Heziemiah L.

Pascual

11 ABM

Respond critically to the following questions to process the selection.

c. 1. The story is set in __________.
a. Metro Manila
b. an undisclosed town
c. Sta. Teresita, Cagayan Valley
d. Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur

a. 2. The narrator in the story is __________.

a. remembering past events
b. telling the events as they occur
c. predicting what could happen in the future
d. creating events in his mind

3. List at least three details describing Ato.

Kind – According to his sibling, Dante’s mother, she describes Ato as kind.

Loving husband – Ato sent letters to his wife in abroad with the help of Dante, showing his consistent
love and care to his wife.

Hot-tempered – When Ato faced some misunderstanding or trouble, Ato might react impulsively just
like what he did when his carabao was robbed and when he met a drunk ICHDF and got involved in an
incident.

d. 4. The town was a/an __________.

a. rural provincial town
b. urban provincial town
c. urban capital city
d. rural progressive city
5. List at least two “local” practices in wakes that were described in the story.

• “Gaya ng pagbabawal ng mga matatandang babae sa pagwawalis habang may nakaburol.”

One of the superstitions that old women believe is to not sweep the floor while there’s a wake.
They said that if Dante disobeys it, he will have lice. Eventually, Dante does not practice this belief
and turns out his head is full of lice.
• Cutting the chicken’s head off so that no one in the family will die next.

6. Perform some research. Who are the CHDF? Why are they significant to the people in the story? How
does this relate to the actual CHDF in real life? Write down your research in a short three-paragraph essay.

Looking back to the history, the Civilian Home Defense Forces started as Barrio Self-Defense
Units during the 1950s. By the 1960s, the Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces (ICHDF) is a
paramilitary group created during Ferdinand E. Marcos’ presidency. According to Presidential Decree No.
1016 on September 22, 1976, the group was formed to expedite the effective solution of the peace and
order problems throughout the country.
 However, the group gained absolute power when Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, resulting
to be frequently accused of violating human rights throughout the country. Meanwhile, when President
Corazon Aquino took over, she ordered to dismantle the CHDF. "All paramilitary forces including Civilian
Home Defense Forces not consistent with the citizen armed force established in this Constitution, shall be
dissolved or, where appropriate, converted into the regular force” (Executive Order No. 275, July 15,
1987).

The inclusion of the ICHDF has made the story more realistic since irresponsible and notorious
supposed-to-be “peacekeeping” forces were portrayed just like what they did in the past. There are many
cases which CHDF were involved – specifically human rights violations. Taking advantage of the power
given to them makes the society less peaceful. Ironic, right? The story portrayed the CHDF doing some
unlawful activities such as attacking a person while drunk but in reality, CHDF is much worse than that.

7. What do the various “episodes” in the story do in terms of helping the reader get to know the characters
better? How do these “episodes” help characterize Ato in particular?

The episodes are such great help in portraying the characters in the story. Unveiling each episodes
unlocked a background information about the characters involved, especially Ato. These episodes help
the readers create an impression regarding the character of Ato. They help us to dive deeper to his
attitude and characteristics in order for us to relate to and understand its character.

8. Do you think Ato committed suicide? What details in the story lead you to your conclusion?

Yes. At the end of the story, the content of the voice tape was finally revealed. It contains the recorded
voice of Ato’s wife saying, “Patawarin mo ako, Mahal. ‘Di ko ginusto. Papatayin ako kapag lumaban ako.
Isipin mo na lang na... na makakamtan na rin natin ang hinahangad mong magandang kinabukasan para
sa mga anak natin... Matatapos din ang kontrata ko.” The story ended with these lines. The author did not
unravel the reason behind this voice tape. But it leads me to conclude that his wife may have been
physically and/or sexually abused by her boss, that’s why she can’t also come back home and attend her
husband’s funeral. The voice tape might be the reason why Ato committed suicide. He cannot bear what
he heard and that leads him to commit such action.

9. What did the voice tape have to do with the events in the story? Is it an important part of the story?
Why or why not?

The voice tape is the key in unlocking more information about Ato’s death. At the start of the story, the
voice tape was already introduced to the readers, but the author decided to not indulge to its detail yet.
Until then it was revealed that the voice tape contains the recording of Ato’s wife saying his situation
outside the country. The voice tape is an important part of the story since it gives us clue whether Ato
committed suicide or not. It also hooks the readers to finish the story since the readers are enticed to
know the content of the voice tape after introducing it at the beginning of the story.

10. How does the story characterize OFWs and what they have to deal with? Does the story make you
think about OFWs and their situations? How do you feel about it after reading this story?

As many Filipinos believe, going abroad seems like a better option if you’re in the poverty line. Filipinos
commonly work to other countries because there are higher paying jobs there waiting for them compared
to the Philippines. Just like in the story, members of the families sacrifice a lot just to provide money for
the expenses of OFWs. It is not easy to be an OFW. They have to deal with a lot of sacrifices just to fulfill
the needs of their families. The story “Voice Tape” portrayed a sensitive situation that’s really happening
in our society. Some OFWs were abused and are given a hard time by their boss or employer. There are
many news and stories regarding the abused OFWs and it is hard to imagine what they went through.
After reading the story, I wonder, apart from the story “Voice Tape” and those cases shown in the news,
how many more OFWs are being hurt and abused? They are already tired from their job, and they still
receive terrible treatment. It’s sad to think that the Filipino workers are not being treated the right way.
some employers just see them as toys or tools that they just mistreated.