8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

martiallawmuseum.ph

Reading Martial Law in Children’s

Literature
Send to Kindle

Lessons from Martial Law

Much of the difficulty in teaching Martial Law to younger children comes from a
fear of its political baggage. After all, how does one explain difficult topics such as
the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship in a manner suitable for children without
undermining the importance of knowing that these injustices happened? Without
an awareness for either, what we hope to convey may end up becoming muddled
and altogether lost.

This concern for teaching children about the difficulties of life in an appropriate
manner has formed the crux of children’s literature that deal with sensitive
topics. Yet, despite the difficulty of striking this balance, numerous authors have
written books that explore Martial Law without compromising its grimmer
realities.

In this exhibit, we look at the ways in which three children’s books explore how
Martial Law affected the lives of children. In looking closely at how fiction
depicts Martial Law, we gain a better idea of how authors frame Martial Law for
children and what lessons we can hope to gain from framing Martial Law in these
ways. More importantly, we also hope to understand why works that discuss the
grim realities of history remain important for a readership too young to have
experienced them.

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 1/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

Isang Harding Papel

Publisher: Adarna House | Language: Filipino (Tagalog) | Age Recommendation:
8+ |  available at adarna.com.ph

This book by Augie Rivera looks at the relationship of 7-year-old Jenny with her
mother Chit, an actor incarcerated for staging anti-Marcos street performances.
As a result of her mother’s imprisonment, Jenny grows up separated from her
mother whom she visits only once a week.

Throughout the book, we see how Jenny is affected by her mother’s

imprisonment. On the one hand, Jenny copes by keeping track of all her stories
to share for when she visits her mother on Sundays. She also finds company in
the children of other inmates and most importantly, in her maternal
grandmother Lola Priming. In turn, Chit does her best to comfort Jenny: every
time Jenny visits, Chit gives her a paper flower she made herself.

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 2/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

On the other hand, Chit’s absence cannot be ignored. Inasmuch as Jenny tries to
adapt, she cannot help but feel heartbroken by how her mother misses the
milestones of her life and how her situation earns her the teasing of other
children. Her mother’s absence is made even more pronounced as she
accumulates the paper flowers to the point that they resemble a garden; though
meant to comfort her, the artificial flowers cannot substitute for her mother’s
presence.

The story’s power lies in how it subtly critiques common assumptions about
Martial Law. Martial Law is first introduced through the knowledge of Lola
Priming who says the cleanliness, order, and peace of Martial Law are part of
Marcos’ vision of a progressive New Society. The book even quotes Marcos’
campaign slogan: “Para sa ikauunland ng bayan, disiplina ang kailangan.”

This picture of Martial Law as peace and order, however, is immediately

juxtaposed with Jenny’s family situation. As the book blurb puts it: “Panahon ng
Martial Law, panahon ng pinaiiral na disiplina para daw [sic] sa kaunlaran. Pero
para kay Jenny, panahon iyon ng pagkakalayo nilang mag-ina.” This critique is made
even more pointed when we consider the reason for Chit’s imprisonment.
Though it is told as a joke, Rivera gives a glimpse into the authoritarian nature of
the Marcos presidency when Chit explains that her imprisonment may have
solely been because her street plays angered the President.

In effect, Rivera points our attention to another kind of artificiality in the story:
the idyll of Martial Law. As Chit’s situation reveals, the peace and order of
Martial Law rest on the suppression of democratic principles. Thus, the supposed
peace of Martial Law is merely a facade that masks its darker truths. The picture
book implores us to ask: At what cost is discipline being enforced by the Marcos
regime? Who benefits and who in turn suffers?

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 3/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

Si Jhun-Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas

Militar
Publisher: Adarna House | Language: Filipino (Tagalog) with English translation |
Age Recommendation: 10+ | available at adarna.com.ph

As opposed to Isang Harding Papel, Rivera’s other book on Martial Law Si Jhun-
Jhun, Noong Bago Ideklara ang Batas Militar is more explicit in its approach. The
book introduces Jhun-Jhun, a young boy frustrated by the sudden change in his
older brother Jaime’s behavior. Determined to find out why Jhun-Jhun follows
his brother to work but in the process, suddenly finds himself in the middle of a
violent clash between anti-Marcos protesters and Metrocom agents during the
First Quarter Storm.

Rivera’s narration and Vallesteros’ illustrations do not shy away from depicting
the political and violent clash between protesters and Metrocom agents.
Protesters are drawn holding up signs that read “FM ‘BUSOG’ SA PERA NG
https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 4/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

BAYAN,” and make direct references to the US involvement in the Marcos

dictatorship; meanwhile, Rivera describes how the Metrocom agents use guns
and smoke bombs to disperse the rally.

