Graziella May S.

Decano Book Review

EN 217 Nov. 12, 2018

BOOK REVIEW OF THE GOLD IN MAKILING

Would you be willing to wait for the person you love even if it takes forty years of

your life? Can wealth change a person’s life for good or can it lead one astray? These are

the questions that came to my mind upon reading Macario Pineda’s The Gold in

Makiling. A literary masterpiece, The Gold in Makiling was published in 1947 in post-

war Philippines. Originally written in Filipino, the novel was later translated to

English by

Soledad S. Reyes.

Summary

The novel tells the story of Sanang, a lovely maiden betrothed to Edong, a young

businessman who travelled to Laguna to sell his goods. Unfortunately, Edong met an

accident in the forest of Mt. Makiling and was presumed to be dead. In her grief, Sanang

vowed that she will never love another man nor will she ever get married. Weeks later,

Doro, Sanang’s nephew, claimed that Edong is alive and will return to their town.

Although, none of them believed Doro, Edong did come back. While there were questions

about what happened to him in the mountains, he simply said that an old man nursed

him back to health. However, he confessed to Sanang that it was Maria Makiling who

healed him. He described Maria Makiling’s kingdom and his life there. He explained to

Sanang that he hoped that the two of them could live there but he needed to seek

permission from Maria Makiling.

Determined to keep his promise to Sanang, Edong went back to Maria Makiling

with Edong and pleaded for Sanang to live with him in the mountains. Maria Makiling
required that Sanang must first prove her love and faithfulness to Edong by waiting for

forty years. If Sanang passes this test, she will be allowed to join Edong in the

mountains. Before leaving for town, Edong and Doro were given a sack full of ginger

with the reminder that Sanang would be needing it. Upon hearing Maria Makiling’s test

for her, Sanang vowed to remain loyal and faithful to Edong. Before parting, Edong gave

Sanang a golden necklace with the promise that it will help her succeed.

Back home, Sanang confided Edong’s secrets to her family. Not yet recovering

from Edong’s secrets, the family was further surprised to discover that the sack of

ginger that Edong brought home was filled with gold. Sanang decided to fairly split the

fortune with her family members, including Edong’s father. Sebio, Sanang’s brother-in-

law, volunteered to go to Manila with Mang Tonio to exchange the gold to cash.

The news about the gold in Makiling spread around their town like wildfire.

People were curious about Sanang and her family’s sudden fortune. Sebio wanted to use

the money for a lending business but Menyang, his wife, and Sanang did not want to.

Instead, Sanang built a store with her share of the fortune. Thinking that there was more

gold in Mt. Makiling, Sebio convinced others to go gold hunting in the mountains. The

journey did not end well with Sebio, returning to town in a catatonic state and

seemingly, sick in the head.

As the years passed, Sanang’s small store grew along with her fortune.

Meanwhile, Sebio became a drunkard and a gambler who squandered away his share of

the money. He coaxed one of his drinking buddies from the town of Santol to woo

Sanang to gain access to her fortune. The man spread false rumors that he and Sanang

were lovers. Edong’s friends, in an effort to defend her honor and teach the man a

lesson, beat him up. Sanang busied herself by taking care of her store, her nephew, and

even Nano, the village

idiot. Nano said that Edong often came around the store and although Sanang never saw

him, she believed Nano.

However, the peace in Sanang’s household did not last long. Menyang discovered

that Sebio took all their money including Doro’s share of the gold. After Menyang’s

tongue-lashing, Sebio left the house in shame. A few days later, Kabisang Indo visited

Sanang with the ominous warning that she might be abducted. He narrated that

someone threw a rock at his home with a note about a plan to abduct Sanang. He

believed that the man from Santol was behind this and so he gathered the village men to

keep Sanang safe. They prepared for the attack but were outwitted. Ten men from

Santol came into the village and burnt one of the houses in the village to distract the

townsmen. In the midst of panic and confusion, two men from Santol separated from

their group and attacked Sanang’s house. While Sanang was kept safe, her sister was

hurt and her father died to protect her. They also found out that the now dead assailants

were the man from Santol and Sebio. The village men assumed that Nono who had

Edong’s dagger was the one who killed one of the attackers but Sanang believed that it

was Edong who saved her.

