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ASEAN Literature:
Discovering Identity Amidst
Diversity
MAIN TOPIC 1: PHILIPPINES
TATA SELO
by: Rogelio Sikat
Rogelio R. Sikat
• Born on June 26,1940
• Died on 1997 (aged
56-57)
• Sociocultural background
of the Philippines
(genre)
• A prolific Filipino
novelist, playwright and
short story writer.
Rogelio R. Sikat
• He is known for his classic
masterpieces particularly
Impeng Negro and Moses
Moses.
• Tata Selo is a fictional narrative
based on the real-life land
reform issues and recurring
political cruelties in the
Philippines. It won the second
prize in the Carlos Palanca
Award for 1963.
VOCABULARY WORDS
✘ Paulik-ulik - saglit na tumigil
✘ Tinungkod - hinampas ng tungkod o kahoy
✘ Naembargo - nasamsam
✘ Istaked - selda o kulungan
✘ Kabesa - pinuno
✘ Pilapil - taniman ng palay
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✘ LITERARY
WORKS
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Nagsimula ang kwento sa Istaked na kung saan
pinagkakaguluhan ng mga tao si Tata Selo sa kadahilanang
napatay nito ang Kabesang Tano na nagmamay-ari ng lupang
sinasakahan ni Tata Selo, na ayon sa kanya ay pag-aari niya
noon subalit naisanla niya at naembargo.
Nataga at napatay ni Tata Selo ang Kabesa sa kadahilanang
pinaalis ito sa kanyang lupang sinasakahan subalit tumanggi at
pinagpilitan ni Tata Selo na malakas pa siya at kaya pa niyang
magsaka, subalit tinungkod ito ng tinungkod ng Kabesa sa noo
paliwanag ni Tata Selo sa binatang anak ng pinakamayamang
propitaryo, sa Alkalde at maging sa Hepe na nagmalupit sa kanya
sa loob ng istaked na pawang mga kilala ng Kabesa.
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Nang makalawang araw, dumalaw ang anak niyang si Saling na
dati’y nakatira at nanilbihan sa Kabesa, subalit umuwi ito sa
kadahilanang nagkasakit ito makalawang araw bago ang insidente,
Nahahabag si Tata Selo nang maisipan nalang nitong pauwiin si
Saling sa kadahilang wala na silang magagawa, pinatawag si Saling
nang Alkalde sa kaniyang tanggapan at pinuntahan niya iyon at
hindi nakinig sa ama nito, dumating muli ang bata na dumalaw sa
kanya at inutusan upang pumunta sa tanggapan ng alkalde subalit
hindi ito papasukin pahayag ng bata, Hindi ito inalintana ni Tata
Selo at sinabi nalang nito na “inagaw sa kanya ang lahat”.
by: Manuel E. Arguilla
MORNING IN
NAGREBCAN
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Manuel E. Arguilla
❑ Manuel Estabilla Arguilla is an
Ilokano writer. He writes in English,
is a patriot, and is a martyr, and is
widely known for his short story
“How My Brother Leon Brought
Home a Wife”, the literary piece that
made him win first prize in the
Commonwealth Literary Contest in
1940.
❑ He was born on June 17, 1911,
in Nagrebcan, Bauang, La Union.
❑ He died at the age of 33 in October
1944
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Vocabulary Words
✘ Stray goats – ✘ – ligaw na
kambing
✘ Clay stove – ✘ kalan ng luwad
✘ Whore - ✘ kalapating mababa
✘ Bitch – ang lipad
✘ asong babae
✘ Rice straw -
✘ dayami
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MORNING IN NAGREBCAN
It was the usual early start on the day in Nagrebcan where
people start off on their daily chores. It was very peaceful,
Baldo had just woken up, he played with his puppy, it was his
favorite one among the five, a white one with black spots. His
mother asked him to get some burning coals and putting them
on a rice straw from a neighbor. After he did what his mother
told him he went back to his favorite puppy. He saw his brother
ambo eating a banana without peeling it first, he told to his
brother to peel it first before eating but his brother just ignored
him telling him that it wasn’t his banana and he wasn’t the one
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As he finished eating he started playing with the four puppies, but
after a while he got bored but when he saw Baldo holding the
other one he want to take it from his brother because he wants to
play with it. Baldo refused but Ambo did not give up, this resulted
in their fight. During their fight Ambo was accidentally bitten by
the puppy on his hand and at that time their father Tang Ciaco
arrived. They were both very terrified to see their father because
with its hairs standing, he thought that it was mad so he went to
the kitchen and took a piece of firewood. He beat the poor puppy
and it was flown to the air, until blood ooze out from its mouth, he
did not stopped until it was fully dead, he then threw the corpse on
the cornfields.
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After he killed the puppy he went to the boys and beat them,
their mother can’t do anything because she knows she would
only get beaten. After the boys were beaten, their father went
of to work, Baldo and Ambo went to the cornfields to search
for the corpse of the puppy, when they found it they buried it.
And above the resting place of the poor puppy they rolled a
rock.
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1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. Where and when did the story happens?
3. What is the theme in the story?
4. Is Tang Ciaco a father worthy of emulation ? How did you say that?
5. What point of view is used in the story?
6. What conflict is shown in the story?
7. What realities of life do you see in the story?
8. The author, Manuel E. Arguilla spent his childhood in Nagrebcan,
Bauang, La Union his birthplace. This was a peaceful place he
immortalized in his stories. Enumerate the cultures of the place that you
have seen in the story.
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SYMBOLISM
1. The sun at the beginning 2. The black- spotted puppy.
and end of the story. ✔ The black and white spot of the
✔ The sun at the beginning innocent puppy depicts the dawn –
whereas the darkness of the night
and end of the story intervene with the brightness of the
symbolizes the life of a morning. The tension between the
person that every time we night and morning depicts the life.
wake up and the sun rises Life is often compared to the stages
we will encounter of the day- dawn(infant), morning
(adulthood), noon (man),
problems and at the end dusk(near-death) and night(death). It
of the day we see suggest that life is unfair, we could
ourselves passed all the die in unexpected way like what
struggles. happen to the puppy.
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The eating of banana with its The single bamboo-pole
skin.
that serve as the railing.
✔ Because of the bitterness a
person feels, his behavior ✔ The single
becomes so different that even bamboo-pole is a
tough he does not own it he symbolism of Nana
claim it and he became selfish. Elang because no matter
And because of the problem that
he experiences a person as well how bad and hurtful
as other people and animals words her husband says
around him are affected by his to her she still remains
problem. steadfast for her
children. She does
everything she can to
support her family.
