Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

DOI 10.1007/s10583-008-9071-y
ORIGINAL PAPER

Fictionalized History in the Philippines: Five Narratives

of Collective Amnesia
Will P. Ortiz

Published online: 16 September 2008

Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Abstract The paper analyzes five historical fictions for children in the Batang Historyador
(Young Historian) series which detail five periods in Philippine history. The books discuss the
issues of child labor in precolonial Philippines, child labor and the right to education regardless
of gender during the Spanish colonial period, child labor during the American Occupation,
children as witnesses of history in the Japanese Occupation and Martial Law periods. The
narratives reveal (consciously or unconsciously) how distortedly and inaccurately the past is
told from the perspective of a colonized mind. The struggles of historians to review and
revision history from a pro-Filipino consciousness were totally unheeded. The works attempt
to throw light on issues of class, gender and childrens rights but Filipino issues regarding
culture, identity, politics and history were obliterated because the framework was tied to a
universal notion of history.
Keywords

Childrens rights
Historical fiction
Neocolonialism
Filipino history

Introduction
There is no neutrality in writing, whether in literature or history, for all writing contains
ideologies that it transmits to the consciousness of each reader. For the longest time, Filipino
historians have insisted on the value of writing history from the Filipino perspective and not

Will P. Ortiz lives in Manila, Philippines, where she loves teaching Philippine Studies and Filipino literature at
the University of the Philippines. Her publications are focused on children and women. Her research on Filipino
women and spirituality was given a special award by the university. She is currently writing a collection of short
stories about child labor for which she was given a grant by the University. She also hopes to publish a collection
of criticism on childrens literature.
W. P. Ortiz (&)
University of the Philippines, Lt 28 Blk 9 La Trinidad Village, Talipapa, Novaliches,
Quezon City 1116, Philippines
e-mail: ortiz_wp@yahoo.com

123

270

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

from the point of view of foreign conquerors. Renato Constantino, a nationalist historian, says
that it is necessary to look back into the past in order to see the present clearly. Our consciousness of the past is twisted: Much of the blame must be laid at the door of colonial
education. (Constantino, 1987, p. 49) He called it the miseducation of the Filipino. It was a
means of pacifying the people and weakening nationalism. The United States was seen as a
generous benefactor and this erased the struggle of the people against colonialism. In his
writing of history, Constantino highlights not the views of the ilustrado1 but the Filipino
masses.
Salazar (1989) and others champion what they call the pantayong pananaw (we-perspective), writing history with the Filipino reader in mind. Central to this perspective is writing in
the Filipino language not in a foreign language, because the writing of Filipino history should be
primarily for the Filipino. Though many have criticized the discourse of pantayong pananaw, it
still has the merit of insisting on an analysis from the Filipino point of view.
Judy Taguiwalo (1997, p. 30) adds a feminist dimension to this writing of nationalist history
when she says that:
While there has been a rectification of the study of Philippine history from the colonial
and elitist perspective to a nationalist and pro-people perspective, the struggle to reveal
the participation of women in the making of history has been limited (translation mine).
In fact, the writing of history almost inevitably has biases based on gender, race, or class and
not only on colonialism. In the writing of historical creative works, it is also valuable to write
with partiality. One should consider the perspective of Filipino nationalist historians in writing
history based on the experience of the Filipino masses. As with historians, much is expected
from the writers of historical fiction. It is the responsibility of writers to underscore those parts
of history that will raise political, ideological and nationalist perspectives. Raising a nationalist
objective is one way to elevate historical fiction from the Filipino point of view.
Like history, literature is one way of raising awareness of a nationalist perspective. In line
with the assertions made above, childrens literature is not free from ideology. This is the point
Dela Cruz (1993) makes in his article Kailangang Magsimulang Muli ang mga Akdang
Pambata sa Suliranin ng Pagkabansa (Childrens literature must start once more from the
problem of nationhood).
It can be said that there are two national problems connected to the context of national
literature in the Philippines. First, there is the consciousness that champions Western
thinking and turns its back on the beliefs and culture of the Filipino Second is the
continuing domination of former colonizers in the world order. This is caused by the
combination of the power of former colonizers and internal problems of the Philippines
(Dela Cruz, 1993, p. 10, translation mine).
According to Dela Cruz, our objective as a nation is not yet clear; this is why it is necessary for
Filipinos to return to the concept of nationhood. To fix the fractures of our nationhood (Dela
Cruz, p. 11), it is necessary to open the consciousness of children as soon as they are able to
grasp ideas about nationalism by introducing our history and Filipino-ness. As with a historian,
central to the duty of a writer of fiction is the correction of distorted history and the demolition
of the myth of kindness of conquerors like the United States of America.
Among the examples of the kind of distorted history I have been discussing are our childrens books on history. This paper analyzes five stories for children written by Augie Rivera,
1
Ilustrado literally means enlightened onesFilipinos who studied abroad, especially in Spain during the
late nineteenth century. They usually belonged to the upper-class landed families.

