TITLE:

Chosen Movie: DEKADA ‘70

OUTLINE
~THRU READING
INTRODUCTION:
THESIS STATEMENT: Martial law should not be brought back here in the Philippines
because it only makes the Filipino people to suffer.
Info about the movie:
Dekada 70 is a story about a middle-class family that experienced a chaotic life
during the Martial Law Period in the history of the Philippines.

The book was written in the Filipino language to easily spread the knowledge of the
story to other Filipino citizens which focuses on how one family within the Martial Law
Period deal with their problems and struggles.

Dekada 70 introduces the new generations of Filipino readers to a story and a

family of a particular time in Philippine history

Beside the story of the family, the book also focuses on how the government in this
period of the history rules the Philippines by dominance which causes some Filipinos to
revolt against their way of governing such that the administration has discriminated the
rights of the Filipinos.

The freedom of speech and expressing one’s advocate was suppressed within this
period.

the novel is centered on the perspective of the main female protagonist character,
Amanda Bartolome, who is a wife and mother of five boys]

A little glimpse of the movie:

Ferdinand Marcos, on his first term seems like a promising President. Even so, the
father of the Bartolome family, Julian (Christopher De Leon) was very happy on how the
government flows that he put his money on Marcos for a second time. But in 1972, a re-
elected Marcos declared martial law on television. On this moment of the film, as the
Bartolome family glued their eyes in front of their television set on the broadcasted
announcement, is where the story really starts. That jolly family we saw minutes ago is
no more. 
BODY: (3 scenes)
BIOGRAPHICAL:
*author’s life and their work
The novel was written by Lualhati Bautista, a woman who first-handedly witnessed the
situation during martial law.
Lualhati Bautista’s firsthand experience of the horrors of Martial Law could also
be attributed to the success of this classic because readers get a clear
background on the said event. In other words, Martial Law is told by a mother
who endured the hardship that comes with the said happening while fulfilling her
responsibility in her family. Aside from that, Bautista also considered the
standpoints of the other people involved: protesters, soldiers, and the youth.

Through her style, readers were able to relate themselves to the situation of the
characters.

The author of the book, Lualhati Bautista, was born in Tondo, Manila on December 2,
1945, to parents Esteban Bautista and Gloria Torres. She took up Journalism in the
Lyceum of the Philippines, and eventually stopped schooling because all she wanted to
do was write. She started writing while she was still 16 years old and was mainly
influenced by her parents who were into composing and poem-writing.
*critical analysis in every character

Even the children starts to unfold between our eyes: Jules (Piolo Pascual) became a
high-ranking official in a resistance movement; Emmanuel (Marvin Agustin), because of
his love for literature, starts to write revolutionary pieces in a time where such content is
banned for good; Gani (Carlos Agassi) wants out of the Philippines to work as a soldier
in U.S.; Jason (Danilo Barrios) hits puberty and would normally go home after midnight
because of his girlfriend and presumed drug influence; and Bingo (John Wayne Sace) is
the sole child that doesn’t do much, instead plays as the spectator of his brothers as
they are slowly molding into completely different ones. These different ambitions for
different freedoms played as the moral center of the film. 
Amanda Bartolome
A wife to Julian and a mother to five sons; Jules, Gani, Em, Jason, and Bingo; she is a
woman whose life revolves around her family.
a typical type of wife who is dependent to the decisions of his husband even
though she has her plans in her life too. It shows how a mother becomes torn
between the letter of the law and her responsibilities as a mother. Amanda is also
a mother of five boys. Jules, her eldest son is a part of an organization that
advocates democracy and because of that, his family experienced a horror like
story. a persistent mother that even if the struggles in her family was beginning
to reach its peak point, she continued to be a caring mother to her sons.

Julian Bartolome, Sr.

Julian is the loving husband of Amanda and a kind father and a role model to his sons.

Julian Bartolome, Jr.

The other Julian in their family, who is also known as Jules, is the eldest son of Amanda
and Julian. As someone who has a strong resolve, courage, and undying love for his
country, he gave his life in protesting and fighting for the freedom of his nation.
Isagani Bartolome
Isagani, or Gani as they call him, is the second child of Amanda and Julian. At a young
age, he got married and had his own family. He then left the country to serve the US
Navy.

Emmanuel Bartolome
The third son, Emmanuel or simply Em, is the only writer in their family. He follows his
eldest brother’s footsteps; only he uses his intelligence and pen to voice out his protest
in the situation of the society.

Jason Bartolome
Jason, the fourth of the five sons of Amanda and Julian, is negligent to his studies and
seems to have no plans for the future. Being the favorite son of Julian, his tragic death
brought immense misery to their family.

Benjamin Bartolome
Benjamin, also known as Bingo, is the youngest of the five Bartolome siblings. At his
young age, he observed and saw the situation of the society and the events concerning
their family
The Philippine society was involved in the story because Jules was fighting for the rights
of the Filipino citizens under the administration of President Marcos. Jules and some of
his companions were punished because of their rebellious act towards the government.
In the administration freedom of the press was severely limited and opponents of
Marcos were detained.

