University of the Philippines Los Banos

College, Laguna
Department of Social Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences

Sociology and Literature: A Review and Critique of

Desaparesidos by Lualhati Bautista in the Context of the 21st
Century

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for SOC 10: General Principles of

Sociology, Section U, Second Semester, A.Y. 2016-2017

Submitted by:
Cagatulla, Mannieleen (2014-99176)
De Leon, Romelie Annette (2014-12210)
Lantin, Marinela (2014-09439)

Submitted to:
Ms. Mary Diane M. Duran

Submitted on:
May 16, 2017
 I. Introduction

What will be presented in this particular paper is a book review and critique of Lualhati Bautistas
magnificent book Desaparesidos. In discussing this book, this paper provides a summary and an analysis
of the main characters in relation to real-life cases that occurred during the Martial Law period in the
Philippine history. After this, we aim to present our critique of the paper as we read it in the 21st century.
Alongside this, we will expound on what themes changed in relation to the present situation of the
Philippines. Then, we will also present our ideas as to how the book can be appreciated by future generations
of readers. In the end and as a form of conclusion, we would present how powerful literature can be in terms
of bringing about social change and pose some challenges both to future writers and readers in appreciation
of any novel that they may come across. With all these in mind and set aside from our way, we can now
start discussing.

II. Summary

Desaparasidos by contemporary writer Lualhati Bautista follows the story of Anna who has been
in search of her baby for 21 years amidst being part of the New Peoples Army (NPA); Roy, a high ranking
official of the movement who has lost his family and himself in the pursuit of change, and Lorena, Annas
second child who struggles with the abandonment of her parents and the competition for their love with the
Philippines and the shadow of her mothers firstborn.

The story took place after Dictator Ferdinand Marcos has been impeached and the victims, family
of victims were called to file a claim under a Non-Government Organization to be submitted to Hawaii.
Sister Lourdes, along with lawyers and other victims were seated on a table waiting on a couples testimony
and describe circumstances surrounding the arrest, death, torture or disappearance during Marcos
presidency.

Annas first husband, Nonong, was killed by soldiers of the 24 Infantry Battalion. His body was
th

displayed in the town plaza and was claimed to have died during a confrontation when in truth, he was
watched and followed, was beaten up a dark alley. Anna in her persistence to see her husband for herself
went to town with her 6-month old baby and saw the state Nonong was in: feasted on by flies, displayed
like a piece of meat with his nails pulled from his fingers, along with two others. Nonongs parents had
heard the news of their sons passing and has travelled to claim the body. He faced the same fate as his son
as soldiers interrogated him and accused him to have had connections with the revolutionaries. Residents
were forced out of their house and fathers were massacred with the idea that fish will not survive if there is
no water (Hindi mabubuhay ang isda kung walang tubig).

Roy who was in the same unit as Anna or Ka Leila to her comrades, asked her if she wanted to
leave for the movement for the meantime to protect her baby since they would be moving out soon to a
different hiding place because of the continuous raid. Jinky, another comrade offered to have his wife who
was in the care of Roys parents to take of Annas baby for her. Roy and Anna set off to go home to Roys
province and left Malaya in the care of Karla, Jinkys wife who was pregnant at the time with a child she
also intends to name Malaya.

An NPA unit attacked a military armory and managed to kill two guards which angered their
enemies that propelled their revenge. Residents were forced out their houses and fathers were massacred to
rid of the infiltrator inside the village and the villager who took them in. The raid was only three barrios
from Roys parents town. Mang Manuel, Roys father evacuated Karla and Malaya from their barrio
through Mang Kardo. He knew it would look suspicious to the armed men to have a pregnant woman and
a baby living who werent related to them, living with them especially when his son hasnt come back and
stayed in town in the longest time. Mang Manuel promised Karla that he will come back for her after the
soldiers have gone, if not, he will surely find a connection to let Jinky know where to find her.

Armed men arrived in their barrio and asked for a Ronildo Ibanag, Roys real name. Residents
looked to Mang Manuel, silently asking what they should do. They have seen Roy with one or two
companions that will stay at his parents house for a few days before being fetched by different people.
They assumed that the soldiers were tipped and was led to the area. Men were questioned, kicked and beat
and houses were searched.

Ronildo Ibanag, the NPA, a high ranking member of the NPA, the soldiers proclaimed. They asked
to bring any information about the said person to them as soon as possible for their safety. Everyone knew
everyone in the barrio and has treated each one as a member of their extended family and they couldnt
give the soldiers what they were asking for. Mang Manuel said Ronildo Ibanag was his son then everybody
was ordered to go back to their houses. No one moved until a soldier fired and the villagers went home
running.

