Module 6- Janelle Funtanilla

First I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this movie. Let me first start by saying that I really love the fact that the main character, Lea, is really dynamic. The actress that portrayed her did a really awesome job because she is a real woman, with real feelings. I like the way she was not only one-dimensional, like how women are portrayed in other movies. She is strong, and she is a fighter; yet she is vulnerable and scared. I understand that there are no flawless characters in life, and she is definitely no exception. She has two kids with two different men, and I find that surprising especially in a Filipino film. In most Filipino films the woman is subservient to the man and she lives the “typical” Filipino Catholic wife life. In this she isn’t married, working and supporting two kids, as well as having “independence” from a man. I admire her for her ability to balance her life. Yet what upsets me is the way she let the men treat her. True they don’t physically abuse her, but they neglect her. Her situation isn’t exactly ideal, but I admire her drive to make things better for herself and for her kids. It was interesting how they paralleled her story with the story of the victims of domestic abuse. In it the woman was getting beaten and she chose to still stay with him. It is similar to her situation, because even though Ding neglected her, she still chose to stay with him. It was unfortunate in the end that Ding ended up marrying someone else, but I think she’s better without him. I really admire that this film portrayed a woman for what she is and not what she is supposed to be in Filipino society.
Another big aspect of the movie was the life of her two children. Her kids are her saving grace. I think the kids had it hard, especially Ojie. His biological father recently entered his life, he has to deal with the fact that his parents will never be together, and he must choose between the two. This brings up major issues because although he wants a relationship with his father, he can’t forget that his mother raised him. It is a hard decision because he loses both ways. What also makes it hard is that he is constantly competing with his sister for attention from their mother. That is basically the only person he has because he lives with his half-sister’s father, and not his own. I would be torn because in order to get one thing, one must sacrifice another. If he chooses his dad, he will be competing for attention again because he has another half-sibling on the way. I would hate to be in his situation, although I think he made the best choice by staying with his mother.
This movie was alright, it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. I felt it dragged on a little too long, but I did enjoy the acting especially from the main character. The message I got from it is about maturing and evolving, not only with the kids, but with the mother as well. I am not (yet) a mother, but I can understand how she felt when she was faced with the reality that she might lose her kids. There was a line in the movie that went something like “a child can live without a father, but not without a mother”. It was interesting to me and I think the ending was very appropriate. The mother went through a lot for her kids and she really does love them. To me both of the fathers were very flawed and the kids are definitely better off with her. I’m glad she let her kids choose, and it was the right decision that they chose her. This was an act of free will, as described in the reading. I don’t things just happen, they occur as an effect of something else.
The ending was good also because it showed the change that occurred in both mother and children. I like how, even though she made mistakes in the past, she was able to overcome it. She proved herself worthy by working for that human rights organization, the one that helped abused women. It takes a lot for one to help others, even though personally she was going through a lot herself.

Module 5- Janelle Funtanilla

The movie Dekada ’70 was perfect for this module. The theme of this module includes ethics as related to authority and power. The film showed two aspects of this: the Philippine government and the power of the husband.
The government was going through a lot of change due the declaration of martial law under Marcos. Many people were unhappy, and therefore a revolution was born. What I like about this was that instead of bitching about the injustices occurring, some of the main characters got involved and acted upon this. The eldest son Jules especially was admirable to me in the film. He was the change he wanted to see in the world, and he also dedicated/gave his life for the cause. It’s amazing to me because even though he has a family and many people care about him, he still fights for what is right. He refused to give up his fellow officers even though he was being tortured. He was unselfish and that is an admirable trait.
What moved me about this film was when one of the brothers died, and they all gathered at his funeral. It was a really touching scene and it sort of did open my eyes to what was going on at the time. There was corruption in the government and I would be extremely angry if that was my own brother. This is also why I like the fact that people gave their lives to get rid of this corruption.
The reading on this module touched upon this topic of conscience in authority figures. It totally makes sense to me because if someone with authority tells you something, we must follow it no matter what our personal thoughts of it are. I heard of things like this happening in the military where they are ordered to kill people, and although the soldier doesn’t want to, s/he does it anyway because they are trained to follow orders. When one doesn’t follow orders because it is considered unethical, they are branded as being insubordinate and are disgraced. This raises the question of whether to follow orders or follow their conscience. It is difficult and personally I wouldn’t know what to do in that type of situation. It is sort of a kill or be killed situation and that is one of the hardest (ethically) to deal with.
The other storyline in this was the father’s refusal to allow the mother to obtain a job. In my eyes I saw him as being really old-fashioned and kind of sexist. In this day in time, women are a lot more independent and are able to take care of themselves. His reasoning was that he was able to financially support the family; therefore getting a job would be useless for the wife. She then mentioned it had nothing to do with money but with satisfaction that she is doing something with her life. I have similar feelings of that as well, because I would want to do something fulfilling that would be worth my time. I wouldn’t want a husband who can buy everything for me and I would be bored at home doing household chores. As a woman, I would like to be able to support myself and make decisions on my own. I would want that freedom. I’m glad she spoke up for herself because her husband was being stupid. Another thing that bothered me in the movie was males were portrayed in dominant roles. It did make it interesting that all her children were male and she was the lone female in the house. I hated the fact that the dad said something like males are better than females. I’m not a feminist and I don’t think females should rule the world, but I get angry at that because it’s unfair. I think everything in this world needs to be equal and fair including genders. It was also interesting to hear the mother converse with her daughter in law and say how she forgot how to interact with females because she lives in a male-dominated home.
In terms of a movie I thought it was, for the most part, enjoyable. Although it was long, it was good in way that it was relatable. Not to say that I have ever been tortured by the government because I’m a primary leader in the rebellion, but they had struggles that I also have. Everyday is a constant fight and there are always struggles. This movie portrayed that well. It also gave us more insight on Filipino culture and how family values come into play. It was generally good and it was one of the better Filipino movies I have seen.

Module 4- Janelle Funtanilla

Many things in the movie, in my opinion, were questionable on whether or not they were considered ethical. First of all let me start with the whole prayer woman concept. In my opinion I think the whole profession of being paid to pray for other people is a sham. I don’t believe people should make personal gains from any religious-affiliated activities. If someone really has faith, they would not need someone else to pray for him or her. Besides I don’t think that one should only pray when they want something done. There are many people who say they are religious, they pray all the time, and go to church often. Yet they are dependent on God for everything, they want Him to do everything. Why is that? Does anyone pray to God just to thank him for what they already have? They pray when they want something, then praise/blame him if something does/not happen. I don’t agree with that. Having faith is having faith no matter what, whether or not “miracles” happen. I believe that there is a higher power, however I don’t rely on it make things happen (or not) for me. We shouldn’t be so dependent and believe that everything is just going to happen. I believe that God is there to remind us to have faith, faith that we can do things ourselves. An example of what I’m trying to say is when Mike asked Malen to cure his baby. He wanted so much for his son to come back to life that he demanded her to perform a miracle, yet when she was unable to do it, he was angry. He only went to her when he wanted something “extraordinary” done; yet when she couldn’t deliver then he got mad. That’s why I’m saying people expect too much with “half-ass” faith, then get mad when they don’t get what they want. I think that’s dumb.
Second, it was unethical for Malen to take the place of her mother as a prayer woman. She did not fully understand why her mother did it and in my opinion she was just exploiting the people. I understand that she needed to make money but there are better, and “honest” ways of making money. In a way she can’t be blamed because that’s all she knew how to do, however, it wasn’t ethical because she was lying to people to make them believe she would pray for them. Why would she pray for them if the only person she cares about is herself? If she really did care about the people and really did pray for them (which happened in the end) then I guess it’s all right.
Another ethical aspect was Mike trying to con tourists, although finally the con was on him when he got “played”. He used his good looks to get what he wants by taking advantage of others, but I think he deserves what he gets for stealing from other people. It is also a matter of karma because he keeps doing these bad things, then his son dies and he ends up killing someone. In the reading it talked about how we treat others and moral behavior. He had no morals by deceiving and stealing from people, that is why bad fortune struck him. I am a firm believer of karma because what goes around does come back around.
In the end though I believe Malen, through some changes in attitude and heart, had achieved positive moral values. She took it upon herself to give others something they could not get for themselves (faith). She had a choice to continue helping people or leave with Mike, yet she chose to help others. She underwent a spiritual change, but there are other factors that change people and the way they think. Luckily for her, her change was positive, and she was able to find her way after being lost.
I thought it was a weird film especially with the way it started. I understood the story overall however I didn’t really catch on to the “alcoholic priest”. I believe his issue was another ethical one. If you are a priest there are certain things you can and cannot do. Drinking isn’t one of them and its worse since he is an alcoholic. It’s sort of like an oxymoron. It is not ethical in the sense of the religious morality, because if he weren’t a priest, it wouldn’t seem as horrible. Since he is an esteemed member of the church, and for someone like a priest to have a drinking problem, it makes me totally lack faith in the church. If this is the person I am going to confess my sins to, then I would want that person to be the holiest person ever. It makes no sense that I’m confessing my sins, if the person I’m confessing to is morally impure. It doesn’t set a good example for me. Anyway maybe it was just me, but I didn’t really understand his significance to the story. It was kind of boring at times and not that entertaining, however it did serve its purpose in teaching us about “everyday ethics”. It really was unique to Filipino culture in that it portrayed the heavily religious aspect of Filipino life. Filipinos are very religious people and that has its own set of ethics one must live by, such as is it okay to make money by offering to pray for others.

