amanda Bartolome is a mother of a middle-class family who has five young sons, making her the only female in the family. From the beginning of the novel she already has reservations about her role in the family, as a wife, a mother and nothing more. Throughout the course of the novel her five sons grow up amidst the backdrop of Martial Law.

Her eldest son, Jules, had a normal upbringing. Being the eldest in the family, he was already old enough during President Marcos's declaration of Martial Law. He became exposed to radical reading material and regularly played activist songs on his guitar as a teenager. While in college he regularly complains about the government's abuses such as putting the interests of the United States above Filipinos, or numerous forced disappearances attributed to the Philippine Constabulary. Eventually he becomes a guerrilla or freedom fighter, eventually joining the communist New People's Army.

Amanda and her husband, Julian, had suspicions of their son's inclination to become an anti-Government winger but became convinced when they find copies of rebellious pamphlets lying around the house. They confronted their son about them, and he had to admit his decision. At first, conflict ensues in the family. Eventually, the parents learned to accept their son's decision, and eventually became proud of him. Since then, their home became a constant place of recreation for Jules who often brought a friend along with him.

One of these friends, Domeng, stayed with the family for some time while recuperating from an injury. The family became close to the young man because, among other things, he reminded them of their son Jules. Unfortunately, it was already late when they realized that Domeng was an operative of the government all this time and that the friendship was all a front. Domeng exposed Jules participation and involvement in the NPA movement, and from then on the family was put on high alert. Jules would naturally disappear for long periods of time, although he would occasionally write via passing notes through a network of contacts. He also brought home a wounded fellow comrade of his, Rene, whom the family helped nurse back to health. Jules also married a fellow NPA solider, Mara, a former factory worker, and they bear a son. When Amanda berates Jules for not spending enough time taking care of his infant son, Jules retorts that he joined the NPA to take care of future generations. Eventually, though, Jules would be caught and sent to prison, where he would be subjected to physical and psychological torture.

Isagani, the second child, grew up with ambitions of becoming a sailor in the United States navy, and became the family's cream of the crop (although he was opposed by Jules on the grounds that America would just take advantage of him, like they were taking advantage of the country). "Gani", however, quickly became the goat of the family because he had made the simplest mistake of getting a girl, his girlfriend Evelyn, pregnant. Naturally, being a Catholic country, the parents insisted on marriage. Alas, their lives were nothing but hollow imitations of couples in love, without enough of the very essence that keeps two people together. Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Gani moved to the United States after he was accepted into the navy. His plans for Evelyn and their daughter to follow, however, falter when Evelyn makes the decision to separate.

The third Bartolome offspring arguably provided himself with the most secure future. Emmanuel, nicknamed "Em", lived the same life as his elder brothers, and eventually as he attended college became influenced too by activist and freedom groups. However, he thought that the extreme left and the extreme right had no place in society and called for peaceful evolution, change in the form of expression. He wanted to become a writer, a noble profession, one exceptionally crafted for someone of Emmanuel's ability. His problem was, his father violently objected to his son's decision, due to practical reasons (writers having no good pay). Emmanuel eventually starts working for a non-government human rights organization, compiling cases from around the country. Once he brings home a young female child, the lone survivor of a massacre by the military in a remote village.

Jason was Julian's favorite among his children. He was also the opposite of Emmanuel. While Emmanuel was studious and hardworking, Jason was a typical teenager. He joined rallies to make noise, not express a message. He was a constant failure in school, albeit his problems were self-inflicted. He stole from his parents and lied to them. However, in the midst of the first three brothers' hardships, it was Jason's happy-go-lucky demeanor that provided Amanda and Julian with a well-needed dose of happiness. He was also loving to his parents, which made it hard for Amanda and Julian to discipline him. Jason gets into an argument with Amanda over Jason having to cancel a date to visit Jules in prison on Christmas Day. After that, he stays out of the house for longer periods of time. Finally, one day, a friend of Jason's calls to inquire after Jason, assuming that he was in the house, and stating that he had apparently been arrested for possession of marijuana. However, Amanda notices that Jason is not in his room. After fruitless searches by Julian and Amanda, Emmanuel and another friend confirm that Jason has been salvaged (murdered clandestinely, ostensibly by police).

The youngest son was Benjamin. After all had come to pass, he was in the middle of his teens. He functions in the story mostly as an innocent child (although a notable incident in the middle of the novel where Benjamin (nicknamed Bingo) asks Amanda whether Jules is a communist or not forces Amanda to defend Jules, inadvertently siding with the ideas she had verbally opposed earlier in the novel).

Intersperse throughout the novel are anecdotes of Julian's relationship with Amanda seems to be one where Julian always has the last word. However, as her sons and other people such as Evelyn and Mara influence her to make her own decisions and be her own person, she eventually widens her horizons, culminating in her eventual declaration in the latter part of the novel that she wanted a divorce from Julian. After a series of talks where Julian reveals his feelings, however, the divorce is eventually dropped. In the meantime, Amanda finally finds her purpose in life assisting the "revolution".