Shrieks and pleas were heard in the Ibanag household as soldiers tortured to family to give them
Roys location. As men equipped with armalites guarded outside the house that will shoot anything that
moves in the dark, Aling Anchay cried for help and Rissa, Joshua and Nene wept in fear. Mang Manuel
didnt give any answer to any of the question because he didnt have one, because he didnt know. When
the soldiers grew tired of getting nothing out of Mang Manuel, they moved out and blasted the house with
armalites then set the house on fire.

Roy was devastated upon hearing the news and went hysterical saying that they could have spared
Nene, his six-year old sister who was too young to have been a part of this. Jinky tried to calm him down
with the promise of justice while Joselito or Ka Lito, a 16-year old squeezed himself in a corner, crying
with Roy. Lito has also lost his family and had witnessed his father being killed from a tree. If anyone could
understand him, it was Lito. Roy questioned his decisions, his loyalty, his priorities, that in his fight for his
justice, he put his family in danger, he neglected them and led them to their graves. He and Lito formed a
special bond with the notion that everything that has happened is part of a greater purpose.

Anna requested to take a break from the opposition to find Malaya with news and hope that Mang
Manuel has moved Karla and her daughter before the tragedy. Jinky decided to come with her to look for
his wife. They were accompanied to the vehicle by their comrades where they hugged goodbye. They didnt
sit next to each other on the bus to ensure that if something happens, at least one of them would have a
chance to escape. They rode a tricycle to a subdivision and got off; too late to notice that there were armed
men guarding the house of their supposed connection.

They had no choice but to run. Anna was captured, blindfolded then questioned. She was slapped,
kicked and punched in the stomach while her hands were restrained behind her back. She tried to scream
and create a scandal but a gun was put in her mouth if she continued. She was raped and passed on to
different men and she couldnt do anything, not even leave scratch with her nails to any of her abusers. She
confided years later to a psychologist that she regretted asking for mercy and the psychologist replied that
its common as people appeal to emotions, to the mercy of the captor, the abuser because they had her life
in their hands.

Roy, on the other hand, talked about the times he was put in jail. The first time he was arrested was
before the Martial Law. It was a mass arrest of peace and order violation after the raid of suspected activist
headquarters. The second time was three days after Anna and Jinky left. One of their comrades has sold
them out to the military and they needed to escape, with important documents and maps but there wasnt
enough time. They found out that Jinky was the one to succumb to the torture and betrayed them.

Roy and the others were brought to the safe house. Lito was among others who were brought in
with him. One of the soldiers undid his cuffs and ordered him to punch the 16-year old. They threatened
him that theyd shoot the kid if he didnt follow orders. He threw a punch hesitantly one after another by
the soldiers ordered until they asked him to use karate on the boy. Litos face was swollen but he couldnt
do anything. He was doing it for his own protection; it was part of the struggle. The kid was squeezed in a
corner of the room in a fetal position. He hugged the boy and begged the soldiers to stop and thats when
his torture started.

He kept on cursing Jinky in his mind as he was tortured and abused, except when he was testicles
were electrocuted. He feared that he wouldnt be able to have children. He was brought to the hospital and
when he came around, the first thing he did was cry. He wasnt sure for whom he was crying for but Lito
was never far from his mind. Up to then, he has never told anyone of what happened between him and Lito
that night.

Anna, Roy and other comrades from their unit met again in a political detention hall. They
pretended that they didnt know one another except for Anna who was the only one who dared to sit next
to Roy and hold his hand. Attorney Lagrason asked if Jinky was in there with them and he answered he
wasnt. He was released by the government when he took an oath of allegiance to them but died after a few
months, by the military or his ex-comrades, they werent sure.

They experienced a typhoon one day that caused flooding in Manila. Since there were little space
in the detention hall and one bathroom, they were piled up in the corner as most of the men find where the
flooding in their room was coming from. Human feces were floating towards them with the water that
overflowed from the toilet and the floodwater. They used spoons, forks and anything that would make noise
to catch the attention of the guards. Their energy skyrocketed; they were in competition for the attention
and help until one raised his left hand followed by another until all of them were singing a patriotic song.
This was the first successful mass action they have done inside prison which made headlines in different
media forms.