123

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

271

a Filipino childrens book writer, jointly published by UNICEF and Adarna House. On the
cover of these books, the value of UNICEF as protector of the Universal Convention on the
Rights of the Child is acknowledged. Central to the books is the discussion of issues such as
child domestic labor, wholesome recreation, child labor, racism, the right to education, living
in a peaceful community, and protection against abuse, danger and violence. The five books of
the Batang Historyador (Young Historian) series also consider the condition of children from
different periods, from pre-colonial society to the Martial Law period. It is in this chronological order too that the books will be analyzed, from Si Diwayen, Noong Bago Dumating ang
mga Espanyol (Diwayen, Before the Spanish Came), Si Segunda, Noong Panahon ng mga
Espanyol (Segunda, During the Spanish Occupation), Si Juanito, Noong Panahon ng Amerikano (Juanito, During the American Occupation), Si Pitong, Noong Panahon ng mga Hapon
(Pitong, During the Japanese Occupation), to Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas
Militar (Jhun-Jhun, Before Martial Law).
These books are being promoted by the Sa Aklat Sisikat (SAS) Foundation. On their
website, they declare that for the past eight years, SAS has brought its Reading Program to
645 public elementary schools in the country, benefiting over 130,000 grade four students and
three-thousand-plus teachers. SAS also donates 60 of the best Filipino childrens storybooks
to their partner public schools and Riveras books are included amongst these. They have a
reading program which involves interactive activities (dramatization, creative storytelling
sessions, arts, crafts, and games) to further encourage reading. As of December 31, 2007, they
had distributed 147,060 childrens books.
The books are not only read by students from the partner schools of SAS. These books are
also distributed in major bookstores nationwide. Furthermore, UNICEF, through its partnership with Local Government Units (LGUs) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs),
distributes these books for free. It is also the task of the LGUs and NGOs to disseminate the
books at the grassroots level.

Diwayen, Slave of the Datu and Savior of the Princess

Diwayen discusses the issues of gender and class. The choice of Diwayen as the name of the 9year old central character is apt. From the sound of the name, it will be understood that it has
not been tainted by colonialism, and furthermore, the first part of the name, diwa, means not
only mind, concept, consciousness or idea, but also refers to being a fairy (diwata). The story
begins with Diwayen hanging from a kaymito tree, sighting locusts about to attack the fields.
Diwayen quickly climbs down, adjusting her malong, which indicates her Visayan culture
dating from the precolonial time, before 1521.
The people believed that the assault of the locust is caused by the goddess Lalawons
anger. What was certain was that the locusts signaled famine in Diwayens faraway village.
(Rivera, 2001a, p. 6) The Filipino text reads:
Poot daw ng diwatang si Lalawon ang nagdulot ng mga balang, ayon sa haka ng
marami. Ngunit ang tiyak, hudyat iyon ng taggutom sa malayong bayan nina Diwayen.
(Rivera, 2001a, p. 6)
(Many believed that the locusts came because of the goddess Lalawons anger. What was
certain was that the locusts signaled famine in Diwayens faraway village.)
To make best use of available space all subsequent quotations are printed only in
English.

