Dekada '70 

( Dekada '70: The Original and Complete Edition ), is a Filipino novel written

by Lualhati Bautista . [1] It is a narrative of events in the life of a family hit in the middle of the
turbulent 1970s. It discusses how a middle-class family struggled, and how they dealt with the
changes. which gave power to rise up against the Marcos government . A series of events took
place after the bombing of Plaza Miranda in 1971, the assassination of the Habeas Corpus Act ,
the enforcement of Martial Lawand the indiscriminate arrest of political prisoners. The people
have lost their security due to the tyranny of the Marcos regime. Female character Amanda
Bartolome observes these changes that have shaped the decade. Mother of five sons Amanda
Bartolome. As Amanda's sons grew up and developed their own beliefs, perspectives and lives,
Amanda upheld her identity as a Filipino citizen, mother and woman . Opened by the ’70sto the
new generation of Filipino readers the story of a family that was at a particular time in Philippine
history. The compelling character of the novel lies in the development of its characters who
represent the new generation of Filipinos. It is a story about a mother and her family, and the
society around them. It is a narrative of how a mother’s feelings are torn between the literature
of the law her duties as a mother.

Dekada '70 (lit. 'The ’70s') is a 2002 Filipino historical drama film directed by Chito S. Roño and

based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Lualhati Bautista.[2] Set in the Philippines during
the period of martial law under Ferdinand Marcos, the film follows the struggles of the middle-
class Bartolome family. It stars Vilma Santos and Christopher De Leon as parents raising five
sons amidst the tense political background. Their sons are played by Piolo Pascual, Carlos
Agassi, Marvin Agustin, Danilo Barrios, and John Wayne Sace.The film is now restored in high-
definition by the ABS-CBN Film Archives and Central Digital Lab.

Dekada ’70

The novel Dekada ’70 was written by renowned Filipino novelist, Lualhati Bautista, and was
published in 1988. When translated into English, the title of the novel is Decade ’70 due to the
time period in which the work highlights. The story is about a middle class family living in
Manila during the 1970’s at the height of the authoritarian government of Ferdinand Marcos.
The declaration of Martial Law and the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus both set the
social and political tone of the novel. The story focuses on the experiences of the Bartolome
family during this pivotal time in Philippine history. However, the novel is centered on the
perspective of the main female protagonist character, Amanda Bartolome, who is a wife and
mother of five boys. The novel explores the personal struggles of the mother, the conflict
among the family, as well as the political chaos of the time period.

The main character of the novel, Amanda Bartolome, experiences dissatisfaction with her life as
she attempts to negotiate her roles as a woman, wife, and mother. As the only woman in a
house full of men, she often feels outnumbered and overlooked. Also, since all of Amanda’s
sons are older, she no longer feels that her role as a mother is enough, so she experiences a lack
of fulfillment in her life. However, when she expresses to her husband, Julian, that she is
interested in getting a job outside of the home, he quickly denies her request. Therefore,
throughout the novel Amanda is on a journey to establish her own personal identity and
discover her purpose in life.

Each of the five sons in the novel has their own personality and takes on different roles within
society, as well as within their family. The oldest son, Jules, become involved in anti-government
activity and eventually leaves home to join the New People’s Army. The second son, Isagani or
“Gani,” leaves home in order to join the United States navy. The third son, Emmanuel or “Em,”
goes to college and becomes a writer of anti-government and pro-human rights literature. The
fourth son, Jason, is the social and carefree son that enjoys his time being a teenager, but who is
unfortunately later murdered by the police. The youngest son, Benjamin or “Bingo,” is the
innocent child of the story who attempts to make sense of the events occurring around him.

Dekada ’70 proved itself to be a significant Philippine literary work prior to its official
publication, as well as for many years after. Before being officially published in 1988, Lualhati
Bautista was a grand prizewinner in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 1983
for Dekada ’70, which is a foundation dedicated to the development and recognition of
outstanding Philippine literary work. Since its official publication, Dekada ’70 has come to
solidify its place as a notable and historically significant piece of literature. One of the reasons
the novel gained acclaim was because of its focus on Martial Law and the Marcos regime, which
was a pivotal time period in Philippine history. Most importantly, the novel explored the
reciprocal relationship between society and the family. Even though family is often seen as the
core of Filipino culture, Dekada ’70 illustrated the ways in which the social and political backdrop
of the times can influence this fundamental structure. The novel was even made into a film by
Star Cinema in 2002, fourteen years after its original publication, which shows its continued
relevance and importance in Filipino culture.

Summary of dekada 70

Bartolome family has their blissful and normal life before entering the 70’s. The head of the
family, Julian Bartolome together with his wifeAmanda, give their children, who are all boys, their
right to express themselves. It just shows how they love their sons. The family belongs to the
middle-class, Amanda is the only woman, and they have five sons. However, they lives have
changed when the new president have declared the martial law. Amanda and Julian have their
own dilemmas while at it. They usually fight because Amanda, as a woman, wanted to achieve
other things rather than being just a housewife, while Julian just want her to become the latter.
She is torn between the laws back then and her responsibilities as being the mother and wife.
Due to this upbringing front (martial law), Jules, the eldest son began to be exposed in such
rebellious acts. He first hid it from his family, but still, they have found out what he has been
doing because of the unruly papers Amanda saw. Jules’ decision on joining the NPA is approved
by his parents, however, they still fear of losing him. Jules and his younger brother (and the third
son), Emmanuel, are partners in fighting the government because Emmanuel writes what Jules
dictates. The second son, Isagani became a member of the navy. Jules fought over Isagani being
one of the US Navy since he obviously doesn’t like it; Jules is a nationalistic person. However,
Gani still managed to become one. But before that, he made his mistake of getting his girlfriend
pregnant and suddenly became married. Yet, their marriage did not work because his wife has
something to accomplish with her life. The fourth son is Jason, Julian’s favorite. Jason is a typical
teenager and enjoys life too much. He is a happy-go-lucky child. He brings cheers to the family
especially when struggles come. But Jason died, not by his witty acts, but because the police
killed him, unjustified. And the fifth son is Benjamin. He is merely in the middle of his teenage
years back then and still doesn’t have a broad understanding about what is happening around
him.