They were transferred in a slightly more spacious room. This is when Roy and Sgt. Reyes, an old
man who was usually on duty at night. They talked about their family and their life and from then, Sgt.
Reyes has trusted him more, and when his colleagues saw this, they did as well. This gave Roy the
opportunity to build up to an escape.

He got on the regular bus that usually came by when he helped the boy take out their trash and he
was gone. From there, he rode a jeepney and transferred to another until he was with the people who was
planned to take him in. The boy and Sgt. Reyes were imprisoned, he found out a few days later but more
importantly, news about Lito has reached him. He was used as an example to the people to come forward
and tell them what they know. He used him to lure out Ka Jessie and for their cooperation, they would give
them seed money for a livelihood but the boy screamed the names of all their comrades who have been
killed and no one saw him after that. They speculated that he did that for the information to reach them.

The political detainees celebrated Roys escape while Anna felt a little envious of him. She never
stopped looking for Malaya even when she was imprisoned. She asked her mother on every visit until she
was finally released for humanitarian grounds when the judge advocate general was promoted.

She met with Roy and he said he took time off to help her look for Malaya. They started in a church
near his town, asked around but they didnt gain any answer. Everybody was in a state of panic, they
couldnt remember and they were busy keeping themselves and their loved ones alive and safe. They ended
up going to Roys barrio where he was greeted by his old neighbors. He saw the remnants of their old house.
It was the first night he and Anna spent together.

Lorena was introduced. It was common for a child of an activist to not live with their parents. They
were asked to say with a relative or another comrade for their own safety. Because of this frequent transfer
of homes, she never felt like she belonged anywhere. She tried to keep herself from missing her mother as
much so she kept distant every time she was dropped off to somewhere with someone. She met Eman one
day when she was living with her Aunt Chona, an ally. They sat and talked about where their names come
from. His was from Emmanuel Labaca and hers was from Lorena Barros, both were revolutionaries and
killed by the military. The two felt a connection to where their namesake came from.

Lorena was 10 years old when she saw the news on February 22 but paid no mind to it. She met
her father and they started living together in one house. On most nights, she would her mother checking the
lights, the windows and the doors. She would hear how her father would scream in his sleep for soldiers
and how her mother would wake and comfort him. She witnessed the bond they had with one another, a
bond that she didnt share.

She met Eman again and they talked about how their parents acted. She asked how they were doing
and compared it to the state of hers. Eventually, Eman was interested in the movement while she has dreaded
it. One night she her mother get up for her routine. She locked her door and she heard the panic in her
mothers footsteps trying to find the key. When Anna opened her door, she had an outburst. Roy mediated
between them and brought Anna back to their room. She cried and he cried with her for it has been twenty
years since then but the fear and pain were still fresh.

Anna was at work when she met Emily, an old classmate of Jinky. From there, she found out Jinkys
real name and where his parents lived. She and Roy set out to go, hesitantly leaving Lorena on her own.

It was a long commute to get to where Jinky was from and they were greeted by an old couple.
They asked if they had news about Karla and they said they only met her once. Karla said about it most
probably the last time they would ever meet since she was planning to go to Canada. They found out that
Karla had only one child with her and the child looked like Jinky as the old woman said.

A claimant visited the office one day and Anna was in charge of them. The girl who she could tell
was about 20 years old said her father was a victim. She said that her mother, Sonia Gimeno didnt want to
come because she wanted to forget everything that has happened. They left for Canada after her fathers
death. She wants to vindicate her father since he was killed either by the military or the NPA because he
was a traitor. Her father was Fernando Magdangal or who theyve known as Jinky.
 Roy and Anna came to visit Karla in her home. She told the story of how she and Jinky met before
he died, how they talked about going to Canada together. She told the story of what happened after Mang
Manuel left her in the care of Mang Kardo and Aling Julia, how there was a fire and chaos was everywhere,
and how the infant Malaya died, and how she and her baby were rescued by soldiers.

Karla had told the story of Malayas father to her when they were in Canada. She wanted to let her
know that he was a good man with principles. Malaya believed he was and it made her more connected to
the country where she was born. She talked about staying in the Philippines with Paolo once they were
married, both their parents approved that they decided to get married here instead.

Lorena, on the other hand, feared that one day Eman would leave her to join the movement. One
day, Eman said that he would be gone for a seminar and Lorrie chastised him about not learning anything
from their parents, not realizing that change wasnt made from anything hers and his parents did, and that
everything that come off of it are desaparasidos. Roy went to her daughter after Eman talked to her. He
explained that it is exactly because not much have changed that people are still fighting.

