Ma. Sandra V.

Bacanto BSAcT 4-1

The Flood in Tarlac

Characters: Dr. Jose Caridad (main), Maripaz Caridad, Bobby, Jocelyn, Sidro Malabanan, Luis
Sumulong, Placido; Nonoy Concepcion, the dog, village guard, maids; off-story: Atty. Tancinco,
brother-in-law, father-in-law, Susan. Brillantes is known for his use of meaningful names for his
characters, though he does it unobtrusively. Dr. Jose Caridad - "Jose" signifies Joseph, the
protector of the family, and "Caridad" refers to charity, a trait the character exhibits despite the
gruff demeanor. Likewise, the farmers also exhibit traits attached to their names: Malabanan
(defender) is the speaker, Sumulong (attacker) is aggressive, and Placido (peaceful) is silent
throughout. Grumblings concerning Bobby and his handling of the car and his choices of music
point to a son in the teenage years. Likewise, Jocelyn's persistent badgering about a party also
fixes her age and her concerns. Maripaz Caridad, though, deserves special mention. Throughout
the story, her name is consistently "Maripaz Caridad", never "Maripaz" or "Paz." This evokes a sense
of detachment which may indicate Dr. Caridad's growing lukewarmness towards her, a fact
confirmed in one his uncontrolled judgments. Her dialogue indicates she is more concerned with
status and relationships.

Plot: The plot is simple and straightforward. Things simply happen, out of the control of the
protagonist. Up until the last moment, so close to the end of the story (p.372), he does not
actually spring to action. Yet it's still a riveting read because of the rising tension that Brillantes
applies through the use of language. We know something bad is going to happen. Throughout the
story are ominous elements of foreboding. This is a Story of Inevitable Disaster.

Point of View: The point of view is Omniscient Limited, it is strictly focused on Dr. Caridad and
his reactions to the events around him. But the tone is detached and unsympathetic, almost like a
newspaper story, and this is reinforced again by the names ("Dr. Caridad", "Maripaz Caridad"). This
tone is in keeping with the story as one of inevitable disaster.

Setting: Considering the source of the conflict -- land disputes -- the setting is appropriate. It is
reflective of the mood of the times in which it was written, perhaps even prescient, in light of the
Hacienda Luisita incident much later on. Significant also is the specific location, the Caridad
house, in which it all happens. The house is meant to be a bastion of comfort and security, but it
and all things in it are swept away by sudden violence.
The floodwaters have abated but for almost two weeks from the end of August, newspaper and
television reports focused on the sorry plight of people whose lives and property were ruined by the
raging flood. Local government officials interviewed on television said that the floods were the worst
that the area had experienced in 32 years. The dike that held back the Colibangbang River was not
expected to erode. The flood in Tarlac wrought widespread damage not only to crops, but also more
significantly to human lives.

"The Flood in Tarlac" is also a prize-winning short story by the eminent writer Gregorio Brillantes.
The story is a disturbing account about a middle-aged doctor surnamed Caridad who was
approached for help towards settling a land dispute between farmers and his in-laws. The farmers
appealed to Dr. Caridad: "They claim this plot of land that we have been farming since before the
war. It is part of the hacienda. They have begun to put up a fence that will enclose our land."

However, Dr. Caridad refused to intercede for the men: "…no longer relished having anything to do
with any of these things, not since the old man had turned perceptively aloof, after that confused
discussion they had had about the tractors…" It seemed simpler to not have anything to do with the
hacienda than cause a rift between family members. As the torrential rains poured and floodwaters
entered the Caridad’s upper middle-class home, intruders broke into the house, shot and
hacked to death Dr. Caridad’s children and wife. He barely managed to escape death by
shooting the interlopers.

As I re-read the story, I realized that it is a very apt warning to us in this country, where: "When it
rains, it pours." The flood that inundated Tarlac and most of Central Luzon came almost heel-to-heel
with the President’s pronouncement of an impending fiscal crisis. Undoubtedly, crop and
property damage would intensify the poverty situation plaguing most of our population, but our
president herself had been honest enough to tell the truth about our economic situation.

As I read the news and see laborers demanding for a P125 wage increase; as I see teachers on
television who have gone on strike to demand for higher salaries, and as I watch representatives
from the masses being interviewed on television angrily demanding what they thought the
government promised them, I couldn’t help but think that figuratively, the economic
"floodwaters" are threatening to inundate us, rendering us all victims.

For me, "The Flood in Tarlac" by Gregorio Brillantes has turned into an allegory. There were no
"good" or "bad" characters in the story. All were merely prisoners of their personal situations. Dr.
Caridad was thought to be indifferent when he was merely trying to preserve his relationship with his
family, while the men may have resorted to violence because of sheer frustration and hopelessness.

In the same manner, this government is not indifferent. It wants to give much to the people, but is
simply crippled by numerous problems, mostly inherited. The various groups who demand for wage
increases and such, on the other hand, are only desperately trying to get by.

The flood in Tarlac, however, brought to the fore the genuine concern of most Filipinos who donated
time, money, effort, and goods to help the victims. Hopefully, the figurative economic "flood" that the
fiscal crisis presents will not bring about negative emotions and violence. This will only mean more
problems for all of us.

The various crises shouldn’t sweep us Filipinos farther away from each other. Rather, we
should marshall our efforts, emotions, talents and nationalistic fervor to keep us afloat until the
floodwaters of difficulty abate. Peace.

Read more: http://www.philstar.com/young-star/265098/allegory-flood#ixzz3TbqssJOT

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