Angas?

by Paolo Tiausas

Nilulusong ng mga tula sa Angas? ang lalake, ang pagiging lalake, at pagkalalake. Mi­na­ma­ta ang patriyarkiya at toxic masculinity, su­ba­lit sa punto-­de-­bis­ta ng isang nakikipagbuno na siya’y lalaki din—kung kaya’t pa­a­no susuriin nang patas ang kinalulugmukang pribilehiyo ng sarili? Sa pag­tu­la sa pagkalalake, sa paglayong kumawala rito, itakwil ito, at ma­ging hindi ito, na­tatagpuan sa koleksiyon ang samu’t saring buhay—ang pagsasandigan sa ama, ang mga aral ng kabarkada’t kaklase sa all-boys’ high school, ang mga mi­na­ma­hal su­ba­lit hin­di masabi, ang mga sandaling hin­di matakasan ang panganib ng pagiging sa­ri­li. Ka­ya’t gusto ma­ging wala. Sinusubok ng mga tu­la na sagutin pa­ra sa sa­ri­li at para sa ma­ki­kinig: paano ko kikilalanin, at wawakasan, kung kayahin man, ang pagkakapanganak sa sabayang angas at agnas?

Genres: Poetry

82 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[PJ Nadela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grabe, dumugo utak ko habang binabasa 'to. This is not an easy read.

Full disclosure—I’m not well-versed in poetry. So take this with a grain of salt. But Angas? Mga Tula by Paolo Tiausas really pushed me as a reader. It’s the first collection I’ve read that tackles machismo in the Philippines from a male perspective, and that alone makes it stand out.

The first poem, “Lahat ng Nag-aangas ay Inaagnas,” sets the tone: machismo is something both born into and learned. Tiausas writes about the day a boy betrays his mother—the day he becomes a man. That line hasn’t left me since. Throughout the collection, he keeps returning to how hard it is to unlearn toxic masculinity when you’re surrounded by powerful men upholding it—politicians, celebrities, even friends.

I really appreciated the language used. So many rarely-heard Filipino words, strung together in ways that felt sharp and intentional. It was a learning experience, for sure. But it was also exhausting—in a good way. I’ve read a few Filipino poetry collections by men, but this was by far the most challenging. Mas nahirapan pa ako dito kaysa sa Marka Demonyo by Lourd De Veyra. And honestly, the imagery felt similar, which made me wonder if De Veyra influenced Tiausas’s style.

I didn’t struggle with the literal meaning of the lines. What made it hard was piecing together the bigger picture. The poems are so packed with imagery that they sometimes feel deliberately obscure. But maybe that’s the point—this is not a collection you can casually flip through. It demands time, presence, and full attention.

Out of 35 poems, only one felt squarely in my reading level—“Resignation Letter,” on page 42. It captures that quiet moment when you want to quit your job but realise you’re too trapped in survival to walk away. If the whole book had been like that poem, I would’ve lost my mind over it.

In a way, this collection feels like trying to talk to a man who’s emotionally guarded—dense, indirect, careful with what it reveals. Even the layout looks like it’s asking you to underline things, scribble on the margins, try to crack it open.

I don’t think I fully “got” this book, but I don’t think it’s meant to be gotten on the first try. And maybe that’s what makes it worth reading.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting ‘yung premise ng libro kaya ko ‘to piniling basahin. Pagbangga at pagdalumat sa tradisyonal na konsepto ng pagkalalaki sa pamamagitan ng mga tula na isinulat mismo ng isang lalaki na kinikilalang nakikinabang sa mga pribiliheyong kaakibat nito.

Dahil sa ganoong project, self-aware ang mga tula sa mga tendensiya ng kalalakihan partikular sa usapin ng dahas ano man ang porma.

Malalim ang mga salita at imaheng ipinipinta ng makata sa ibang mga tula, at may ilan sa mga tula ang hindi na masyadong tumatama sa damdamin ko bilang mambabasa.

Hit or miss ang koleksyon para sa akin, at least sa ngayon, bilang pagkilala rin na baka mas mainam basahin ang mga tula ng ilang ulit.

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una sa lahat, maraming salamat sa @ateneopress @talkbookishtomeph at kay @pinoypageturners sa oportunidad upang mabasa ang Angas? Mga Tula ni Paolo Tiausas.

Aaminin ko, hindi madali ang pagbasa ng koleksyon ng mga tula dito. Kailangan kong namnamin ang bawat linya at sobrang makata ang pagkakasulat nito.

Maganda ang nais iparating ng librong ito sa mga mambabasa. Tungkol ito sa patriarchy — kung saan ang mga lalaki ang nagsisilbing mamumuno o padre de pamilya at toxic masculinity. Nais nito buwagin ang nakagisnang sistema lalo na may ibang lalaki (hindi ko nilalahat) ay mapanamantala ay tingin nila sila ang mas nakakataas sa mga babae. Nakakalungkot man isipin na nagiging sukatan ng bawat isa ay base sa kasarian.

Ang sexist pakinggan pero nangyayari talaga ito sa totoong buhay. Nasa atin ang pagbabago lalo na’t may mga karanasan tayo sa buhay na nakakatrauma. Binibigyan ng diin na dapat bukas ang isipan natin at mahalaga ang respeto sa bawat isa.

Rating: 4/5 🌟

Maari niyong mabili ang librong ito sa Ateneo Press

Lazada: https://go.ateneo.net/AngasLAZ
Shopee: https://go.ateneo.net/AngasSHOP

#TBTMPHAngasBlogTour
#TBTMPHXATENEOPRESS
#Angas
#PaoloTiausas

[Vanessa G · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙨: [adj] daring, tough, arrogant, awesome.
𝘼𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙨: [noun] to rot, decay.

How does one fight toxic masculinity if one was born and raised in a culture that has a rigid standard of hegemonic masculinity?

This is the question that 𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙨? 𝙈𝙜𝙖 𝙏𝙪𝙡𝙖 by 𝙋𝙖𝙤𝙡𝙤 𝙏𝙞𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙨 tries to navigate as his poems let us, readers, journey with him through the thicket of his childhood memories stamped with patriarchal norms, up to the present as he reflects how to recognize and (possibly) end the cycle of "angas at agnas".

His powerful poem called, "𝑳𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒂𝒈-𝑨𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒂𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒔", for one, established how deeply ingrained the culture of machismo is within a Filipino boy's experience: learned from home, normalized within peers, depicted in movies, and represented by celebrities and authorities. This poem took readers to a bus ride remembering the beginnings of "angas", and the realization that it is a cycle... unless something changes.

There are questions upon questions as you go through the collection, but perhaps, even with the absence of a definite answer, the start of a resolution lies in understanding the cause.

As a mother of a young boy, I find myself moved beyond words as I read every poem; a father may play prominent in rearing "angas" in a boy's persona, but a mother staying silent/silenced when "angas" turned toxic also contributes in perpetuating this cycle.

His poem called, "𝑴𝒈𝒂 𝑨𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒃𝒓𝒂," made me hopeful though. If I understand this poem correctly, it reminded me that people have choices, and that one has the capacity to maneuver one's life.

If one does dare to be bold thinking, perhaps we break the cycle by being "angas" enough to choose to stand up for what is right.

P.s.

If you want to immerse yourself in the beauty of Filipino poetry, give this book a try. Paolo Tiausas is a master.