Module 3- Janelle Funtanilla

The theme of this module is rights. After watching the movie, I really don’t see how the movie really related to rights. The movie is centered on a group of Filipinos who moved to America. The only rights I can think of are their individual rights. Let me analyze each character and what right s/he is working toward. Let’s start with the main character Tere. She can’t seem to find someone she can be with who will love her for who she is and what she offers. Her “right” is the right to love. Then there is Mike, who is in an unfulfilling marriage and can’t seem to make it better. Although I don’t like the fact that he left his family to go back to the Philippines, he was working towards the pursuit of happiness. Marissa was the one with a successful job, yet she was unhappy because her boyfriend kept cheating on her. Her right is the right not to be used, lied to and neglected. Then Gerry of course his right was to be able to have a relationship with someone of the same sex, although I think all he wanted was his mother’s acceptance. Then Raul I guess his biggest thing was freedom (to sleep with as many women he wanted) though in turn he finally realized the severity of his actions. These characters all had something they wanted and although it may not be a right in the constitution, it is a right of humanity, and that all humans deserve “goodness”.
Now I am going to explain my feeling of this movie. Let point out that this movie surrounds Tagalog-speaking Filipinos. I would like to see movies that focus on Ilokano-speaking Filipinos living in the United States as well. Most movies I see about Filipinos revolve around them living in the continental U.S. and speak Tagalog such as The Debut. I would someday like to see a movie about Ilokanos in Hawaii because I feel we have been overlooked and going back to rights—I think it is our right as Ilokanos to be represented as well.
I have a problem with the title American Adobo. I understand that the theme is wherever adobo is cooked, in the U.S. or Philippines, it is still adobo. This is the metaphor about the group and that even though they were from the Philippines and moved to New York, they were able to keep their “Filipinoness”. What didn’t fit was the pure culture in the film. Sure we see the cooking but other than that it portrayed stereotypical Filipinos. They spoke with loud accents, ate a lot, and portrayed Filipino demeanor as well. However there was nothing extraordinary about the group dynamic, and the only thing that made this movie unique is Mike’s problem and him going back to the Philippines. Other than that, I have seen these problems presented in American television-- the cheating boyfriend, the womanizer, the woman trying to find love, and the closeted homosexual. Like I said, the only unique Filipino thing about this movie was Mike’s decision to leave his family and go back to the Philippines. They didn’t emphasize the Filipino of the people. If I were to use white characters, changed the title to something like American Spaghetti, then I would have the same damn movie with a few minor changes. The formula isn’t unique to Filipino culture. If this movie was supposed to give us real insight on Filipinos in America, then I think it failed. If they wanted to make it about food, then they failed at that too. If you are going to use a dish in the title, at least make it relevant to the story. All in all, I just didn’t get what the point of the whole movie was. To me it was a group of people trying to figure out their problems, who just happened to be Filipino. It really doesn’t focus on unique problems Filipino Americans have to deal with. However there is this one part where I sort of agree with what the girl said. I think it was the woman who worked for Mike’s family, and he saw her again in the Philippines, who said something like white people treat you better than Filipino people. I sort of see her point in where people of other ethnicities treat you better than one of your own. I don’t know if it’s the whole socioeconomic class division, the fact whole separation during colonization or what, but I agree. Especially in Filipino culture, we tend to classify ourselves by the dialect we speak like Tagalog, Ilokano, and Visayan etc… I admit I do that sometimes but if you look at the bigger picture, we are all FILIPINO. Why is it that other people treat us better than people of our own ethnic makeup?

Module 2- Janelle Funtanilla

One reason I took this class was to learn about the different aspects of my culture. I know all about the American/Hawaii perspective, yet I know so little about the history of the Philippines from the Filipino perspective. I found this film interesting because I did not know much about Imelda or any of the Marcos’s at all. Before this film, I only knew her as “the lady with plenty shoes”. This shows how much I know about Philippine history. The film served its purpose by educating me about an influential figure in the history of the Philippines, but also an era of the “ugliness” in the Philippine government.

The theme of this module was the ‘common good’. In Imelda’s eyes, everything she did was for the common good. To me her ignorant attitude, frivolity, and extravagance are bullshit. In her mind the frivolity and extravagance of her lifestyle was ethical. She believed that the people lived through her, and so by living well, the people were happy. In reality, she was only into aesthetics and not what really mattered. She spent so much money making beautiful centers that were dedicated to the arts, yet so much of the population lived in poverty. I understand the reason she made those centers and that is up to be “up-and-up” with other advanced countries. However, I feel that money could have been better spent so that maybe the country people wouldn’t be living in poverty. What makes me angry is that she said, “I seem to be able to only see the positive things in life and the beautiful things in life and when I see, for instance, garbage or ugliness, then I turn my back or I seem to be able to skip it.” As a leader, one must address problems, not ignore it. This is what killed her positive image as leader and turned many people against her. She said in the movie that “the ultimate reach in this world is beauty.” However she was talking only about herself and not for the “common good”. She loved beauty so much that she was willing to sacrifice the dignity and finance of her people, so that she could live in luxury. It angers me that people had to suffer because she loved material things too much. . It is unfortunate that she had to be so selfish, because she had the potential and qualities to be a superb leader (especially for women), yet she was incapable of leading anyone.

She indeed was a strong woman with many admirable traits. She was very outspoken, and she made her presence known in the Philippine government. She was not a shy or quiet first lady, but she was very politically active yielding quite a few positions in office. She always knew what she wanted, went for it, and always got it. She not only survived an assassination attempt, she was able to joke about it afterwards. These qualities are very admirable in a woman especially of power. It saddens me think of how much good and “real” improvements she could have made, if she wasn’t so wasteful and frivolous on her personal life. She is a very influential leader, and had it not been for all the drama surrounding her life, she very well could have molded the Philippines into something totally different than what it is today. Coming from a female perspective, she had the potential to be someone great. She had the power, yet she abused it. We need strong women in this world, but not like her. The Philippines is actually ahead of their time. They have had two women president, yet the United States had none. I feel regret as a woman because she did not deliver, and if she had, in my opinion of her would be so different than what it is today.

For some she did well bringing art and cultural centers to the Philippines. She broke the ingrained stereotype that Filipinos are poor and therefore have no class. This lady definitely had class. If there was good in what she did, it was making people think twice about how they view the Philippines and its people. Her diplomacy and her influence went a long way with putting the Philippines on the map. She is still loved by some people in the Philippines, and that in itself shows me how powerful and influential she still is there. However it was all aesthetics, she made it seem like the Philippines were not poor, but in reality, they are a third world country. It is like all she did was put “make-up” over the country, even though the country is still hideous.

Another aspect I found interesting in this film is the criticism reflected upon Ferdinand because of his wife. She was frivolous. That is the reason why so many people were unhappy. How can you go on with over a thousand pairs of shoes when many of your country men and women literally have nothing? It makes me wonder how much of an influence did Imelda have over Ferdinand. She lived like a queen no doubt. It is even said that she had more power than he did. I wonder if the entire stigma attached to the Marcos regime had something to do with the First Lady’s frivolity. If she hadn’t spend so much money on material things, then all they could criticize the Marcos’s for the declaration for martial law. There wouldn’t be all those trials for things like money fraud and other wrongdoings if she had kept her image clean. To me it’s sad that this woman was driven by such trivial things, when she had the potential to really make the Philippines a world-class country.

C. Abe "Santa Santita"

The theme of the film “Santa Santita” is redemption. Each of the major characters played a part in redeeming themselves or others.
The film is based on the story of Chayong and her daughter Malen. Chayong, a devout Catholic, works as a prayer woman for her church. In other words, she prays for people, expecting money in return. Every day, people seek the prayers of Chayong and the other prayer women, asking for God’s guidance and blessing upon their family, health, future, and other personal areas of their lives. However, as spiritual as Chayong is, Malen is quite the opposite. Rebellious and disrespectful, Malen constantly talks back to her mother, causing her much grief. Furthermore, she insists on dressing inappropriately, seductively while working at the church selling rosaries and scapulars. In the end, it is Malen who becomes the prayer woman after her mother passes away. The people who Malen prays for start experiencing miracles, and credit Malen as the one who made it possible.
The film explores the Catholic faith in the Philippines, and what it means to commit to that faith. Like the majority of the Philippine population, each character in “Santa Santita” at least believes in God, if they do not also attend weekly church services as well. This shows how much religion is a part of the Philippine culture. After Spanish colonization, the Roman Catholic faith has been ingrained in the hearts and minds of the Filipinos.
Overall I enjoyed the movie, but there were a few parts I disagreed with. First of all, I believe that everyone can go directly to God in prayer, that we do not need a “prayer person” to ask God in our behalf. Furthermore, it upsets me that these people had to pay to be prayed for, that there is a whole business made out of God’s holy work. On the contrary, that is not to say that we cannot ask others to join with us in prayer, but that we should not rely on others as if we do not have that same power.
To Malen’s credit, I appreciated the complete turn-around she made in her life. After her mom passed away, she radically changed her priorities and the way she lived. It took humility on her part to accept the job as a prayer woman, when all her life she had resentment toward the church. Though the other prayer women disapproved, Malen continued and eventually enjoyed her work.
Mike also redeemed himself in the end, as he found his faith in God while in jail. This movie presented negative circumstances and the choice each character had to turn it around for better or to feel sorry for themselves and allow the bad to stay bad. I enjoyed seeing the main characters Malen and Mike being “redeemed” in the end.

Module 7 - P. Standefer - “The Flor Contemplacion Story"

The film “The Flor Contemplacion Story” focuses on the failed struggle of a family and the Filipinos to prevent the Singapore government from executing Flor Contemplacion, a domestic helper. There a few main themes in this film such as redemption of a husband, redemption of a daughter and mistress, and injustice that happens at the individual level.

The husband in this film is an interesting character because of his simplicity. He knows his obligation to his wife and his family and that it is wrong for him to have a mistress while his wife is in Singapore, and yet he cannot seem to resist being with his mistress. He even brings her into his home which indicates the extent to which he is lonely and his marriage to Flor has become loveless.

In the later half of the movie, he tries to make amends in two ways. He hires a lawyer to go to Singapore and have the execution stayed. That attempt fails because the Singapore government does not let the lawyer do anything. His second attempt was allowing his children to go without him to visit Flor. He had two motives for doing this. The first was that he did not want the visit to be soured by his presence. Being there might have upset Flor and ruined the last few chances for Flor and the children to meet because Flor would have had time to dwell on the fact that she was about to be executed while her husband had a mistress. Secondly, I think he realized his wrong and was supremely embarrassed. Knowing how much Flor sacrificed for him and his family, he could not bear to stand in front of her.

The second interesting character in this film was the mistress. Although the movie does not mention very much about her or how she came to know the family so well, she is apparently well liked by the children except for Flor’s daughter. It appears that she knows the husband has a wife, but because her family does not want her anymore she has to stay with him. She tries to make amends with Flor in two ways as well. She speaks out at the anti-Singapore protests so that the movement to save Flor will gain momentum, but in the end she knows she will have to stop because she is Flor’s husband’s mistress and not Flor’s sister like she claims at the rallies. The second way is that she takes the initiative to leave the husband and return to her family. This is an important step because the husband is too weak to push her out or leave her and because she is actively admitting that she was wrong to her parents by coming home. With this act, she apologizes to Flor, who is dead at this point, for causing her so much grief, to the husband for allowing him to get into trouble, and to her parents for becoming someone’s mistress instead of a wife like a mainstream, good Filipino daughter should be.

The last point is one that I feel the movie is really geared towards, namely that when a government commits an injustice by covering for themselves, they hurt the people on the lowest levels of society. It is sometimes easy to justify unfairly helping one group as something positive, but this movie brings up the point that by doing so, there is always someone else who will suffer. This is a clear criticism of foreign countries and peoples who think that they can trample on the Filipinos’ rights (or anyone’s for that matter), but also I think it could be a criticism of the Philippine government because the same concept of official abuse resulting in the citizenry suffering applies.

Module 7 - k. coloma

The Flor Contemplacion film is the epitome of what we want and don’t want in life. This film, which was based on a true story, is probably one of the most depressing but good Filipino movies I have watched thus far. It is about a Filipino domestic worker who was hanged for the alleged murder of her co-worker and her employer’s child. Flor, played by Nora Aunor, goes to Singapore as a domestic worker in order to provide for her children. Because of her absence from home her husband takes on a mistress, her children get into their own messes and other misfortunate things result. I had never heard of Flor or her story before this film so I had no clue what I was in for. As the story unraveled it killed me as I sat and watched her get tortured and abused into confessions which ultimately led to her death. At the end of the movie I thought more on her situation. To Flor, the opportunity to go to Singapore was a give and take sort of situation. You have to give something for things that you want and need and in turn you are left with things that you might not be so willing to accept if you had other choices.

This film opened my eyes to the shortcomings of the Filipino government in defending and protecting its citizens. After the film I was curious to learn exactly what the government did to avenge her death and what precautions they took to prevent similar situations like this from occurring. I am glad to have read that the president, who I believe was Ramos at the time, recalled the ambassador back to Singapore and that many joint exchanges between the two countries were terminated. Nevertheless, I don’t believe that the maltreatment of Filipino overseas workers is ever going to come to a complete end. But I guess small steps towards an almost safe and healthy overseas treatment is better than nothing at all. I was happy to learn that a similar case of an overseas worker was given some sort of justice. Nonetheless, I now more than ever question what happened to social justice. Maybe society along with the government has forgotten what it means just as the article “Defining Social Justice” asserts. My definition of social justice is similar to one of the definitions in the article. I say similar only because I do not fully agree with the entire definition that it imparts. I ascribe it to society at whole and because of that single individuals matter since they make up that society.

This film reminded me of a documentary I watched in Dr. Rod Labrador’s ethnic studies class. It was about struggles and obstacles overseas workers must face in order to provide for their families back home. The employers in this film, all of which were women, treated them well and sincerely appreciated their help. One woman even went as far as glorifying her Filipino worker and stating that if her worker went back home she would move her family to the Philippines so that her worker would be able to keep working for them. The sad reality is not all overseas workers get treated like this but is it refreshing to know and see that there are people who treat them well. All that they give up is overlooked and I am guilty of not giving them the attention and respect they need. My eyes were opened when one of the ladies said that she had left her baby in order to provide more for him and it just so happened that the child she was caring for was the same age as her son. You could see in her eyes the emptiness she felt. Here she was miles and miles away giving the boy the attention and care that she would give to her own son but cannot.

All in all this film is was a great tool to promote awareness and impart the obstacles that overseas workers face on a daily basis. Because the world doesn’t work perfectly some workers are mistreated and abused. A majority of these cases go unreported because of fear and lack power. There is also the possibility of becoming jobless in a society where money is cannot be done without. Though this film and other films like this opens the eyes of those that view it, it is still not enough. Until this movie I did not get the full concept of what exactly can happen to overseas workers. And like I mentioned before, though this film was a great step towards awareness for their issues and matters, we need to do more for them and others like them. The only good thing that maltreatment of overseas brings is the awareness of the need for better and stronger social systems. It is depressing to know what has to happen before people start doing something about issues like these.

Module 6 - k. coloma

The articles in Module 6 concentrate on moral principles, determinism and virtues. The first article talks about determinism and how we assume that there is a reason and a cause for the things that happen to us in our daily lives. The second talks about questions of ethics such as how we treat one another and the moral principles we apply. The readings tied in well with the film for this week called Bata Bata Paano Ka Ginawa.

The film follows the life of Lea, a mother of two, who has made some mistakes in her life. She has two kids by two different men. One of which was out of wedlock the other out of extramarital affairs. Through the course of the movie Lea is pulled between her career (a worker for the women’s crisis center) and her family. She finds herself being attracted to her ex-husband, her boyfriend whom she left her ex-husband for and her co-worker who just wont give in to her allure. Her children are confused and dazed about their lives and their fathers. Lea finds herself working constantly and her family has to fight for her attention. Her children then thrown in the middle of the bickers and fights between their mother and their fathers when they have to chose whom they will live with. She later finds that she has been so engulfed with other things that she did not know her boyfriend had been married and living with someone else.

In the end she may, like the article states, have regretted some things that happened, have been angry that it happened, preferred that it hadn’t happened but there is nothing she could do now to undo it. The good thing that resulted form Lea almost losing her children was that she was almost enlightened to the world around her. The idea of losing her children put things into perspective for her. She contemplated why and how things have turned the way they have and then found ways to make the situation better for her children by allowing them to make their own decisions.

After having watched the film I did not blame Lea for wanting to work and for being so confused and disillusioned by the men in her life. It just goes to show some things cannot be controlled and that human determinism really exists. But when you apply Immanuel Kant’s saying “everyone is obligated to do whatever will achieve the greatest good for the greatest number” to Lea’s situation you forget about the little people. In this case the little people happened to be her children. In order to do good for others (the women at the crisis center) she had to divert much if not all her attention from her family to the women. He also said that everyone must act in ways that respect the human dignity and moral rights of all persons. This is a good example of why I don’t believe or agree with Kant. Not all situations allow for everyone to be treated equally and right.

Module 5 - k. coloma

The film Dekada ’70 captures the lives of a family of seven during the 70s when political unrest was at its peak. This family is of middle class stature so much is seen through the eyes of the wealthier side of life in the PI. Though they had money it did not buy them the perfect life that someone outside might ascribe to a family like them. They still had their share of misfortunes and mishaps. The film and the reading conscience and authority complemented each other. Before I talk about how the reading enhanced my understanding and analysis of the film I must first give you an overview of the film.

The characters in the film are the mother and father (Amanda and Julian) and their boys (Jules, Emanuel, Isagani, Jason and Bingo). Each of them have their own set of beliefs and they work through them as the consequences of those differences in those beliefs arise. The mother is the glue to their family. She has devoted her life to her husband and her 5 boys. An outsider might think that she had everything but the truth was she did not. She found herself longing for more in her life than just being a wife and a mother. She wanted a job. When she talked to her husband about it he went on the defensive mode and accused her of seeing him as an incompetent provider. In Julian’s eyes, if the wife gets a job it shows to the outside world that he had failed to properly and sufficiently provide for their family. Their boys had their own issues as well that crept into the rest of the family’s lives. Jules decided to become a rebel and this pushed the family to limits they had never been pushed to before. This son expressed his anger and loathe towards Marcos and the way that he treated those who did not support him. Isagani decided to enlist in the army all the while having to marry a girl he impregnated. Another son, Jason, disappears and ultimately finds his death because of issues about Marcos and his way of governing. This was interesting to me because Julian, who was once a supporter of the Marcos and his implements, is pulled between doing right by his son and his support for the government. Another son, Emanuel is an avid writer against the government. He rattles the family when he is wanted for speaking against the government. And the youngest boy, Bingo, just seems to be the innocent boy that he is. He is one that consoles his mother. He is busy trying to be young in a world where everything seems to be unraveling around him.

It was interesting to read up on Milgram and his famous experiment again. As a psychology major I have been exposed to him numerous times. When I first introduced to this study I didn’t really give it much thought but when I saw the video I thought it was the worst experiment ever. My opinion and thought on the experiment was not due to the experiment and what they were administering but the on the results and how the person administering the shock proceeded even when it was unethical. This experiment made me think of the film and how Jules did not obey the orders given by the authority. Those that killed Jason and those that participated in hurting Jules and all the other Filipinos at that time represent the two thirds of those in the study that continued to administer the shocks to the other learners because of the experimenter. The experimenter would symbolize Marcos and his men and the learners are the Filipino people.

Although each character was important to the movie Amanda was the one that stood out the most to me. I am sure it had to do with the fact that I too would like to be more than just a mother to my children and a wife to my husband. If I believed that my role in life is to be just that then I would not be in college getting an education so that I can get a more than decent job. If that were the case, I would be married and with children. At the end of the movie, Amanda does get a job but I am not sure if she left Julian or not because it seemed as if Julian gave her an ultimatum between him or a job. It could also be that he gave in and settled to being one of the two providers for the family. It was refreshing to she Amanda and her daughter in laws in a different setting. It is in this scene and in the last scene where she is holding the rally signs that you could see that she had gotten what she wanted.

Module 4 - k. coloma

The film for Module 4 is Santa Santita and it coincided with the ideas that the article “Everyday Ethics” addressed. The film is about a mother who prays for people and their problems for a living and a reluctant daughter, Malen, who sees no point in following after her mother’s profession. Her mother has devoted her life to praying for others. To the mother it is more than just a way of earning a living but a life, a tradition in which she is passionate about. Her daughter on the other hand believes that it is nonsense. In the beginning, Malen, is the epitome of a teenager. She goes out late, dates, rebels against her mother and does everything that a teenager would do. When her mother passes away things sudden come to a halt. She forced take over her mother’s profession in order to provide for herself. In the beginning she is indifferent to it but as the movie progresses she finds that she has the power to help to make her prayers come true. More and more each day people flock to her. As the movie progresses you see her character transform. She is willing to help others. Ultimately, it becomes too much for her when her prayer for her boyfriend’s son is not heeded. In the end, Malen finds herself through her profession and through the help of the church priest who has his own set of problems with alcohol.

My favorite character was the priest. He played a minor role in the film but I thought that he symbolized an important but imperfect person. Here is this priest who is an alcoholic trying to recover. It shows to the viewers that even the most holy people can have imperfections.

In regards to the reading, I think that everyday has its own set of problems and annoyances but its how we deal with it that matters. We just have to live our lives treating each other the way we would like to be treated. Although we are not always making ethical decisions in a hopeful ethical life we have to somehow try. Like Malen, it is better to reach your destination and goal having fallen and disappointed many times than to quit at the very first obstacle.

I thought this film was an ok film. I say this because I have watched many other films like this that caught my attention far more than this film. Those films made me sit at the edge of my seat. This film made me sleepy and most importantly irritated. I am not sure if I can attribute it to the fact that I was confused, that I didn’t like the main character, that the beginning clip of Malen in the dessert turned me of, I didn’t like how the film makers presented the story and the film itself or I am just a naïve and closed minded film viewer. I cannot deny though that the issues in this film are of importance. I finished the film thinking that you cannot always depend on god for thing to happen. You have to take in upon yourself and be responsible.

Module 3 - k. coloma

The film for Module 3 American Adobo. This film is about 5 friends living in America from the Philippines. They are dealing with everyday problems such as marital distress, sex and how people should be treated. They also deal with extra ordinary problems you may not see in every household such as the cruel treatment towards your maids. You see the differences in those characters in regards to how Americanized they have become. You have Marissa and her cousin who have embraced the Americanized way of living. Marissa is an intelligent woman but is blindsided by men. Her cousin is the playboy that finds himself in mess of things when he learns he has aids. Then you have Tere is in search for a mate and is hanging on to her culture by cooking Filipino foods. Then you have Jerry who is hiding his true identity from his conservative and uptight mother. Then you have the man who is married to an uptight and bitchy wife. He has a daughter who is exploring her limits.

As far as the readings go I believe that we do all have rights. The characters in the movie are good examples. Each of them have a right to live their life the way they want to. Each of them have the right to happiness and health. The problem with rights, what we deserve, what we want and people is that the reality is different. Just because it is our right it doesn’t mean that we will get it. There is also the problem of justification. How are actions and rights justified when others have to pay for you and your actions? The only way I see the issue of rights is to do what you have to do for yourself without harming others along the way.

I can understand the film because I am an immigrant as well. Those who have been exposed to a different culture and land before America can appreciate the movie. I only thing I didn’t like about the film was that the acting was horrible. I liked that some of the characters were annoying and awful because it balanced out the good characters in the story. Too many of one thing makes for a bad and predictable movie. I also love that the movie is centered on the food and how it brought the five friends together. There is nothing better than food and friends/family when your life is falling apart before your eyes. All in all, this film was great in portraying the struggles and obstacles people face in a different land all the while still tied to their native land.

Module 2 - k. coloma

The film assigned for Module 2 is called Imelda. This film is a documentary that follows the life of the Marcos and his first lady, Imelda. It recollects the events, her thoughts on it and the effect on the people from her perspective. She brings us into her home where she educated us about her view of the universe and other things. In this film you get a glimpse of how extravagant she lived. We meet her children and find what they were doing during and after their father’s presidency. We see the way she thinks and rationalizes things and issues regarding those in the beginning, during and after her husband’s term when her life began to escalate.

Before this movie I did not know much about Imelda. I almost feel bad for her because this movie did not portray her well. My thoughts on her before this film was not as brutal as they were after the movie. I feel like I owed it to her to see her from an unbiased way. I think the film makers tried hard to present a neutral insight but I don’t think it worked. I don’t know if it can be attributed to the fact that is a crazy woman or not. Maybe she has become the way she is because of how people have treated her. It seems that no one wants to challenge her. They pity this beautiful and brainwashed woman.

In the article “The Common Good” it speaks about the common good for the people. In Imelda’s case, I think she tried to accomplish this in her own ways whether they were effective or not. The thing about common good is that someone always has to take the burden that comes with it. The article states that “maintaining a common good often requires that particular individuals or particular groups bear costs that are much greater than those borne by others” so I cannot blame her for not succeeding and living up to the expectations of people. You cannot force an unfit person to fit the job if they are truly incompetent. The only resolution and conclusion that I can come to is that she was not right for the job and someone else more fitting should have been the one making changes. The reality is she was the one that had the job and we cannot do anything about that now. What we should have done is to fix the problem then but this is another issue and problem to dissect on another day.

Module 1 - k. coloma

For this first Module we watched 2 movies and they were Nailed and Bontoc Eulogy. The film Nailed is about a female named Lucy who is crucified yearly to portray her love for Jesus and her respect and dedication to his children. In the movie the narrator explains how Lucy had a calling from Santo Nino to replicate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. She was 31 years old and was described by someone else as having a cherub like face. Lucy confined herself to a room wit no windows and numerous pictures of the Santo Nino. She also had stuffed animals that she proclaimed were for Santo Nino. There was nothing in the room that was from the outside world like pictures of her family. The people deemed her a faith healer. She felt that nothing could harm her. When she healed people she said she could feel their pain.
Yearly she suffers through the same crucifixion Jesus endured long ago but in modern times and ways. She carries the cross to each church. She is dragged and whipped at each of them. In this movie you see how important church and saints are to the Filipinos. You see how devoted the people are by seeing them sit through mass on a day when the temperature is blaring hot. They crow to the churches and stand if they have to. They walk on their knees to receive the bread and make a grave effort to touch or kiss the statues of the saints. There are also numerous times through out the film where we witness the extent of their dedication when they are whipping themselves on their backs until they are dripping with blood. Also in this film, you see how poverty and religion has affected the young people of the Philippines. In one scene in the movie you see a vendor’s child under the food in a tight small space.

