Ang Paglilitis Ni Mang Serapio by Paul Dumol

Ang Paglilitis Ni Mang Serapio by Paul Dumol

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa Ikalawang Tagapagtanong) O, sige na.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sige. (Lalakad sila sa harap ng kanilang mesa)

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga manonood) Narito ho kayo upang panoorin ang isang paglilitis, dahila’y ang krimen ng isang pulubing huling- huli namin. Si Mang Serapiong pisak at surutin. (Tatakbo sila sa kanilang mesa.) Dalhin dito ang nasasakdal! Dalhin dito ang nasasakdal! Dalhin dito ang nasasakdal! Dalhin dito agad!

(Hahalakhak, hihiyaw, at papalakpak ang mga Pulubi. Hihilahin ng dalawang bantay si Mang Serapio sa gitna ng silid at iiwan doon. Katahimikan.)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Magandang gabi, ginoo.

Serapio: Magandang gabi rin ho. (Sandaling titigil) Mga ginoo –

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Silencio!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag kang magsalita habang kami’y nagsasalita.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Bastos ang nagsasalita habang may nagsasalita pa.

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga manonood) Patawarin ho ninyo siya. Talagang ganyan ho ang waLang kapangyarihang tulad niya: mangmang, at yan nga ang suliranin ng mga may kapangyarihang, tulad namin.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Tumindig ka nang matuwid!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ba’t ka ba galaw nang galaw?

Serapio: Gusto ko lang malaman kung ano ang krimen ko. (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hindi mo ba alam?

Serapio: Hindi ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: A, problema mo na ‘yon. (Sa mga manonood) Pag-aaruga ng bata ang krimen niya. (Biglang titindig ang tatlong saksi)

Tatlong saksi: Pag-aaruga, pag-aaruga, pag-aaruga ng bata.

Unang tagapagtanong: (Sa mga manonood) Krimen sapagkat ang pag-aaruga ng bata ay panunuksong gumasta.Samakatuwid nawawalan ng pera ang federacion. Nahuli siya ng tatlong kasapi nitong federacion. Narinig siyang nagsasalita sa anak niya at alam pa nila ang pangalan ng anak niya- Sol. Pormalidad na lamang itong paglilitis.

Hukom: Pormalidad na rin ho ang hatol ko.

Unang tagapagtanong: Ang parusa niya ay nais panoorin nitong mga pulubi. Siya’y bubulagin. (Bubungisngis at tatawa ang mga pulubi) Ginoong Serapio, mabuti ba’ng tulog mo?

Serapio: Oho.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Nakakain ka na ba?

Serapio: Oho.

Unang tagapagtanong: Magaling! Handang-handa ka sa paglilitis mo. Ilang araw mo nan g suot ‘yang kamisedentro mo?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ikaw ba’y naghilamos na?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Naligo?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Nagpunas man lang?

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa bantay) Na-spray mo na ba siya?

Hukom: (Pupukpukin nang dalawang beses ang kanyang podium) Ituloy ang paglilitis! (Sa mga manonood) Sa siyam na taon sa federaciong ito bilang hukom, wala pa akong nakikilalang tagapagtanong na kasindaldal nitong dalawa. (Pupukpukin nang dalawang beses ang kanyang podium) Ituloy ang paglilitis?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Bueno! Ginoong Serapio, sabihin mo sa amin- (Babatuhin si Serapio ng ikalawang tagapagtanong ng yeso o anumang maliit na bagay)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Tumindig ka ng matuwid!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Sabihin mo sa amin ang pangalan mo.

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Pangalan!

Serapio: Serapio, ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa Ikalawang Tagapagtanong) Serapio.

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Serapio?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Serapio?

Serapio: Ho?

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Serapio?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Serapio?

Serapio: Ano ho?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Serapio ano?

Serapio: Serapio.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Serapio Serapio?

Serapio: A, hindi ho, Serapio lang.

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: (Habang sumusulat sa kwaderno) Serapio lang.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ocupacion?

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Ocupacion?

Serapio: Wala. Wala ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ano, wala kang ocupacion?

Serapio: Wala ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hindi ba isa kang pulubi?

Serapio: Oho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ocupacion mo ‘yon. (Susulat ang Ikalawang Tagapagtanong sa kwaderno) Classificacion.

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Classificacion.

Serapio: Classificacion?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: CLASSIFICACION!

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Ano ang classificacion mo bilang pulubi? Nagmamakaawa o aliwan?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Pakunwari o karaniwan?

Ikalawang tagapagtanong: Ikaw ba’y nagrerenta?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ng sanggol o bata?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Upang akitin nga…

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ang luha ng madla?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: ‘Yan ang uring nagmamakaawa.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: O tumutugtog ka ban g silindro o gitara, dram, o kahit na banda, o rondalla?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kasama ng sayaw o kundi nama’y kanta nang madla’y maaliw at bigyan ka ng kwarta?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: ‘Yan ang uring aliwan.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Maaari naman ding nagkukunwari ka, ika’y ipinaglihi sa isang palaka.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: O kung hindi naman ika’y isang palso, ngunit isang palsong palsipikado.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Pakunwaring bingi, bulag, pilay, pipi, madla’y madaya man ikaw nama’y yayaman. ‘yan ang uring pakunwari.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Walang guni-guni ang nasa huling uri.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Mga tunay na pipi, bulag, pilay, bingi.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Walang guni-guni.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Wala ring salapi.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Talagang ganyan ang buhay ng nasa huling uri: ang uring karaniwan.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Alin ka sa apat? Nagmamakaawa o aliwan?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Pakunwari o karaniwan? (Sandaling tigil)

Serapio: Ang huli ho. (Susulat ang ikalawang tagapagtanong sa kwaderno)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Hukom, ano ang gagawin namin ngayon?

Hukom: Patibayan na ninyo ang krimen niya. (Biglang tindig ang tatlong saksi)

Tatlong Saksi: (Sa mga manonood) Patibayan na ang krimen niya. Patibayan na ang krimen niya.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Bueno. Ginoong Serapio, may asawa ka na ba?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Isang kabiyak?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Isang babaing bumahagi sa puso mo? (Sandaling tigil) Babaing nakasal sa harap ng altar, sa opisina ng gatpuno, o iba pang lugar. (Katahimikan)

Unang Tagapagtanong: O ano, Ginoong Serapio, sagutin mo ang tanong.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Napakasimple.

Unang Tagapagtanong: May asawa ka ba? (Sandaling tigil)

Serapio: Wala ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, di ka dapat mahiya.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sabihin mo ang totoo.

Unang Tagapagtanong: May asawa ka ba?

Serapio: Wala ho. (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Iibahin ko ang tanong. May asawa ka ba noon?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Asawa na ngayo’y nagsasaya sa bahay ng Diyos o bahay ng iba? (Katahimikan)

Unang Tagapagtanong: O ano? Malinaw na malinaw ang tanong ngayon. May asawa ka ba noon? (Katahimikan) Ginoong Serapio, nakapagtataka ‘yang katahimikan mo.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: May asawa ka ba noon? (Sandaling tigil)

Serapio: Oo.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Ayan!

Serapio: Ngunit siya’y patay na.

Unang Tagapagtanong: A, wala. Basta’t inamin mong may asawa ka na nga.

Hukom: (Pupukpukin ng Hukom ang podium niya ng dalawang beses) Magaling! (Sa mga manonood) Napakabilis ng aming mga paglilitis sapagkat lahat ng aming mga tagapagtanong ay matatalino at magagaling.

Mga Pulubi: (Biglang titindig ang mga pulubi’t papalakpak) Magagaling! Magagaling! Magagaling! (Yuyuko ang mga tagapagtanong)
Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, nagkaroon ka ba ng anak?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Buhat sa kasal na yaon?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Buhat sa inyong pagsasama?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Buhat sa inyong pag-aasawa? (Katahimikan)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, tahimik ka na naman.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Wala kang sinasabi.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Wala kang imik.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Pasidhi nang pasidhi ang aming pananabik.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Nagkaroon ka ba ng anak? (Katahimikan)

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Payat na payat, tuyung-tuyo pa. Walang alinlangang wala na siyang katas.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Nagkaroon ka ba ng anak? (Lalapitan si Serapio ng Ikalawang Tagapagtanong)

Serapio: Ba’t ninyo tinatanong ‘yan?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Aba! Pilosopo!