Sanang and her surviving family members were able to eventually recover from

the tragic event and move on with their lives. Doro was able to finish his studies while

his aunt became an old sickly spinster. It was only upon seeing a withered piece of

paper tucked in Sanang’s bedside that Doro remembered Sanang’s promise to wait for

40 years for Edong. The paper had lines which were crossed out for every day that

passed. On the night that the final line was crossed out, Doro heard her aunt talking to

someone and thought that she was being delirious so he went to fetch the doctor. Upon

his return, Sanang was nowhere to be found. He looked for her and asked bystanders

but was told that they did not see her but a man and a woman running towards the

docks. There, he
did not find her aunt nor the couple but a witness confirmed that he saw a young couple

who left behind a gold necklace, the same one his aunt wore for the last forty years.

Analysis

Set at the foothills of Mt. Makiling, the novel, The Gold in Makiling, narrates the

40- year-old love story of Sanang and Edong. While it may seem like a story of star-

crossed lovers with the tragic death of the protagonist’s lover at the beginning of the

novel, it slowly unfolds into a hopeful narrative.

Sanang, the lover left behind, vows never to love another man and to remain

faithful to her deceased lover despite her mother’s protestations. Rather than a heat of

the moment utterance, she shows seriousness in keeping her word. She shows an

awareness that things will not change.

While only a few details are mentioned about the lovers’ interaction with each

other, both longingly yearn for one another and are determined to overcome their

circumstances to be together. Edong comes back from the dead to see Sanang again and

even pleads with Maria Makiling. For her part, Sanang accepts Maria Makiling’s

challenge without any doubt that she will be able to wait for forty years. Despite being

described as a typical Filipina maiden – beautiful, shy, modest, and soft, Sanang

embodies a quiet strength. She was willing to sacrifice her prime years if it meant being

able to rewrite her love story with Edong.

In contrast to the young couple’s narrative is the marriage of the older couple,

Sebio and Menyang. They have been married for some years and blessed with a child,

but their relationship shows tolerance rather than the passionate and faithful love that

the young couple believes in. Rather than focusing on his family and growing his small

fortune, Sebio is consumed by greed and lust for gold.

 The gold that Sanang and her family received may have been one of the tests that

Maria Makiling had laid out for her and although she may have successfully passed this

test and understood the use of the gold, not everyone in her family realized this. Sebio

was blinded by the glittery gold and changed. From a family man, he becomes a

drunkard and a gambler obsessed with the idea of getting rich from all the gold in

Makiling. His character proves the saying, “money is the root of all evil.”

Pineda effectively roots the novel in post-war Philippines and provides local

color with his vivid description of life at the countryside. He was able to showcase the

traditional values that is part of the Filipino culture. For example, the culture of

bayanihan was very apparent in the story, particularly, when the townspeople came

together to protect Sanang when a man tried to slander her by spreading rumors

against her and again when there was a threat of abduction.

Another notable character in the story is Maria Makiling, the legendary maiden

of the mountain. She is described to be kind, generous and just. While she protects the

mountain and helps those who seek her help, she can also be vengeful and cruel

towards those who abuse her kindness and those under her protection. This was

experienced by Sebio himself. The inclusion of the popular Filipino myth can be

interpreted as our belief in folklore and a link to our pre-colonial past when our

ancestors worshipped nature and elemental beings.

Aside from Maria Makiling, the community that resides in the mountain is an

interesting feature in the novel. Pineda mentioned notable characters from other stories

like the sacristan boy accused of stealing, Crispin, and his mother who lost her sanity

looking for her sons, Sisa. Other residents were Filipino heroes such as Urduha, Lapu-

Lapu, and Jose Rizal who all fought valiantly against the colonizers. Perhaps, they are the
real treasure or gold in Makiling. They are the cream of the crop –people who have

proven their character worthy of rewriting their narratives and living in Makiling.

Lastly, it is quite interesting that the story was told from the perspective of Doro,

who began narrating it as a child and finished recounting the story as an old man. As a

child, Doro was a symbol of innocence. Thus, he was able to see what Makiling was like

and did not think much about the value of gold. As he grew up, he forgot about the gold

in Makiling and saw the important value of education. This became his treasure; more

precious than the gold his father wanted to amass.