Ang Mga Naiwan
B. Ang Mga Naiwan
Synopsis
Soc Delos Reyes highlights the resounding plea for justice in his play Ang Mga Naiwan. The play features monologues from Soledad, Analyn, and Stella as they face the grief of losing their loved ones to the bloody war on drugs and how they were left with no choice but to move forward in spite of the anguish they endure as reaching for justice is more complex than they thought. The play reveals how the system fails to protect the victims and the family they leave behind.
Context
General and Specific Locale
a. General Locale
The location of the play took place in the Philippines because Analyn mentioned that their current president was President Duterte. The plot also revolves around the current issue of Duterte’s Extra Judicial Killings.
b. Specific Locale
The specific locations of the play first took place inside a cafeteria where the interview was held. This is also why Analyn was offering the interviewers some food because she said that there are always some leftovers, as there are only a few people coming by her cafeteria after lunch. Next would be at Soledad's house because she asked her grandmother to accompany her child to her own room. She also mentioned that her house is located, specifically at Laguna. The last locale is at a sidewalk when Analyn was selling slippers since it was mentioned that she was at a bangketa
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Time (Composition, Action, and Dramatic Time)
a. Time of Composition
"Ang Mga Naiwan," a play by Soc Delos Reyes, tells the story of those who lost loved ones during President Duterte's term in 2017. President Duterte implemented the "war on drugs" in the early months of his presidency in 2016, and the people put its faith in him to rid the country of drug use. However, in the same year, it was encouraged to catch any known or suspected drug users. As the President said himself, "If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.” This led to the agonizing months of blind killings and abuse of power.
b. Time of Action
During President Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte's term in office in 2017, the play follows the story of three characters who are all grieving the loss of a loved one due to Extrajudicial Killings. Analyn's character is placed in a location where it is afternoon, as stated in the first few lines of the play (Page 2). Soledad and Stella's interviews were not given a specific time; however, because the people interviewing them are students (Pages 1, 2, and 3), it's safe to assume that they all took place in the afternoon, after school hours.
c. Dramatic Time
Since the characters are all in different places, they would have only had a few minutes to sit through a brief interview. And, assumptively, each interview takes place on different days, leading us to conclude that the play lasts three days.
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Situations (Social, Political, Economic)
a. Economic Situation
The poor and defenseless are often the target of the police because they know it would cost their families a lot to afford to seek justice. However, these killings are rampant because of the financial incentives the police receive per person they kill. According to a Senior Police Officer 1 interviewed by Amnesty International, “We always get paid by the encounter…The amount ranges from P8,000 to P15,000 … That amount is per head. So if the operation is against four people, that’s P32,000 … We’re paid in cash, secretly, by headquarters…There’s no incentive for arresting. We’re not paid anything.” This statement affirms that the government and those in power are inducing this system of abuse.
b. Political Situation
Rodrigo Duterte authorized the extrajudicial killings and created impunity in favor of his military men and fascists under his wing to soullessly kill small-time drug addicts and pushers, which spiraled out of hand as innocent victims became involved. Even though human rights watchers and the international criminal court probed against this brutal and elaborate system of crimes against humanity, EJKs have still been rampant. The justice for the victims and the family they leave behind has not yet been served until today.
c. Social Situation
According to Tirana Hassan of Amnesty International, “This is not a war on drugs, but a war on the poor. Often on the flimsiest of evidence, people accused of using or selling drugs are being killed for cash in an economy of murder.” Duterte’s vow to get rid of drug users and pushers in the country only enabled fascist military men to kill just anyone, mostly the underprivileged, without facing the consequences of their crimes with fabricated reports. The police usually target the poor and identify them as “drug pushers” as more bodies paint the streets red. Under Duterte’s government, no ordinary Filipino is truly immune from the systemic injustices he continues to embolden, not even his supporters. In October 2019, more than 20 000 Filipinos were reported to be victims of this drug war.
Definition of Terms
1. Pipti (Pipti, pipti! (makikita ang mga taga-panayam) Kayo na naman. Page 271)
Denotatively: adj., adv. fifty-fifty (with equal shares)
Connotatively: whilst still with the denotative meaning, it is also used to entice customers to buy the products.
