After
the liberation of Manila, hundreds of indigent families settled in the squalid,
cramped space of the bombed ruins of an old government building of Juan Luna.
For more than a decade these “squatters” tenaciously refused to move out in
spite of court rulings. The “casbah”, as the compound was popularly known,
became a breeding place for vice and corruption. The city government was able
to evict the “squatters” only on December 20, 1958 – five days before
Christmas.
(On
the middle of the stage, extending from side to side, is a stone wall one and a
half feet high. At left may be seen a portion of a tall edifice. At right, is a
portion of the “casbah”. Beyond the stone wall, an estero (unseen) – and the
sky. A five-year-old girl sits on the stone wall, her thin legs dangling in the
air. Offstage there is a continuous commotion of evacuation. A woman’s voice
rises above the commotion as she reprimands a child for getting in her way. A
six-year-old boy appears on stage walking backwards – away from his mother,
nagging offstage. The mother quiets down. The boy turns around and plays with
his toy: an empty milk can pulled along the ground with a piece of string.)
Girl:
Is there a fire?
Boy:
(Stops playing and faces her) Huh?
Girl: I
said, is there a fire?
Boy: There
is no fire. (Continues to play)
Girl:
(Looks toward the street. After a pause.) I think there is no fire.
Boy:
(Stops playing_ I told you there’s none.
Girl:
There is.
Boy:
How do you know? Do you see any smoke? Do you hear any fireman? (resumes his play.
Runs around imitating a fire engine) EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I like it when there is a
big fire!
Girl:
(Worried) If there is no fire, why are they putting these things out? (pints to
a pile of household belongings nearby)
Boy:
Because we are being thrown out.
Girl:
Who told you?
Boy: My
mother.
Girl:
Who is throwing us out?
Boy:
(Sits on the other end of the stone wall) The government.
Girl:
What is a government?
Boy: I
don’t know.
Girl:
You didn’t ask your mother?
Boy: I
forgot to ask her.
Girl:
Why should the government throw us out?
Boy:
(Points to the compound) Because it owns this.
Girl:
(Enraged) But this is ours!
Boy:
No, it is not ours.
Girl:
(Insistent) It is ours! It is!
Boy: It
is not!
Girl:
(A tiny scream) It is! It is!
Boy:
(Loud) How do you know it is ours?
Girl:
We’ve always been here, haven’t we?
Boy:
Yes, but that doesn’t mean it is ours.
Girl:
(After a pause) If they throw us out, we’ll have nowhere to go. How about you?
You have any place to go?
Boy:
None. But we will have one. (Proudly) My mother has a job.
Girl:
She has?
Boy:
Yes!
Girl:
What does she do?
Boy:
She reads hands.
Girl:
She reads – hands? (Looking at her hands) Why does she read hands?
Boy: So
she can tell what will happen tomorrow.
Girl:
She can do that? By reading hands?
Boy:
Yes, She can!
Girl:
(Showing him her hands) Can she read my hands? I want to know where we will
stay tomorrow.
Boy:
She can’t read your hands.
Girl:
(Looks at them) Why not?
Boy:
They are too small… and dirty.
Girl:
(She quickly withdraws them and quietly wipes them on her dress)
Boy:
Besides… she reads only men’s hands.
Girl:
Only men’s hands? Why?
Boy:
Because they are big.. and easy to read.
Girl:
How does she read hands? Like she reads the comics?
Boy: I
don’t know.
Girl:
You don’t know? Don’t you watch her?
Boy: My
mother won’t let me. She makes me go out and play. And she closes the door.
Girl:
She closes the door! How can she read in the dark?
Boy: I
don’t know. (Proudly) But she can!
Girl:
Don’t you ever peep?
Boy:
No, I don’t.
Girl:
Why not?
Boy:
She’ll beat me up.
(Commotion
offstage.)
Girl:
What’s that? What’s happening there?
Boy:
(Tries to see) I don’t know. I can’t see. (Pulls her) Come out, let’s take a
look!
Girl:
(Resisting) I can’t.
Boy:
Why not?
Girl:
My father told me to stay here. He said not to go anywhere.