On most days, the office was overflowing with people and volunteers but that day, there werent
much work to do so Anna was left alone in the office and she locked the door. She noticed a woman standing
by it and recognized who she was, Malaya. She let her in and the younger girl started questioning her about
the things she already said. Malaya confirmed if her name in the movement was Ka Leila; Anna recalled
that she already said this to her when they first met. Malaya then revealed that she was her daughter and
asked forgiveness for the woman who took care of her for more than 20 years.

III. Analysis of Main Characters and Real-Life Cases

The situations the characters went through under the hands of the soldiers in the novel are accurate
depictions of real-life cases that occurred during the Martial Law period of Philippine history. The rape,
torture, and murder among others happened in real life; and in this part of the discussion, in order to
emphasize the importance of connecting reality with literary depiction, we will be presenting one real-life
case for rape, torture, murder, and loss of a loved one. It must be noted by this point that the manner used
in describing these cases cannot give justice to what really happened; indeed, the horror is unfathomable
even when we use the power of words.

The first case would be that of rape. One of the known advocate of holding the Marcoses
accountable for the various human rights violations during their regime in the country is Maria Cristina
Bawagan. Reportedly, she was also one of those who strongly opposed the burial of the late president
Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani along with other victims. She shared her story as she
petitioned the denial of the burial. We would not want to tell the whole story here for we encourage a
thorough research about this; instead, we will be presenting the gist of her experience. Bawagan said that
her thighs were hit multiple times until they looked like rotten vegetables. She also claimed that she was,
while blindfolded, sexually abused by the soldiers who captured her by inserting various objects into her
vagina and touching her breasts. (Pasion, 2016)

The second case would be that of torture. 43 years has passed but for Boni Ilagan, a martial law
torture victim, everything is still clear. A UP student when martial law was declared, he was arrested in
1974 and was brought to the then Philippine Constabularys headquarters in Camp Crame. Before being
arrested, however, he was already beaten along with journalist Jose Lacaba in the house they were in. Ilagan
thought the beating would end because he was brought into Crame only to experience worse. Even before
he sits down, he received kicks and punches; and when he did sit down, he received more. There was an
instance where his sole was ironed and a tingting was forced into his genitalia. The torture ended in 1976
but it did not end with him as his sister mysteriously disappeared. (Carino, 2016)

The third case would be that of murder. Most torture cases recorded eventually lead to killings, but
for this part, we looked into the case of Archimedes Trajano a 21-year-old student who questioned Imee
Marcos (Ferdinand Marcos daughter and the National Chair of the Kabataang Barangay then) in an open
forum in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). Trajano asked why Imee became the chair and said
that if it is not for her being the presidents daughter, she would not be given the position. He also mentioned
the human rights violations done by her father. Then on the 2nd of September 1977, Trajanos blooded body
was found in a street in Manila with witnesses saying that he was forcibly pulled out from the forum by
Imees bodyguards. He was believed to be tortured for 12 to 36 hours before he died. (Montalvan, 2016)

The last case is about people who were reportedly lost all of a sudden. The case is about Christine
Catalla who was an Economics major here in UPLB. Catalla, being a member of UP Student Catholic
Action (UPSCA) participated in various student protests and discussions. When Marcos declared martial
law and suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus in 1971, Catalla immediately decided to be a student and
youth organizer in the university. She led different organized assemblies, was an instructor, and was seen
as a potential leader. Later, she started organizing huge marches and protests against the Martial Law
regime. In 1972, she became the provincial coordinator for Batangas in the Southern Tagalog Movement
for Civil Liberties. However, five years after, in 1977 on July 31st, she disappeared all of a sudden with
reports saying she was last seen in Makati City.

It is through these real life cases that the characters in Desaparesidos were framed. The on-point
portrayal of the torture and the human rights violations in the book was attested and confirmed by the
horrors that took place in real life.

