Stormy stories

I am no leftist, sadist, nor Marcos loyalist, but stories, on print or in film, on various but at the same time parallel experiences of people during the Martial Law years have always interested me. I do not have any first-hand experience of Marcos’ dictatorship or even faint memories of which, as I was barely three when his rule ended. The closest link I have to a person in our bloodline that came closest to experiencing the Storm is just my uncle, and no one in our nuclear family. That may be the reason behind my interest to that particular fragment of Philippines history. If books and films were able to speak, I would ask them to disclose what really happened behind the subplots and scenes just to quench my curiosity. I know for sure that storytellers’ tales already underwent censure, personal ones or otherwise.

I’ll be most glad to lend an ear, or why not both of them. Tell me your story.


At a tender age of 19, Butch Dalisay, Jr was already stringing words like a pro, which is just exactly how he turned out. Check out his article, "A Prison Diary" (Penman, 21 Oct 2003) last Monday, to get a sample of his work, and his life, as he recounted in a diary his seven-month incarceration during the Martial rule.