The other movie called Bontoc Eulogy was about a man who recalls his memories as a child in the Philippines. He describes his village, the activities he used to partake in and the events that occurred around him. He talks about his relatives and all the suffering they had to endure during the occupation of the Japanese, Spanish and American. He also spoke about the physical changes in the people such as the outward curving of the bigger toe as a result of having to move further in to the mountains. This movie asked the audience what stories we had as a people that defined who we were.

The reading for Module 1 relates to the films in that it speaks of how the audience views the film and how norms and ethics apply to the activities that cultures participate in. In the first article in the reading it spoke of the effects that a film has on its viewers. It stated that the mass media affects the society and its order. It also stated that although movies and TV shows are violent and troublesome they do have their appeal. It spoke of how TV and movies are the dominant forms of mass media. The article articulated the factors that play out when you watch them and it is the physical, the social and the psychological.

The second article in the module reading is called Ethical Relativism. It speaks of how a culture varies in moral practices. They way we look at other culture’s practices vary depending on the group that we belong to. It went into detail on how one culture’s practices may be morally acceptable to them but unacceptable to another. One example is infanticide and polygamy.

In my opinion, it is very easy to classify something as moral or immoral from the basis of your own beliefs. But to see it from another view is quite harder than it seems. A good example would be polygamy. I believe that it is morally wrong and utterly disgusting to believe and even practice polygamy. Those that practice this might see it otherwise. It all depends on who you are and what culture you belong to.

Response to: "Dekada '70" by Rod Antalan

Response To: “Dekada 70”

In the film “Dekada ‘70”, there was a strong sense of socio-political awareness. The film followed the life of a family who was very active in the politics of the Philippines. It was actually during a period where there were so many problems because of the Marcos dictatorship.
This family was confronted with a lot of the problems that resulted from the dictatorship. The father had seemed to have been a key figure in the lives of the children because he allowed them to do whatever it was they wanted to do.
Jules, one of their sons was a very active rebel against the corrupt and insufficient ruling of the Philippines. He was a constant threat to the instituted government officials because he worked his way up to a rebel leader. He was constantly on the run and was eventually imprisoned for his actions. Emmanuel was the writer of the group. He would constantly write about the social injustices occurring and also wrote a play about them. Jason was salvaged because he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Donnie was the son who joined the Navy.
Although the movie followed the whole family, it was more the story of the mother that was showcased. It was a story of the typical sub-ordinate mother who would let her husband make the decisions. She was constantly talking about the rights of a woman yet never really did anything to express hers. In a world that was run by men, she felt as though she could not even be a mother to her children. She was always in a struggle to get the things that she wanted.
This is an important aspect of this film. Although it was filled with males and the roles they played in Philippine society, it portrayed many of the roles that women play as well. It showed how many women in the Philippines feel powerless and as though they cannot do anything to keep their families happy and safe. This was very much the case with Amanda because she wanted so much to be the perfect mother and wife yet could not have any say in the actions of her children as her husband did.
I thought that this is significant because you never really get to see what the woman thinks about her position in the family. It always tends to be the father who always has control. In the end of the movie, you can see that the father is the one that ultimately has no control. He too is placed in a position of no power and can understand how his wife or ex-wife feels.
I really enjoyed this movie because it showed the distribution of power in a patriarchal society and yet at the same time showed that the female roles are just as important.

Response to: "Flor Contemplacion" by Rod Antalan

This movie followed the life of a Filipino woman during difficult times. She was married with children and found it difficult to help in supporting her family. She was confronted with no other choices than to go abroad to work in Singapore. This is an important choice that many people have to make because of their lack of opportunities in their homeland in the Philippines.
This situation is important because her story is the story of many more. They are placed in situations which force them to leave their homes to go to work elsewhere. This not only causes problems for the people moving away but also those who they are leaving.
In the movie, Flor Contemplacion felt as though she needed to leave her family so that she could help them. This was her sacrifice. She would be able to help support them all yet would not be able to be there for them whenever they wanted or needed. Because she left, her husband left for another woman and children had to grow up without her. The love she was supposed to give to her own children was given to a child that was not her own. Her situation was worsened when one of her friends abroad was accused of killing the child she cared for. When this occurred, the parents killed her and framed it on Flor.
The treatment of the workers was also displayed within this movie. They are portrayed as dispensable labor. Should something happen to them, it wouldn’t matter because the employers would just hire someone new. This was apparent when Flor’s friend was killed by her employer. He had nothing to fear because they were in his country and undoubtedly would take his word over theirs. It is through this kind of life “abroad” that does more damage than it does help. It is difficult to think that should you be in that situation, what you may or may have done differently so that you wouldn’t be in that situation. Yet the importance of this film was to capture this disconnect between making money and realizing the consequences.
Manong Ariel told us that three caskets go back to the Philippines everyday containing the bodies of overseas workers. This fact just angers me because it seems so unfair to me that these people sacrifice so much for so little or even no gratification. It’s like they are getting paid to never see their families again. To an outsider like myself, it seems like a stupid decision to make to go abroad yet you have to understand that these people have absolutely no choice. If they do not go abroad, they cannot support the needs of the rest of the family.
The fact that these people do not have opportunities in their own homelands to make money for their family shows the failures of the economics and politics of the Philippines. It shows that there needs to be a change so that the people can stay with their families. Of course, it is much easier said than done because the reality is that unless everyone makes the effort, nothing will ever get done to better the lives of these people.
This movie evoked a lot of emotions for me because you can only feel nothing but sadness for the struggles that these people have to put up with. It makes you respect the courage they have and the sacrifices that they make. It makes you realize the significance of the choices that you have everyday because you are a Filipino-American.

Response To "American Adobo" by Rod Antalan

Response to American Adobo

In the movie “American Adobo”, there are five main characters. This film follows the life of these exiled Filipinos who are now living in the U.S. Their problems were showcased through out the movie. The problems varied from problems within a family to problems with ones’ self.
This film follows the lives of a group of very close friends. The characters are all Philippine-born yet all reside in the United States, or more specifically New York City. The movie begins with them all gathering together for dinner. Here you get the chance to view the close relationship bonds that each of them share with one another. You are able to see various characteristics from each character which seem to unfold later on within the movie.
The significance of this dinner is that it is a way for them to escape the daily grind and just enjoy each others’ company. Tere, is the cook of the group, she loves cooking and has seemed to perfect a certain Filipino dish. This dish is adobo. Her friends constantly compliment her on her recipe. This dish, along with the get-togethers seem to be what holds them all so closely together. They use this time together to tell each other what is going on in their lives here in the U.S.
One of the more key characters in the film is Tere. She seems to be the glue that keeps everyone together. Should any of her friends have any problems, she is right there to lend a helping hand. She is portrayed as the very religious, passive, and intelligent woman. Although she is intelligent, she fails to see that people tend to walk all over her; especially the men. Throughout the movie, it is quite apparent that she loves cooking for her friends so much because she is lonely, and doing so allows her to spend time with them. She is the character that can help everyone else but not herself. She lacks the confidence in herself to make her life the way she would like it to be.
Mike was one of the characters who actually was married. Yet the problem here was that he had married a woman who did not care for anyone but herself. His daughter grew up to be wild and uncontrollable because of the negligence of her mother and her busy father. The problems he was having with his family caused him to come to the decision to leave them and in doing so, he was able to find someone who really did care for him and his children.
Raul was the womanizer in the story. He used the company of women to boost his ego and this lead to him to self-discovery. His playboy actions almost cost him his life because one of his ex-lovers turned out to be HIV positive. It turns out though that he was not positive. This allowed him to see the error in his ways and made him reflect on how he needed to change.
Marissa is the materialistic woman who has trouble finding stable and happy relationships. This is evident when she keeps going back to that dead-beat boyfriend of hers time and time again.
Gerri is the one who is struggling with his personal life and that between his friends. He has yet to reveal to all of them that he is gay. He comes to a point where he cannot be himself around them and his mother.
Watching this movie was really interesting for me. I thought that there were a lot of things that I could relate to because of the characters’ actions as Filipino-Americans. Many of them tried to conform to the ways of Americans while at the same time losing their own sense of Filipino identity. The dinners are what always brought them bask though. I thought this was important because my family and I have this dinner all the time. It serves as a time where my parents, uncles, and aunties can spend time reflecting on life in the Philippines and share stories about their lives. I felt that this was the theme of the movie where these dinners were what brought them all together so that they could forget about their problems and be happy.

