Reaction Paper

Social issues can be portrayed through symbolisms. For instance, the 8-minute short film

“Taya” directed by Adi Bontuyan and Francis Bettejar. The film won the Cinemalaya 2013

Special Jury Prize Award. The film is about a 12-year old boy, Junjun, who has just moved to a

new residence, where he is introduced to traditional Filipino games by his new friends. A variety

of traditional Filipino games were compared to issues in our society today such as Bangsak,

Bente Uno, Mataya-tay, Target, Ice Water, Langit Lupa, Patintero, Agawan Base, and Tagu-

taguan. The film was made in 2013, yet the issues in it are still evident today due to some

elements in our society which will be further discussed.

The comparison of traditional Filipino games to social issues is very intriguing to the

audience. I found it interesting because this is a unique take on the portrayal of issues. The fact

these issues are still evident today is frightening, because years have passed yet they still occur,

worst case is they might’ve become more prevalent. Issues like with “Bangsak” which were

compared to instances where the police chase criminals and force is applied. The name of the

game came from the words “bang” which pertains to the sound of a gunshot and “saksak” which

means to stab. Though this film was made in 2013, it is alarming that the portrayed happening in

“Bangsak” is becoming more common nowadays because of the current government’s campaign

against illegal drugs. Some are being wrongly accused of possessing or using illegal drugs and

are killed, sometimes without sufficient evidence. Isn’t there still a chance for them to change? I

think there might some other ways to dispose of the root of the problem. This is just plainly

wrong without enough evidence an individual shouldn’t be killed, yet in this scenario, justice to

This study source was downloaded by 100000861964308 from CourseHero.com on 02-16-2023 07:40:41 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/61242781/Tayadocx/
 the family of the victim can’t be done because the police are being protected by the authority of

the president.

The game “Agawan Base” is another common traditional Filipino game which awas

compared to events, where homes of informal settlers are being forcefully taken and demolished

by the authority, then “Target” is when they defend themselves through brute force for the sake

of their homes. After those events, the games where you chase one another such as Mataya-taya,

Tagu-taguan and Patintero were portrayed when the police chased the informal settelers. It is

decastating to think that these events are happening men are fighting over what they claim their

own. After a year, Junjun and his friends were seen again but this time, their homes were

destroyed, it probably shows that even if life pulls you down you can still get up and move

forward. A huge applaud to the directors of the film for being able to relate games to social issues

in a fascinating and unconventional way.

This study source was downloaded by 100000861964308 from CourseHero.com on 02-16-2023 07:40:41 GMT -06:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/61242781/Tayadocx/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)