Erika R.

Valeroso 2010-09375

October 7, 2010 English 10 Prof. Concepcion Reaction Paper on Information on Foreigners

Information for Foreigners. I was having second thoughts if I would actually sacrifice and spend my precious time and allowance on this because I am not really into plays. But since our professor said that this play is where we would base our reaction paper (a very important requirement for English class), I felt that I had no choice. I have finally decided to watch the play on a Monday so as not to affect the requirements that I have to do in my other subjects. As I was walking to the road going to CAL, I saw barb wires on the windows and people dressed like characters that you see in weird horror movies. I was surprised because I honestly thought that this was going to be some ordinary play. I guess I was wrong. This play was something that I never expected. At first I did not understand what it was all about but as it progressed, the message behind it slowly unraveled. I never thought that this play would actually have a great impact on me. This play opened my eyes to notice and act on the issues that I usually ignore or even choose not to see. Information for Foreigners is a play about unexplained brutality and torture, cruelty of the authority, and people who were abducted. This masterpiece was originally made by Griselda Gambaro, one of the most distinct and well-known playwright of Argentina (Information for Foreigners). It was adapted by the internationally recognized playwright, Anton Juan Jr. to fit the Philippine context (Information for Foreigners). I find this play very interesting because it is unusual in the sense that it does follow the format that common plays often do. Instead of just sitting and waiting for the actors to finish a scene or an act, you have tour guides (who also have parts in the play) who will guide you to

different rooms and scenes of torture and cruelty. I enjoyed it because there is a sense of participation among the audience which is very effective in understanding and absorbing the play better. It is as if I was part of the play. The morbidly festive costumes of the actors, carnivalesque set design, and grotesque scenes helped in setting the apt mood and atmosphere needed in order to feel and become one with the play. The play was wonderfully presented. I found most of the scenes in the play quite morbid and disturbing maybe because I am not used to seeing scenes like this even though these instances seem so common when they are seen on the news. I was really affected watching the scenes. I felt sorry for the people who really experienced cruelty and the barbarity of the torturers. It was hard for me to imagine that the people that the actors were portraying are real and that they experienced great amounts of pain and suffering. There were numerous instances in the play that really struck me. The opening scene of the play the Milgram experiment was one of them. In the scene, there were three scientists who were testing the effectiveness of electrocution on the memory of a mere volunteer. Every time the volunteer got a wrong answer to the scientists questions, electric shock of increasing voltage would be delivered to his body. There was also a man who looks like a prisoner, in the middle of the stage and he was witnessing the torture. This experiment showed the first instinct of the people which is to obey authority figures even if what is asked of them would mean senseless hurting of people that they do not even know (Experiment-Resources.com). I was really bothered by this scene because it showed the existence of people who use pain and torture to teach their subjects. Also, I was bothered by the fact that the volunteer succumbed easily to the experiment just because he was instructed by authority figures.

Another scene that really got my attention was when two guys who looked like twins, cornered and surprised the tour group. They played Pinoy Henyo and guessed on infamous political personalities like Ferdinand Marcos, Adolf Hitler, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The descriptions that they would use for clues were usually toward the negative doings and aspects of the person. When they asked for a volunteer from the audience it turned out to be that she was part of the act. When it was the volunteers turn to give clues to the word AMPATUAN, she started screaming, becoming hysterical and calling him an animal. This had a great impact on me because I think that people (including me) are starting to forget the Maguindanao massacre that happened last year, just like the numerous incidents of political killings, extrajudicial killings, and journalist killings. It has occurred to me that until now the government has failed to give justice to all the victims of these killings. It seems that they are going nowhere with the hearings and cases filed. I think that a big factor why the suspects are not behind bars is the fact that those connected with these heinous crimes are actually government officials or even part of the military or police. This only shows that our country has a very weak and poor justice system. The scenes concerning the desapericidos, Shirley Cadapan and Jonas Burgos broke my heart. Their stories were just unbelievable. Shirley Cadapan was a UP student and an activist. She was abducted back in 2006 together with Karen and until now, they have not been found. When I saw Shirley Cadapans conditions as it was reenacted in the play, I was just devastated. She was inside a drum and in what it seemed like to be a military camp. I can only imagine how much torture and suffering that she has gone through. Another is the scene where Jonas Burgos mother is looking for his son. Jonas Burgos was also an activist and he was abducted while he was in the mall. No one even tried to help him as two gunmen were escorting him out. It can be seen in the scene that the mother was trying to forward the case with authority figures but it

seems that they could not care less about the case. They were just joking around and gave no direct answers to the mother. Although cases and appeals have been filed, still nothing has happened to finally solve the case of the missing Jonas Burgos. This scene clearly depicts the side of the government that people usually do not see or hear. Since Jonas Burgos was an activist and somewhat an enemy of the state or the government, the police authorities are not giving much attention to it. They are even ignoring it if they can. In the end, justice and peace was not given to him and his family. The play is full of symbolisms and representations. The audience members as tourists so as to being passive onlookers on these scenes of torture and social injustice shows that people fail to do anything about it or even worse, people choose not to do anything about it because of the fear of getting involved (Information for Foreigners). I think the message of the play is to remind us about these things because we tend to forget them. These issues had become so common that we often ignore them in the news. We ourselves are the foreigners in our own country because we are not aware and conscious of these issues and we are not doing anything about it. The play is a call for action and a call for systematic change in the government. The actors in the play portray real people and real instances that have actually happened. We must constantly remind ourselves that this is not pretend. A lot of victims of oppression and social justice have not been found. This only shows that we live in an ignorant and irresponsible society. We do not see that the society we live in is controlled by mostly power-hungry government officials who only care about themselves. It is very frightening to learn what these people can do when they are threatened to give up their positions. It is uncanny to think how easy it is for them to torture people, treat them like animals, and kill them. What is even worse is that you trusted these

people that they will keep you safe and away from harm. It is a bit ironic because what they are doing defeats the whole purpose of having a democratic government. The people are not free from oppression and social justice. Activists cannot freely express their disgust and problems towards the government. In the end, it seems that the real intentions of the government are quite questionable. The play opened my heart and eyes to the conditions of the victims of political and extrajudicial killings. It is sad to see that these people still have not achieved justice. I hope and pray that someday we may have a government that will truly serve the people and be on their best interest.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Experiment-Resources.com. Stanley Milgram Experiment Experiment-Resources.com 2008. 2 October 2010 <http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanley-milgram-experiment.html> Information for Foreigners. Unpublished Souvenir Program. 2010.