A Small, Warm Place

“This is a land both fact and ction, where

generations leave no trace of themselves and
everything is constantly wiped out, punctually,
by clockwork destruction: typhoon, tsunami,
earthquake, drought. Because of this we have
no memory of ourselves; we remember only
the last deluge, the last seismic upheaval.”

Empire of Memory, Eric Gamalinda

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insular - relating to or from an island;
ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas,
or peoples outside one's own experience

echo chamber - an environment in which a

person encounters only beliefs or opinions
that coincide with their own, so that their
existing views are reinforced and alternative
ideas are not considered
folklore - the whole of oral traditions shared
by a particular group of people, culture or
subculture. This includes tales, myths,
legends, proverbs, poems, jokes, and other
oral traditions. Folklore includes customary
lore, taking actions for folk beliefs, and the
forms and rituals of celebrations such as
Christmas, weddings, folk dances, and
initiation rites. They include material culture,
such as traditional building styles common
to the group.
 urban legend - a genre of folklore comprising
claims or stories circulated as true, especially as
having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a
family member, often with horrifying, humorous,
or cautionary elements. Urban legends may
con rm moral standards, re ect prejudices, or
be a way to make sense of societal anxieties. In
the past, urban legends were most often
circulated orally, at gatherings and around the
camp re for instance. Now, they can be spread
by any media, including newspapers, mobile
news apps, e-mail, and most often, social
media.
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Marcos visit

• How did it make such a huge impression

on Noel Bulaong? Comment on its
larger-than-life quality by identifying a
few of the insular and mythical elements
present in the account (pp. 35-44).
Marcos visit

• “All the power was gone from everyone’s

house but a glow rose from the plaza, an
aura that skimmed the leaden roofs of
the blocks we had to pass through.
Clearly there was electric light and noise
in that fortunate vicinity, and the sooner
we arrived in it the more we would see
and hear.” (p. 38)
Marcos visit

• “…Never wanted to be
secweeeiinggoonnddd… Never! When
Don Mariano
Marcoeeeiiinggowwwwnngggcchhh…”
(p. 40)
Marcos visit

• the Nalundasan murder case (pp. 42)

Marcos visit

• “At that second I lost track of where

Tatay was, but I didn’t mind; Marcos was
father to all of us.” (p. 44)
What are the various “districts” present in
the story? Which characters populate each
of them? What’s the primary
preoccupation or concern in each of these
areas? (chapters 2, 3, 4)
 What’s the predominant characteristic of each of
these “districts”? What was the characters’ main
preoccupation in each of them?

• US, pp. 64-65 (“Sandbar, Sandfar, Sanford…”)

• HQ, pp. 66-69 (“Three weeks after Estoy’s visit…”)
• parents’ house, pp. 91-94 (“My sister Thea saw
me rst…”)
• Tambakan, pp. 96-98 (“Tambakan was one of
those shantytowns…”)
• DM’s o ce, pp. 102-109 (“And this was me now,
reincarnated…”)
• detention camp, pp. 134-137 (“Camp Sun ower
was a converted Army barracks…”)
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