Module 5: James Ramos

Critical Reaction: Dekada ‘70
Watching the lengthy movie, Dekada ’70, was an experience that kept my attention from the beginning to the end. The story mainly presented the lives of an upper middle-class Filipino family during the turbulent decade of the 1970’s. What caught my attention the most was Amanda’s role as the wife and mother of the Bartolome family. I noticed her role as a woman was very oppressed by her husband, Julian, and even by her five sons, Jules, Isagani, Emmanuel, Jason, and Benjamin. Being that she was the only female in the family, I already noticed from the beginning of the movie she presented a reserved role, as a wife, a mother, and nothing more. The movie really showed how women were viewed and treated in a Filipino society, and that inequality between the sexes was greatly accepted. For example, one part of the movie Jules proudly announces to his family, “this is a man’s world” during dinner. The sense of men treating women as property was observed throughout most of the movie.
Another paralleling effect closely related to the oppression of women was the empowerment of the Marcos administration over the Filipino people. During the 1970’s, the movie presents a series of events that occur throughout the decade, especially highlighting the proclamation of Martial Law. Due to the oppressiveness of the Marcos administration, many people became radicals against the government. One person who becomes a rebel against the Marcos regime, is Amanda’s eldest son, Julian. Being the eldest son, he was old enough to identify the underlying truth about the corrupt government, especially during President Marco’s declaration of Martial Law. In his college career, he becomes more exposed to radical reading material and frequently plays activist songs on his guitar. Furthermore, he begins complaining about the Philippine government putting their interest to the United States above the Filipinos. This results with him eventually becoming a guerrilla member, joining the communist New People’s Army (NPA).