UGAT Maikling Kwento ni Genoveva Edroza-Matute

Summary

The story follows an elderly grandfather who has become deeply disillusioned with the country’s politics. Since childhood, he has watched leaders and development programs come and go while poverty, exploitation, corruption, and social decay remain.

He once joined the peaceful revolution on EDSA, believing that the dictator’s fall would bring a better future. Instead, he feels that the people in power have merely changed, and that corrupt Filipino officials can be worse than foreign oppressors. His hopes for the poor—and for the country—have faded.

His family is preparing to migrate to the United States after his son Bert offers to help them. The grandfather had previously insisted that he would remain in the Philippines, but he now considers leaving in search of peace. His son Cardo and daughter-in-law Lina are surprised by his change of heart.

His grandchildren reveal contrasting attitudes toward the country. Ricky is excited about moving to the United States and says in a school assignment that he would prefer an American spouse and American citizenship. Tasing, whose full name is Anastasyo and who is named after his grandfather, says he would choose to be Filipino. He also pleads with his grandfather not to leave because he loves him.

Tasing’s attachment to his family and home makes the grandfather reflect on what he would be leaving behind. He struggles to explain his disappointment in the country and the corruption that has undermined the hopes born during EDSA.

The grandfather then recognizes that he is not entirely separate from the corruption he condemns. While thinking about obtaining a document needed for the move, he considers using his connection to a powerful person and offering something in return. He realizes that the corrupt “roots” may also have grown within him—and even within his grandson Ricky’s outlook.

The ending turns the story’s central metaphor inward: the grandfather concludes that he cannot escape corruption simply by leaving the country. He must first try to cure himself of it, perhaps with Tasing’s help. The subtitles do not clearly say whether he ultimately cancels the move.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Narrator: Tells the story and conveys the grandfather’s thoughts.
• The grandfather: The central character, an elderly former EDSA participant and writer.
• Cardo: The grandfather’s eldest son.
• Lina: Cardo’s wife.
• Ricky: Cardo and Lina’s son, enthusiastic about moving to the United States.
• Tasing / Anastasyo: The grandfather’s other grandson, who says he would choose to be Filipino and asks his grandfather to stay.
• Bert: The grandfather’s son in America, featured through a letter offering to help the family migrate.
• Other reported voices: Ricky’s teacher and classmate are mentioned indirectly in conversation; De Castro is mentioned in the grandfather’s recollections.