123

272

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

Lalawon is not introduced as a goddess worshipped by the community but only as a haka
(assumption/guess) according to the narrator, whose identity we do not know. From this can be
seen the distance of the narrator from the culture being narrated. Using such words as daw and
haka it can be seen that the belief is false from the point of view of the narrator. But with this
distancing, what should and should not be believed are implied; the higher religion and the
lower religion. The author should have shown caution in referring to the religious belief of
the people as false.
The story also introduces the role of the datu (chieftain), for whom Diwayen is made to
work as a gaon or a pawned item. Because her family will go hungry, Diwayen is forced to
serve at the house of Datu Bulawan. The Visayan culture of tattoos is also introduced through
illustrations on the datus body and the tulali musical instrument of the native is shown, which
Diwayen plays whenever she is sad.
The text attempts to show the culture of the pre-colonial society of the Visayas. It also
explains the concept of binukot. Diwayen meets Princess Lunhaw, the binukot daughter of the
datu, who is forbidden from stepping on land. Through their friendship, the princess sees the
difference between Diwayen and herself, because she cannot come to play during times she is
supposed to work. The princess decides to talk to her father about this:
Ama [father], why does Diwayen have to work? She does nothing but work and cant
even find the time to play with me!
Thats how things are. Diwayen is a slave. That is the order of thingsdifferent kinds
of people have different obligationsas for you, your obligation for tonight is to
smile. Cant you give me just one sweet smile? (ibid., p. 15, emphasis mine)
The dialogue is disturbing because it suggests that there are people whose duty it is to be slaves
and there are people whose duty it is to be leaders or lords. This conversation occurs in the
middle of the narrative, but the story reaches its end without an explanation that people really
do not have a duty to society. With the datus explanation, a person remains a slave because
this is her duty. It is not explained that this order of society, this slavery, according to the
European concept of slavery, did not happen at all. The story emphasizes the slave Diwayens
lack of freedom to play when there is work in the kitchen.
Sometimes, though, there was no time to play. Especially when there were feasts or the
datu had visitors from faraway lands. (ibid., p. 12)
But this concept of slavery in pre-colonial society did not happen. According to Scott (1999) in
his book Barangay, slaves or oripun were members of the household. He adds that these slaves
suck from the same breast as his [the datus] children and some even have almost no
difference in status from the timawa or freemen (p. 133). Children born in the house of a datu
might become sibin or the datus favorite, treated no differently from his children. According
to Phelan, the concept of alipin in our pre-colonial society is incorrectly translated into the
European slave.
To call the pre-Hispanic system of labor organization slavery, as the Spaniards invariably did, is misleading. The whole arrangement had much more in common with debt
peonage and sharecropping than it did with the European conception of chattel slavery
(Phelan, qtd in Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977, p. 34).
In the system of social division, the alipin has an opportunity for upward social mobility (Scott,
1999, p. 135) and, in truth, they are not slaves in the European sense but dependants
(Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977). As Rodriguez (2000, p. 24) stresses in her Ang Dalumat ng

123

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

273

Bayan sa Kamalayan at Kasaysayang Pilipino (The Concept of Nation in Filipino Consciousness and History):
A relative equality permeates the sense of social relations inside the nation. There was a
hierarchy of power but it was based on the idea of series and not division according to
position or duties held in society (translation mine).
Therefore, social divisions were not based on domination. But according to the story Diwayen,
social division is based on the exploitation of children and the stripping of their rights.
Paolo Lims illustrations show the culture of the datus, whose bodies are covered by tattoos,
especially those considered to be brave warriors. But it would have been better to show that
datus had tattoos on their faces to show that they were datus, meaning that they achieved this
status by virtue of their bravery. Likewise, the illustrator showed the malong as the clothing of
women. He also gave Diwayens father tattoos, but he is not a warrior. In pre-colonial society,
the right to tattoos on ones body and chest was reserved to the bagani warriors (usually datus).
Diwayens slavery continues until she and the princess get the chance to play in the middle
of the forest due to the insistence of the latter. A wild boar arrives and attacks the princess.
Diwayen spears it with a sharp branch without considering her personal safety. Though it is
difficult to take seriously, suspension of disbelief must be continued and the sharp branch is
enough to scare away the wild boar without it attacking Diwayen. The datu became angry upon
learning of these events. He shouts at the guards and a storm of scolding fell on Princess
Lunhaw (ibid., p. 25). Diwayen thinks that she too is being reprimanded until she is told that
The courage and concern you showed for my daughter are admirableas a sign of my
gratitude, I will grant you your freedom. (ibid., p. 26)
The text treats the datu as a fearsome leader with the power to dominate. Diwayens heroism in
saving the princess confirms the idea that as a slave, it is her duty to offer her life for the
princess daughter of her lord; the life of a slave is without value if it is not used for the higher
classes. It is truly ironic that Diwayen only attains freedom by rushing into probable death, and
only a deus ex machina saves her. If this is how the text sees the system of slavery of the past,
Diwayen has no choice but to save the princess, for if she does not, she will be punished.
There is also a problem in placing pre-colonial Philippine society in a box by claiming that,
like European culture, there was a concept of exploitation that violated the rights of the child,
which UNICEF, in the name of its universalism, attacks. It should be stressed that the system
of slavery of the conquering nations is different from the system of oripon in pre-colonial
Philippine society. Using the Convention of Childrens Rights as the standard in determining
who violates rights should be scrutinized in the light of the contexts cultural, political and
social order because the context might have a particularity that is not in synch with the
universalism of childrens rights championed by UNICEF.
In the next work it will once again be shown how the text tackles a structural problem, this
time that of education, in personal terms.

Segunda, in the Margins of HIStory

The second book tackles the condition of children and the issue of gender and education during
the Spanish period from 1521 to 1896. In Segunda, the employment of Spanish words (otra
vez, Dios te Salve Maria, etc.) is effective in showing how the priest teaches Filipino children
to pray. The use of the third person point of view in the text is amusing, because the priests
annoyance is effectively shown in the illustration, as well as the boredom of the children at

123

274

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

prayers they do not understand. Naughty Segunda is amusing; she says she does not need to
learn how to pray because she is still young and it will be a long time before heaven takes her.
Her name is truly appropriate, for her status as only second in society can be seen, because
she is female, young, an indio and poor.
In her laundry service at the lavish house of the Hidalgo, it is clear that her master is of the
ilustrado social class. The naughty Segunda peeking through a crack in the wall to watch a boy
being taught a new lesson is a particularly funny scene. This peeking by Segunda is a metaphor
for her being second in society, not being able to experience any kind of education outside the
teachings of the church because she is poor and only a female. When she tells her parents about
this, she does not get what she expects; she will not be given special lessons because she is
poor. Her father says that, besides prayers, she should study sewing, cooking, and other
household chores (Rivera, 2001e, p. 15) and how to work in the fields, reflecting the patriarchal structure of society during the Spanish period. In spite of these new things taught her,
she still yearns to learn how to read, write and do arithmetic. This happens when she meets the
rich child who lives in the bahay-na-bato (literally, house made of stone, a sign of an affluent
lifestylemost of the houses then were made of wood).
Segunda achieves the knowledge she desires through a contest. Beating Felipe, the rich
ilustrado child at playing tops, Segunda makes the boy teach her what he is taught by his tutor.
The site of their game is the plazaa public place. Because he was defeated, Felipe secretly
teaches Segunda in the fields, under a mango tree. During the summer, after their secret
lessons, Segunda teaches him how to climb trees, play tops and fly kites. The narrative shows
the ability of girls to teach boys things they do not know. It ends with the friendship of the two,
their mutual education continuing under the mango tree.
The text attempts to emphasize the right of children, female or male, poor or rich, to
education. But like Diwayens tale, the narrative only shows the condition of an individual girl
and not the condition of all girls who desire education in this society. This is why, even at the
end of the story, the education of the two remains in the fields under the mango tree, a place far
away from the pueblo where the sharp eyes of the friars keep watch.
In this sense, the right to education is not seen as an issue inside a patriarchal and colonial
society that marginalizes women. In the text, the problem is seen only at the individual level
and not as a structural problem. It is the reason why Segunda did not inform her parents about
her lessons. But the issue of education is social, not confined to the individual. It will be
noticed that Segunda did not ever witness any event in Spanish colonial society which was
patriarchal, corrupt and exploitative; which has everything to do with why she did not have any
opportunity for education. Also important are the stories of mass movements during this
period, like the Katipunan, but the text avoids this part of history. Even the situation of
Segundas parents as farmers is not placed in sufficient context. Segunda did not even witness
or experience any of the events of nineteenth century Philippines.
Even more importantly, the text says nothing about the history of the women of Malolos
who dissented against the aims of colonial society and petitioned for the opening of schools
where they could study Spanish. Even though these petitions were colonial and in the hands of
only a few rich clans, they are important in the discussion of the history of women who desired
to have a voice under a patriarchal society. The ending of the story is not complete.
Pepper Roxass illustrations show the culture of the nineteenth century, from the kalmen to
the barot saya to the bahay-na-bato. In the last part, Roxas attempts to show the complementary nature of a boy and a girl through the mango tree and top. The top is a symbol of the
culture and civilization of Felipe but as Segunda wins in the contest, it suggests that she has the
potential to be educated. The contest was won at the town plaza, a place which stands for
Felipes culture, civilization and education. Meanwhile the mango, as Segundas symbol,

123

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

275

located in a far-away field, refers to nature. Segunda as the poor, female indio is the
embodiment of nature that is to be civilized. She is to be educated in a secret place under the
mango tree. The answer to why the story is incomplete is to be found in the storys myopic
vision of a social problemseeing the problem of education in personal and individualistic
terms. The space Segunda occupies remains second even up to the end of the story because it
remains on the level of a personal problem.
Unlike the two stories considered so far, the main characters of the next three stories
witness and experience the events of history. These three children are all males; they will leave
their homes and personal spaces and enter the public realm.

Sugar in America is Sweeter

Juanito, During the American Occupation is the story of a 12-year-old boy worker in the
Negros hacienda. Besides the violation of the rights of the child with regards to forced labor, it
is also the objective of the story to show the violation of the childs right to play, right to
education and the displacement of Filipinos from family and nation.
The story begins by introducing the culture of work at a sugar cane plantation. Juanito
helping his father extract juice from sugar cane while riding a carabao (water buffalo) is
supposed to show how light work is at the hacienda. It seems like play to the young
Juanito. When the boy reaches the age of twelve, the reader is introduced to the duma-an or the
permanent workers at the hacienda; their task is to plant, harvest, load the sugar cane in
carts (Rivera, 2001c, p. 7). In spite of this difficult work, the text shows the children given
time to play by catching mice to eat.
The text sides with the view that there is no exploitation of the worker by the landlord at
Negros. But history shows that during the period of the American occupation at Negros in
1899 the workers, pulahanes, including the leader Papa Isio, had long been struggling; first,
against Spain, second against the Americans because of the widespread hunger and poverty.
For example, at the founding of the so-called Negros Republic of the hacienda owners under
the care of the Americans on March 3, 1899, the struggle between farmers and landlords who
collaborated with the conquerors can be seen (Constantino, 1975, pp. 276278; Agoncillo and
Guerrero, 1977, pp. 219220). Peasant unrest continues to this day.
In the story, Mr. Judd, an American who recruits workers to Hawaii, arrives one day,
offering higher salaries16 dollars per month for those males of legal age, 12 dollars for male
minors (1518), and 10 dollars for females aged 15 and above, though the rightful salary is 18
dollars. The author Rivera provides good information for the reader to see the different
treatments at work depending on age, gender and race.
Because of the relatively high salary, Juanito and his father decide to go to Hawaii in 1923,
with his father even joking that:
Noy, Im sure sugar over there is sweeter! (Rivera, 2001c, p. 14)
The language of father and son (Ilonggo) as people from Negros is used which can help widen
the readers knowledge. Their dream of the sweet sugar of America is momentary, for they
experience sleeping in bunks fit for animals, getting slapped, kicked and whipped by the
American owners of the plantation. They work 10 hours a day and Juanito has no time to play.
The owner likes it better when the children work the grindstone, because they learn faster than
those who are older. The 12 dollar salary is not given as 2 dollars are skimmed off. The
explanation is that it will serve as insurance and will be given at the completion of the
contract. The exploitation worsens when the text shows the owner baptizes Juanito with

