The Mystery Man

Signing on





Inside the Bahay ni Kuya each participant knows well what they are getting. Every word, every move, if they did something either good or bad, if they tripped on something, rest assured that Big Brother would know it, and if he says (in a deep bass voice) "Pumasok kayo sa confession room" will surely make their knees shudder. They fear him. They respect him. They hear him. But they can't see him.


Outside there's this fellow much like in the same vein as Kuya. But the difference is that he is a writer; his works are widely read and almost everybody knows about them. All six books under his authorship. We laughed at them. Emphatized at them. Pondered at them. But we never see him.


And he hides under the name Bob Ong.


If you ask me which among his six books I consider my most favorite? A resounding Bakit Baligtad Magbasa ng Libro ang Pilipino? Why? Because it is an uncompromising book containing the foibles and the misbehavior some of us Filipinos often do but often (but sometimes, always) ignore. It is an eye-opener about the other side of the Philippines through his own words, as well as other Filipinos here and abroad who share their thoughts about being Filipinos. In my possession I own Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas (a book pondering philosophically about life, existence and spirituality) and Stainless Longganisa (an introspective on BO's life as a writer as well as about his books that he had written), as well as his first, ABNKKBSNPLAko!? (a narrative about the author's experience as a student, as well as his views about education and being educated) although it was borrowed. I have read Alamat ng Gubat (A sidesplitting fable of a parody of Philippine society) and MacArthur ( a novel about friendship amidst the the backdrop of squalor, poverty and drugs) through my cousin, who like me, is a BO fan.


He has become a household name for his books which are mostly social commentaries laced with humor which makes them interesting reads. And the fact that he chose the Filipino language as his medium did they became comprehensible to everybody. Agree with them or disagree with them, laugh at them or barf at them, read from start to finish or read the first few pages then shut it close, the point is that you are affected. The same way that they affected me. If you have managed to read all six, or some of them then congratulations; you have met someone who dared to swim against the current of commercialism in print media. The one who dared to shake us to our senses and think about ourselves as Filipinos and our country the Philippines. Kung may pagkakataon e ipagtatayo ko sya ng rebulto, kung alam ko lang ang itsura niya. But it doesn't matter. The fact that we didn't know what he looks like adds mystery to his works. But rest assured BO exists.

And he will continue to exist.

Signing off