Boy:
(Turning) Then I will go and take a look.
Girl:
(Frightened) No, don’t. Stay here. Don’t leave me.
Boy:
Why?
Girl:
I’m afraid.
Boy:
Afraid of what?
Girl: I
don’t know.
Boy:
But how can we find out what’s happening?
Girl:
Let’s not find out anymore.
Boy:
(Restless) But I want to see. (Scampers up the stone wall) I can see from here!
Girl:
What do you see?
Boy:
(Incredulous) They are destroying our homes. (Sound of wrecking crew at work)
Girl: (frightened)
Who are destroying them?
Boy:
The men with hammers!
Girl:
Nobody is stopping them?
Boy:
Nobody.
Girl:
But why? Are there no policemen?
Boy:
There are. There are many policemen.
Girl:
What are they doing? What are the policemen doing?
Boy:
Nothing.
Girl:
Nothing? They are not stopping the men?
Boy:
No.
Girl:
Why not?
Boy: I
don’t know.
(Commotion.
Shouts. Curses)
Girl:
(Alarmed) What’s happening now?
Boy:
(excited throughout) A man is trying to stop the men with hammers! Now the
policemen are trying to stop him. They’re running after him. But the man fights
like a mad dog! (A man shouts, cursing)
Girl:
(Suddenly, with terror in her voice). That’s my father! (In her fright she
covers her eyes with hands)
Boy:
Your father?
Girl:
Yes, he’s my father! What are they doing to him? Are they hurting him?
Boy:
No, they are only trying to catch him… Now they’ve caught him! They are tying
his hands!
Girl:
What will they do to him?
Boy: I
don’t know. Now they are putting him in a car. A police car.
Girl:
(Whimpers) Father… Father…
Boy:
They are taking him away! (A car with siren drivers away)
Girl:
(Screams) FATHER! FATHER!
Boy: He
can’t hear you now.
Girl:
(Starts to cry)
Boy:
(Walks to and sits beside her) Why are you crying? Don’t cry please…
Girl:
They are going to hurt my father, aren’t they?
Boy:
No, they won’t hurt him.
Girl:
(Removes her hands from her eyes) How do you know?
Boy: I
just know it. (Suddenly) Come, let’s sing a song.
Girl: I
don’t know how to sing.
Boy: I’
teach you.
Girl:
How?
Boy:
I’ll sing… and you listen. (She nods and wipes her eyes dry)
Boy:
(Sings) Saylenay…
Olinay…
Oliskam…
Olisbray…
Ranyonberginmaderenchayle…
Oli
impansotenderenmayle…
Slipinebenlipis…
Slipinebenlipis…
Girl:
(Smiling) That’s a pretty song. Who taught you that song?
Boy:
(Proudly) My mother!
Girl:
What does it mean? I can’t understand it.
Boy:
It’s about God.
Girl:
What’s a “God”?
Boy: I
don’t know. I haven’t asked my mother. But she told me God was born in a
stable.
Girl:
What’s a stable?
Boy: A
place for horses.
Girl:
(Incredulous) He was born there? In a place for horses? Why?
Boy: My
mother said he had nowhere to stay.
Girl:
Was he poor?
Boy: I
don’t know.
Girl:
(Suddenly) I like the song. Will you sing it again?
Boy:
No, let’s sing it together.
Girl: I
told you, I don’t know how.
Boy:
I’ll teach you. I’ll sing it a little… and you sing after me. (She smiles and
nods)
Boy:
(Sings) Saylenay…
Girl:
Saylenay…
Boy:
Olinay…
Girl:
Olinay…
Boy:
Oliskam…
Girl:
Oliskam…
Boy:
Olisbray…
Girl:
Olisbray…
Boy:
Ranyonberginmaderenchayle…
Girl:
Ranyon…(She giggles) I can’t say that!
Boy:
Let’s skip it. (Sings) Oli impan… n, skip that, too. (Sings)
Slipinebenlipis…
Girl:
Slipinebenlipis…
Boy:
Slipinebenlipis…
Girl:
Slipinebenlipis…
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