What do you think?
Rate this book
Reportage on Politics
Whether you dig politics or not, you’ll find this political album entertaining because it’s chockfull of narrative, profiles, real-life dramas, observations of our society, studies of our culture. And what a nostalgia trip, too, for many of today’s readers.
Remember when ancient Amang Rodriguez dyed his locks black? Remember those naughty jokes on Roger de la Rosa’s “untimely withdrawal”? Remember the Macapagal-Marcos battle of biographies? Remember the party conventions when B-girls shared the limelight with NP and LP, and political life indeed was a cabaret, old chum?
In this book the bad old days live again. Here’s a wealth of detail for the biographer, a wealth of material for the historian. And for the common reader, a wealth of good old dirty fun.
Remember when ancient Amang Rodriguez dyed his locks black? Remember those naughty jokes on Roger de la Rosa’s “untimely withdrawal”? Remember the Macapagal-Marcos battle of biographies? Remember the party conventions when B-girls shared the limelight with NP and LP, and political life indeed was a cabaret, old chum?
In this book the bad old days live again. Here’s a wealth of detail for the biographer, a wealth of material for the historian. And for the common reader, a wealth of good old dirty fun.
- GenresNonfictionEssays
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
8 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 6, 2014
Political stories I never heard either because I wasn't born yet or I was too young for politics. All seen through they eyes of Quijano de Manila, a.k.a. Nick Joaquin, one of the National Artists for Literature in the Philippines.
A compilation of Joaquin's previously published in dailies articles about the goings on in Philippine politics, the news here cover a period from 1961 to 1970 (I was born in 1964). Some of the names are of course familiar to me especially those that I heard from my father's mouth. He did not discuss politics to us his children but I used to hear some of the people's names in our dining area whenever he was drinking alcohol with his friends and I was the one he assigned to standby for their needs: buy beer, get the glasses, cook something, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, etc.
1961 to 1970 includes the time when the Nacionalista Ferdinand E. Marcos rose to power and eventually became a dictator when he declared Martial Law in 1972. In the articles, you will see how the events prior to that declaration would not justify such move except of course, President Marcos's greed to stay in power. Politics is politics and it will always be dirty and cunning. That was the case before and that is the case today even if President Noynoy Aquino keeps on referring to his ang daang matuwid (the straight path), there will always be controversies and anomalies like scum this, scum that particularly like those of Napoles's case. So, when you say that after reading this book, the situation now is the same as the situation before, you are just stating the obvious and you are kidding yourself to expect that it should not. Like prostitutes, traditional and and dirty politicians are like cockroaches who will survive the nuclear war.
This book is nice if you are a history major and want to know the ina and outs in the power corridors in the 60's. Here you will read about political concessions, rumors, facts and figures just like you are living during that time. The only difference is that you could struggle to finish those articles because you don't know many of them. Well, I know that Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez is the elementary school where my friend Berto graduated from but I did not know that he is a grand old man in the senate much like Arturo Tolentino during the Marcos era or Jovito Salonga during the Cory Aquino administration. I know that Rogelio dela Rosa was the man my father would have gone gay bakla for had he been one (he said this like he was serious) explaining that there is nothing wrong with being gay as long as you don't sleep with another man - his views. It's just that he was not gay so he did not chase Rogelio dela Rosa. He explained, and it was verified in this book, that Dela Rosa almost made it to presidency if he did not have the decency to give way to Macapagal in 1963.
Read this if you are really interested in Philippine politics particularly that of the 60's. Otherwise, don't even buy this expensive book. Just content yourself in reading Google and save your pesos for a more updated, better-written and concise history books. Well, of course, it's another story if you are Joaquin's fan and you want to complete reading all his books, fiction and non-fiction, original or previously-published articles. Whatever.
A compilation of Joaquin's previously published in dailies articles about the goings on in Philippine politics, the news here cover a period from 1961 to 1970 (I was born in 1964). Some of the names are of course familiar to me especially those that I heard from my father's mouth. He did not discuss politics to us his children but I used to hear some of the people's names in our dining area whenever he was drinking alcohol with his friends and I was the one he assigned to standby for their needs: buy beer, get the glasses, cook something, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, etc.
1961 to 1970 includes the time when the Nacionalista Ferdinand E. Marcos rose to power and eventually became a dictator when he declared Martial Law in 1972. In the articles, you will see how the events prior to that declaration would not justify such move except of course, President Marcos's greed to stay in power. Politics is politics and it will always be dirty and cunning. That was the case before and that is the case today even if President Noynoy Aquino keeps on referring to his ang daang matuwid (the straight path), there will always be controversies and anomalies like scum this, scum that particularly like those of Napoles's case. So, when you say that after reading this book, the situation now is the same as the situation before, you are just stating the obvious and you are kidding yourself to expect that it should not. Like prostitutes, traditional and and dirty politicians are like cockroaches who will survive the nuclear war.
This book is nice if you are a history major and want to know the ina and outs in the power corridors in the 60's. Here you will read about political concessions, rumors, facts and figures just like you are living during that time. The only difference is that you could struggle to finish those articles because you don't know many of them. Well, I know that Eulogio "Amang" Rodriguez is the elementary school where my friend Berto graduated from but I did not know that he is a grand old man in the senate much like Arturo Tolentino during the Marcos era or Jovito Salonga during the Cory Aquino administration. I know that Rogelio dela Rosa was the man my father would have gone gay bakla for had he been one (he said this like he was serious) explaining that there is nothing wrong with being gay as long as you don't sleep with another man - his views. It's just that he was not gay so he did not chase Rogelio dela Rosa. He explained, and it was verified in this book, that Dela Rosa almost made it to presidency if he did not have the decency to give way to Macapagal in 1963.