123

276

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

the new name Johnny. This naming shows the domination of the American landlord who
has the right to own the people under him.
When their contract ends in 1926, Juanito decides to stay in America even though his father
desperately wants to go home. The narrative ends with Juanito taking a taste of the sugar cane
extract and saying:
Tatay was wrong. The sugar here in America is not sweeter than the sugar back home.
The sugar back home is just as sweet. (ibid., p. 7)
Juanitos last words are disturbing, leaving questions to be answered. Why does the main
character need to stay in America? The text is unclear on this point. What does he mean when
he says the sugar in America and the sugar in the Philippines are as sweet as each other? It is
hard to see sweetness for a child laborer who has experienced suffering, racism and exploitation based on class and age under the cruel American in a foreign land. If Juanito did not see
anything wrong in being beaten, there is something terribly wrong in his consciousness.
When the author made Juanito stay in America in spite of the cruel experiences he sees as
sweet, he renounces being a Filipino in order to fulfill his American dream. For the colonized
Filipinos, the American Dream is to leave their country stricken by poverty. They believe that
leaving the country for the USA is fulfilling a dream. The author explicitly says yes to the
repudiation of ones own nation and identity.
The illustrations make up for this lack of a nationalist perspective. In the last page, artist
Jose Miguel Tejido cleverly employs clay art depicting an apple with worms and fly. The
rotten apple could symbolize American colonialismshiny and red outside but rotten inside.
There is no symmetry between the words and picture shown. While the text is saying yes to
colonialism, the illustration shows otherwise. Tejidos images suggest alternative realities
missing from the verbal text (see Fig. 1).
In the next text, the hegemony of America over Philippine life and consciousness can once
again be seen.

America as the Distributor of Imported Chocolates and Freedom

In the story Pitong, During the Japanese Occupation, Pitong is a child who witnesses and
experiences the occupation and cruelty of the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. It is the books
objective to show that children should be given protection during times of war and armed
conflict, and the book also shows the many experiences that burdened the Filipino people. At
the start of the story, a cheery Pitong is shown sitting on a tree branch while watching the
arrival of airplanes carrying the Japanese. He thinks everything is a game. It is the Second
World War and his family is forced to evacuate from Tarlac to Malabon.
Pitong experienced many strange, unsettling things during the Japanese occupation; he sees
the Japanese mark their territory on a gigantic map, he and his family have to walk long
distances because they have nothing to ride on, he learns to eat kamote and kastanyog during
times of famine, he witnesses the use of mickey mouse money and the exchange of food and
tools instead of using money. Pitong is also confused when he is taught Niponggo while
waving the Japanese flag. The illustration of Pitong is amusing, as he seems to be getting really
sleepy and has no idea about flag waving. Meanwhile, his experience of getting hit on the head
by a soldier because he did not bow is bitter. His worst experience was the betrayal of Pitongs
father by a fellow Filipinoa makapili who pointed to his father as a guerrilla. His father is
imprisoned and goes through a great deal of hardship. This is when the narrative of the story is
cut. The liberation is merely reported, not shown, from Pitongs viewpoint.

123

Fig. 1 The illustrations of Jose Miguel Tejido show the transformation of an apple from being red and shiny on the title page to being rotten at the end of the story.
(Reproduced with the permission of the illustrator, Jose Miguel Tejido, and the publisher, Adarna House.)

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

277

123

278

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

In 1945, the Americans came back to the Philippines, the Japanese surrendered, and the
war endedEveryone celebrated their freedomPitong, his tatay, nanay and tiya were
part of the crowd who lined up again and again at the plaza, for the food, medicines,
magazines, chocolates, and canned goods that the Americans gave away. These had been
banned during the time of the Japanese. The newfound peace and freedom brought joy to
everyone. Many Filipinos felt that they had at last awakened from a three-year nightmare. (Rivera, 2001d, p. 29, Emphasis mine)
The text claims that because of America, the Philippines recovered its freedom, peace
returned and the nightmare was over. At the end of the story, Pitong is sitting inside a train
heading for Tarlac, his hometown. He thinks about telling his friend all of what he has
experienced:
Every detail. Whether bitter or sweet. Or bittersweet, like the imported chocolate bar he
was munching on. (ibid., p. 31, Emphasis mine)
The end of the story is unacceptable. By showing Pitong eating chocolates described as
bittersweet, the narrative affirms the role of the Americans as saviors, as givers of freedom.
Does the bitter part refer to what he experienced under the Japanese and the sweet part the
imported freedom from the Americans?
How truthful is this version of history? Is it true that the Americans gave us freedom? Is
freedom given? The author makes no mention of a very important part of history: the participation of Filipino guerrillas, the Hukbalahap,2 in emancipating the nation. It also needs to be
shown that after the Philipines received liberation from the United States, the Americans
immediately solidified their hegemony by using parity rights that ensured their exploitation of
the natural resources of the Philippines, control of transportation, and all aspects of the economy. Even in retail trade, the Americans have more rights than the Filipino (Agoncillo and
Guerrero, 1977, pp. 441, 495). Today, the Philippines is a neo-colony of the USA. Through the
IMF-WB, the economy is controlled by the imposition of trade liberalization, privatization, and
deregulation. As a result, most of the Philippine resources are exploited and controlled by a few
elite families and multi-national companies. Poverty is felt by most Filipinos.
It is important to end with the question, Where is the author situated in order for him to
choose the paglantak sa imported na tsokolate (munching on imported chocolates) version of
history? What kind of consciousness does the author have? Perhaps the chewing of imported
chocolates explains our borrowed consciousness? In the narrative, the Filipinos woke up from
the three-year nightmare caused by the Japanese occupation, but in truth, they did not wake up
from the more than a hundred year nightmare of colonialism and neo-colonialism perpetuated
by the United States.
In the final story, the avoidance of the issue of neo-colonialism imposed by America is most
evident.

