History of the Burgis

An excerpt from How To Read This Book:

Think of it as a bus tour through five hundred years of Philippine history.  Our tour guide is a dedicated and endearing school teacher (Mariel N. Francisco) who helpfully points out the high and low points, the twists and turns of the Filipino nation's "continuing past" in her capsulized historical narrative.  The reader must pay attention to this narrative - for our tour guide does not only set the pace, she also holds the itinerary.  She sits out front (the upper half of the page) and her well modulated loudspeaker can be heard throughout the bus.

The back of the bus (the lower half of the page) is recommended for those whose attention span is short and/or who appreciate a bit more explanation. Here sits a wry observer (Fe C. Arriola) who provides short commentaries to the narrative. To prick her pompous balloon are three wiseacres (Onib Olmedo, Manny Arriola, Odette Alcantara) who make irrepressible comments on the comments.  These sub-comments are for those who don't mind laughing until it hurts and who can see the point of being beside the point.  Serious-minded, no-nonsense readers may ignore the sayings, wisecracks and asides.  

All over, various artists seek to interpret that which words cannot express. Readers who are more intuitive than logical can take their cue from the drawings.  Or from the old woman whose bayong full of old photographs, antique cigarette wrappers, clippings of forgotten cartoons and other material evidences of history spill all over the pages.  To fellow ratpackers, these, by themselves, already make the tour.

While the book is written for the burgis, one does not have to be burgis to enjoy it.  It is more important to know how to travel light, leaving behind the mental baggage that often weighs down both burgis and non-burgis.  Take along instead an open mind, the grace to laugh at yourself, and the stubbornness to keep faith with fellow Filipinos.