Beyond its depiction of violence and protest, however, the book is also radical
because it touches on another reality children had to face during Martial Law: the
forced disappearances of family members. Jaime is one of the many protesters
seized after the rally, and his forced disappearance deeply scars Jhun-Jhun. The
family’s failed attempts to locate Jaime only dishearten Jhun-Jhun to the point
that he blames himself for his brother’s disappearance.

What is significant about Rivera’s approach here is its exploration of how the
Marcos dictatorship affected Filipinos on both a macro and micro level. There
are the protesting workers who undoubtedly feel the effects of Marcos’
corruption in the economic sphere, but there is also Jhun-Jhun who must deal
with his strained relationship with Jaime and later with Jaime’s forced
disappearance—all in part because of the Marcos dictatorship. This kind of
approach leads us to an understanding that Martial Law was more than just a
series of events that happened in the past, but rather a tumultuous experience
that continues to affect the everyday lives of many families even today.

Jhun-Jhun’s experience, however, does not stop at trauma. Over time, he learns
to deal with his brother’s loss, and it soon becomes a kind of political awakening.
At the end of the book, Jhun-Jhun follows in his brother’s footsteps and joins in
protesting the Marcos dictatorship. Though Rivera pushes the idea to the
extreme in having Jhun-Jhun protest, this highlights yet another aspect of
children’s literature on Martial Law: its emphasis on the relationship between
children and politics. Rivera demonstrates that children are very much a part of
those affected by political events, and that, though they do not necessarily need
to take to the streets to do so, children have something to contribute to the
ongoing fight for what is right.

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 5/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

Salingkit: a 1986 Diary

Publisher: Anvil Publishing | Language: English | available as an ebook in multiple
platforms

Cyan Abad-Jugo’s Salingkit: a 1986 Diary stands out as one of the few young adult
novels that deals with Martial Law. However, unlike the previous books, Abad-
Jugo’s novel takes place in the year 1986, the year of the EDSA Revolution and the
Philippines’ transition from a dictatorship to a democracy.

The novel is centered on 14-year-old Kitty Eugenio, who is left in the care of her
extended family as her mother seeks a job in America. As a result, Kitty must
negotiate with the sudden changes in her life vis-à-vis the changing times.
Inasmuch as Kitty wishes to remain in her bubble of New Wave music
appreciation, her encounters with her extended family and peers lead to her to
come face-to-face with the country’s changing political landscape.

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 6/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

For most of the novel, Kitty is a passive observer of the country’s changes.
Though Kitty is anti-Marcos in political stance, this sentiment stems mostly from
the influence of her family—especially of her older cousin Alan; beyond that,
however, Kitty shows little concern for the country’s political situation. It isn’t
until she becomes involved with Bensy Salcedo, the son of a Marcos crony, that
she begins to interrogate her assumptions about politics, such as the popularized
Marcos-Cory dichotomy and more importantly her political beliefs independent
of others.

In many ways, Kitty’s journey into adolescence is meant to mirror the turmoil the
country experienced in the months following the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.
Like the many who experienced the transition to democracy, Kitty is forced to
make sense of a fractured political landscape: from the resistance of the Marcos
loyalists to the shortcomings of the Aquino administration brought about by
infighting and its failure to resolve issues from Martial Law. In the process, Kitty
comes to understand that one cannot comprehend the political situation as
merely black-or-white. At the same time, Kitty also learns that in times like this
one cannot remain apolitical in a post-EDSA democracy rife with conflict:

Kuya Alan always seems to have a cause to

believe in. I wonder if maybe I should have
joined [the Animal Welfare League] even if
Dominique and Wanda joined too. I hate to
say this, but maybe even the [Marcos]
Loyalists have some cause they believe in. . . .
So what do I believe in?
Kitty’s adjustment to the post-EDSA life is further complicated by the glaring
absence of her father who disappeared two years before EDSA. In various diary
https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 7/8
8/17/2020 Mercury Reader

entries, Kitty writes about her fear that, in the wake of Martial Law’s end, many
of those who fought the dictatorship—her family included—have already begun
to move on and forget those who disappeared. And her reluctance to share these
points to her belief that such concerns remain marginal to the larger picture of
the country’s return to democracy.

This emotional struggle plays into the novel’s much larger theme of examining
the post-EDSA democracy. While there was cause to celebrate the EDSA
Revolution, many of its promises remained unfulfilled in the years that followed;
those who abused their power have yet to pay for their crimes, while those who
suffered have yet to receive reparation. Kitty’s own situation captures how there
is still much to tread in healing the wounds left behind by Martial Law—even
until today.

Cover illustration by Charmaine Regina Yu

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/reading-martial-law-in-childrens-literature/ 8/8