Bata Bata Pa'no Ka Ginawa

Author: Lualhati Bautista

Introduction

The novel “Bata Bata Pan’no Ka Ginawa” was written by Lualhati Bautista a Filipino Female
writer who gives a big contribution in our Literature. As a Filipino Citizen I am sincerely proud that we
have the capacity to compete to other Literature –globally.

This novel was translated into a movie. This movie narrate the life of modernized mother
namely Les Bustamante(Vilma Santos). As we know a mother has a multipartite role in the society
especially in the house. She will be the one who take the household chores and give the needs of her
children and her husband such as love, care and guidance. Leas life in this movie is miserable. It is
miserable because she hasn’t find her appropriate partner in her life. She involves with different men.
Les gave her heart with a hundred percent to Ding and also with Raffy. Lea is a loving, caring and a
strong mother but her weakness is love. Despite of this she never give up because of her children,
Ojie and Maya (a sibling that have the same mother but different father).
This movie shows the society’s view of women like Lea how she became a good mother and how she
mould her children to become a fruitful and productive.

Analyzing the theme

For me the theme of this novel/movie was circulated to the love of a family and the right of
women here in society. I said that love of a one family is one of the theme in this novel because they
are open to each other and her children didn’t abandon her when the father of their tried to get them
in her embrace, hence, they value the greatness of their mother. Right of women is also of the theme
in this novel because even Lea was not lucky in having a perfect partner, she never neglected her
role as a mother to her children.

Plot
The novel “Bata Bata Pa’no Ka Ginawa” was started on the graduation day of Maya from the
kindergarten wherein a program and celebration were held. In the beginning, Lea’s life was happy-her
relationship to her children, with friends and with her volunteer co-worker for human rights
organization. Lea’s children both growing –up not only their physical appearance but also their
mentally perspective. There were the changes in their ways and personalities: Maya’s curiosity
becoming more obvious everyday and she always asked why Ojie and Maya have different father.
While Ojie crossing the boundaries from boyhood to teenage to adulthood (Ojie learned how to play
Villard).

A scene came when Lea’s former husband came back to persuade Ojie to go with him in the
United States even her live-in partner-Ding want also to get Maya and Bring her in their province. Lea
fear of losing both of her children decide to take them away to her embrace.

In the end, both of Lea’s children decided to choose to stay with her –a decision that Lea never
forced upon them. Another graduation day of students was the main event in the novel’s final chapter,
when lea was the guest-of-honor. Lea delivered a speech that discusses the topic that how life
evolves, and on how time consume itself so quickly, as fast human beings grow, change, progress
and mature. Lea leaves a message to her audience that a graduation day is not the end because it is
actually the beginning of everything else that will come in a person’s life base on her experiences.