IV. Critique

It only exists because it is mediated. This is what Baudrillard, a postmodernist, will try to explain
how things, events or happenings become real to us even in the absence of having an actual experience of
it. In the same manner, this also reflect a certain truth about our generation today: if it is not documented,
not captured on camera, or it does not have any physical evidences nothing ever happened. But because
of different medium, like for this case, a novel, what happened years ago appears and remains to be true
even until now. Reading Desaparasidos is not just reminiscent of a historical event that have dramatically
changed the course of history and society; rather it just made the events more real to a 21st century reader
like us who have known what happened mostly through facts and figures. It was very helpful that we had
prior knowledge about what happened during that period in history, so we were able to contextualize and
appreciate the novel as more than just a work of fiction.
A novel might be one of the best ways on how to make history alive because of the intersection of
art and reality through fictional characters reflecting accounts of real people and their stories. The novel is
not just a fictional work but a portrayal of what transpired during that period of time. As a reader, somehow
a certain connection develops as reading involves the mind and heart (emotions and imagination). Somehow
one feels the pain and sufferings experienced by the character and one tries to find its parallel on peoples
stories and experiences during the time of Martial Law. With all that is happening around us and with just
the recent issue about Marcos burial one suddenly think about the people who experienced the struggles,
tortures and trauma: what about them? If as readers one feels bothered just by imagining their sufferings,
what about those who were actually there back in 1972? If as a reader it made one to realize that whats
happening now reflects no sense of justice for the victims, then what could be the reaction of our fellow
countrymen who experienced Martial Law?
However, if the purpose of the novel is to serve as an eye opener to the 21st century audience and
let them be aware of what it really looks like back then, reading may not be an enjoyable experience for
everyone. On the contrary though, we think that this novel seem to have an exemption. Lualhati Bautistas
style of writing, mixing the English and Filipino language, offers a refreshing way of the reading
experience. It does not make the novel sound too informal so as not to be taken seriously. The language and
treatment are just perfect to maintain the readers interest but at the same time maintain its serious tone (the
presence of repeated lines, parts or parts written in the same structure that reflects continuity and relevance).
More than 20 years ago, during the time when Desaparasidos was written, different cases of human
rights violation were filed in the US court as part of the class suit filed by the Martial Law victims. At the
end of the novel we found out that the victims won the case yet the reparation is far to be received. Even in
this seemingly simple and harmless act, victims continue to experience the pain of the past. Justice appears
to reflect this common phrase we hear, too near yet too far away. How can they move on if justice is yet
to be served? For some it is possible, for many others it is not the case. The novel is a memory of the past.
Through the characters and their personal accounts of their tragic experiences, we reminisce the dark past
and probably become aware for the first time of the depth and magnitude of the consequences of the
declaration.
Indeed, RA 10368 otherwise known as Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act
was signed in 2013 by then President Aquino. The act states that there should be a fund to be used for the
compensation of the martial law victims and such human rights violation during that era should be well
documented and recognized. But from 1986 (People Power Revolution and the ouster of Dictator Ferdinand
Marcos) to the year 1995 (the Hawaii court decided to rule in favor of the class suit filed against Marcos)
up to present, there is no much change. The scenario reflected in the novel still holds to be true until now.
In article written by Doyo (2015) she said that by the second quarter of 2015, 75,730 have filed cases against
Marcos, either claiming that they or their kin experienced human rights violation. Though some of these
claims may not be factual, we come to think: what do these numbers tell us?
Actually, something may have changed. Pains, sufferings and the pursuit for justice of the martial
law victims have taken into another form. When news spread that President Duterte wants to push through
Marcos burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, victims were urged by senators like Leila de Lima and
Franklin Drilon to file law suits that would prevent it from happening (Elemia, 2016). The act of burying
the late president in the Libingan ng mga Bayani is insulting in the eyes of most, if not all, of the victims.
Imagine the likes of Ana, Roy and all the other members of the Kilusan who fought against the evils; they
who have been seen as heroes of their generations who bravely stand for freedom against repression. Like
them, other unaccounted heroes might not actually experienced a decent burial. They might not even had
an inch of space in that cemetery or there was simply no body to bury. The act in itself will be added into a
painful memory. In the end, that is what the victims and all other Filipinos do every anniversary of the
Martial Law: to commemorate, to remember the past, the stories and the pain.
 The situations and context in the novel and in society today might be different but the lessons that
comes from the past are still of high significance and relevance today. What really struck us in this novel
was how the author accurately depicted the struggles of those who go against the Marcos regime and
hopefully as a result ignite a spark of revolutionary drive in us.
Curiously enough, how will the next generation appreciate the novel? Maybe what is better is not
just to ask how the novel will be appreciated by the next generation but on how it will remain relevant to
them. It may be possible for them to appreciate the novel like in terms of style, language, and treatment but
not be able to appreciate the content in itself. There is a possibility that Desaparasidos will be critiqued as
just a literary organ, forgetting the why the reason, the purpose why it is written. Here is a thought: if
through reading the novel we refresh ourselves with the memories of the past, what could be its relevance
aside from merely eliciting emotions from its readers?
It must be noted that all of those are just possibilities. Who are we to predict how the next generation
would make sense of the historical events that happened generation before them? Who are we to say that
the novel will lose its purpose and just be appreciated as a literary piece? We do not have any sufficient
reason for arguing so. Yet, how the next generation would appreciate the novel, we think, will be greatly
influenced by their historical upbringing. With this, society specifically the institution of school is
heavily burdened by the challenge to provide such contexts. The society must recognize its task to utilize
only positive/academic historical revisionism in explaining and presenting historical happenings.
In addition to this, the next generation must be educated and be aided in the realization that martial
law and the Marcos regime was not the Golden Age of Philippine history. They must be made to realize
that there were human rights violations (HRVs) and that none of those are petty. They must be made to
recognize that the achievements of the Marcos administration (e.g. infrastructures) will never be enough to
overshadow those HRVs. Thus, to be fully understood and appreciated, they must be informed first of the
atrocities and the mistakes committed at that point of history.
We have realized that people detached from its history does not help in the advancement and
development of the society. Therefore, the next generation should be taught of their history in a way that
does not isolate them from it. Martial Law and Marcos regime should not be taught like just random
memories and stories lifted from the past. Rather through different medium, like this novel, the next
generation might be able to appreciate the collective power of the people and the freedom that they have
fought for. Provided everything that was said, the next generation who will be reading this novel may
appreciate it not only from a literary perspective but also from a perspective of being a fellow Filipino.

