Mga Gerilya Sa Powell Street

by Benjamin Pimentel

Ang Aklat

Noong kanilang kabataan, lumaban sina Fidel, Ciriaco, Ruben, Badong at Major para sa kalayaan ng Pilipinas noong panahon ng hapon. Ngayon, matanda na sila. Handa na sanang mamahinga...

Pero naglakbay sila sa Amerika para sa bago at huling misyon...

Ito ang kuwento nila at iba pang beteranong Pilipinong nakipagsapalaran sa Amerika para sa kanilang mga pamilya. Sa Powell Street sa San Francisco, ang mga dating gerilya ay naghihintay, nagtitiis sa lungkot at lamig...nangangarap na darating din ang araw ng kanilang pag-uwi...

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street (The Guerillas along Powell Street) is about 5 octogenarian Filipino male soldiers who fought with the Americans during World War II. They were there when Bataan fell and together with the American soldiers, suffered in the hands of the Japanese forces. Side-by-side with the Americans, these Filipino soldiers starved, ate grass, frogs and snakes. For three weeks, they marched to their death to Cabanatuan and for 3 years got incarcerated until they were bones and skins. All these while hoping that MacArthur would make true to his promise of returning.

Fast forward to 60 years after: the Filipino soldiers have to go and live in America as it was the condition by the US government for them to get their war benefits- what they call as “equity” (or ekweti in Tagalog). The Philippines was liberated by the Americans soldiers in 1946 and the American government promised to give these surviving Filipino soldiers the American citizenship and this equity. For whatever reason, it took them 60 years to remember this promise. Ten years ago, they gave one condition: the veterans have to be living (meaning: still alive) the US for them to release the equity. So, the Filipino veterans who were then in their 80’s or 90’s had to troop to the US only to wait for some more time since the congress was still deliberating the bill.

That is the setting of this book. The Filipino war veterans are old and sickly and they are not used to the cold weather in San Francisco. After taking an oath, they start to receive $600 as SSI. They crimp and save most of this money as they want to give something back home. They send balikbayan boxes filled with free goods from government entities or charitable institutions. Their greatest personal fear, however, is when they die, they’ll get cremated because it takes $10,000 to send back a dead body to the Philippines and obviously they don’t have that kind of money.

This is a sad book. The veterans love America very much. They consider their American comrades as their white brothers. However, it seems their brothers have forgotten them. So, they wait everyday. They spend their time looking at passers-by along Powell Street or watching the sunset at the Golden Gate. I’ve been to San Francisco and I’ve seen those places so I had an easy time relating to the setting. I’ve been to a seniors’ apartment also in California several times also so I laughed while reading the exchanges of banters by the aging Filipino veterans in this book.

I just have two small comments: the voice of the teenager grandson in the Philippines seems like the same voice as the voice of his grandfather. Also, the sudden appearance of the ex-rebel (ex-NPA) as a courier in San Francisco is just too much coincidental. In the 80’s, it was already too difficult to go to the US even if you have a sister who has a caretaker home. The American government’s first question to a prospective foreign applicant is whether the job can be done by an American and why should it be given to a foreigner (Filipinos included) and why should the country host another foreigner on its soil.

Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2008 with Tommy Abuel and Bembol Roco alternately played the role of Fidel (the narrator). Lou Veloso brought the house down, however, with his witty and funny portrayal of Ciriaco, the colorfully-dressed veteran who was the first to die and got cremated.

BTW, few years ago, the US government gave $15,000 as the final payment for each living Filipino veteran. This amount was enough to buy a low-end Toyota or Honda car.

[Rick Quiambao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of "Gerilya sa Powell Street" way back, but it was as a stage play in CCP. Years later, I was browsing the Ateneo Press shop and decided to give this book a try.

I have always known about the guerrillas who fought during the Japanese occupation, but it's the first time I have read something from their perspective. Not during the war, but the frustration of the false promises of the US for the Filipino veterans.

[Fiamma Aletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pakikipagsapalaran ng mga beterano noong Second World War sa Amerika na binigyang buhay ng National Book Award Winner na si Benjamin Pimentel ang nadampot kong babasahin kaninang umaga. Presko ang hangin at tahimik ang paligid, saktong ambiance para maappreciate ang buhay sa Pilipinas. Land of Milk and Honey kung ituring ang Amerika, pero marahil hindi lahat ay maabot ang pangarap na estado ng buhay doon. Isang pagsusuri sa mga pangarap marahil ng madaming Pinoy.

[Francis Christian Lubag · Rating 3 out of 5]

Umpisa pa lang, nakikita ko na agad siya bilang pelikula. Ang linaw ng perspective, klaro ang milieu at buo ang ideya. Pero medyo bitin. Kulang sa build-up sa mga characters kaya malabnaw din ang attachment sa kanila. Ang dami rin kasing tauhan. Tapos kung saan ka pinaka-attached na character, yung resolution pa nya ang minadali. Pero interesting ang kuwento at madali namang basahin kaya oks na rin.

[Percival Buncab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matagal nang tapos ang gera, pero matagal pa ang laban para sa Equity--ganito ko ide-describe ang nobela.

Kung tutuusi'y walang gaanong intense na eksena ang kuwento. Halos puro usapan mula sa mga pagtambay ng mga gerilya sa Powell. Pero iyon nga mismo ang pinupunto ng storya, dahil iyon naman ang araw-araw na buhay ng mga beteranong tambay sa Powell sa paghihintay nilang maipanalo ang Equity. A good fiction is faithful to the real events. At dahil base sa totoong buhay ang nobela, masasabing maganda nga ito.

Pero hindi basta mga usapan lang ang karamihan ng tagpo. Nakahabi sa bawat usapan ang napakaraming kuwento tungkol sa kasaysayan noong digmaan at mga usapin tungkol sa pulitika. Maayos ang pagkaka-build ng mga karakter. At kahit prediktable ang plot sa maraming pagkakataon, maganda pa rin ang delivery. Patas ang pagkaka-present sa iba't ibang ideolohiya. Parehong ini-expose ang pros and cons--halimbawa'y ng Amerika, ng mga komunista, mga Pinoy, mga Itim atbp.

Ang Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street ay hindi lang basta kuwento ng mga beteranong patuloy na lumaban para sa huli nilang misyon. Kuwento rin ito ng pagpapahalaga, ng kultura, at higit sa lahat, ng pagkakaibigan.

Parehong beterano ang dalawang lolo ko; pero hindi ako nagkaroon ng pagkakataong marinig ang kuwento nila noong digmaan (ni hindi ko na nga naabutan ang isa). Sa pamamagitan ng nobelang ito, kahit papano'y nabasa ko ang mga kuwentong dapat sana'y narinig ko mula sa kanila.

[Nino · Rating 3 out of 5]

My notes are in this link: http://www.ninosoriadeveyra.com/1/pos...

[Mary Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

sana matapos ko tong mabasa

[Ivan Labayne]

intramuros at baguio

[Mark Anthony Salvador · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taong 2014 o 2015 pa nang mabasa ko ang nobelang ito. Isa ang nobelang ito sa pinakamagagandang akdang pampanitikan sa Pilipinas na tumatalakay sa kalagayan ng mga migranteng Pilipino.

[NATH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masakit ang dibdib ko nang matapos kong basahin 'to. Ewan ko ba, pero may kirot sa dibdib ko ang nobelang ito.