Team Building

by Siege Malvar

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. Ang promising ng plot and the beginning of the book. Pero hindi maganda yung execution. Ang daming pages na ang filler ng dating. Yung party? During that time? Really? Ang out of place sa kwento, parang walang mga buhay na nakataya. For a life and death situation talaga bang may time pa magparty at paano siya naging necessary sa buong kwento?

And I agree kay Manny and other characters na puro kasi usap lang at daldal. I get the point ng pag-uusap and minimizing the violence. Pero sobrang useless ng mga usapan na nababasa mo. At walang definite conclusion talaga silang mafigure out na masasabi mong good solution. Then suddenly sa second to the last chapter sobrang established ng plano nila. It felt out of the blue and a bit rush. Mapapaisip ka na lang saan nanggaling yung ganung kagandang idea na never namang pinag-usapan until the end. Kesa yung mga nonsense talk ng characters at party, sana may hints man lang nung plano na malalaman mo lang at the end of the book. Hindi yung mapapa-“huh” ka na lang sa plano nila na ang ganda nga pero naisip niyo yun in a snap? I think there might be a hint about the IT group and them having a plan. Pero yung ibang team ideas? Saan galing yun?

I wish the author flesh it out more in the story. Para may build up and anticipation kung ano yung plano nila. But it came out as an afterthought. I like the beginning and the end, just not the in betweens and the hows of how the author wraps up the plot.

[kyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was an easy read - it's 177 pages plus some sections are written in taglish. taking it even a step further, there are instances where the 4th wall is broken so it feels as if you're really just listening to a friend telling a story. if you're someone who gets entertained by pinoy kanal humor, this book is for you. aptly named, towards the intro we get introduced to a groupchat named 'team kanal'. you'll laugh, you'll get the jokes, you'll be reminded of some people in real life. on the more 'serious' side though, the social commentary on work culture was strong. (hello, fellow corporate slaves!)

and then we get to the actual plot - the team building. i originally thought this was going to be similar to battle royale or the ten dead comedians but holding the book and seeing how short it was, i had my doubts. turns out, i was right! the ending is a cliffhanger and we'll need to wait for the second book to see what eventually happens 😂

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars lang kasi BITIN!!!!

Pero gusto ko yung book, ang bilis ko ngang matapos eh! Nakakatuwa lang kasi kahit hindi ko naman naexperience makapagwork sa corporate set-up, feeling ko nakakarelate pa rin ako sa story. Like, part din ako ng company at nagegets ko yung kultura na nasa loob ng isang organization.

Ito ang matagal ko nang hinahanap na basahin eh, yung mabilis basahin kasi nadadala ka sa bawat eksena. Waiting sa second part now na!!!

[Highnyzbibliofiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to give a short summary of the book without giving away spoilers, but basically, the story is about a corporate team building meets Battle Royale.

Team building is supposed to promote camaraderie and build harmonious relationships between teams. But the question remains — do companies really pursue this goal?

The book is rich with symbolism and features characters we often encounter in the workplace. It explores themes of roles, positions, and promotions. It is how we, as employees, give our best to stand out, ensuring that we meet and even exceed expectations during performance evaluations. The concept of makikipagpatayan para sa position feels figuratively accurate as everyone wants to outshine the rest to reach their goal.

The book raises several points worth discussing in an office setting:
• What does “open dialogue” with management and HR really mean?
• How does management exercise power and when does it become power-tripping?
• How does management respond to reports of abuse from employees?
• Is there an equal distribution of resources among teams or departments?
• Does a company’s religious image truly reflect a righteous culture?
• And the most common employee rant — “TY na lang ba ang OT ko?”

Moreover, management often sets the threshold for decisions in critical scenarios such as company mergers or, worse, mass layoffs in the name of cost reduction and efficiency improvement. These “unavoidable circumstances” deeply affect employees’ lives.

Despite the wit and humor in how Sir Seige wrote this book, it mirrors the reality of the workplace where management’s decision is always final, and employees are left with a choice: to stay or to go.

Ano, sasama ka ba sa team building?

[Marwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unang libro (out of two) na binasa mula sa MIBF 2025 book haul ko. Naaliw ako sa kwento at natapos ko ito ng isang upuan lang. Hitik sa wordplay, pun, at subtle diss ang nobelang ito ni Siege Malvar. Di ako nainip dahil bawat kabanata may sundot ng humor.

Repleksyon ito ng kalakaran sa mga multinational companies na madalas ay nakabatay sa produksyon ang "success" ng mga manggagawa. Kung iisipin, madalas naman talagang abusuhin ng mga kumpanya ang mga trabahador nito--ng mababang sahod, ng di maayos at kulang-kulang na benepisyo, ng di makataong working hours, o kombinasyon ng lahat ng ito. At nananatiling ganito ang problema; parang "If you don't want the system, get out of the system" na siyang madalas kong naririnig sa isang ahensya ng gobyerno na sinasabi sa mga tumutuligsang empleyado nito. Magandang pagbubunyag ang nobela ng mga tagong problema sa trabaho na madalas tinatakluban ng kung ano-anong PR, gimik, atbp.

At mukhang may sequel ito (batay sa isang karakter na ipinakilala tapos biglang namatay). Aabangan!

[Jelyn Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Nagka-pandemic, solution niyo ay violence. May drug problem, solusyon nyo violence." ‐ Emily

Nag-enjoy ako ng sobra sa librong ito. Gustong gusto ko talaga ang mga libro na hindi ko tinitigilan basahin at isa ito sa mga iyon.

Hindi perpekto ang istorya at mga karakter ngunit maganda ang naging takbo ng istorya. Siguro ang mahihiling ko lang ay nagkaroon pa ako ng mas malalim na pagkakakilanlan pa sa mga iba pang karakter bukod kay Oliver at Emily.

Maraming parte ang istory na ako ay nakaka-relate dahil ako ay nagtatrabaho na. Sa tingin ko ay mag-eenjoy ang mga taong nagtatrabaho na, na basahin ito.

Excited na ako sa susunod na libro. 😊

[jazper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

as a corporate slave, i devoured this!

there were parts lang that need improvement at there were parts na sobrang mema lang ng paggamit ng corporate jargons. di ko bet yung breaking the fourth wall (personal preference) but nonetheless, this was such a unique and relatable read.

[max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

[dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful thing to read in a work trip

[Alex Simeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

so how long do i wait for the next book AHHHHH