Our Very Own Monsters
/Our regular contributor Claire Mercado Obias, who loves to write about books written by authors of Filipino heritage, introduces two of them this week, both falling under the horror genre. The Secret Lives of OFWs by Manila-based author Jet Tagasa sounds like juicy gossip but this short-story compilation actually draws on Philippine mythical creatures as counter-power to the travails and suffering that Filipino domestic workers with foreign masters often endure. Tagasa is a former OFW herself so she is familiar with the feelings of distress and hopelessness that OFWs go through.
"Merging my stories with Philippine folklore is a way of adding power to stories of helplessness. A way of saying that all of us have an inner monster we can tap into, to overcome monster challenges. Making these stories more than just about suffering, but also, of hope,” Tagasa explains.
The second book in Claire's article, House of Monstrous Women by Fil-Am Daphne Fama is as much a horror story as it is a political statement. Set during the 1986 People Power Revolution which toppled the first Marcos dictatorship, Fama's employs the imaginative merging of monsters and folklore to voice out her frustration with the political monsters in our midst.
“When the Marcos family reappeared in the political arena trying to rewrite the past, I was so frustrated by how they were trying to rewrite history, I wanted to bring mainstream attention to both the revolution, that period of history, and how people can truly make a difference if they come together,” Fama tells Claire.
It's a good time to read these two books as Halloween and Undas (All Saints' Day) creep up on us. But then horror has become too real, almost mundane in its regularity lately that every day can be a good day to fight the monsters, especially those in suits, that threaten to spook us to helplessness.
[Our Stories This Week]
The Monsters in Our Midst by Claire Mercado-Obias
That Strange Writing in Philippine Passports by Howie Severino
A Marvel Superhero Shatters the Asian Male Inferiority Complex by Anthony Maddela
FilAms Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 72 by Mona Lisa Yuchengco
[Read It Again]
An Ilongot Murder Mystery by Michael Gonzalez
Soup Tales and Big Breakfasts by Micky Fenix
Escape Through Death’s Door by Criselda Yabes
[Video of the Week] Filipino American National Historical Society in Stockton
[Partner] Philippine International Aid’s “Giving Hope to the Children 2025”
In The Know
Influencer Emman Atienza Dies at 19 After Being Found in Her L.A. Home
https://people.com/influencer-emman-atienza-dies-at-19-11836349?
ICYMI: Here's an overview of everything Conan O'Brien did during his visit to Manila
https://mb.com.ph/2025/10/24/icymi-heres-an-overview-of-everything-conan-obrien-did-during-his-visit-to-manila?
Heroes Are Human: The Real Faces of Heroes We Praise
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/notes-and-essays/heroes-are-human-the-real-faces-of-heroes-we-praise-a3073-20251024-lfrm?
How Atom Araullo Tells The Stories of Our Time
https://www.spot.ph/arts-culture/arts-culture-peopleparties/the-unseen-atom-araullo-a2962-20251024-dyn?
Tabuena restores Phl pride
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/10/26/tabuena-restores-phl-pride?fbclid=IwY2xjawNs-