V. Conclusion: The Power of Literature

With all the discussions above, our group recognized the power of literature in not only entertaining
but also in narrating those which occurred in the past, with the hope of enlightening the present. Indeed, the
power of literature in shaping society cannot be denied since the impact of literary works are exhibited in
various ways such as the shift in ideological stances among people. No wonder literary works were banned
during the martial law era. Those who were in power recognize such capability of literature (remember that
they were privileged enough to attain an education; they had access to literature and they know how
literature can transform people).
 Our group, thus, poses a challenge to writers. We challenge writers, as vessels of communication
through the written media, to utilize this potency of literature in transforming people and eventually society.
The challenge of reversing the status quo is obviously resting on everybodys shoulders but there is a certain
weight when it comes to writers because books (hence, literature) has played significant roles in the past in
the aspect of social change. Literature reveals what is hidden which makes it a perfect partner with
sociology (as sociology asserts that things are not what they seem to be).

Further, we challenge each reader every time they open a book, an article, or any other form of the
written media to keep an open mind; to be open to the possibility of his/her belief system questioned and
not take it as something so antagonistic. We challenge every reader to treat all literary works as an
opportunity for learning and continuous self-discovery; to take into consideration the context and social
structure in which the work was written and where the author wrote; to be devoid of biases and yet standing
firm in principles that fight for a progressive societal transformation without compromising the welfare of
the people. Finally, we challenge the reader to use literature as means to change what is wrong and
repressive and to use the lessons (explicitly said or not) in the work to positively affect the present as well
as the generations to come.

Lastly, we would to commend the author for her success through the novel in trying to relay the
horrors of the past in order for the present and future generations to not commit the same mistakes and
atrocities again. We recognize that in writing such masterpiece, especially when it comes to a subject that
is real and that really happened, it is extremely difficult to evoke emotions (among other things) that can
trigger a revolutionary feeling among readers that will hopefully pave the way for social change.
Nevertheless, Lualhati Bautista manifested her excellence in writing in Desaparesidos by not only painting
an accurate picture of the situations that transpired in the past but also in making her readers both before
and today feel the revolutionary drive to say Never Again to an oppressive and inhumane form of
government and Never Forget to the human rights violations.
References:

Carino, J. (2016). Marcos Martial Law: What happened to one torture victim. In ABS-CBN News.
Retrieved from: http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/09/20/16/marcos-martial-law-what-happened-to-
one-torture-victim. Retrieved May 11, 2017

Doyo, M. C. P. (29 September 2015). 75, 730 claims of rights of violation under Marcos are being
processed. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/726107/75730-
claims-of-rights-violations-under-marcos-are-being-processed

Elemia C. (8 August 2016). Martial law victims urged to file class suit to stop Marcos burial. Rappler.
Retrieved from http://www.rappler.com/nation/142353-de-lima-pangilinan-class-suit-stop-
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