Response to Santa Santita by Rod Antalan

Response To Santa Santita

In class, we watched the movie, Santa Santita. It starts off by following the life of a young woman named Malen. She and her mother make a living praying for people in church in hopes of curing them of their illnesses and forgiveness of their sins. Although she prays for people, Malen herself does not seem to believe in God because she feels as though he has done nothing for her and her mother. One day, Malen finds a young man with whom she is very interested in. This young man however, is full of sin and she is not aware of it at first. She discovers that she has the power to heal and her belief in God seems to strengthen as people continue to flock to her because she is the direct connection to God.
I find that I really enjoyed Malen and the Father. Malen was the typical hero of the story who had her own problems in the beginning but in the end overcomes them and helps others. The Father’s character, I thought, was funny. It was awkward to see a religious man like him actually having an alcohol problem. It was funny because alcoholism is such a bad problem and this holy man was so overly consumed by it. It was different to see such a well-respected figure in such a lowly position.
In the beginning of the movie, I must admit that I was very uninterested just for the fact that it started out kind of awkward with Malen wandering around in the dessert. But as I continued to watch, it was clear to me that this wandering she was doing was because she was lost. She felt as though she had no direction in life because her father had left her life and all they ever seemed to do was pray that everything would be better again. I guess it was because of all the prayer that they were doing, that Malen felt as though it was all pointless because God had not helped their lives to become better. I think that this concept within the movie was very true to actual life.
I was raised to believe in Catholicism and during times when I feel as though I need help, I find myself praying to God to help guide me through different times. Yet at the same time, I wonder of there really is a God because I feel as though I need to see my prayers being answered. Although I believe in God, I know that I need reassurance that there really is one. I have always seen many of my relatives praying in front of their Santo Ninos by candlelight with rasary in hand and never thought about why they were so compelled to pray so much. This movie allows you to see how important it is to believe in something to get through the day. This belief allows them to look past the pains of living in hopes of something better to come in the future.
When Malen began to see that she really did have the power to heal people, her faith once again returned. This return to faith and her boyfriend’s lack of it, pulled her in two different directions in which she knew she must stay to help her fellow people or to follow her heart. This part of the movie helps to show that various problems will come along making you question as to whether or not there is a God. This is what tests how strong your faith is. Malen had to overcome many of her many of her own problems to keep her faith in God so that she could help all of the people seeking her aid. It was her journey to self-discovery which allowed her to find her faith once more and restore her belief in a religion.
All in all, I felt that this movie was good because I’d like to believe that there really is someone out there that can help the sick through faith in God. That would be such a great thing to be able to do. Yet I feel that until a person is found, we must continue to believe in something greater than ourselves so that we have something to look forward to even at times when it feels there is nothing left. It is the movies like this which help to show you how important it is to believe in something.

Response to "Imelda" by Rod Antalan

Ethics & Fairness

In class we watched a film which displayed how Imelda Marcos lived her life and how she continues to live it still. I must admit that I’ve heard stories about her extravagant lifestyle and never really thought of it because I had no actual idea of how blessed it truly was after she had married Ferdinand. I think that what struck me the most was how she had conditioned herself to believe that she was giving so much to her people when in actuality she was taking so much away from them.
I can remember just thinking how self righteous she carried herself as. It disappointed me that she could not see what she was really doing. I believe that she really started off good by going around to the rural areas of the Philippines to show that she cared for the people. Although when she began to build largely lavish buildings to show the beauty and arts of the Philippines to establish identity, I feel as though she was putting a little bandage on an even bigger wound. It seems as though she neglected to see that the things she was making did not really help the Filipino people. The buildings he made were only of use to those who actually had money. However, the majority of the Filipinos did not have the money to use the things she gave to them.
She could have used all the money spent on materials and labor for those buildings on further developing the quality of life for her people and to achieve John Rawls’ definition of common good. His definition of this concept is, “certain general conditions that are… equally to everyone’s advantage.” As an outsider looking at the life of Imelda, one has to assume that she was not looking at advancing her people so much as she was trying to advance herself.
It is apparent that what this woman holds highly is the concept of beauty. Throughout the movie, she continued to describe how she dressed up for the people so that she could be their star and slave. The film showed her servants, all dressed in white, laying out Imelda’s collection of hand-sewn clothes and showed Imelda watching herself on T.V. and basking in her own vanity. This was ridiculous to me because she was clearly did not care for the people so much as she cared for the image of how her people were portrayed. She only cared to see the “beautiful” side of things rather than the ugly reality of everyday living in the Philippines.
I thought that this film was actually very creative in that it wasn’t trying to force you in a certain direction because it showed you the good and the bad which came from the Marcos dictatorship. It allowed you to analyze for yourself instead of feeding you information to sway you to one side. I really enjoyed how the film showed the contradictions in what Imelda said she wanted for her country and her people when in actuality, she did not help them very much at all.
The images presented within the film, according to the reading, are what allow us to make connections about what is really going on. An example of this comes from the parts within the movie when Imelda is walking around the city and people come up to take pictures with her. You can tell that Imelda does not really care for them and all she wants is the recognition and attention because of her status within society. Even when she holds babies, she doesn’t do it because she adores children. Instead, she does it so that it boosts up her own personal image so those who see the pictures will think of her as a kind person. Then once she was done taking pictures, she does not even acknowledge the people she took them with. What she did was hand the baby off back to the parents and continued on her way.
The example of the reading which describes how images should be seen was interesting to me. It described how we see a person with a tuxedo as being of high class. Yet when we see the same exact person with the background of a fancy restaurant and bending over a table, this person becomes a servant who is now low class. This foreground image versus the background image was a theme which was apparent throughout the movie. You would be shown an elegantly dressed beautiful woman parading up and down the streets of rural towns where people had nothing but rags on. You would be shown the beautiful and grand Imelda’s church while right across the street or next door would be little shacks.
It was these kind of images which allowed you to see what was more important to these people who were supposed to be looking for the greater good of the people they were leading. They were supposed to look out for the common good yet failed by looking out for themselves.

MODULE 7- julius "PROcrastinator" paulo

Out of all the films we’ve watched this semester I would say that the Flor Contemplacion story is the toughest to write about, the main reason being it’s a true story. Whereas the other films are works of fiction based on social observations or documentaries about a certain time period, this film depicts the real life of a Filipino overseas worker. For this reason it is hard to critique and to distinguish between which are the actual facts and what are the director’s use of creative freedom.

Flor is an overseas worker in Singapore who is charged for the murder of a little boy and his nanny Delia Maga. The truth of the matter is that she was framed for this crime. The day the supposed “crime” took place, Flor visited Delia at her employer’s residence to give her “padala” or “send home presents” to Delia since she was about to go home to the Philippines. It is a common practice for Filipinos overseas to send some gifts to their family through a friend or relative who is coming back home. While Flor is conversing with Delia, the kid she was taking care of was taking a bath upstairs and accidentally drowned on a big water drum. Thinking the situation would get worse if her boss sees her there, Delia sends Flor home. Later we see the angered Singaporean father beat Delia up and throws her down the stairs killing her. Being a man of high stature with connections within the government, he puts the blame on Flor for killing the two people. However he told the true story to his brother who also had a Filipina maid. They didn’t expect her to understand Malay and she later on testified on what actually transpired that tragic day, relating what she overheard.

What is really frustrating and caused me anger is the way the Philippine embassy handled her case. They called her dumb just because she came from a poor class. They even suggested not doing anything. To me this is the most annoying part of all. It is one thing to not be able to help because you just can’t or you don’t have the ability to help. But for such an authority to take the low road just to get out of the hassle is plain heartless. If I were present the time they said that, I would’ve gave them a kick to the head just for mentioning it, then repeatedly kick them in the gut for having a rock for a heart.

Was the Philippines to blame for what happened to her? Yes. Both directly and indirectly. It is their fault for not handling her case to the best of their abilities from the start. Also, it is their fault for having her leave the country in the first place. She left because her work while in the Philippines is not enough to sustain her family. Doing the same amount of work in another country would earn her a lot more. She left not because the workload abroad is easier, in fact work is harder abroad. Overseas workers have to deal with cruel bosses and the hassle of expiring visas all the time. Either way, she is still a slave wherever she goes- whether she go abroad or stay home. She still has to work her body to the point of exhaustion to be able to feed her family.

Maids, factory workers, and entertainers are not the only ones who leave the country for better opportunities abroad. Nurses are one of the largest number of people who offer their services to foreigners and leave their country. With low salaries in the Philippines and a high demand abroad, a vast majority of college students are nursing majors. In this mix are also certified doctors who take up nursing because it is easier to get hired as a nurse than as a doctor. As a result not only do the best of the Philippines nurses depart the country but also a number of its doctors, further reducing the number of healthcare workers in an already undermanned medical field. This brain drain is one of the worse problems the Philippines is currently facing.

So what can the government do? How can they keep everybody from leaving to work overseas? It’s not like they want to leave, but circumstances force them to. This is tough to answer. With the current slow economy, misuse of government funding, and a large percentage of the annual national budget allocated to repay debt, there is little money left in the wallet to strengthen any field.

Perhaps the answer is to build the country back from scratch, but then again where can you find hardworking people to do the job? They’ve already left the building.

