My Thoughts About Alamat ng Gubat by Bob Ong (Book Review #60)

The contemporary book Alamat ng Gubat follows the adventures of an ocean-dwelling crab
named Tong who was given by his queen mother to get the magical banana bud from the mountains to
cure his ailing father. Along the way, in search for the cure, he meet different animals of different traits
and characters who each has a different story.
Published in 2003, Alamat ng Gubat (Legend of the Forest) is the fourth book published by Bob Ong. Bob
Ong is a Filipino writer known for his works depicting Filipino life, culture and society. His books are
always a reflection and commentary of the past and current Filipino setting. The book is written in
Tagalog and uses some deep
and complicated Tagalog words.

The characters in the book includes the Crocodile, who extorts bribe before giving help; the
Frog, who forces himself to be with Duck just because the latter is rich; the Lion who seems to be a
good-hearted fellow but eventually reveals her true identity, that he only used Tong to track down the
other animals in the forest who’s hiding from them because of fear of being eaten; Ant and Grasshopper
who argues whether to continue their planned uprising (with some other insects) against the animals,
with the former afraid that that what they’ll do will affect all his investments while the latter is not
afraid because he’s got nothing to loose; Lobster, who assumes that he’s being paid just by doing
nothing; Chicken and Tortoise, whom Rat stole eggs from that Tong returned; Dog, who’s known to
vomit and eats his vomit and repeats the cycle and the one who helped Tong to look for the cure;
Rabbit, who challenged Tong, Dog and Tortoise in getting the bud for his personal use; Katang, Tong’s
brother who betrayed him as a form of revenge because of their unresolved issues in the past; and
Monkey who exposed Tong to the realities about Tong’s father’s ailment and talked to Tong about
making a change in the society. Aside from Tong looking for the cure, the book also features the
characters of Tong’s father, Crocodile, Lion, Dog, Rabbit, Tortoise and Grasshopper all claiming to be the
true king.

The book ended with Tong eventually getting the magical banana bud with the help of Monkey
and with him Tong also found out his father’s true ailment. That is, his father acts numb about the true
poor state of his kingdom and he’ll use the bud to continue being so. The bud acts as like the painkiller
that numbs senses so that one won’t feel anything good or bad. At the end, Monkey was able to make
Tong eat the bud, making him to not also care about the realities around him.

“Ang liit at laki ay nasa isip lang. Bakit kami nina Bubuyog at Gagamba, may naipundar din kami
kahit papano. Nasa pagsisikap lang ‘yan ng tao!”
― Bob Ong, Alamat ng Gubat

Before reading this book, I thought that Bob Ong finally decided to branch out to young readers
since that book itself has this colorful illustrations and the title itself seems to be like how a children’s
book is like. But then again, while reading it, it’s not. The book has this allegorical references to
Philippine society. The author used the animals to portray the current context of the Philippines. He
used the insects to represent the masses, who are always oppressed, and the animals as the superior
elites in the country. The book talks about the inefficiencies of the Philippine government and the
politicians. Their lack of action and concern towards the real cause of the problems are the deep reasons
why the Philippines continue to struggle.

Despite just being a short read, the book gave enough depth to its characters. The book is
unique on it’s own. The plot is presented well. The book is also fast paced and a quick read (only a
hundred pages which already includes the illustrated pages). I like the author’s unconventional approach
in taking serious matters in presenting it in a way that’s not that intimidating to read. There are symbols
hidden in every character, situation and conversation.

The books also has this nice balance of humor and morals. The book discusses that of the
Philippine society, culture and politics. The book talks about the society, the Filipino society in particular,
on how most of the time we go numb towards the known problems of our society. On how despite the
fact that we can do something for change but we still choose not to act. We find comfort in our own
world without taking time to notice what’s happening around us. The same cycle happens every time,
that’s why progress and development seems unattainable. The book is an eye opener to its readers. It
challenges us, readers, to be a hero in our own way whatever the situation, or forest, that we are in and
that we should not be afraid to challenge the system.

I can recommend the book to the fans of George Orwell’s Animal Farm which also involves
struggle for power and is a political satire.

https://bongbongbooks.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/my-thoughts-about-alamat-ng-gubat-by-bob-ong-
book-review-60/
The Korean language is the official and national language of North Korea. With more than 78 million
speakers around the world, Korean language is spoken by people in North Korea, South Korea, and in
China, as well as Koreans who have migrated to other countries. Formally called Chosono or Chosonmal
in North Korea, the term “Korean” derived from the word “Goryeo” pertains to the 1st dynasty known
to Western civilizations. The Korean language has remained controversial up until now since linguists all
over the world have debated upon its linguistic origin. Some claim that it is of the Altaic family, while
some believe it is a language isolate. However, Korean language still remains to be adopted and used by
its speakers which speak of their tradition and culture.

The Korean language has many dialects and its standard dialect used in North Korea is the P’yongan
dialect which is spoken in P’yongyang and in Chagang. Its regional dialects spoken in North Korea
include: (1) Gangwon, which is spoken in Gangwon-do; (2) Hamgyong, which is spoken in Rason,
Ryanggang, and Hamgyong; and (3) Hwanghae, which is spoken in the Hwanghae region.

King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea made the Korean alphabet and was initially called Hunmin
jeongeum or the “correct sounds for the instruction of the people.” At the present times it is called
Hangeul (term coined by Ju Si-gyeong, a Korean linguist).

Learning the language may be quite difficult for non-Koreans due to the language’s complexity which is
why learning the language means learning to love the Korean culture for you to grasp the ideas easier.