Historically relevant Filipiniana books for your reading list

Considered Hernandez’s best work, Mga Ibong Mandaragit delves into the author’s time as a guerilla intelligence officer under the waning Japanese occupation. It also covers the Filipinos’ struggle to rebuild their nation after the Second World War. 

In this story, the protagonist, Alejandro Pamintuan, is accused by a Japanese soldier of being in the resistance movement. He flees to the guerilla stationed in the mountains, changing his name to Mando. There, he meets an old rebel named Tata Matyas. The old man believes that El Filibusterismo’s characters exist. He tells Mando to find Simoun’s treasure chest, which Padre Florentino threw into the sea. Upon finding it, Mando spends the novel using the gems to help his countrymen find freedom from suffering. 

This incredible book captures the tension of a recent colonial past paired with class struggles among Filipinos. Picking up where El Filibusterismo left off, this story provides a unique insight into Philippine history’s tense and complex period.

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With this article collection, Lacaba lays out his unfiltered insights on the events leading up to Marcos’s dictatorship. The youth were more restless, outgrowing the political views handed down to them. This led to them rallying in the streets. Marcos would eventually use the colourful chaos of these uprisings as justification for martial law. 

The youth are often brushed aside as emotional and reckless. But Lacaba turns that into an advantage here. He immerses readers in the sights and sounds of this period. We could be fighting alongside him. This book is not just a valuable firsthand account of the Marcos regime. It also questions what we consider journalism and how stories shape our understanding of history after the dust settles. 

A young woman named Ligaya moves to the city to find work. Her boyfriend, a poor fisherman named Julio, starts to worry after not hearing from her. Along the way, he encounters many struggles that turn him into a jaded, dangerous version of himself. He struggles to find food and shelter. While working at a construction site, he endures various forms of abuse and exploitation. He loses hope of ever finding out what happened to Ligaya. When he is eventually reunited with her, he finds out that she is a victim of human trafficking. Together, they plot an escape. 

This novel uses dramatic language to convey the struggles of the impoverished and their attempts to survive. Even four decades later, these struggles remain. This novel asks who benefits from such social stagnation. 

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Nick Joaquin is not afraid of laying out his opinions, as controversial as they may be. One of the most thought-provoking arguments is that of the ‘heritage of smallness.’ To him, Filipinos work most comfortably with strict limitations. Our balangay boats were small. Our tools and creations were made with malleable materials like clay and tree bark. 

We are forced to examine how this lack of advancement made Spanish colonization permeate our collective psyche. By challenging the perception of precolonial Filipino culture, he pushes the conversation in a new direction. 

Not everyone agrees with Joaquin. But his methodical, nuanced arguments invite us to examine the forces that continue to shape our culture. 

History can sometimes seem intimidating or boring. But in the hands of a master craftsman like Mojares, the stories of the past find new life. This collection of essays is a lyrical dive into the lives of our ancestors, folk healing strategies, our long maritime history, and more. Alternating with these essays are glimpses of the author’s childhood experiences and global travels. 

One of Mojares’s strengths is that he personalizes historical experiences. After the Chinese stopped using the Parian River in Cebu for trading, the silt levels made the river impassable. “When a river dies, much more perishes than just the river itself,” wrote Mojares. He asks us to reckon with such drastic changes to our community centres. Not only were goods exchanged along the river, but cultural divides were breached, and languages adapted to transcend barriers. 

Mojares proves that the past is populated by people who dream and struggle like us. His insights add weight to our actions today, which pave the way for tomorrow’s generation. 

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