I.

Bayan-Bayanan (Letters from Home)

II. Synopsis

The story talks about the hardships and hope of Oversees Filipino Workers in Europe. Their
only recess is the company of each other and the eagerness to come back home in the
Philippines. The characters are Tessie who helplessly falling in love to a foreigner but at the end
his man left her. The house where the OFW’s live are from Manong and Manong. The play also
have side story like the characters of Dino, a scholar and Anna Marie, a fil am born. The main
point of the story is the character of “Pol” , as the ill-fated overseas Filipino worker. Pol left
his family behind in the Philippines but had no luck in finding a job overseas. This was a perfect
reason for him to return to the Philippines. But he did not want his homecoming to be a failure.
So, he died away from home. But the sickly Pol’s death was hastened by the news brought to him
from Manila by his friend, Emilio M. Nicolasin, Jr. (Manong) and wife, Evelyn Masbaum (Manang),
who could no longer locate his family. Missing badly his seven-year-old daughter, but Pol’s death
was anti-climactic to the difficulties of Tessie for not finding the right Italian boyfriend to
marry, a common cultural struggle faced by OFW’s getting to be involved in mixed marriages.

III. Objectives

The main objective of this story is to show the longing and pain of every OFW in every country
that suffers through poverty. It also aim to prove that being an OFW doesn’t require you as
wealthy people but it proves that a Filipino can handle all the pain, the long distance to their
family and the rampage of poverty in our own native land. The last point of this story is to show
how OFW’s comforts each other even they are emotionally weak.

IV. Reaction

The play is amazing, the message is easily divert to our mind. We really understand how OFW
lives in a foreign country without their family. I really admire the acting of every cast because
they justify each role and deliver perfectly the characteristics of each characters. The
message of this play is really easy to understand if we are thoroughly listening to their
hardship. I find it a little bit clip hanger but the ending really satisfies me. I ‘ve learned that
OFW can do all things just to ensure the future of their family, even if their death is the
replacement of their sufferings and longings.
 REACTION PAPER

Submitted by:

Kimberly O. Flor

BSA-1A