Serapio: Ano ba ang krimen ko?

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: (Tatakbo ang dalawang tagapagtanong sa likod ng mesa) Ginoong Serapio!

Serapio: Patawarin ho ninyo ako ngunit -

Unang Tagapagtanong: Wala ka bang utak?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Isip?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Katiting na katalinuhan? Tandaan mo kung sino ka!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Isang pulubi.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hamak.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Kulisap!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Sagutin mo ang tanong! Nagkaroon ka ba ng anak? (Sandaling tigil)

Serapio: Oho.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Ayos!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ba’t di mo kaagad inamin na may anak ka nga?

Serapio: Ano ho ba ang krimen ko?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Umupo ka. Malalaman mo rin. (Aakayin siya ng bantay sa kanyang upuan. Susulat ang Ikalawang tagapagtanong sa kwaderno.) (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ang pangalan ng anak mo ay Sol, hindi ba?

Serapio: Oho. Paano ninyo nalaman?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Marami kaming alam tungkol sa’yo. (Sandaling tigil)

Serapio: (Sa mga manonood) Yaon din ang pangalan ng namatay niyang ina- Sol, Consuelo. Namatay ang kanyang ina nang siya’y ipanganak. Ang aming unang anak at namatay pa ang ina, isang dalagang tahimik na may ngiting nagmumungkahi ng simoy at tubig ng batis. Ang pagpanaw niya’y pagsapit ng kalungkutan. Dalawang hiyaw ang tumaginting sa aming silid sa gabing yaon: ang aking hiyaw ng hapis ng pagkamatay ni Sol, at ang hiyaw ng takot na naisilang na Sol, na naging larawan ng kanyang ina: maputi, maitim ang mga mata, madalas na nakangiti, lundag nang lundag kapag inuwian mo ng kendi, matamis, at laruan. Sana’y nakita ninyo siya. At ang kanyang halakhak, ang kanyang halakhak.-,Sol, Sol.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Ano? Ano? Ano? Ano? Ano?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ano ‘yang sinasabi mo?

Serapio: Wala. Wala ho.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag ka nang umarte-arte pa.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Basta’t inamin mong may anak ka.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Dadrama-drama ka pa riyan.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Nais pang talunin ang radio. (May mga papel na ibinigay ang Unang Tagapagtanong sa Hukom)

Hukom: Ano? Tapos na ba ang paglilitis? (pPapalakpak nang dalawang beses ang Ikalawang Tagapagtanong)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Oho. Inamin na niya na anak niya ‘yung “Sol” na ‘yun. (Ibibigay ng isang bantay sa Ikalawang Tagapagtanongang isang kahon)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga manonood) Ito ho ang kahon ng mga instrumentong ginagamit namin sa pagpaparusa sa mga kasapi. (Habang nagtatalumpati siya, maglalapg siya sa mesa ng martilyo, pait, malaking gunting, tinidor, bambo, at balarawna kukunin niya mula sa kahon) Kahangahanga itong federacion: ubod ng karunungan at pag-uunawa, sapagkat sa katotohanan ay pagkakawanggawa ang mga parusa. Halimbawa, ang pagpipi o ang pagpilay kaya. (Maglalapag siya ng bareta sa mesa) ipalagay nating bulag ang kriminal at nakikinabang dahil sa pagkabulag niya, hindi ba tataas pa ang kita niya kung pilay rin siya. Bulag na, pilay pa. At di lang siya ang makikinabang. Ang federacion din, sapagkat tataas ang kanyang abuloy sa federacion. ’Yan ang tinatawag kong maunawaing parusa: ang pinarurusahan at nagpaparusa ay kapwa nakikinabang. (maglalabas siya ng icepick) (Sa Unang Tagapagtanong): Ito ho ang icepick.

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Kay Serapio) Ano? Handa ka na ba?

Serapio: Para sa ano?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sa pagbulag.

Serapio: Ha?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sa pagbulag. Madali lang. Sanay na itong guwardiya.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Alam niya kung anong parte ng mata ang dapat unang turukin.

Serapio: Pagbulag?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Huwag kang matakot.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hindi ka matetetano.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sterilized itong icepick.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Dalhin nga ninyo siya rito. (Hihilahin ng mga bantay si Serpio)

Serapio: Ba’t ninyo ako bubulagin?

Unang Tagapagtanong: ‘Yan ang pamantayang parusa. (Tatangayin ng Ikalawang Tagapagtanong ang mga instrumento ng parusa, ang malaking aklat, at ang kwaderno. Malalaglag ang mga ito sa sahig.)

Serapio: Para sa ano?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Para sa krimen mo.

Serapio: Krimen?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag kang gumalaw masyado. (Bibigkasin nang sabay-sabay ang mga sumusunod na talumpati)

Serapio: Bitiwan n’yo ako! Bitiwan n’yo ako! Bitiwan n’yo ako! Nagsisinungaling kayo.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag mo kaming pagbibintangan. (Bubuhatin si Serapio ng mga Bantay at ihihiga sa mesa. Hahawakan nila ang kanyang paa’t kamay. Sisigaw at papalakpak ang mga pulubi.) Hawakan mo ang kamay niya! Hawakan mo ang kamay niya!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ang ulo niya! Hawakan n’yo ang ulo niya!

Serapio: Ano ba ang krimen ko? (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ang ano?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ano?

Serapio: Ang krimen ko, ano ang krimen ko?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Relaks lang, relaks. (Mananahimik si Serapio) O, ano ang nais mong malaman?

Serapio: Ano ho ang krimen ko?

Unang Tagpagtanong: Ang krimen mo! ‘Yun lang pala.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Di mo sinabi agad. (Pupulutin niya ang malaking aklat mula sa sahig)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Sigaw ka lang nang sigaw diyan. (titindig ang dalawang tagapagtanong sa plataporma, bubuksan ng Unang Tagapagtanong ang malaking aklat, at hahanap ng pahinang mababasa ang dalawang Tagapagtanong)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ang krimen ni Mang Serapio.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong:

Ang buhay ng tao’y lansangan ng hirap;

ang mundo’y daigdig ng kirot at dahas.

Pagsasala’y sakit ng ating pagkatao,

Pag-aaruga ng bata ang krimen ni Mang Serapio.

Krimen mo mang Serapio!

Unang Tagapagtanong: At wika pa sa aming aklat:

Dalawang Tagapagtanong:

Bawal mag-aruga ng bata o asawa,

ang taunang kita’y nawawalan ng pera.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginagasta mo ang pera ng federacion para sa isang bata.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Magpabulag ka na nang makauwi na tayo nang maaga.

Serapio: Ngunit wala naman akong batang inaaruga, a. (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ano?

Serapio: Wala akong batang inaaruga. (Sandaling tigil)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, huwag ka nang magsinungaling.

Serapio: Hindi ako nagsisinungaling.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag mong lokohin itong Hukuman.

Serapio: Wala akong niloloko.

Hukom: Ang parusa sa pagbubulaan sa Hukuman ay pagpipi.

Serapio: Sinasabi ko ang katotohanan. (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kaaamin mo lang na may anak ka.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Narinig kita. Narinig ka naming lahat.

Unang Tagapagtanong: At itong anak mo’y isang babae.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ikaw mismo ang nagsabi.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ang pangalan pa nga ay Sol.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Sinabi mo ‘yan! Sinabi mo!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hindi ba inaaruga mo siya?

Serapio: Si Sol ay patay na. (Sandaling tigil)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ha?

Hukom: Patay na siya? Si Sol, patay na?

Serapio: Tatlong taon nang patay. Sinagasaan ng dyip. Patay na siya. Patay.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Tunay na malungkot ang iyong kuwento. Pinipiga mo ang aming puso.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Walang alinlangang mahusay ka sa sining ng pangbobola.

Serapio: Patay na siya!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Magsalaysay ka sana ng kuwentong higit na kapani-paniwala kaysa riyan.

Serapio: Totoo ang sinasabi ko! (Sandaling tigil)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Totoo ha? May tatlong saksi kami ginoo,tatlong saksi na nanubok sa’yo, araw, gabi.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Dalawang linggo silang nagbantay.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Mga saksi sila sa krimen mo.