This novel of Lualhati Bautista always caught my eye whenever I find myself on a decent
bookstore. Its mysterious appeal tickled my interest in one of the most dramatic eras of
Philippine history, the Marcos era. The writer is one of the most respected writers of our time,
and is a Palanca award winner.

It’s been a big question mark why it hasn’t won as the best screenplay in the Filmfest. No doubt
as to say that Dekada 70 has a most heart-wrenchingly brilliant storyline. It let’s us be witness to
the events in the life of a simple family during the tumultuous time of the 70’s. During the
Marcos rule, the Martial Law, and during the struggles of the subversive fugitives. Piolo Pascual,
(who deservingly won as best supporting actor) played the son who was adamant on foregoing
with his leftist idealism and his nationalist struggle, despite the risk of tragedies which may strike
and affect his entire family. It was particularly heart-wrenching during the scene when Piolo is
seen coming out from a detention cell, damaged with marks of torture. It was far more
wrenching when we see Christopher De Leon, the padre de pamilya, going berserk and
screaming “Pinatay nila ang anak ko!” (they killed my child). De Leon convincingly played a
father whose emotions and decisions played a large game of risk and endure. Vilma Santos, who
played the mother of the children, the only woman in a family of men, is the central character of
the story. It seems that she has been the only strong character among the men in his life: his
husband and his children, all of which has been clouded by their own weaknesses, their
emotions and how they try to desperately hide it.

Marvin Agustin, delivers a simple performance as the child who gets into writing and arts
instead of being as subversive as his brother. While Danilo Barrios plays a memorable character
who carries the sunshine among the family with his bubbly humor and amusing innocence. (On
the other hand, I found it idiotic and was laughing at those gossip magazine critics who made a
fuss and praised Carlos Agassi for his performance, when he did not really do some acting. All
he did was grab his crotch, attempting phone sex. A CGI Dobey can act far more better.)

Now for the downer parts. Although the film Dekada 70 is a must see movie with impressive
acting and a storyline which could go down in literary history, the direction of Chito Roño was
plainly unimpressive. The director of the “Dragon Katol” commercial may have done a better job.
He did not really do some extra art to beautify the film. And if he ever did some, it was so plain
and overused that we did not even notice it. The welga (mass demonstration) scene was so
disappointing as it was ridiculous. It was so obvious to see that the welga extras were a bunch of
corny, bored, and “lack of motivation” actors, who did not really act as if they were working their
way through the riot police. IF you recall the scene, there was one part when only the first row
were pressing to march forward, while there was a vacant space at their back, disqualifying the
effect that the crowd was really pushing forward. The sequence of the scenes and the acts was
also bad and lacked style in timing. Dekada 70 was like cooking paella. You’re sure you have a
good recipe, and good ingredients, yet the cook you chose is somebody who cannot even make
a good tinola. It was such a waste of talent. It could have been delicious. But since you’re hungry
for some new exotic food, you try to enjoy it as you can. But it will haunt you, wondering if it
was done by somebody better.

MASTERFULLY MADE!

I admire the director of this movie for being able to make a dramatic film based on a ground-
breaking novel. It really pays tribute to the Philippines’ Martial Law history. I really felt the
seventies in this film. Too bad, this one didn’t qualify for an Oscar Award in 2002. But it doesn’t
matter at all. This is really and excellent film. Vilma Santos once again acted like a superior
actress who kbows no bounds. Christopher de Leon was okay. All their children did a good job
acting. I also admire the make up designers of the movie who made everything fit to the
seventies: the house, the furniture, the clothes, the hairstyle, the fashion and etc. I also liked the
ending as well and the soundtrack song. It was really touching.People who like based-on-history
films should really watch this one.

Dekada 70 the movie was simple and yet excellently produced. Shot in a simple setting yet true
to detail. The cinematography was able to sew together the movie; the lighting was good, the
angles were good, and most importantly the sound mixing was good as opposed to other
Filipino films which have bad sound. Perhaps the most important aspect of the film which
carried the whole aesthetic values were the actors. It’s a given that it was a star studded cast but
what will impress you is the way the cohesiveness of each actor brought the best in themselves.
Watch this film and be touched by family togetherness and how each handle the adversities that
come with it.Really Heart warming
Dekada ’70 is one of the most exceptional Filipino films I have seen. The film had depth and was
very meticulously created. Owing to the fact that it was based on a novel, the plot of the film
was very coherent. Unlike other Filipino films Dekada ’70 gave justice to the Philippine Film
Industry. Among the typical films that have been sprouting in this generation Dekada ’70 left its
mark. The quality of the film was astounding. Through the set designs, costumes, and make-up, I
was able to get a realistic glimpse of how things looked like in the 70’s. Even very minor details
were given much attention to make everything look and feel as part of the 70’s. I feel that it is
very important to stage or film relevant events that are part of our History as a Filipino people.
By doing so a wider number of people is reached and awareness on historical events increase. In
a phase of apathy and hopelessness, movies like Dekada ’70 reminds us that all is not lost for
the Philippines is always worth fighting for.