Read this if you are really interested in Philippine politics particularly that of the 60's. Otherwise, don't even buy this expensive book. Just content yourself in reading Google and save your pesos for a more updated, better-written and concise history books. Well, of course, it's another story if you are Joaquin's fan and you want to complete reading all his books, fiction and non-fiction, original or previously-published articles. Whatever.
March 4, 2014
Had a fun time reading this one about the state of Philippine politics just before Martial law. What I have learned so far
1) At first glance it may seem not much has change in the political landscape. The scandal seems the same but the names have change.
2) One observation I like was when politician noticed that We try to vote leaders not on their platform or ideas but on whether how honest they are
3) It is interesting how many of the political personalities that seems prominent at that time, not all are remembered today.
4) Cory Aquino makes an interesting appearance in the profile of Ninoy Aquino though her name is not mentioned.
One of those books I will probably go back from time to time to get more insight in Philippine politics
1) At first glance it may seem not much has change in the political landscape. The scandal seems the same but the names have change.
2) One observation I like was when politician noticed that We try to vote leaders not on their platform or ideas but on whether how honest they are
3) It is interesting how many of the political personalities that seems prominent at that time, not all are remembered today.
4) Cory Aquino makes an interesting appearance in the profile of Ninoy Aquino though her name is not mentioned.
One of those books I will probably go back from time to time to get more insight in Philippine politics
May 26, 2022
Chikahan with Nick Joaquin. Same vibes as my Rizal course professor who talked a lot about the details of the details.
Favorite ko is when on the last day of a congress session, everyone was already cramming to pass significant bills, but all that got sidetracked because of a senator's fragile ego.
The story about labor was enlightening. Highlights na ilang dekada nang di naririnig ang boses ng mga manggagawa. One line that has stuck with me: "Until labor occupies a place in the political life of the nation that will insure that the voice of the worker will be heard in the formulation of internal policies, the masses of the people will continue to suffer, because the policies will be what the parties of the rich and the powerful pass."
Overall, this was entertaining but also couldn't help but be disappointed and sad after reading the stories. The problems from before persist. Hay Pilipinas, di na talaga tayo natuto.
Favorite ko is when on the last day of a congress session, everyone was already cramming to pass significant bills, but all that got sidetracked because of a senator's fragile ego.
The story about labor was enlightening. Highlights na ilang dekada nang di naririnig ang boses ng mga manggagawa. One line that has stuck with me: "Until labor occupies a place in the political life of the nation that will insure that the voice of the worker will be heard in the formulation of internal policies, the masses of the people will continue to suffer, because the policies will be what the parties of the rich and the powerful pass."
Overall, this was entertaining but also couldn't help but be disappointed and sad after reading the stories. The problems from before persist. Hay Pilipinas, di na talaga tayo natuto.
December 28, 2015
Not a good book for those who dwell into history because the author has not cited any references on where did the stories come from. Overall it brings a different point of view in today's politics than the past.
Read
April 10, 2024This is a collection of Nick Joaquin's articles on political affairs from the 1960s. It's pretty cool; it's a time capsule of the chismis of the time, like reading a curated archive of Inquirer columns. This is political minutiea not important enough to make the history books but substantial and entertaining enough to provide color and flavor to one's understanding of the 1960s. I find that era of Philippine history quite fascinating and this was a nice intro to some of the prominent politicians who defined that decade.
My highlights were (1) the profile of Diosdado Macapagal's rise to the presidency, (2) Raul Manglapus' speech describing his turn to the left, and (3) the "13 o'clock" hijinks used in the Senate to indefinitely extend legislative sessions.
My highlights were (1) the profile of Diosdado Macapagal's rise to the presidency, (2) Raul Manglapus' speech describing his turn to the left, and (3) the "13 o'clock" hijinks used in the Senate to indefinitely extend legislative sessions.
October 11, 2021
It’s a relatively quick read. A precursor to the many titles that compose a compilation of articles written by the authors in broadsheets. In this case, these were selected articles written by Nick Joaquin (Quijano de Manila) in the now defunct, Philippine Free Press. His articles illustrate how society has barely moved an inch and brought life to many personalities who now adorn Metro Manila as street names. It also provides a backgrounder on the events and issues that are now overlooked or comprise several sentences in our Textbooks. A good read for those who would like to gain an insight on politics more than half a decade ago written in a lyrical prose by a National Artist.
January 2, 2018
Lots of interesting stories about politics pre-Martial Law. Profound profiles and anecdotes, too, about personalities and topics of the time, from Diosdado Macapagal to Arturo Tolentino, from Raul Manglapus to Fr. Jose Blanco, from the travails of the labor party in politics to the feuds (and compromises) in government.
Nick Joaquin doesn’t just add color to the events of the time, he also paints the whole picture.
Nick Joaquin doesn’t just add color to the events of the time, he also paints the whole picture.
April 21, 2025
Great read. Nick Joaquin’s Reportage on Politics imparts to readers profound ideas and realities of the Post-war/Pre-Martial Law Philippine political milieu—ideas which resonate deeply with the contemporary Philippine political situation. I found the stories and vignettes on Macapagal, Manglapus, Aquino and the rifts in factions of Philippine Labor particularly insightful.
June 30, 2022
In these essays one can really see how well-written Nick Joaquin's pieces are, and it's not just about fiction. This is about facts and how they are illustrated. Can't wait for my other Quijano de Manila books.
April 3, 2020
interesting reportage on the pre-70s political scene, but a bit difficult for young readers to relate to who would not have sufficient background familiarity with political giants of the period.
June 28, 2020
I like gossips, and this made me feel like I'm just reading juicy stories from the past administrations. Lol ❤️
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews