I.

TITLE: MISS PHATUPATZ

AUTHOR: JUAN CRISOSTOMO SOTO

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Juan Crisóstomo Caballa Soto (27 January 1867 – 12 July 1918) was a poet, dramatist,
journalist and newspaperman. He was also known as Crissot, the “Father of Pampango
Literature.” Soto was born in Santa Inés, Bacolor, Pampanga to Santiago Soto and
Marciana Caballa. His father was from a middle-class family and owned rice fields while
his mother was a seamstress. He had two younger siblings. His father worked as a clerk in
the town tribunal and eventually became Bacolor’s alguacil mayor (head peace officer). At
first, Soto was taught by private teachers Cirilo Hernández and a certain Ciano Sampaña.
Later on, he enrolled in the school of Agapito Layog. At the age of 14, however, he was
sent to San Fernando to attend the school of Vicente Quirino. After graduating, Soto
enrolled in the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and studied philosophy, Latin and theology.
However, his passion for poetry and theatrical plays prohibited him from finishing with a
degree. He went back to Bacolor before the school year was over and wrote a Pampango
version of the Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. His version was entitled “Ing
Pamaquisawa ning Mete” (“The Marriage of the Dead”). Soto’s first attempt in producing
a play failed. Yet, he did not go back to college as he fell in love with the girl who played
Juliet in his play. His father did not approve of the relationship and instead he was wed to
Julia Almaida in 1891. His next works were all Pampango adaptations from Spanish plays,
namely: Ing Marino, Ding Mipalsinta Teruel, Fausto and I Neron Ampon Ding
Gladiadores. Soto was obliged to work as a clerk and later on, as assistant warden of the
provincial prison to make ends meet. He was promoted warden after the former warden
had been killed when the prisoners revolted. He held this position until the first months of
the Revolution in 1896. It was Francisco Makabulos that introduced Soto to the Katipunan.
Once in the organization, the poet worked with Maximino Hizón in building the
organization’s chapter in Pampanga. Later on, he enlisted himself as a volunteer in the
Spanish government’s forces to be able to score arms and ammunitions for the
revolutionary movement. When the Spanish government learned about his secret mission
and his safety was compromised, he left his chapter and joined the Katipunero force
organized by Tomas Mascardo. Soto was active during the second stage of the Revolution
and was shot twice in action, first in Porac then in Floridablanca. He was promoted to
captain for his heroic work. Meanwhile, he contributed his writing skills to the
revolutionary paper La Independencia when the said periodical was set up in San Fernando.
He joined the guerilla forces at the time the Americans finally took over Pampanga but he
was captured by American soldiers while visiting some relatives in Bacolor and was
imprisoned in a convent in Guagua. It was during his imprisonment that he wrote Sigalut.
After being released from prison, Soto continued to write plays while also writing for the
periodicals El Liberal and La Publicidad. The playwright helped Luther Parker in writing
An English-Spanish-Pampango Dictionary together with Modesto Joaquin. In 1906, he
edited the Pampango publication Ing Imangabiran, where his only novel, Lidia, appeared
serially. The said serial was published in book form but all of its copies were burned. The
wealthy woman who bought all of the copies was believed to be the same woman being
referred to in the novel. After Ing Imangabiran’s publication ended, he found himself
editing the paper Ing Balen. Later on, he became editor of Ing Alipatpat, the publication he
founded together with Pascual Gozún and Félix Galura. The paper’s first issue appeared
on 3 November 1917. It was in this publication that his Pampango translation of José
Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere appeared. However, the playwright died a year later, so the paper
ceased publishing, leaving the translated work unfinished. Soto used the pen names Crissot,
Rubí, Natis Balén, Lacan Batbat, Vitaliano in his verses and Julio Septiembre in his
articles. Most of Soto’s works have remained unpublished and most of those that were
preserved were written during the American period. Ing Pamaquisana ning Mete Ing
Marino Ding Mipalsinta Teruel Fausto I Neron ampon ding Gladiadores Sigalut Balayan
at Sinta Delia Ing Tulisan Alaya Rizal qng Capilla Ing Panim nang D. Roque Metum azerla
qng Burac Julio Agoo Cabucas ing Culungan ding Mamulang Ing Paniurang Sitang
Aduang Uma Putu at Panara Cacutud a Buac Ding Amazonas No. 10,000 Pelas, Zafiro,
Rubi Alang Matatag qng Mayuyut Ing Apu ning Maclac Ing Culasisi nang Gari Ding
Atlung P.P.P. Ing Sultana Alang Dios Angelita Azucena Ing Mestiza Ing Violetang Lili
Ing Loro ning Gobernadora Ing Dalaga Ing Colegiala Fe, Esperanza, Caridad Ding Atlung
Pagas Inmorteli Qng Labi na ning Talaga Puti’t Pula Ing Sundang ning Maluca Kiki-riki
 Ing Pitaca nang D. Blas Ing Singsing a Bacal Ing Anac ning Katipunan D. Pascual Conting
Terac Ing Caviteña Nanutang Male Cu Ing Chateau Margaux Lidia – a novel Mimilagro
tin angina unay a Ladawan ni Ntra. Sra. De Lourdes – religious writing Soto married twice.
By his first wife Julia Amaida, who died in 1903, he had six children. He remarried on 24
January 1910, this time to Rosario Palma, with whom he had four children. Soto’s maternal
grandfather, Sixto Caballa, was also a local poet who participated in poetical debates
known as karagatan. The debate is now called Crissotan in Soto's honor.