Serapio: Nagsisinungaling sila! Wala akong batang inaaruga.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Titignan natin.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Lalabas din ang katotohanan.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kung sila ang nagsisinungaling, sila ang paparusahan, ngunit kung ikaw ang sinungaling – (Sa mga Pulubi) Pumaritosa harap ang tatlong saksi. (Titindig ang tatlong saksi)

Hukom: (Sa tatlong saksi) Kayo na naman?

Unang Saksi: Oho.

Hukom: Kayo na lang palagi ang nagpapabulag sa iba.

Ikalawang Saksi: Talagang ganyan ho ang buhay.

Ikatlong Saksi: Manananggol lang ho kami ng kalinisan nitong federacion.

Unang Saksi: Mga taga-patnubay ng kabutihan nitong lipunan.

Hukom: Kayo ba ang unang nagsumbong ng kanyang krimen?

Unang Saksi: Oho.

Hukom: (Sa mga manonood) Pues, ayon ho sa batas ng aming federacion, kung mapapatunayan nila ang krimen ng nasasakdal, kanila ang lahat ng kasangkapan ni Ginoong Serapio at diyes porsyento ng kanyang kinikita. (Lalakad ang tatlong saksi sa plataporma. Dadaluhungin kaagad ni Serapio ang Ikalawang Tagapagtanong)

Serapio: Buwaya!

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga Bantay) hawakan ninyo siya! (Hahawakan ng mga Bantay si Serapio at hihilahin sa sulok ng acting area sa gawing kaliwa ng lugar ng mga Pulubi. Titindig ang mga saksi sa plataporma.)Bawal ditto ang kumilos nang ganyan. Igalang mo itong hukuman ginoo. (Sandling tigil) (Sa Saksi) Ngayon, mga ginoo nitong marangal na federacion, sabihin ninyo sa amin ang inyong nakita kagabi.

Tatlong Saksi: Nakita namin siya, papauwing may dalang mamantikang supot sa kilikili niya, at susulyap-sulyap sa kana’t kaliwa, takot wari ko na makita siya.

Dalawang Tagapagtanong: Takot sa waring makita siya.

Tatlong Saksi: Sinundan naming siya hanggang sa bahay niya, nagsitago kami’t narinig namin siya. Heto na, Sol, kumain ka na’t isuot mamaya ang damit mong pula.

Dalawang tagapagtanong: Heto na, Sol, kumain ka na’t isuot mamaya ang damit mong pula.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, pinagbibintangan kita ng krimen ng pag-aaruga ng bata. Bubulagin ka ngayon din!

Serapio: ‘yan ba ang inyong katibayan?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Oo, masaya na kami.

Serapio: Kulang pa ‘yang katibayan n’yo.

Unang Tagapagtanong: At ano ang kakulangan?

Serapio: Si Sol, ang aking ‘”buhay” na anak. Mga tanga ang espiya ninyo!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Huwag kang magsalita nang ganyan sa harap namin.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Kami’y mga opisyal nitong Hukuman.

Serapio: Akala ninyo ay nahuli na ninyo ako, ano? Akala ninyo! (Sa tatlong saksi) May isa ba sa inyong nakakita sa “buhay” na anak ko? Wala!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Wala ba sa inyong nakakita sa anak niya?

Unang saksi: Narinig naman naming siyang nagsalita sa anak niya, gabi-gabi, sa buong linggong nanubok kami. (Bibigkasin nang sabayang sumusunod na talumpati. Lalapitan at kakausapin si Serapio isa-isa ang mga manonood.) At kaya namin alam na alam ang mga sinabi niya ay sapagkat -

Serapio: Nagsisinungaling silang lahat! Nagsisinungaling silang lahat! Nagsisinungaling silang lahat!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio!

Unang Saksi: Sapagkat gabi-gabi sa isang takdang oras au naririnig namin siyang paulit-ulit na nagsasabing, “Heto na, Sol, kumain ka na’t isuot mamaya ang damit mong pula,” at inuulit niya ito gabi-gabi.

Serapio: Nagsisinungaling sila! Nagsisinungaling sila nang maging kanila lahat ang mga kasangkapan ko!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ngunit nakita ba ninyo ang anak niya?

Tatlong Saksi: Hindi.

Serapio: Ha!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Kung nagsisinungaling kayo mapipipi kayo, mapipipi kayo!

Unang Saksi: (Kay Serapio) Narinig ka naming nagsalita sa anak mo!

Serapio: Kung talagang buhay ang anak ko, dalhin n’yo siya rito! Dudustain pa ninyo ang alaala niya. Kailangan ba kayong makialam sa buhay ng may buhay?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Husto na ‘yan, ginoo!

Serapio: Dalhin n’yo rito ang anak ko, kung buhay pa siya! At bulagin n’yo ako.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kami’y nagpadala na, ginoo, kanina pa, ng dalawang kasapi nitong federacion sa iyong barung-barong upang agawin ang anak mo sa karaniwang oras ng pag-uwi mo. Nakabalik na sila. (Sa mga bantay) Nasaan sila? (Titindig ang dalawang Pilay)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: O ano? Nasaan ang bata?

Unang Pilay: Wala.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Anong wala? Hindi ba kayo pumunta sa bahay niya?

Unang Pilay: Oho.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Hindi ninyo nahuli ang anak?

Ikalawang Pilay: Wala hong bata roon.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kung nagsisinungaling ka- (Hahampasin ang dalawang Pilay ng kanyang baston. Susukot ang mga Pilay)

Unang Pilay: Hindi ho.

Ikalawang Pilay: Wala ho kaming nakita. Wala ho.

Unang Pilay: Kundi isang baul.

Ikalawang Pilay: Itong baul ho, o. (Kakaladkarin nila ang baul sa hilagang gilid ng acting area.) (Katahimikan)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Saan ninyo ito nakita?

Unang Pilay: Sa barung-barong niya.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Sa barung-barong niya.

Ikalawang Pilay: Sa isang sulok, ho.

Unang Pilay: Nakatago sa ilalim ng mga lumang sako.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Lumang sako. At hindi n’yo pa ito nabubuksan?

Unang Pilay: Hindi pa ho.

Ikalawang Pilay: Nakakandado ho.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Nakakandado. (Sandaling tigil) Buksan ninyo ang baul. (Pupukpukin ng Pilay ng martilyo nang dalawang beses ang kandado ng baul)

Serapio: Wala ‘yang laman! Wala ‘yang laman! Isang lumang baul na nakita ko lang sa basurahan.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Ba’t mo tinatago Ginoong Serapio?

Serapio: Wala. Ginagamit ko sa bahay bilang upuan.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: At bakit nakakandado?

Serapio: nakakandado na ‘yan nang makita ko.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Nagsisinungaling ka, Ginoong Serapio. Bagung-bago ang kandado. Wala ni isang bakas ng kalawang. Ikaw ang nagkandado nitong baul.

Serapio: Nakakandado na ‘yan nang nakita ko!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kung ganoon, Ginoong Serapio, hindi mo daramdamin ang pagbukas naming rito. (Sa Pilay) Buksan ang baul. (Dalawang hampas ng martilyo)

Serapio: Hindi! Huwag.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ginoong Serapio, pinagpapawisan ka.

Serapio: Wala ‘yang laman.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Bakit mo alam, Ginoong Serapio? Nagsinungaling ka kanina. Nabuksan mo na itong baul.

Serapio: Hindi!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Hala! Buksan mo! (Talong hampas ng martilyo)

Serapio: Huwag!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Bakit, Ginoong Serapio?

Serapio: Akin ‘yang baul.

Unang Tagapagtanong: Inamin mo rin.

Serapio: Huwag ninyong buksan ‘yan.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Bakit? May itinatago ka ba sa amin?

Serapio: Balewala sa inyo ang laman niyan.

Unang Tagapagtanong: titignan natin. Ituloy ang pagbukas. (Apat na hampas ng martilyo)

Serapio: Hindi n’yo dapat pakialaman ’yan! Kailangan ba kayong makialam sa buhay ng may buhay?

Unang Tagapagtanong: Sasabihin ko sa’yo kung ano ang malalahad pagbukas namin nito! Katibayan ng krimen mo!

