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TAYABAS WESTERN ACADEMY

Founded 1928
Recognized by the Government
COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

Candelaria, Quezon
RIZAL 101

Name: GUALBERTO, Roma Panganiban Course: BSED ENGLISH III

Prof.: Sir Marlon V. Bunyi Date: September 12, 2022

Based on the movie, please answer the following guide questions to assess further your

understanding of the film and how it depicted the nineteenth-century Philippines.

1. Describe the 19th century Philippines as reflected in the film.
During the 19th century, the Philippines was portrayed under the Spanish colony
in the film "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon." We can observe that the priests, or
basically
the church, were influential at that time because they had strong ties with the Spanish government

and they were wealthy. The Filipinos were living in terror because of the brutality and cruelty of

the Spaniards, which is why we can see that some of the Filipinos in the movie were living in a
mountainous region to hide themselves. The language being used in the Philippines in the 19th

century is primarily Spanish, and the Tagalog words used in the film are deep and profound;

that’s why it’s hard to understand and comprehend. Back then, they entertain themselves by

going to theaters to see a stage play that featured dramatic performance through singing and
dancing. Trades are made overseas with wooden ships, another old way of trading. Before, there

were no abundant cars, so they used kalesa as transportation or just rode a horse alone.
Convicted individuals were being killed publicly to impose fear on those who wanted to revolt.

Because of being colonized as well as through trading, Filipinos have adapted to the food, some

cultures and customs of different countries. The way of courting someone is through harana, in
which the man goes to the woman’s house and does chores like chopping wood, fetching water,
and singing in front of the maiden’s house. This custom is rare now; most men will just show
their
love through text and messages. Harana is like courting the whole family before you get the

maiden you want for yourself; it’s their way of seeing how persistent you are towards the girl

and what you can do for her when she says “yes”. Furthermore, school is done in churches and
being punished is still allowed back then, which is entirely different now in the 21st century,
where

teachers are not allowed to even pinch their students.

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2. Based on your reading, what can you say about the film’s representation of the nineteenth

century?
“Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?” by Eddie Romero describes the state
of Filipino independence from the Spanish Colonial period to the American Colonial Period.
Although

the film dragged at times, it was able to tackle important but sensitive topics in a very creative,
comedic, and symbolic manner that left little room for boredom; these topics include the
mistreat-
ment of Filipinos by Spaniards, the conflict between the rich and the poor, the ignorance or lack
of
of education of Filipinos in the provinces during those years, and most importantly, the varying

definition of the word “Filipino”. Meaning to say, the film accurately depicted the situation in the

Philippines during the 19th century. It clearly showed the journey of finding “What or Who is a
Filipino?”. It is a picaresque coming-of-age film set of the 19th century. Even though it is also
a comedy film, it is more remarkable due to the fact that it doesn’t avoid depicting the bloody

upheavals of the 19th century. Moreover, the film manages to treat all of its characters,
Spaniards, Americans, and Filipinos alike, with tongue-in-cheek humor as they lurch through the
roles

that history has imposed on them, onerous or not.

3. What is the main question that the film seeks to answer?

The main question and the running theme in the film is the changing

Definition of who actually was a “Filipino”. It asks the age-old question of who and what we are

as a nation, what our national identity is. The term was originally reserved for Spaniards who

were born in the Philippines. However, with the rise of the indigenous middle class and the
subsequent revolution, there arose the imagined notion of a Filipino nation where everyone born

thereirrespective of ethnicity, economic status, or educational attainmentwas worthy of

being a Filipino with all of the rights of citizenship. The central character confronts this question

Every step of the way, and each time he gets an elusive answer. We may not be bothered by the

issue of national identity now, except when problems of regionalism and post-colonial values, the
issues of running the government and ordinary folk’s weaknesses come up. Then, as now, the

matter is a puzzlement. In the movie, Kulas’ mom and his buddy Actor Gil, a Spanish friar,
became a reason for the young man to traverse make foot more in a country with a lost identity.

4. What is your personal understanding of the film?

At first glance, the film appears to be a simple love story about a simple young man
and his beautiful yet ambitious love interest, but the film subtly teaches important lessons along

the way. "Ganito kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon" delves into the complexities of racial and
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cultural
quest foridentity,
knowledge,
resulting
deep respect
in a filmfor
that
each
easily
individual,
portraysand
social
willingness
realism. to
This
fight
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for the
cancountry.
be defined

by critically
These are theanalyzing
attitudeshow
and Kulas
valuesdealt
that should
with allguide
of theour
misadventures
future endeavors
he encountered
because they
throughout
helped
the Filipinos,
us, film. His adaptability
break free from
to the
our
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colonizers
of historical
and prove
Filipino
oursociety
national
is both
worthendearing
as more than
and the

frustrating.
Indios they labeled
Even when
as. the world is cruel to him, he answers and tackles issues and problems

with simplicity and naivety. Despite everything, hope and curiosity never left him. In fact,
despite being endowed with wealth and extensive knowledge of his society, he did nothing with

the assistance of the foreign elite. He was aware of both sides' points of view, but remained

indifferent and apathetic.

The concept of being a Filipino emerged due to ignorance and confusion. Before,
people

were unsure and doubtful of who they were and what they should call themselves. It may be
because of the mentality that the Spaniards forcefully implemented to the Filipinos paired by its
abusive government. Even today, a lot of people are still ignorant on what it really means to be a

Filipino. The film showed the reality that if you asked Filipinos then, they would all have varied
answers, and most of them, even are contradictory with each other. This uncertainness and

doubt led the Filipinos to shape a common national identity. Then, with the dawn of colonialism,

nationalism was born, which then led to the eventual recognition of a Filipino identity. Filipinos
are defined verbally by familial origin, character/beliefs, cause/virtues, and nationalism,
according

to what the characters said. All of these verbal definitions were provided directly by each of the

characters' unique perspectives; however, these are not the only elements provided by the film,

as it all lies within the previously mentioned traits of the characters. What matters most,
however, is what you're fighting for, who you're fighting for, and what you're willing to sacrifice

for your identity and your nation; that is what it means to be Filipino.
Another intriguing concept was how Kulas' level of happiness decreased as he began to learn
more

about the world. Even though he loses his house, horse, and other belongings at the beginning of

the film, you can clearly see his upbeat attitude, but as he began to read books and learn more
about social issues and feuds in the Philippines, his happiness began to fade. Kulas' pagkamang-

mangan or ignorance may have been amusing to us during the film, but laughing at him is no
different than laughing at the province's farmers who had no access to education during the

Spanish and American colonial periods. He may have had some disagreements with others as a

result of his lack of knowledge, but he never gave up. Nothing could ever keep him from learning
more than he already knew. I believe he personifies the Filipino identity, with his never-ending