Censorship Inside and Outside Martial Law

In Jhun-Jhun, Before Martial Law, Jhun-Jhun is a child witness in the fight against the
dictatorship of former President Marcos during the first months of 1970. The central symbol of
the story is the left slipper of Jaime, Jhun-Jhuns older brother.
2
Hukbalahap or Hukbo ng Bayan laban sa Hapon was the underground rebel organization of Filipino people
against the Japanese Imperial Army.

123

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

279

In the beginning of the story, Jhun-Jhun always secretly borrows the left slipper of his older
brother, which he uses in tumbang-preso games, a street game where the object is to topple a
can using rubber slippers. He did this because he believes the slipper has magical powers and
he never loses when he uses it. Days pass and the child notices that his older brother no longer
has time for him. He follows his brother to a factory where he works. Events are fast-paced and
Jhun-Jhun witnesses the start of a struggle between Jaime and the police because of his
involvement in a protest at the historic Mendiola, a place where protests are always held as it is
near the Malacanang Palace, the house where the President resides.
In the narrative, the child hides under a red cloth which serves as a device to hide his young
mind from the violence. At the end of the chaos, he can no longer find his brother, all he saw
were scattered slippers, among these the left slipper of Jaime. Jhun-Jhuns brother became one
of the desaparecido, or the disappeared.
Jaime cannot be found, and Jhun-Jhun is left using his slipper. Like his older brother, the
child begins working. He sells boiled banana and newspapers whenever there is a rally at
Mendiola. Perhaps this is the signal which indicates his involvement as a child in the complex
politics of the nation.
The narrative attempts to show the freedom of a child to become involved in change, but it
is unclear how Jhun-Jhun will exactly become involved. The character meets no one inside the
story who will explain to him about the violence occurring in society. He does not really know
what is happening. Why was there state brutality? There was an attempt to discuss this in the
narrative, but only by showing words like Marcos Diktador! or US-Imperyalismo!,
Salot ng Mundo! (Rivera, 2001b, p. 19). As no explanation occurs, perhaps this really was
not the focus of the narrative.
Brian Vallesteros, the artist, used happy, bright colors and employed cartoon-like drawings
to discuss serious issues like imperialism and the Marcos dictatorship. This is not effective in
depicting the violence of the police and the military at Mendiola. In this bilingual book, the
words Ibagsak!, Marcos Diktador!, US-Imperyalismo!, Salot ng Mundo! and even
Makibaka, Huwag Matakot! (ibid.) were not translated. The book is conscious about not
translating these words, and even in the illustrations by Vallesteros, the words US Imperialism
are not completely shown; they are always covered by other drawings. In the preface of the
book, almost two paragraphs of the historical situation before Martial Law were not translated.
Historical fiction is not just about exactness in historical facts but the framing of history in
order to emphasize political, ideological and nationalist aims. It is a question of utmost
importance that the organizers of this UNICEF project must answer why parts of the text were
not translated into English. It must be recognized that historical fiction for children and young
adults is valuable in contributing to the knowledge of the history of the generations.