Serapio: Wala kayong matutuklasan diyan. (Uulitin niya ang linyang ito habangnagsasalita ang unamg Tagapagtanong)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Ano ang tinatago mo riyan? Ang mga damit ng anak mo? Ang mga laruan niya? Ituloy ang pagbukas! (Patuloy ang mga hampas ng martilyo habang nagsasalita ang Unang Tagapatanong at si Serapio)

Serapio: Huwag!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Wala kang kapangyarihan sa Hukuman ito, ginoo!

Serapio: Ngunit, akin ‘yang baul!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: E, ano? E, ano?

Serapio: Huwag ninyong buksan ‘yan!

Unang Tagapagtanong: Pigilin mo kami! Pigilin mo kami!

Serapio: Papatayin ko kayo! Papatayin ko kayo!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga Bantay) Hawakan ninyo siya!

Serapio: Ibubunyag ko kayo sa pulis! (Hihinto ang pagmamartilyo) Ibubunyag ko kayo sa pulis! Ibubunyag ko kayo at ang inyong kalupitan! Ibubunyag ko ang inyong pandaraya sa madla! Ibubunyag ko ang inyong pagmamalupit sa aming lahat; ibubunyag ko ang inyong sadyang pagpapabaya sa mga matatandang kasapi! Ibubunyag ko itong federacion sa pulis! (Katahimikan)

Hukom: (Hahampasin ng Hukom ang kanyang podium) Walang makakatulong sa’yo, Ginoong Serpio, wala! (Kakaladkarin si Serapio ng mga Bantay sa patimog-silangang sulok ng acting area. Lumupagi si Serapio.) Ni ang pulis, ang pahayagan, kahit sino man sa mundong ito. Ang mga hiyaw mo’y di maririnig; ang bawat kilos mo’y mabibigo, walang papansin sa’yo. Dumaing ka pa, at bukas makalawa, matatagpuan ang iyong magang katawan sa mga itim na bulaklak ng Pasig. (sa mga pulubi) Tandaan ninyo ‘yan! May kuwarenta pesos kayong dapat ibigay sa federacion araw-araw. At ibibigay niyo ang perang iyan sa amin. At kapag hindi, kung kayo’y nakakakita, pipitasin namin ang inyong mga mata; kung kayo’y nakakapagsalita, puputulin namin ang inyong mga dila; at kung kayo’y nakakalakad, babasagin naming ang inyong mga buto; at kung di pa rin ninyo susundin ang batas na ito, ang bawat daliri ninyo’y isa-isang tatanggalin. Malungkot nga ang buhay sa federaciong ito, ngunit kasapi na kayo hanggang kamatayan. Kamatayan lamang ang makapaliligtas sa’yo kapag sumali ka sa federciong ito. Buksan ang baul!

(Patuloy na naman ang pagmamartilyo habang nagsasalita si Serapio. Dapat lunurin ng mga hampas ng martilyo ang karamihan ng mga salita ng talumpati ni Serapio).

Serapio: Bale wala sa inyo ang laman niyan. Bale wala. Huwag na ninyong buksan. Balewala sa inyo ang laman niyan. (sandaling tigil) Hindi naman ninyo mauunawaan. Hindi naman ninyo mauunawaan. Kung tangkain kong magpaliwanag, kung tangkain kong sabihin sa inyo kung bakit, hindi naman ninyo mauunawaan. Pagtatawanan lamang ninyo ako. Anong masasabi ko sa inyo? (Sandaling tigil) Nabubulok na kamay, nabubulok na balat, nabubulok na laman, nabubulok na ugat, nabubulok na buto. (Masisira ang kandado; Katahimikan.) (Sisilip ang dalawang Tagapagtanong sa baul. Titindig ang ilang Pulubi. Itataas ng unang tagapagtanong ang isang manika.)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Manika? (tatakbo si Serapio at aagawin at hahagkan ang manika)

Serapio: Sol! Sol!

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Si Sol! (magtatawanan ang mga pulubi)

(Patuloy ang tawanan ng mga pulubi habang nagsasalita si Serapio. Dapat lunurin ng tanawin ang mga linya ni Serapio.)

Serapio: Sol! Sol! Anak. Anak. Sol. Anak. Ang buwan. Ang bituin. Ang langit. Sol. Sol. Anak. Ang bituin. Ang hangin. Sol. Ang langit. Hangin. Sol ko. Anak. Diwa. Imahen. Kristal at buhay. Buhay. Buhay. Sol. Anak ko. (Hihina ang tawanan ng mga Pulubi. Titigan ng buong korte si Serapio.) Larawan ni Consuelo. Sol na anak ni Sol. Sol. Kristal at diwa. (Tahimik ang buong korte.) Diwa. Diwa. Ang buwan. Ang bituin. Ang langit. Ang hangin. Ang sinag. (Mapapansin ng Unang Tagapagtanong ang mga mukha ng mga Pulubi.) Ang araw. Sol! Ang araw! Sol! Ang araw! Son na anak ni Sol! Consuelo. Anh jangin…ang araw…sol(Aagawin ng unang tagapagtanong ang manika.)

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: (Matinis) Tatay ka ng trapo? (Tatawa ng malakas ang mga Pulubi. Matinis ang tawanan nila.)

Serapio: Bitiwan mo siya. Bitiwan mo siya.

Unang Tagpagtanong: Ginagasta mo ang pera ng federacion para rito?

Serapio: Pabayaan mo ako! Huwag mo akong pakialaman!

Ikalawang Tagpagtanong: Isang pamahid sa tae ng kabayo! (Matinis na tawanan muli.)

Serapio: Ang anak ko ay maganda! At buhay. Buhay. Ang anak ko ay buhay at ang kagandahan ng araw.

Unang Tagpagtanong: Kapok! (Hahagutin niya ang manika; katahimikan; Biglang lulundag si Serapio sa Tagapagtanong.)

Serapio: Bitiwan mo siya! (Tatakbo ang TAGAPAGTANONG sa kanyang mesa’t ihahagis ang manika sa mga Pulubi.)

Unang Tagapagtanong: Kunin mo siya! (Sisigaw ang mga Pulubi’t sasaluhin ang manika sa iba’t ibang sulok ng silid habang nagsisigaw at nagsisitawiran. Hahabulin naman ni Serapio ang manika. Mahahagis ang manika sa sahig, ngunit bago mapulot ni Serapio ang manika, sisigaw ang Unang Tagapagtanong.)

Bulagin natin siya! Bulagin! (Uulitin ng mga Pulubi ang sigaw…Kakaladkarin nila si Serapio sa plataporma. Lahat sila’y nagsisigaw at nagtatawanan. Biglang maririnig ng mga manonood ang hiyaw ng binulag na Serapio. Biglang tatahimik ang mga Pulubi’t lalayo kay Serapio. Babangon si Serapio.Duguan ang kanyang mukha. Duguan din ang mga kamay ng ilang mga Pulubi; gayundin ang kanilang mga damit. Walang-imik ang mga Pulubi’t si Serapio. Susuray-suray na lalakad si Serapio. Mararapa siya’t gagapang. Aapuhapin niya ang manika. Biglang lalabas ang mga Pulubi maliban sa tatlo. Papalibutan nila si Serapio kasama ng mga tagapagtanong. Mahihipo ni Serapio ang manika, ngunit bago niya makuha ito, sisipain ng isang pulubi ang manika sa Pulubing nasa likod ni Serapio. Uulitin itong laro ng Hipo-Sipa. Biglang titigil ang mga Pulubi’t Tagapagtanong. Lalabas ang mga Pulubi. Aakapin ni Serapio ang manika. Wala siyang imik.)

Guwardiya! Ilabas mo nga siya. (Kakaladkarin ng mga guwardiya si Serapio sa labas ng silid. Aayusin ng mga Tagapagtanong ang kanilang mga kasangkapan.)

Hukom: Paminsan-minsan na lang itong mga paglilitis.

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Oo nga eh. Di tulad ng dati.

Hukom: Kelan pa ang susunod?

Ikalawang Tagapagtanong: Marso pa.

Hukom: Isa pang buwan. (Lalabas ang Hukom at Ikalawang Tagapagtanong; Katahmikan.)

