Book Review: Galaw ng Asoge
By Cirilo F. Bautista
443 pages
UST Publishing House

WAY OF THE QUICKSILVER

"Asoge", otherwise known as mercury or Hg is described as silvery white and weighs 298K, making it the heaviest elemental fluid. Heavy but swift and dexterous, just like the nearest planet to our sun, or Mercurius, the messenger of the gods and god of traders. A poor conductor of electricity, it is sensitive to temperature and thus used in making thermometers, barometers and other heat measuring devices. When absorbed through the skin, it can be hazardous to health but still it is used by some people as talisman, injecting the fluid in their system believing that it can prolong a person's lifespan, even delaying death during the last hours of life.

"Asoge" has all this reputed properties, thus the term quicksilver, but it could very well be National Artist for Literature Award top contender Cirilo F. Bautista's latest Tagalog novel. Galaw ng Asoge has all the qualities and ways of mercury, plot-wise and character-wise. The narrative has sudden playful shifts in the point of view. From deliberately writing boring sequences (except the sex scene) and off humor lines in the first three chapters, the author jolts the readers through a sudden shift in POV in chapter four. Here Bautista talks to his readers and explains some points-that it was a case of wrong choice in POV and some details were missed out because of it. Very modern. A sort of creative acrobatics or literary discourse combined. Reading those parts would seem like the author was doing a lecture on how to write an effective story.

Ending almost like the way it started (as the author finds the first person POV of Amado, the main player, as misleading), the narrative restarts in chapter forty-four, employing the third person POV once again. Obviously there will be a sequel, and in fact Galaw ng Asoge is conceived to be part of a trilogy. From here we can say that it has the "birtud" of mercury as talisman. A sort of a delaying tactic that leaves the readers craving for more, even if it is just a cycle or repetition of the same storyline but only with varying POVs. Each sequence is well planned and with inputs on the philosophy of the author as articulated by his characters. But these characters tend to hide certain truths that only the author knows. Thus we not only have a deceptive narrative but also some characters whom we cannot trust such as the corporate tandem of father and son Carlos and Amado Ortiz.

Amado's Weak Voice

Again, this is deliberate. As this novel is designed to play tricks on its readers, it is easy to fall into the trap of Amado's narrative. A poseur, a poet, and a romantic, his lines are metaphorical, dreamy and unreliable. He is the novel's weak voice and he sees, feels and says only what he finds necessary in building up his image around his selfish motive, and he is so good a pretender that he sounds so sincere-and so perhaps he believes himself.

As the author himself pointed out later in the novel, Amado's viewpoint is limited. For instance, he kept on referring to his mother as "Mama", which is understandable, but almost missed out on mentioning her real name, Rosario. Also his detached relationship with his mother deprived the readers of Rosario's greatness as a woman and mother.

Being a poet, he tends to exaggerate on some details. Not to say that all poets are like this and that in effect they are liars like Amado. Perhaps this goes to say that the dreams of a poet are much different from the ambitions of a politician or business tycoon. When he says that he adores his sister Clara he also tries to paint a picture of them as soul mates, if we could call it that. He says they could read each other's minds. However, if this were true, how come he did not learn of Mita's (Amado's girlfriend) early relationship with this father? It was later revealed that Clara actually knew all about it.

Amado's younger brother, Gerry is the only character allowed to witness his confused side and this was after Mita's suicide. In the same way that he looks up to his father Carlos for guidance, Gerry also tries to emulate him, as he seems to be so at ease even when in times of trouble. But of course this is just a pose. He still has to learn the "birtud" of his poet-boxer friend, Ben.

Even during his most triumphant moment, Amado is still unimpressive. Sure he was able to trick the corporate trickster Don Agustin. But he was lucky the old man did not have a gun with a silencer when he was trying to blackmail him. He could have easily been shot and disposed of in Manila Bay. Who would suspect a president maker like Don Agustin? Not his Mama who was the fiancé of Agustin in their youth.

Among Amado's exploits was his portrayal of Carlos Ortiz in the novel as a loser and a quitter so that only he would gain glory for their redeemed fortune. Perhaps the sequel will have Don Carlos as voice so that we can hear his side. When he calmly took his own life, there was an attempt in his part to recover his honor.

Upper Class Conflict

Without doubt, Galaw ng Asoge is not only mind play but also pleasure. And for Bautista, it has always been more painful to write poetry than fiction. For him, working on a story entails much enjoyment, as there is always a sense of satisfaction as you see your plot unfold itself right before your eyes. And so it becomes less of a painful exercise but more of an intellectual adventure.

It would not be such if the story were focused on the plight of the lower class since Bautista is known to have come from a poor family in Balic-balic. Perhaps he opted to expose the malady of society via the twisted line of thinking by some rich people like Don Agustin, Carlos and Amado Ortiz. That they suffer from endless frustration and anxiety because of guilt and greed. And that they also blow their heads off because of it, and to be attracted to their light will also burn you out the way Mita Gonzales wasted herself through a vial of poison in some cheap motel. Clearly, Galaw ng Asoge dexterously achieved its goal of creating a detailed picture of the social strata, that it still is pretty much the same as it was during the 60s. And the same rich people are causing the problems.

Breaking Signs

Cirilo F. Bautista is an expert in using symbols or signs, whether it be incidental/accidental or natural, such as the ghost ship in Danakbunga and the Taal Volcano eruption. He uses them as devices in shaping the beliefs and philosophies of his characters (which could very well be his own). He captures their thoughts and reactions to these events and even utilizes them in exposing the political milieu of the times. Call it the art of manipulation.

Such that it was like Amado, the fictionist and Bautista, the literary editor and a man privy to the lives of the Ortiz family and upon reading the inaccurate account written by Amado Ortiz, decides to write it himself in the end.

This Tagalog novel is more than enough to elevate Cirilo F. Bautista's status among the literary giants and as National Artist for Literature. Ben, the poet-boxer friend of Amado could very well be Bautista's alter ego. He is poor yet he plays hard but fair, his moves premeditated and yet surprising. Just like Bautista and his stories, poems and epics such as The Archipelago, The Trilogy of Saint Lazarus and Sunlight on Broken Stones. Works that have continuously wrapped into words all of the anomalies that have stunted our cultural, national and economic growth as a country.

Cirilo F. Bautista definitely has the discipline and the way of the quicksilver, the Galaw ng Asoge.