BJ PATIÑO

There’s this man’s photo on the wall

Of my father’s office at home, you

Know, where father brings his work,

Where he doesn’t look strange

Still wearing his green uniform

And colored breast plates, where,

 To prove that he works hard, he

Also brought a photo of his boss

Whom he calls Apo, so Apo could

You know, hang around on the wall

Behind him and look over his shoulders

To make sure he’s snappy and all.

 Father snapped at me once, caught me

Sneaking around his office at home

Looking at the stuff on his wall- handguns,

Plaques, a sword, medals a rifle-

Told me that was no place for a boy

Only men, when he didn’t really

 Have to tell me because, you know,

That photo of Apo on the wall was already

Looking at me around,

His eyes following me like he was

That scary Jesus in the hallway, saying

I know what you’re doing.

 The poem entitled Apo on the Wall by BJ Patino
is a good poem because it symbolizes the loyalty
of every soldier. The time in that poem was
during Martial Law and the Apo that the narrator
was referring to was the late Ferdinand Marcos.
This poem is trying to tell us that if we work
hard, we can achieve rewards from our efforts like
the persona’s father in the poem, who achieved
plaques and medals for being a loyal soldier. It
also depicts the Marcos administration that
everyone was alarmed and become snappy
because of their fear of the soldiers during
Martial Law.
 In the poem, there is a line that says “that was
no place for a boy, only men ”, meaning there’s
no place for weak people, only the brave ones.
There is also a line that says, “I know, I know
what you’re doing”, meaning that the persona’s
father must keep on doing his job because that
photo on the wall was Apo who was like looking
at the persona’s father guiding him. I really
appreciate the help of Filipino people who’s
against the Martial Law because they give us
freedom until the present. During that time
too, the people had experienced sacrifices.
Birth – March 9, 1927
Death – July 15, 1988
61 years old
 1927 - In the year that B J Patino was born, in

September, the Columbia Broadcasting System

(later called CBS) became the second national

radio network in the U.S. The first broadcast was a

presentation by the Howard Barlow Orchestra

from radio station WOR in Newark, New Jersey.

 1956 - When this person was 29 years old, on May

20th, the U.S. tested the first hydrogen bomb

dropped from a plane over Bikini Atoll. Previously,

hydrogen bombs had only been tested on the

ground. The Atomic Age moved forward.

 1970 - At the age of 43 years old, B was alive when on May

4th, 4 students at Kent State University in Ohio were shot

and killed by National Guardsmen. The students were at a
peaceful demonstration protesting the invasion of
Cambodia by US forces. There had been precedent for the
killing of American college students. The previous year, on
May 15th, Alameda County Sheriffs used shotguns against
U.C. Berkeley students at a protest for People's Park. One
student died, one was blinded, 128 were injured.
 1982 - This person was 55 years old when on

September 14th, Princess Grace of Monaco (American

actress Grace Kelly), 52, died of injuries when her car
plunged off a mountain road. Her 17 year old daughter,
Stephanie, was also in the car and suffered serious
injuries but recovered. It's believed that the accident
was caused when Princess Grace, who was driving, had
a mild stroke.
 1988 - In the year of B J Patino's passing, on December

16th, 1988 the popular film Rain Man was released.

Featuring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. this film
brought attention to autistic savants and was based on
the "megasavant" Laurence Kim Peek. The film would
later go to win four Oscars including Best Picture, Best
Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor in a
Leading Role.
FERDINAND MARCOS
 BACKGROUND Apo on the wall by Bj Patino is a poem
that talks about the narration of a child’s point of view
about his rigorous Father and the hanging photo around
the wall called “Apo”. The poem tells the reality of life
during the reigning of Marcos alongside with the Martial
Law. It is a reflection of the scenario of what and how the
Filipinos experienced the tragic and traumatic event
throughout the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the
Philippines. “Apo on the wall” shows the real situation
concerning with the different perspective between
millennial and those who lived through Martial law. This
masterpiece of Bj Patino advocates reasonably close to
the realization of giving importance on looking back to
our past, moving forward through our present and
ensuring the success of our future.