Unang Tagapagtanong: (Sa mga manonood) Umaasa kami na nauunawaan ninyo kung bakit kami napilitang parusahan si G. Serapio. Tinuturuan niya ang mga kasaping magkaroon ng mga haraya, ng mga pangarap, na di naman matutupad at dadagdag lamang sa kanilang lumbay. Ang ginawa niya’y nakasisira sa mga kasapi nitong federacion. Tinutulungan lang naming sila nang parusahan namin si G. Serapio. Sinusunod lamang naming ang mga batas nitong federacion. Ang ano mang federacion ay nangangailangan ng kaayusan ng mga batas. Ang maninira nitong kaayusan ay mapanganib. Ang ginawa ni Mang Serapio’y salungat sa aming mga batas. Ang ginawa niya’y pulos malisya. Ipinagtanggol lang naming ang aming kapwa tao. Ito’y dapat ninyong lubos na maunawaan, lubos na maunawaan. (Katahimikan.)

Nakita ninyo sila – isa-isang nagsialisan. Babalik din sila. Babalik.

Alam niyo, nagkamali si G. Serapio nang sinabi niyang kami’y sadyang pabaya sa mga matatandang kasapi. Ang mga matatandang kasapi, ang mga matatandang pulubi, ang siya mismong ayaw mabuhay. Pilitin mo man sila, ayaw nilang kumain, umiinom lang ng kaunting tubig araw-araw, sapagkat wala silang makita kundi karimlan sa langit at hinihintay na lang nila ang pagdapo ni Kamatayan sa kanilang durungawan. (Sandaling tigil.)

Bali-bali na an gaming pakpak. Wala sa amin ang lakas upang liparin ang napakataas na pader na kongkreto. Marahil ay ibinitin na nga ni Mang Serapio sa harap naming ang susi sa aming piitan, ngunit napakahirap hiwain ang sarili’t ilahad ang pag-ibig. Ang balon ay malalim, at sa kailaliman ang nasang lumipad at hanapin ang sinag ng araw, ngunit ang gula-gulanit na diwa’y mahinang wumawagayway lamang. (Lalabas siya.)

The Visitation by Fernando Sorrentino

The Visitation
         by Fernando Sorrentino

   In 1965, when I was twenty­three, I was training as a teacher of Spanish language and literature. Very early one morning at the beginning of spring I was studying in my room in our fifth­floor flat in the only apartment building on the block.
   Feeling just a bit lazy, every now and again I let my eyes stray beyond the window. I could see the street and, on the opposite side, old don Cesáreo's well­kept garden. His house stood on the corner of a site that formed an Irregular pentagon.
   Next to don Cesáreo’s was a beautiful house belonging to the Bernasconis, a wonderful family who were always doing good and kindly things. They had three daughters, and I was in love with Adriana, the eldest. That was why from time to time I glanced at the opposite side of the street - more out of a sentimental habit than because I expected to see her at such an early hour.
   As usual, don Cesáreo was tending and watering his beloved garden, which was divided from the street by a low iron fence and three stone steps.
   The street was so deserted that my attention was forcibly drawn to a man who appeared on the next block, heading our way on the same side as the houses of don Cesáreo and the Bernasconis. How could I help but notice this man? He was a beggar or a tramp, a scarecrow draped in shreds and patches.
   Bearded and thin, he wore a battered yellowish straw hat, and, despite the heat was wrapped in a bedraggled greyish overcoat. He was carrying a huge, filthy bag, and I assumed it held the small coins and scraps of food he managed to beg.
   I couldn't take my eyes off him. The tramp stopped in front of don Cesáreo's house and asked him something over the fence. Don Cesáreo was a bad­tempered old codger. Without replying, he waved the beggar away. But the beggar, in a voice too low for me to hear, seemed insistent. Then I distinctly heard don Cesáreo shout out, "Clear off once and for all and stop bothering me."
   The tramp, however, kept on, and even went up the three steps and pushed open the iron gate a few inches. At this point, losing the last shred of his small supply of patience, don Cesáreo gave the man a shove. Slipping, the beggar grabbed at the fence but missed it and fell to the ground. In that instant, his legs flew up in the air, and I heard the sharp crack of his skull striking the wet step.
   Don Cesáreo, ran on to the pavement, leaned over the beggar, and felt his chest. Then, in a fright, he took the body by the feet and dragged it to the kerb. After that he went into his house and closed the door, convinced there had been no witnesses to his accidental crime.
   Only I had seen it. Soon a man came along and stopped by the dead beggar. Then more and more people gathered, and at last the police came. Putting the tramp in an ambulance, they took him away.
   That was it; the matter was never spoken of again.
   For my part, I took care not to say a word. Maybe I was wrong, but why should I tell on an old man who had never done me any harm, After all, he hadn't intended to kill the tramp, and it didn't seem right to me that a court case should embitter the last years of don Cesáreo's life. The best thing, I thought, was to leave him alone with his conscience.
   Little by little I began to forget the episode, but every time I saw don Cesáreo it felt strange to realize that he was unaware that I was the only person in the world who knew his terrible secret. From then on, for some reason I avoided him and never dared speak to him again.

   In 1969, when I was twenty­six, I was working as a teacher of Spanish language and literature. Adriana Bernasconi had married not me but someone else who may not have loved and deserved her as much as 1.
   At the time, Adriana, who was pregnant, was very nearly due. She still lived in the same house, and every day she grew more beautiful. Very early one oppressive summer morning I found myself teaching a special class in grammar to some secondary­school children who were preparing for their exams and, as usual, from time to time I cast a rather melancholy glance across the road.
   All at once my heart literally did a flip­flop, and I thought I was seeing things.
   From exactly the same direction as four years before came the tramp don Cesáreo had killed - the same ragged clothes, the greyish overcoat, the battered straw hat, the filthy bag.
   Forgetting my pupils, I rushed to the window. The tramp had begun to slow his step, as if he had reached his destination.
   He's come back to life, I thought, and he's going to take revenge on don Cesáreo.
.
  But the beggar passed the old man's gate and walked on. Stopping at Adriana Bernasconi's front door, he turned the knob and went inside. 
   "I'll be back in a moment," I told my students and, half out of my mind with anxiety, I went down in the lift, dashed across the street, and burst into Adriana's house. 
   "Hello!" her mother said, standing by the door as if about to go out. "What a surprise to see you here!" 
   She had never looked on me in anything but a kindly way. She embraced and kissed me, and I did not quite understand what was going on. Then it dawned on me that Adriana had just become a mother and that they were all beside themselves with excitement. What else could I do but shake hands with my victorious rival? 
   I did not know how to put it to him, and I wondered whether it might not be better to keep quiet. Then I hit on a compromise. Casually I said, "As a matter of fact, I let myself in without ringing the bell because I thought I saw a tramp come in with a big dirty bag and I was afraid he meant to rob you." 
   They all gaped at me. What tramp? What bag? Robbery? They had been in the living­room the whole time and had no idea what I was talking about. 
   "I must have made a mistake," I said. 
   Then they invited me into the room where Adriana and her baby were. I never know what to say on these occasions. I congratulated her, I kissed her, I admired the baby, and I asked what they were going to name him. Gustavo, I was told, after his father; I would have preferred Fernando but I said nothing. 
   Back home I thought, That was the tramp old don Cesáreo killed, I'm sure of it. It's not revenge he's come back for but to be reborn as Adriana's son. 
   Two or three days later, however, this hypothesis struck me as ridiculous, and I put it out of my mind. 