Common family issues as well as the undying societal issue of feminism and
masculinism was portrayed in the movie. Amanda was portrayed as a typical
mother; loving, caring, and a wife who is under her husband’s rule. She wanted to
work in the “advertising”. She wanted to work not merely for money but for the
sense of being the feeling of “may silbi”. As what she has narrated in the first
part of the movie, she believes that a woman, mother or a wife’s role must not
just end in raising her children but must also go out of her home and do what she
must do for the society and contribute for a change in her country. Masculinism
was depicted by the father, Julian wherein he strongly opposed to the thought of
his wife working. According to him, “Hindi ka mag-tatrabaho hangga’t ako ang
lalaki sa ating dalawa” (referring to Amanda, his wife). Having five sons, Julian
believes that Amanda should just stay at home, do her duties and responsibilities
as a mother and he will be the one who will provide the needs of the family, even
the luxuries that his wife wants. Usually, this is the setting for a Filipino family;
the wife stays at home and the father working and being the provider for the
family. Julian also exerted how men is superior in this world as he said,
“Hangga’t sa maawa kaming isali kayo sa ligaya’t luwalhati ng mundong ibabaw.
Wala kayong magagawa, iyan ang batas, it’s a man’s world.”

*cultural
There were patriarchal themes scattered across the novel, mainly in the first half- where
Amanda Bartolome and her familial life is introduced. There was an incessant mention
from her husband Julian that, “it’s a man’s world honey”, as if women have no right nor
claim to the living world. The men- sons and husband- surrounding the heroine’s life
constantly reminded her of her “place” in society: a person who makes meals, rears
children, takes her husband’s word without complaint, and fixes every domestic problem
that comes their way. Amanda readily believes their statements- she believes herself to
be only a woman- that the only right a women has to the world is motherhood. It would
be blasphemous to feminists to have this heroine accept and have pride with all her
heart that the female race is only empowered through childbirth.
Furthermore, it would happen that Amanda and other women in the novel support the
idea that motherhood is a woman’s only right- during the parts where Amanda has to
fully shoulder the responsibility of disciplining their children- whether it be to prevent
them from running over rose gardens with their bikes or to prevent them from joining the
NPA. Julian would not talk to his children unless Amanda’s fiery conviction to her
children leaks out- and even then he gives up to his children’s whims’; I don’t know if it
actually was due to his inferiority complex as Amanda observes or it’s a by-product of
the thought “boys will be boys”.
I could go on about the sexual injustices I have observed in the novel: males taking their
lovers for granted, husbands commanding woman to conform to their whims and ideals,
women having no right to education, women viewed as tenants of the kitchen but never
the labor force, and many more. But I end here, as I believe that like Lualhati’s
approach to domestic injustice, this exposition would suffice.
*economic
*political
Martial Law in Marcos’ era was truly a devastating and a catastrophic event, and
the last thing that most would expect is to look at it from a perspective that
forgives.

The striking image of a kite waving through the air was prominently shown a few times
in the movie. It denotes Filipinos who tried many ways just to go upper to reach their
own independence. A kite made out of a propaganda newspaper was even shown flying
in one scene. 
LINGUISTIC:

CONCLUSION:
Dekada 70 by Lualhati Bautista is truly a worthwhile read and the reviewers would
readily recommend this novel to anyone who would like to study Philippine
history, specifically during the Marcos era.

OTHER INFORMATION:
The book was originally by Carmelo & Bauermann Print Corp in 1983, two years after
Martial Law was lifted in the Philippines. In the same year of publication, the novel won
one of the two grand prize winners for the 1983 Palanca Awards for the novel.
The main theme of the movie is family-drama. It tells about the struggles and survival of
the family during the Marcos’ dictatorship. The movie also shows life of struggles, love
towards family and also love towards the country.

Dekada ‘70’ is a celebration of the facets every Filipino faces in order to reach the
uppermost layer that is freedom. That despite the challenges and obstacles each one of
us faces, we knew in our own selves that there is no point of stopping. Whether that
fight is for our love to our self, family or the whole nation, there is freedom out there
that’s worth reaching. And at the end of the movie, the Bartolome family rallies with the
resistance movement to overthrow Ferdinand Marcos out of his presidential position
which although never shown, they succeeded. But the question now is whether this
new-found independence in them actually prosper? 
Dekada ’70 is a film about the life of a Filipino family during the Martial Law. As one of
the members of the family was involved in an organization fighting for democracy, the
family’s situation is really in a riot. However, the queen of the family kept her composure
beside the entire clamour. I don’t know how she managed the situation given that their
family is composed mainly of boys having the nature to be rebellious and prideful.
Amanda Bartolome, portrayed by Vilma Santos, is a mother of five (5) boys and a
simple housewife. All these years she has been in her house caring for her children and
husband. However, at some point of her life, she felt that she is already losing her
identity. Maybe tired because of her daily routine, she realized that she also want to
develop as a person. I greatly admired her decision to lower down her pride and just go
with the decision of her husband to stay in the house for my mother is also the same as
hers. Being a housewife is the noblest vocation for me. It is the most tiring yet fulfilling
job as my Mom always tells us. However, I think that when the time that I will become a
mother comes, I wouldn’t prefer to stay in the house. Pride is something innate in me. I
think it is very unfair for me if I won’t be able to work. What is the purpose of studying if I
wouldn’t be able to use my acquired knowledge in the near future? Even though we are
living in a society governed by a patriarchal system, it doesn’t mean that women are
weak just like others think. Though Amanda chose to be in the house, it doesn’t mean
that she is weak and fragile. With the situation their family is facing, Amanda showed
her courage by staying firm and strong for her family. She suffered from many
heartbreaks like the rebellion of his son who went away from home to join an
organization who fights the government, the loss of her other son, etc. Despite of all of
these, she remained to be a caring mother for her sonsa

From yt:

~THRU WATCHING

CITATIONS:
Make it in APA format
https://booksinmybaggage.com/dekada-70-lualhati-bautista-students-
corner/#:~:text=Dekada%2070%20is%20a%20story,plans%20in%20her%20life%20too.