‘’Collateral Damage”

-DLS Pineda

1.Collateral Damage is a short fictional story that was authored by DLS

Pineda .Collateral Damage was a story where a man is telling a story about his life and
in the life in Binangonan ,Rizal ,the where he grew up. He came from a poor family and
a place where trading and using of illegal drugs are evident everywhere. It was a happy
moment for him when he left that place for him to study in college and even feel more
relieved when he finally became an engineer. On the other way around, the people
where he grew up with were involved in Drug War where many are pushers and users
of it including those who work at the government and even his father. But then is more
darker issue on it because from time to time those who are involved in the Drug War
and even the innocents are being killed one by one just like what happened to his friend
Jan .
2.The story’s tone is about fear because the “Drug on War” has taken the lives of the
people he grew up with. He even assumed that there is an instance that his father and
eventually him will be also be a target to be killed since his father is a drug user.
5.The theme of the story is to reflect the societal issues like poverty, killing ,and “War on
Drugs” in a fictional story that is also happening in the reality.
4..Foreshadowing was used in the story since he stated hint the beginning of the story
on what will happen later in the story. In his first line he stated “The slums are
calling me back. Looban — it’s no different from a prison.” While in his last lines he
stated “For so long, I’ve wanted a way out of the place I grew up in… and I made it out.
But now it’s calling me back”. Those lines have a similar meaning.
5.The social issues that is reflected in the story is about poverty, injustice killing ,and the
trading and pushing of drugs. Poverty was presented in the story since it was stated that
the main character lives in a slum and untidy environment. And also poverty is also one
of the reason why people are forced to trade and even use illegal drugs. Unfortunately,
because of the “War on Drugs” injustice killing have also arose.
6. The story had reflected urban area when the main character describes how he
commuted by using a jeepney ,train and a pedicab. It has also shown that problems in
illegal drugs are also evident in the urban areas. The social values that was reflected in
the story was a close family ties and respect in elders. It was shown when the main
character told that his father was a great man and that he owed him everything even
though his father is a drug user.
7.In my personal point of view, the societal issues that are reflected in the story are
definitely happening in the reality . Poverty can be widely seen in the Philippines .
Because of poverty people are forced to trade and even use a drug so that they could
have more energy and alertness when they are working, I personally heard from the
police officers before when I attended a seminar that it is definitely happening .