   And would have forgotten it forever had something not come up in 1979 that brought it all back. 
   Having grown older and feeling less and less in control of things, I tried to focus my attention on a book I was reading beside the window, while letting my glance stray. 
   Gustavo, Adriana's son, was playing on the roof terrace of their house. Surely, at his age, the game he was playing was rather infantile, and I felt that the boy had inherited his father's scant intelligence and that, had he been my son, he would certainly have found a less foolish way of amusing himself. 
   He had placed a line of empty tin cans on the parapet and was trying to knock them off by throwing stones at them from a distance of ten or twelve feet. Of course, nearly all the pebbles were falling down into don Cesáreo's garden next door. I could see that the old man, who wasn't there just then, would work himself into a fit the moment he found that some of his flowers had been damaged. 
   At that very instant, don Cesáreo came out into the garden. He was, in point of fact, extremely old and he shuffled along putting one foot very carefully in front of the other. Slowly, timidly, he made his way to the garden gate and prepared to go down the three steps to the pavement. 
   At the same time, Gustavo - who couldn't see the old man - at last managed to hit one of the tin cans, which, bouncing off two or three ledges as it went, fell with a clatter into don Cesáreo's garden. Startled, don Cesáreo, who was half­way down the steps, made a sudden movement, slipped head over heels, and cracked his skull against the lowest step. 
   I took all this in, but the boy had not seen the old man nor had the old man seen the boy. For some reason, at that point Gustavo left the terrace. In a matter of seconds, a crowd of people surrounded don Cesáreo's body; an accidental fall, obviously, had been the cause of his death. 
   The next day I got up very early and immediately stationed myself at the window. In the pentagonal house, don Cesáreo's wake was in full swing. On the pavement out in front, a small knot of people stood smoking and talking. 
   A moment later, in disgust and dismay, they drew aside when a beggar came out of Adriana Bernasconi's house, again dressed in rags, overcoat, straw hat, and carrying a bag. He made his way through the circle of bystanders and slowly vanished into the distance the same way he had come from twice before. 
   At midday, sadly but with no surprise, I learned that Gustavo's bed had been found empty that morning. The whole Bernasconi family launched a forlorn search, which, to this day, they continue in obstinate hope. I never had the courage to tell them to call it off.

Children of the City by Amadis Ma. Guerrero

Children of the City 
Amadis Ma. Guerrero
(For the newsboys of Manila, in the hope of a better life for them) 


"Suffer the little children to come to Me...” 

THE father of the boy Victor worked on the waterfront and got involved in a strike, a long drawnout affair which had taken the following course: It began with charges that the employees were not being given a just compensation, that part of their earnings were being withheld from them, and that their right to form a union was being disregarded. It escalated with the sudden dismissal, for unstated reasons, of several workers, giving rise to fears that more layoffs would be carried out in the near future. This led to organized defiance, and the setting up of picket lines. Finally, one stifling summer evening, violence broke out on the piers of the city as the strikers were receiving sandwiches and soft drinks from sympathetic outsiders. 

Victor had been, and still was, too young to understand it all. But when they were living in one of the shanties that stood in Intramuros, he would frequently overhear snatches of conversation between his parents regarding his father’s job. Sobra na, his father would say, we cannot take it anymore. Naglalagay sila, they are depriving us of our wages, and they even have this canteen which charges us whether we eat there or not.

Then his mother's voice, shrill and excited, would cut in, urging him to swallow it all, accept what little was given to him and stay away from the groups that wanted to fight back. She spoke bitterly of the newly emerging unions - and that priest with his cohorts and his student volunteers - who were trying to organize the workers. Victor's father defended these groups, saying were only protecting the dockhands' interests. You don't know what it's like out there, he would say, there have been beatings, and all sorts of accidents. It's a dreadful place really…

Once the boy interrupted them and wanted to know what the discussion was all about, only to be met with a rebuke from his mother. But he was insistent, the heat of the argument stirring a vague fear within him, and he asked what a cabo was. To distract him, his father playfully laid hold of him and hoisted him over his shoulders (although Victor was getting a bit heavy for this sort of thing). And thus they horsed about the house, or what passed for it, to the tune of the boy's delighted shrieks and the cold stares of his mother. 

Occasionally, whenever he would find the time, his father would take him out at night for a stroll along the Boulevard, to feel the breeze and to walk gingerly on the narrow embankment. The place at this hour wove its spell around him, a kind of eerie enchantment, and he would gaze fascinated at the murky waters gently, rhythmically swirling on the shore, and at the beckoning lights of Cavite, and thrill to the mournful blast of a departing ship. 

- Tatang, where is the ship going? - 

- I don't know, Victor. Maybe to the provinces. Maybe to another 
country, a faraway land. - 

- When will we be able to travel too? – 

- I don't know, when we have a little money, perhaps. - 

The whistle of the ship, which seemed to be a big liner, sounded once more as it steamed out of the harbor and headed in the direction of the South China Sea. Arm in arm in the darkness punctuated only by a few insufficient lights, father and son tried to make out the dim outline steadily moving away from them. Then the ship faded into the shadows, and its whistle sounded no more. 

Later they strolled on the promenade and made their way slowly to the Luneta, where his father bought him some chicharon. 

The park was dimly lit and ill-kept, and as they passed by the Rizal monument they noticed a number of rough-looking men lurking about in its vicinity. Two women, dressed gaudily and unaware of their presence, were approaching from another direction. As they neared, the men unloosed a volley of whistles, yells and taunts. Then stones were flung, triggering screams and curses from the two. Victor was startled at hearing their voices, which, though high-pitched, sounded distinctly masculine. 

His father hurriedly led him away from the scene, and to his puzzled queries replied that it was nothing, just a quarrel, an incident. As an afterthought, he observed that the park had not always been like this, that once in the distant past it had been a clean and picturesque place.

- Maybe it will become beautiful again in the future... 

A week after this the dock strike materialized. It was called against a shipping firm following the breakdown of negotiations. The picket dragged on, with the strikers and their families subsisting on funds raised by student, labor and civic-spirited elements. And the tide seemingly began to favor the strikers, for soon the case attracted national attention. 

Victor's father would return home late at night from the marathon picket manned in shifts, exhausted but excited, and brimming over with enthusiasm for the cause. His mother made no comment, her protests having long subsided into a sullen silence. 

Students and unionists drummed up public support for the workers, organizing drives for them, detailing their plight in pamphlets and press interviews. They reinforced the picket lines, held rallies to boost their morale and distributed food and money. And the shipping management's haughtiness turned to concern and then to desperation... 

ONE evening, four months after the strike began, the silence of the piers was broken by the rumble of six-by-six trucks. There were three of them, and they were heading straight for the picket lines. A shot rang out, reverberating through the night, then another and a third. 

Panic spread through the ranks of the strikers, and a few started to run away. Calls by the activists to stand fast, however, steadied the majority, who stood rooted on the spot following the initial wave of fear and shock. - Easy lang, easy lang, they won't dare crash through. - But the huge vehicles advanced inexorably, and as they neared, a kind of apocalyptic fit seized three picketers who, propelled by the months and years of exploitation, charged right into the onrushing trucks. 

Amid screams and yells, the barricades were rammed. And the scores of strikers fell upon the 6-by-6s loaded with goons in a fury, uncaring now as to what happened to them. They swarmed over the trucks, forced open the doors and fought back with stones, placards and bare fists, as more guns sounded. 

Then the harbor police moved in, and as suddenly as it began, the spasm of violence ended. The moans of the injured mingled with the strident orders of the authorities to replace the noise of combat. In addition to the three who had been ran over, two other men had been shot to death. One of them was Victor's father, and his picture appeared on the front page of one newspaper. It showed him spreadeagled on the ground, eyes staring vacantly, with a stain on his breast. 

Later that evening, the news was relayed to Victor's mother, and she fell into hysterics. Her cries betrayed not only anguish but fury and frustration as well, and learning of his father's death and seeing and hearing his mother thus, Victor, eight-year-old Victor, cowered in the shadows. 

Neighbors took care of him that night, but in the morning he managed to slip out, and he made his way to the Boulevard, once there walking about aimlessly. He heard the call of newsboys going about their job, and unknown fears began to tug at him. At a newsstand in the Ermita district his glance fell on the photo of his father, and he stared at it long and hard. It was the first time he had paid such close attention to a newspaper. 

Victor's father was laid to rest three days later at the crowded cemetery to the north. His fellow workers had passed the hat around, and although the amount collected was meager, contributions from the union organizers and their supporters had made possible the fairly decent burial. His mother sobbed all throughout the ceremony, and broke down noisily when the time came for a final look at her husband. The boy stood at her side, subdued. As the coffin was being lowered, he felt like calling out to his father, tatang, tatang, but the impulse died down, swept aside by the copious tears of his mother. It was a bright, clear day. On the avenida extension, the early morning traffic was forming and the sound of car horns intruded into the place where the mourners were gathered. 

Not long after his father's death, Victor, a third-grader dropped out of school, and plans were made to employ him as a newsboy with the help of an uncle who was a newspaper agent. His mother, who had gotten into the habit of disappearing in the afternoons and returning home early in the evening, pointed out that he was healthy and active, though lacking somewhat in aggressiveness. Surely this could be easily acquired once he was thrown out into the field? 