REACTION TO THE MOVIE:FLOR CONTEMPLACION STORY A. Flores

Reality is the execution in 1995 of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina OFW, led to a strained diplomatic crisis between Singapore and the Philippines. Three coffins a day all containing OFWs coming back to Manila is three to many. The movie made a good point of discussing the horror of OFW abuses as well as the sad sociological effect of parents not seeing their children for several years. Since the film has already achieved this point, I would like to elaborate on another point of view for situations of OFW. Although the OFW horror stories are what get senstionalized or what gets broadcasted - there are exceptions.
FAMILY FIRST
About a year ago, my mother mentioned to me, “Joy is going to New York.” Joy is a first-cousin from the Cagayan province who attended nursing school in Manila.
My mother has always made it known to the entire family that she “put Joy through school.” She was “making a speech” during our discussion that Joy is now able to send back money (remittances) to her family so that her family can be better off. This would be the same theme that ran throughout the movie. That theme would be of a family who “has” (income) supports those who “have none.” My mom concluded that she does not need to send my auntie (her sister) any more assistance and if any, the assistance should be now minimal.
I agreed with mom. However, I reminded my mom then that Joy first needed to pass the initial culture shock (assimilate) as well as get use to New York’s extreme weather conditions in order to fulfill her three year contract.
Just to ruffle my mom’s feathers, I asked her, “If all the nursing students from the Philippines left the country after graduation because of better opportunities (immigration pull), who is going to take care of the Filipinos back home?” As if a strong psychological barricade protected her from the ethical viewpoint of the question, she immediately dismissed the question and she went on to say, “Your cousin Nelson, the electrician, now has two homes in Vallejo [California]. I helped him become an electrician – I paid for his schooling too.” Afterwards, she went on to numerate the other relatives she assisted. She was proud of her “achievement.” I could honestly feel and see the pride that she was experiencing that moment. She did not want to understand or accept that brain drain was happening to the nagilian.
Schafer (2005) mentioned that this concept of brain drain “is the immigration to the United States of skilled workers, professional, and technicians … The pay differential is so great that by 2004, when foreign physicians were no longer favored with entry to the United State, physicians in the Philippines were retraining as nurses so that they could immigrate to the United States where, employed as a nurses, they would make four times what they would make as doctors in the Philippines.” (Schaeffer, 2005, 103)
This would include my sister in law who graduated as a Registered Nurse in the Philippines. After she arrived, someone suggested that she qualifies herself as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). After she became a CNA, she then acquired a license to become a Care Home Operator. This is all within three months after her arrival to Hawai`i. After two years as a Care Home Operator, she qualified to own a home in the Honolulu area. The price range of the home she purchased is unattainable for some of the people who immigrated years earlier than her who were not “skilled.” If she remained in the Philippines as an R.N., she probably would be better of than most of her neighbors – however, not as much income as she is making now.
My sister-in-law and her other Care Home Operator friends made a lucrative business for their skills. Using the income that they are earned from the Care Home business, some of her friends are purchasing other bigger properties to rent to other Care Home Operators (the property mortgage is being paid off from the rent). Of course, my sister-in-law, the former RN turned CNA are my children’s favorite aunty because of her “unbelievable” generosity.
However, some people who came to America on the “brain drain” concept (although still making more money here versus if they remained in the Philippines) had to step down in their status. I was speaking to a “white” physician (who I have known for a long time in one of our state funded medical facility) if he knew where Dr. “So And So’s” office was located. Initially I was informed that Dr. “So and So” was a Filipino MD. The “white” physician informed me that there was no Dr. “So and so,” however there was a “So And So” in the facility but not a Medical Doctor – to the best of my knowledge, I believe the “white” doctor referred to him as a “community counselor.” I informed the “white” physician that receptionist at the front (Filipino) referred to him as “Dr.”
The “white” physician then informed me that he may have been an MD in the Philippines but not in the U.S. Out of respect for him, the receptionist may still be referring to him as “Dr. So And So.”
Because of the benefits of immigration “pull” – some of the Filipinos gave up their status or titles in-lieu of more income. Others like Flor, left her family, to take care of another family gave up more than her family life – her entire life.

RESPONSE TO BATA, BATA PAANO KA GINAWA - A. Flores

Uncomfortable! That is my response to the movie. The reason for my choice of the word is that t he word does not suggest that I agree with the content of the movie nor I completely disagree with content of the movie. Reason why I am uncomfortable with the movie is because I am responding with using a frame that looks to protect a child’s security.
I am under the impression that as parents, once you bring another life into this world you are responsible for caring for that life. The parent loses all their rights. The child becomes the main focus of the parent – in a way the child becomes the tyrant king. All attention is now devoted to the child and the child gets what the child demands and what the child do not demand. As an example, the whole world stops when the child is sick. Parents burn the midnight oil to make sure that the child is safe throughout the night hoping the child successfully has another day - a chance to live life. In any culture, when a community, tribe, or a family is threatened by outsiders, it is immediately commanded to put the safety of the children first. Foremost reason for protecting the children is for the survival of the lineage – whether patrilineal or matrilineal.
So why was the sanctity for the security of the child diminished in the film, Bata, Bata Paano Ka Ginawa. Yes, I am uncomfortable that the female chose to put first her “wants” in-lieu of the children’s security. As a strong example of her misguided want: she chose to “throw away” her children to “any person” so she could have her carnal pleasures, her sexual desires, fulfilled. Is “self-fulfillment as your child is in danger” a virtue that we should now preach? Whether women, gays, heterosexual men, ninety-year-old transsexual – all have the right to be promiscuous if they chose to be. In fact, when the mother character asks a friend if a woman is a whore because she initiates sex – “I say no.” However, when a mother initiates sex in order to fulfill her carnal desire with no strings attached, while at the same time, the helpless children fend for themselves until she is done with the act – maybe then she becomes a whore.
And that is one way where the children’s security is threatened. Another obvious threat to the child’s security is obvious throughout the entire movie where the children argue who can access the most love from their “fathers.” Because of her desire to pursue her selfish goals, her independence, the children are permanently insecure – as fatherless. Over and over, the children’s security is thrown away. The implicit questions of the children: “Who should I turn to for security – which daddy?” “How much do you truly love me more than my other sibling?” “Since you are not married, can you leave any time without me?” The whole concept of liberation through self-fulfillment is a big mess – I can’t see any moral justification for her action of want of sex and forget the children. Again, what a mess!
When the woman mourner at the funeral wailed, “children do not need a father, but they can’t live without a mother” I argue that is old school thought. Male fathers, can do what was once exclusive duties for the females. With great electronical inventions, male-parents can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.
And speaking of mess, what is the justification of committing adultery to release their “unfinished relationship.” So they made a mess of things, they separated, they reunited, they brought together their mess, and to help alleviate their guilt of making a mess of things, they commit adultery. Legalities of marriages are not important to discuss. The man has promised himself to the now pregnant mate. He just ruined the future security of the just born child. The adulterer just complicated the newborn’s security. Self fulfillment now! Try to explain later to your child that you love them – but commit adultery anyway. And then you hope that they will believe there is still the virtue of honesty and trust in the family. That is summation of the movie.
Sexual liberation? I don’t get it. Feminism in this frame? Social distortion is more like it. I am always for Kant. In this case, I can’t find any reason to justify her actions of acting only in ways that respect self dignity and self-rights. Uncomfortable!
One quick note, Maya was a good actress – very young and talented.

Imelda

Imelda/ Coup D’état
The movie Imelda is a very insightful look at the former first lady of the Philippines. The movie touches upon her rationale for her excessiveness in a country that is in dire need of an economic stimulus. Her wealth and beauty becomes her tool for obtaining things that she wants. Her personal reasoning’s for such antics are openly shared, and at many times these reasoning’s appear to be dysfunctional.
To me Imelda has Pretty Old Lady Syndrome a phenomena when older former beautiful women can captivate male and females to follow her every wish. To those that are vain they fall right into her trap. They see only her physical beauty instead of her true self.
This movie was my first insight on Imelda. I have seen her in pictures and in movie clips but never on a biography on Imelda. My first thought was that she was very pretty in her younger days. I also thought that she sang very well. But when she opened her mouth and spoke she was smart but conceded. She was too into herself and seemed to only know how to look good.
The one thing that stuck out in my mind was of the Center that she wanted constructed but was never fully built. This center was being built day and night 24 hours a day, Imelda wanted the project to be done fast. The problem was that everything was rushed, when things are rushed problems arise and sure enough a big accident happened. Men were buried alive by accident and left to die because Imelda wanted the project to be done. Instead of helping the men she instructed the workers to keep working. After this incident no one wanted to occupy the center. They believed the men’s spirit would haunt those occupying the Center.
I thought that this movie was good; I got to see what Imelda really was like. I got to see her excessiveness especially with her shoes. I never believed it till I actually seen a clip of her collection. Although many other Filipinos worship her till this day this film showed who Imelda and the Marcos’ really are.