SYNPOSIS/SUMMARY:
Yeyeng was came from rural areas and poor that he sells bread, Yeyeng was full of make
ups on her face.Yeyeng met an American who always bought her kakanin but because
yeyeng doesn’t understand English language and she speaks kapampamngan they don’t
understand each other. The American teacher was encouraged yeyeng to study English.
After learning for 8 months yeyeng was already good in English speaking. She never speak
Kapampangan anymore because she had really forgotten that’s she said it’s tough on the
tongue. For this reason he classified as Miss Phathupats, due to the size of her waist and
squeezed like kakanin on leaf more consistently ridiculed her as well as she’s putting
lipstick on her face just to fit his actions. One day, there is an occasion in Country X, which
was attended by Miss Phathupats and there it whispered in public that she was not
intelligent to speak in kapampangan anymore. Eventually everyone’s laughed at her and
because she was so upset she spoke bad words in Kapampangan. And everone knew that
she was really one of the Kapampangan and those who heard laughed so hard. Miss
Phathupats cried and and when she wiped her face, her natural color revealed caused more
laughter of those who had seen him.

II. CHARACTERS:
 Yeyeng / Miss Phatupats
 Daughter of Aling Atang
 Kapampangan
 sell cooked food to earn
 pretends she has forgotten to speak her native tongue, Pampang

 American Soldier
 encourage Yeyeng to study how to speak English

III. SETTING:
 Pampanga
 IV. AUTHORS POINT OF VIEW
1st Person Point of View

V. SYMBOLS
 “Patupat” – tightly wrapped in banana leaf
VI. THEME:
 "Ang karunungan ay hindi para sa mga kalalakihan lamang."
 "Kahanga hanga ang matapang ba babae."
VII. CONFLICT

Man vs. Society

VIII. PLOT:
Exposition:
The face of a young woman named Miss Yeyeng is full of lipstick and make-up. They say
his parents were born in the remote part of Pampanga, in its smallest town. Thus, Miss
Yeyeng is a Filipina from head to toe, and even the extremity of her hair, she is a
Kapampangan.Because of poverty, they sell cooked food to earn a living. Miss Yeyeng
could be seen with a load in her head some “ginataan” or “bitso-bitso” or donut in the
gambling dens. She turned into a young lady with no chance to change her life’s condition.
Rising Action:
Miss Yeyeng, happened to have a regular costumer who is a soldier. She was enticed by
the soldier to attend his class so that they would be able to communicate better. In their
conversation, the soldier speaks English while Miss Yeyeng speaks Kapampangan, so she
was forced to study.
Climax:
The face of a young woman named Miss Yeyeng is full of lipstick and make-up. They say
his parents were born in the remote part of Pampanga, in its smallest town. Thus, Miss
Yeyeng is a Filipina from head to toe, and even the extremity of her hair, she is a
Kapampangan.
Because of poverty, they sell cooked food to earn a living. Miss Yeyeng could be seen with
a load in her head some “ginataan” or “bitso-bitso” or donut in the gambling dens. She
turned into a young lady with no chance to change her life’s condition.

Denouement:
In a festival or entertainment program in town , wherein Miss Phathupats attended,she
came close to the reader of the newspaper, but when she saw that it is written in
Kapampangan, she pouted slightly, and said, "I do not understand Kapampangan.”
"In fact, I really find difficulty to speak in Kapampangan especially when I read it." With
these few words she uttered came all different vulgar words from English, Spanish.
Tagalog that she mixed without meaning. Those who heard her had not prevented
themselves: they laughed out loud.
Moral Lesson: Don’t forget where you came from.