One day she brought with her a man, a stranger with a fowl breath who swayed from side to side, and introduced him to Victor as your new tatang. The boy did not respond to him, thinking some joke he could not comprehend was being played on him. And in the days that followed he avoided as much as possible all contact with the interloper. This man, unkempt in appearance, seemed to be everything his father wasn't. For one thing he was always cursing (his father had done so only when angry, and kept this at a minimum whenever Victor was around.) And in his friendlier moments he would beckon to the boy' and say -want this, sioktong? - in such a falsetto tone that Victor coldly looked away. At night he heard strange sounds behind the partition, accompanied by his mother's giggling and the man's coarse laughter, and he felt like taking a peek, but some instinct held him back. He was disturbed no end. 

One morning a week after the man moved in. Victor woke up to find him gone, along with his mother. In their stead stood his agent uncle, Tio Pedring, who said his mother had gone on a long vacation, and amid assurances that she would come back soon, informed the boy that he was to start to work immediately as a courier for the newspaper he was connected with. It's easy, Tio Pedring said, and forthwith briefed him on his duties. 

He was to report at the plant every night at 9 o'clock, wait for the first edition, which came out at 11 p.m., and observe the routine. He was to sleep right outside the circulation offices, and then awaken before 4 a.m., for that was the time the city edition was made available. A number of copies, perhaps 15 or 20, would then be turned over to him, and it was up to him to distribute these in the Blumentritt area. Tio Pedring, his mother's older brother and a thin man with a nervous tic, gave him the names and addresses of 10 regular customers, and said that it was up to him to develop, his own contacts so as to dispose off the rest of the newspapers allotted. When he was off-duty, Victor could stay in his uncle's Blumentritt place, and for every newspaper he sold he would get three centavos. No mention was made of resuming the boy's interrupted schooling. 

THAT evening at the appointed hour he went over to the newspaper's building located in the downtown section, and was greeted by the sight of scores of ragged, barefooted newsboys swarming before the dispatcher's section. A few were stretched out on the pavement, asleep on kartons that served as their bed, while others were having their supper, bibingka and soft¬drinks, from the turo-turo that catered to them. The majority just milled around, grouped together in tight bunches playing their crude game of checkers, or simply loafing, awaiting the call to duty. The noise of their conversation, loud and harsh and punctuated by words like putangina, filled the newspaper's building. 

In reply to his hesitant queries, the guard directed him to the distributing center, a stifling, enclosed place adjoining the printing presses. Victor entered, knowing that the notice which said unauthorized persons keep out was not meant for those like him, and for the first time he heard the throbbing of the machines which daily poured out thousands of newspaper copies. He listened for a while, fascinated, before seeking out the chief dispatcher, a harried-looking man who looked at him sharply and said - so you're the new boy? - ¬then told him to stick around for the provincial edition and observe how things went. After that he could sleep if he wanted to, and he would be awakened at 4 a.m., when the city edition came out. Fifteen copies would be given to him, and if he consistently managed to sell all of these, the number would be increased and he would make more money. 

Our work here is rush, rush, rush. You've got to be listo. 

Victor nodded, then, dismissed, made his way back outside, where the chill of the evening had replaced the heat of the plant. A mood of foreboding descended upon him, like a pall. He was hungry, but had no money, and so contented himself with watching the other newsboys. He wanted to mingle with them, but they didn't seem to be very friendly. A dilapidated ice cream pushcart stood at one end of the corner, and to this the urchins went for their ice cream sandwiches, consisting of one or two scoops tucked into hot dog and hamburger-sized bread. Beside it was a Magnolia cart, patronized by outsiders.

One boy stood out from among the throng. The others called him Nacio, and like all of them he wore a dirty T-shirt and faded short pants, and had galis sores on his legs, but cheerfulness emanated from him and he seemed to enjoy a measure of popularity among his companions. Upon noticing Victor watching from the side he detached himself from a group and offered him a cigarette. 

Surprised, Victor demurred, and said he did not know how to smoke. Nacio shrugged his shoulders, as if to say hindi bale, then asked if Victor was new on the job. Upon receiving a reply in the affirmative, he nodded in satisfaction and told the other to learn from him, for he would teach him the tricks of the trade, such as how to keep a sharp eye out for customers, how to swiftly board a bus or jeep and alight from it while still in motion, and so on... 

Nacio invited him to eat, but again Victor declined, saying he had no money. 

- Hindi problema yan! - the irrepressible Nacio said, - Sige, I'll pay for you. - He turned to the turo-turo owner: Hoy, Aling Pacing! Pianono at Coke nga ho! Will you give me a discount? - Aling Pacing only looked down coldly at the boy, and grunted - no discount for you. No discount for any of you -

Nacio winked at Victor as he paid, took the rolls and drinks, and handed over to the other his share. Victor wolfed down the pianono, although it didn't taste too new, and drank with deep satisfaction while his companion chattered on, regaling him with his experiences as a carrier and his ability to skillfully dodge in and out of traffic. He disclosed that once he had been sideswiped by a car, but escaped only with a few scratches, and boasted: - I'm the fastest newsboy in Manila. - Victor marveled at his luck in finding such a fine friend. 

As the time for the release of the first edition neared, an air of expectation materialized outside the plant. The newspaper's trucks and vans stood in readiness. The newsboys grew in number and began to form a dense mass. Their conversation became louder, more excited, and their horseplay rougher. Shortly after 11 p.m. a team of dispatchers emerged with the initial copies, the ink of the presses still warm on them, and was greeted by yells of anticipation. A stampede followed, and Victor noted that for every bundle turned over to a newsboy, one distributor jotted down on a piece of paper the number allotted to him. 

The clamor grew as the boys dashed out of the building and surged into the darkened streets. They were like school children being let out for recess. The noise continued, then subsided after a few minutes, with the last urchin scampering away. The nighttime silence returned once more to the area, broken only by occasional shouts of the men loading the main bulk of the provincial edition into the trucks, the toot of passing motorist's horn and the sound of laughter from drunkards in the sari-sari store in front. 

Victor settled himself on the pavement, and despite the hard ground he felt tired and sleepy. He used his right arm as a pillow, and thought briefly about his father, his mother and the man she had taken up with, Tio Pedring and the day's events, before sleep claimed him. 

He awakened several hours later, jolted by the noise of the second wave of newsboys gathering for the city edition. Gingerly he stretched his cramped arms and legs, peered about him and shivered, for it had grown much colder. He kept an eye out for Nacio, although he felt sure he would not come back anymore tonight. He could recognize, though, some of the faces in the crowd. 

The same procedure took place at 4 a.m., it was like a reel being retaken. The routine was now familiar to Victor, but with a difference. This time he was a participant in the activities, and he found himself caught up in the excitement. All weariness gone from him, he sped away in the company of his colleagues, holding on tightly to his ration of 15 copies. Exhilaration coursed through him, and he ran and ran, stopping only when he reached the avenida. The others had scattered in different directions, and the street stretched away endlessly, virtually devoid of traffic. Its stores had long closed down for the night, and only a few neon signs glowed. 

He began to walk slowly, sober now, his responsibilities heavy on him. His destination was Blumentritt. As he crossed Azcarraga, a taxi slowed down, and its passenger called out to him. Tremblingly he handed over a paper, and received 15 centavos in turn. His very first sale! His spirits soared anew... perhaps it wasn't so difficult after all to sell a newspaper. This impression was bolstered when in a matter of minutes he made two more sales, to customers at a small, all-night restaurant. 

It was still dark when he arrived at the district, and the first thing he heard was the whistle of the train which passed through the place every evening. He reacted in the same way he had to the foghorn blasts of the ships along the Boulevard. 

He set about reconnoitering the area, to get the feel of it, and took out the list Tio Pedring had given him. He recalled his uncle's words: 

- You're lucky. Not all newcomers have mga suki when they begin, and they have to return so many copies at first. Tambak sila. - The customers included a dressmaker, a barber, a small pharmacist, and a beautician. And to their places Victor eventually made his way, slipping the newspapers under doors, into mailboxes, and the apertures of padlocked steel gates. 