Narratives of Our Collective Amnesia

For a very long time, historians and writers have been fighting and struggling to champion the
heroism and greatness of the Filipino. As Dela Cruz said, books for children in the Philippines
must begin with the problem of nationhood, because we are still building our identity as
Filipino due to the long periods of colonialism and neo-colonialism in our nations history.
The analysis of the five historical fictions above clearly reveals that our knowledge about
our history is sadly meager. The narratives show our collective amnesia regarding the past. The
struggles of historians to correct history and champion a pro-Filipino consciousness were
totally unheeded. The works attempt to throw light on issues of class, gender and childrens
rights but our own issues regarding culture, identity, politics and history were not highlighted

123

280

Childrens Literature in Education (2008) 39:269280

because the framework was tied to the universal status of each human being. The myopic
and inaccurate perspective of these stories will sadly be transmitted to the consciousness of
children.
There is no neutrality in writing. Because we are struggling against neo-colonialism, writers
must be responsible in highlighting history that will champion our wrenching away from the
powerful countries that conquered us and continue to dominate our economy and our consciousness, like the United States of America.
What we need is a literature of struggle, literature that will frame periods of history that
champions the courage of Filipinos battling the hegemony of the West. Historical fiction is not
just about exactness in historical facts but the framing of history in order to emphasize
political, ideological and nationalist aims. While it is honest to recognize defeats, it is wrong
not to acknowledge our triumphs. We have been inundated by history written by scholars
educated in the American system. Our system of education was and is still neo-colonial.
The periodization or division of periods of history must not be about our defeats under
different forms of colonialism and dictatorships (that is, defeat during American and Japanese
Occupation) but about the battles we have won. The peoples struggle and triumph during
Martial Law, the Babaylans3 power and centrality in our pre-colonial tradition, the Hukbalahaps heroism during the Japanese Occupation are examples of how we must frame history. In
these periods of history, it is impossible not to find child heroes. By doing so, this will present
a new consciousness that will change the discourse of neo-colonialism.

References
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. and Guerrero, Milagros C. (1977). History of the Filipino People Quezon City: R.P.
Garcia Publishing Co.
Constantino, Renato. (1987) The Miseducation of the Filipino. In David Schirmer and Stephen Rosskamm
Shalom (Eds.), The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and
Resistance (pp. 4549). Quezon City: KEN Incorporated.
Constantino, Renato. (1975). The Philippines: A Past Revisited Quezon City: By the author.
Dela Cruz, Rolando S. (1993). Kailangang Magsimulang Muli ang mga Akdang Pambata sa Suliranin ng
Pagkabansa: Ang Pulitika ng Literaturang Pambata. Kultura, 6(2), 1011.
Rivera, Augie. (2001a). Si Diwayen, Noong Bago Dumating ang mga Espanyol (Diwayen, Before the Spanish
Came). Illustrator Paolo Lim. Quezon City: Adarna House, UNICEF.
Rivera, Augie. (2001b). Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar (Jhun-Jhun, Before Martial Law).
Illustrator Brian Vallesteros. Quezon City: Adarna House, UNICEF.
Rivera, Augie. (2001c). Si Juanito, Noong Panahon ng mga Amerikano (Juanito, During the American
Occupation). Illustrator Jose Miguel Tejido. Quezon City: Adarna House, UNICEF.
Rivera, Augie. (2001d). Si Pitong, Noong Panahon ng mga Hapon (Pitong, During the Japanese Occupation).
Illustrator Marcus Nada. Quezon City: Adarna House, UNICEF.
Rivera, Augie. (2001e). Si Segunda, Noong Panahon ng mga Espanyol (Segunda, During the Spanish
Occupation). Illustrator Pepper Roxas. Quezon City: Adarna House, UNICEF.
Rodriguez, Mary Jane B. (2000). Ang Dalumat ng Bayan sa Kamalayan at Kasaysayang Pilipino. Papel na binasa
sa Pambansang Kumperensiya sa Panitikan, Nobyembre 29Disyembre 1, 2000, Pulungang Recto,
Bulwagang Rizal, UP, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon.
Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation. http://www.readerstransform.com/index.php. Accessed 4 May 2008.
Salazar, Zeus A. (1989). Pantayong Pananaw: Isang Paliwanag. Philippine Currents, 4, 1720.
Scott, William Henry. (1999). Barangay Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila Press.
Taguiwalo, Judy M. (1997). Dalawang Mukha ng Pakikibaka ng Kababaihan sa Panahon ng Kolonyal na
Paghahari ng Estados Unidos sa Pilipinas. Diliman Review, 45(23), 30.
3
Priestesses and priests in the pre-colonial Philippines. They were usually women, seen as powerful, the center
of rituals, counselors, healers, medicine women and brave warriors.

123