James Funtanilla

American Adobo

American Adobo
This movie was about the struggles and tribulations of a group of immigrant Filipino Americans who find themself longing to maintain their Filipinoness while trying to belong and become accepted into American society. Each character has very distinct and different views on lifestyle and life in general. However their one common thing is that they enjoy gathering together to have a Filipino meal every so often. This ritual of having dinner together is the only thing that connects them all with being Filipino and the Philippines. Although their lifestyles and perspectives differ they treat each other like family.
One of the men in this film is a struggling writer for a newspaper. Although his life might seem perfect it really isn’t. He has a family, a spoiled daughter, a son, and a very materialistic wife who exemplifies being colonized by the U.S. Because the wife has struck it big and has lots of money she doesn’t do anything but play cards. She doesn’t help with raising the kids and relies on the nanny to raise her own children while her husband is at work. IN the film this man decides to leave his family and pursue his dream in the Philippines, he soon realizes it is not the life for him and heads back to the U.S.
The second man is a playboy. He drives fast cars and chases beautiful women. Life is good for him until one of his one night stands writes him a letter saying that she is HIV positive. At this point his lifestyle and attitudes change. He is forced to get tested and reevaluates the way he lives and the kind of women he chases. In the end he changes for the better.
The third man is very successful in the U.S. Everything for him seems perfect, except his mother wants him to get married and have children. But he is gay. In the U.S. he is able to live his life without shame but with his Filipino friends and his mother he is forced to hide his true self. Not until his partner is near death because of AIDS he reveals not only to his friends but also his mother that he is gay. In the end he is able to show his true self knowing that people will or will not forgive him.
The first woman is also a very successful and powerful woman but she allows men to control her. She is used by her boyfriend and finally with the urging of others leaves him for good. Although she is powerful and strong in the business world, she settles for less when it comes to her love life. She sticks with the same man because she is not strong and believes she is vulnerable when in fact she is a strong woman.
The second woman seems like a saint/ nun. She is extremely religious and is the envy of the first woman because she can cook well, and is good at house making. (a virtue sought after by men) although she has all the virtues and potential of becoming a great wife she cannot seem does not seem to attract any men. For one she is still a virgin and two she isn’t at all very good looking. “She has what it takes but nothing to back it up.” Kind of like, “all the money in the world but no one to spend it on”.
This movie seems to good to be true, and it doesn’ represent any Filipino I know, for one we all aren’t Tagalog. Number two not everyone that comes from the Philippines have good jobs, they are usually low paying, and physically demanding jobs. This movie also seems to have some sort of dramatic turning point for each member of the group and it changes their life for good. In any society, not only Filipino society, we don’t have fairy tale endings.
If I were to make my own version/ ending of American Adobo the fist man would eventually marry the first woman. The second man would still be a playboy and maybe have HIV or do drugs. The third man would be unwanted by his mother and also would have contracted HIV from his boyfriend. Last but not least the second woman would still be an old hag.

James Funtanilla

Santa Santita

Santa Santita
This movie is about a young girl, Malen, who takes her mother’s spot as a prayer woman. Malen begins the story as a troubled young woman who refuses to live the lifestyle that her mother wishes of her. While trying to sell her products, Malen meets a young man, a taxi driver, who she eventually runs away with. This young man also has issues from his past that he must deal with, but unlike Malen he is unable to run away from it. Malen is forced back home when she hears of her mother’s death, she is also forced to continue her mother’s work at the ………Church. At this church is a priest who is reassigned to the same church that Malen begins working at. The priest is reassigned to this specific church because he is a recovering alcoholic. The job that Malen's mother had was as a prayer woman, in this occupation people with problems would seek out individuals to pray for them, and hopefully ease their problems. After Malen’s mother dies, she resumes her mother’s job, at first many of the other women look down on her, because of her past. But as faith would have it, Malen is blessed with the touch of God’s Grace. She is able to heal everyone that she prays for. With the success that Malen is greeted with, she faces very big struggles with her bf/ ex-bf, the taxi driver. He reveals to her that he has a son that is very ill, although he is aware of Malen’s abilities to heal; he refuses for his son to be healed by her. Not until his son actually dies that he asks for Malen’s help, but it was too late. Malen’s gift is for healing, not bringing people back to life. Everyone is intertwined in the story because of their belief or non-belief in God. Malen believes in God’s work, while the priest although a servant of God, he is unable to control himself, and lastly the taxi driver who has lost faith in everything especially with the death of his son. In the end each individual miraculously reclaims God as their savior.
From my perspective the movie deals with life and death, the circle of life, and how everything will lead you to peace within. When I mention life and death I refer to the act of becoming re-born. Literally and figuratively, in this story you see the daughter of a prayer woman who becomes like her mother, not by choice but by chance. It was just by chance that Malen is the individual who was born of her mother. You cannot choose who and what your children will become but only guide them to be successful. The circle of life comes into play when, only after the mother has passed away does Malen realize the wrongs of her past. Also it is not until the death of the taxi driver’s son that he must face reality and get on with his life. The priest is reborn just like Jesus, when he realized and reemerged from his alcoholic past and into his bright future as the priest he is today. Without peace from within, each individual would have to battle their fears and demons of their past to overcome the odds. Each was able to become enlightened with the spirit of God, and not until then did they truly realize their potentials.
Personally I don’t think that paying someone to pray for your benefits would work, such as getting a job. You can’t pray for a job unless you work or try hard to get that job. In class, one of our classmates Vien made the comment that in her religion you cannot pray for something to happen but instead you, the individual must make it happen. I believe this is true, what you put into it is what you will get. However, I believe in praying for ones safety and asking for protection or a speedy recovery for those who are sick or injured. I’d love to believe that all you would need to do is pray for what you want and you will get it, but I know that this is all wishful thinking. Shit happens and you must deal with it, you can pray for help in dealing with your problems but you cannot pray to God that he/ she takes the problem away for you.
I thought that the movie was average, and very idealistic. This movie probably gives hope to those who are in need of guidance or reassurance. I think this movie is idealistic because everyone is saved by God or somehow touched by God that they lose all their faults. In real-life not everyone becomes saints. In some instances the movie tries to portray this by allowing Malen’s mother to die, the taxi driver’s son to die, and the priest to be an alcoholic. But in real-life once an alcoholic always and alcoholic, also Malen would probably still be in denial, and the taxi driver probably would be a man-whore or a pimp preying on innocent women. Possibly I could be looking at this whole movie from a pessimistic standpoint but as of right now I truly believe that shit happens and with that you must deal with it and try to make the most out of your shitty situation, or else fail and live life in despair.

James Funtanilla

Dekada 70

Dekada 70
This movie is about a family, whose lives are changed by the declaration of martial law in the Philippines during the 1970’s. Martial law was declared by then president Ferdinand Marcos. The family consisted of five boys a mother and father, they are from an upper middle class neighborhood. The five boys are openly raised by their father, that males are superior to women. In this sense the mother is continuously being put down or degraded by the father, at one point in the movie the mother shows an interest in obtaining a job, not because they are struggling but because she wants to feel that her life is useful. All throughout the movie/ decade 1970 there are turning points in each of their lives. One of the five boys joins the U.S. military, while another son joins in with the protestors of martial law. It is not until one of the younger of the five brothers is killed that things begin to take shape. Each son, although raised to believe that they are superior to women, help shape and give hope to their mother for becoming an individual and working for what she desires. The family must also face being conspirers to overthrowing the government or help their brother with his cause against the Marcos Regime. The term “family” and what it stands for give us hope for something to strive for and emulate as individuals of our own personal families.
To me the main point of this movie was the importance of family and striving for something that you believe in. I find that in nearly every culture family is the basis of livelihood. Without family a society or culture cannot survive. In our day and age, family is something that people seem to so easily dismiss. They lose sight of what kind of importance they hold in shaping who we become as individuals. In the movie the family is raised as a tight knit group that seems to overcome obstacles together. With the loss of one brother they all seem to help cope with the situation. There was a point in the movie that the family had to hide one of the son and his comrade because they were hiding from government officials who were after them. At this time the son that they were trying to hide was already a high ranking official in the regime against Marcos. The family was faced with the dilemma of keeping their son safe from the government or turn him in, they chose to keep his location secret knowing well that they too could be imprisoned or killed. In this scene I think they really showed what family and unconditional love is about. No matter the situation of any family member, they still cared about each other and helped out.
What I also found in the movie was the representation of the one brother who was a soldier for the U.S. while another brother was a leader/ soldier in the guerilla group against Marcos. To me they both represented the U.S. and the Philippines. The father and mother represented the two sides of the Philippines, the father was the dictator, Marcos while the mother represented, the people/ community. At this time the U.S. and the Philippines had a mutual relationship as did the brothers. However, they were both still brothers and that bond couldn’t separate them apart. The two in their respective occupation may have represented many Filipino servicemen and Filipino activist still in the Philippines. In refrence to the father as the dictator, he ruled the family and didn’t allow the mother to do what she wanted to pursue. He held her down and didn’t allow her to expand. The mother was against all this and wanted a way out, she wanted her freedom just like the people of the Philippines. She was taught by her sons that you could achieve anything that you wanted to, you just had to fight for what you want. In the end I think she was able to achieve her goal by breaking away from her husband, the dictator and live her dream.
I thought that this move was good, although I didn’t live in that era I think I got a good picture of what it was like. The movie seemed to reflect the decriptions from readings in class about this time period. Unlike the many movies we watched about suppression of the peasant class, the movie portrayed the upper middle classed community and how they were also harassed and mistreated during the Martial Law era in the Philippines. This showed us the effects on people and their livelihood even if they had money. I think they should have done a follow-up film like Dekada 80 to let us know what it was like. But if they did do a Dekada 80 they should keep with the same family so we know where they wind up and what the future holds for them. For me this movie has got to be one of the better quality films, all around great. The editing, graphics, acting were good. Everything in the film was good, something that lacks in Philippine film. Either the film is aesthetically good with a sub-par theme or great theme but sub-par aesthetic quality. In all I recommend this film to others who need a look into what martial law in the Philippines was like. We read it but we don’t see it, this movie would really make a good impression on the younger generation Filipinos such as myself who look for quality films.

James Funtanilla