Soon it grew light, and more jeepneys began to ply their routes, as buses appeared, bound for Santa Cruz and Grace Park. The signs of activity in the neighborhood market increased while the small parish church near it remained closed, silent and deserted. Young scavengers, worn out from poking all night among trash cans, slept inside their pushcarts. Piles of garbage stood on several streets and alleyways. 

Victor made no other sales that day, and he returned to the plant with three unsold newspapers. He turned them over apologetically. The one in charge now shrugged, then noted that he had not done badly for a first night's work. He added that he expected Victor to improve in the future and equal the other newsboys, who always complained that their allotment was not enough. The dispatcher said: - Our newspaper is sikat. By noon we are all sold out in the newsstands. – 

On his second night on the job, Victor was set upon by a group of street boys his age, who sprang up from out of the shadows and began to beat him up. He managed to flee from the scene in terror, leaving behind all his newspapers. For this he was roundly cursed by his uncle, who promised to take it out on his earnings for the next few days. 

He took to haunting his beat even during the daytime and became friends with the little people, the vendors, the sellers of peanuts, kalamansi, coconuts and pigs, the grocery employees, the market denizens, the modistas and shop owners, and even some of' the patrolmen. Through his constant presence in the area, he was able to find additional regular customers, and no more did he have to return unsold copies. At night he went about his tasks with renewed confidence, and when through he would rest in front of the local bank. Gradually he lost his fear of thugs. 

Though his work improved, his relations with the other newsboys didn't. Nacio remained his only friend, and whenever he was around the others let Victor alone. He couldn't make them out at all, with their rough games and harsh tongues, their smoking and their constant baiting. At one time he was jolted awake from the dreamless sleep by the concerted yells of the newsboys, who were hurling missiles, with the drivers reacting by merely stepping on the gas, and the passengers cowering in alarm. The guards whose job it was to break up these things did not seem to be around. No one could give an explanation for the sudden outburst.

VICTOR was eventually allowed to sell both editions of the paper and his daily quota was increased to 20. Soon he was making about three pesos every day, sometimes more. His beat late at night was transferred to the Boulevard district, where he peddled the provincial edition to night clubbers and cocktail loungers. In the early hours of the morning he would distribute the city edition to his Blumentritt customers. Tio Pedring expressed satisfaction with his development, and granted the boy more decent accommodations and better food at his residence. 

Victor settled down into the routine, which would be livened up sometime by big events, like an earthquake. During such occasions the labor force would swell, augmented by now inactive boys who had graduated to other fields of endeavor, like pickpocketing and the watch-your-car business. In January the Press Club held its annual party in honor of newsboys, and Victor and Nacio along with many others, attended. There were balloons, soft drinks and cookies. Nacio kept stuffing these into his pockets, to the great amusement of Victor, who was tempted to do the same, but there didn't seem to be enough around.

That was the last time the two spent together. Within a week Nacio met his death - violently; he had been run over by a car while recklessly charging into the street following the release of the first edition. The following afternoon, this sign stood at the corner leading to the newspaper building: SLOW DOWN NEWSBOYS COMING OUT.

Victor grieved for his friend, and from that time on he became even more taciturn and withdrawn. 

HE avoided the Boulevard by night, with its motionless ships, its necking couples, jagged embankment and swaying trees, and stuck to the well¬-populated areas. The bar district in the southern part of the city began to attract him, and fortified by his sheaf of newspapers, which was like a badge of distinction for him, he would stare expressionlessly at the painted girls posing before the doorways under the garish neon signs, at the customers briefly eyeing them before going in, and at the well-dressed bouncers. 

On this particular evening the bars were filled with foreign sailors, for a military exercise was to be held within a few days. Red-faced and grinning, the fair-complexioned seamen made the rounds, boisterous, arm in arm sometimes, and swaying from side to side (they reminded Victor of the man who had replaced his father). Helmeted men, with MP arm-bands, stood in front of some of the cocktail lounges. 

Victor approached one of the dives and, getting a nod from the bouncer, who saw he was a newsboy, made his way in. It was almost pitch-dark inside, and it took a few minutes for his eyes to grow accustomed to the cavern-like atmosphere. Hostesses and sailors were grouped around the small tables, drinking, talking and laughing shrilly while a combo belted out pulsating music and a singer strained to make herself heard above the din. Some couples were pawing each other. 

He approached a group noisily drinking, and tugged at the sleeves of one sailor. 

- You buy newspaper from me, sir. Sige na, Joe. – 

The other peered at him in surprise, then guffawed loudly, and waved him away. He said thickly - Beat it, Flip boy! – 

Victor stood rooted on the spot. He didn't understand the words, but the gesture was unmistakable. Some hostesses started giggling nervously. He was about to turn away in anger and humiliation when another seaman, blonde and clean-shaven, gently laid a hand over him - Wait a minute, sonny. - Then he dipped into his pocket and handed over something to Victor. - Here, take it, it's yours. Have a grand time with it. – 

Victor thanked him automatically, and went out swiftly. He looked at the paper bills in his hand and saw that they totaled two pesos, practically a night's work for him... and the pall that had descended over him for weeks was suddenly lifted, like a veil. He felt liberated, renewed. He wanted to sing out, to shout and dance about. And he began to run, joy spurring him on. 

Later that night he recounted the incident to his surprised colleagues, who had never seen him this garrulous before. He elaborated on the story, enriching it with imaginary details, and transformed it into a tale of danger, excitement and exotic drama. As a clincher, he proudly showed off his money, realizing his mistake in the next instant. But it was too late. The others began to advance toward him, encircling him. Their words were flung at him like stones: 

- Why aren't you like us? - 

- Why don't you smoke? - 

- Why don't you curse? - 

- Say putangina. 

Victor drew back, frightened. With a chill he remembered the time the Blumentritt boys had ganged up on him. - I don't say words like that. –

- Say it! – 

- All right, all right, putangina. - But the ephitet carried no conviction, and he repeated it, stronger this time. The boys laughed in derision, and gave out a mirthless kind of cheer. After uttering the words, Victor could no longer control himself. He began screaming all kinds of curses, and he hurled himself bodily upon them, kicking, hitting, screaming, in the grip of a fury he had not known existed within him. 

With a great shout, the others fell upon him. Newsboys sleeping on the ground woke up in alarm, the night circulation people looked around in consternation, and the turo-turo owner screamed. The melee continued until a shouting security guard rushed in and roughly broke it up. He led Victor away, and was about to interrogate him when the boy, who had sustained some cuts and bruises, broke free of his grasp and fled into the night. 

He roamed the streets, the byways and darkened alleys of the teeming district. He passed by children his age scrounging around trash cans, and dingy motels where couples went in and out. One small restaurant, a focal point of excitement during the daytime when the racing results were posted, now stood silent and almost empty, about to close down. His face and body ached from the blows he had received, and a trickle of blood streamed down his nostrils. He wiped this on his T-shirt. He seemed to be in good shape otherwise, and he felt relief that the fight had been stopped in time. His thoughts flew back and forth. He promised himself that he would never go back to the plant, but his resolve soon began to weaken. He was at a loss as to what to do. 

A rough voice to his right drew his attention, and as he turned into a narrow sidestreet leading to the avenida, he saw a policeman bending over a man sprawled on a heap, and apparently asleep. The officer kept on shaking the fellow, who failed to respond. Then, cursing, he hit him with his night stick, as Victor watched... 

HE reported for work the following evening, prepared for anything. But nothing untoward happened. Last night's incident seemed to have been forgotten, and the others made no reference to it. Then one of the boys, whom Victor recognized as a ring-leader, went over to him and, apparently as a kind of peace offering, held out a cigarette. Victor hesitated, then said he 
didn't smoke. 

The others began to form around him anew, but this time their attitude was one of curiosity rather than of menace. 

- Sige na, take it. It is very nice to smoke, and it is easy. All you have to do is take a deep breath, then exhale slowly. 

And Victor, his last defenses down, leaned forward and wearily accepted the cigarette, while around them swirled the life of the city: this city, flushed with triumphant charity campaigns, where workers were made to sign statements certifying they received the minimum wage, where millionaire politicians received Holy Communion every Sunday, where mothers taught their sons and daughters the art of begging, where orphans and children from broken homes slept on pavements and under darkened bridges, and where best friends fell out and betrayed one another.