2. Asar Talo (Asar talo lagi kasi siya ang bunso)
Denotatively: adj. defeated; beaten
Connotatively: asar: to make fun of, talo: defeated, mixed together it is an expression of a cycle of teasing and being overpowered. The classic sibling bashing of the elder siblings joking with the youngest.
3. Magpapabunso (Uuwi, paiyak-iyak. Magpapabunso.)
Denotatively: verb. the youngest child making use of the fact that they are the youngest gaining more favor to the parents.
Connotatively: seen as the youngest being all sweet to the mother and her still seeing him as her child
4. Susmaryosep (Ang gagawin ko, patatahanin ko. Pero mahabang patahan. Kailangan pang kantahan, susmaryosep.)
Denotatively: interj. an exclamation of fear, surprise, etc. (short for Jesus, Maria, Joseph!)
Connotatively: still with the concept of a shortened term of Jesus, Maria, Joseph it used as an expression of exhaustion
5. Dinumog (Wala akong nagawa. Ang daming ilaw. Ang daming tao. Kinuha ng pulis ang bangkay niya. Dinumog ako ng mga reporter.)
Denotatively: v., inf. Being ganged on, crowded onto
Connotatively: a sense of being overwhelmed and burdened
6. Tinanggap (“Ipinagdarasal ko na lang siya. Sana tinanggap ng Diyos si Buboy.” Page 274)
Denotatively: to receive
Connotatively: to be accepted by God in heaven
7. Dinamay (“Hindi ko alam kung bakit dinamay pa siya ng pulis.” Page 268)
Denotatively: to involve someone
Connotatively: Buboy was also killed by the police
8. Nagpakita (“Dalawang linggo na no’n, di ko pa rin nakukuha ang bangkay niya. Tapos nagpakita siya sa ‘kin.” Page 273)
Denotatively: to show up, appear
Connotatively: Buboy allowed himself to be seen by Analyn now that he is dead.
9. Magpapaputok (“H’wag daw magpapaputok kasi nga may mga bata sa loob ng bahay.” Page 272)
Denotatively: a general term that could mean any of the following: (1) to open fire; shoot (2) to blast: set of fireworks.
Connotatively: specifically, to fire a gun.
10. Sinangga (“Yong pangalawa at pangatlo, kay Buboy. Sinangga raw niya ‘yong mga bala.” Page 272)
Denotatively: to defend like a shield
Connotatively: Buboy caught the bullets so that other people near him wouldn’t be harmed.
11. Suportahan (“Head weyter siya sa catering para suportahan kami” Page 270)
Denotatively: noun. the act or process of supporting
Connotatively: supportahan is used to express when someone is working for the family. The one who provides.
12.Hinahabol (“May pulis, may suspek. May suspek na hinahabol.” Page 270)
Denotatively: verb. to follow rapidly
Connotatively: Nel was chased by police because they though he was the suspect they were looking for. They thought they were chasing the adik just because Nel is in the same baranggay at that time.
13. Makalayo (Pagkatapos ilibing si Nel, nakitira na kami ni Jaja dito sa Nanay ko. Para makalayo.” Page 273)
Denotatively: noun. an act or instance of getting away
Connotatively: Stella decided to avoid the continual erbal abuse of people around them.
14. Ligaw na bala (“Sabi nila, ligaw na bala lang daw.” Page 274)
Denotatively: a bullet that, after being fired from a gun, hits an unintended target
Connotatively: a statement used to imply that they did not aim at the victim. The victim was there and accidentally was shot.
15. Mabaon (“Nag-promise ako kay nel na bubuhayin ko ang anak namin. Kaya susubukan kong h’wag mabaon sa sama ng loob.” Page 275)
Denotatively: verb. to dispose of by depositing in or as if in the earth
Connotatively: not to get consumed by the grief and pain due to the sudden lost.
Character Sketch and Analysis
1. Analyn Ortega
2. Stella
3. Soledad
Click here to view Performance text.