See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/332092818

Ernesto Lariosa and nature in his works

Article  in  Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society · March 2013

CITATIONS READS

0 427

1 author:

Hope Yu
University of San Carlos (Philippines)
38 PUBLICATIONS   11 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Nature View project

The Other(ed) Woman: Critical Essays View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Hope Yu on 27 December 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Offprint

ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS

HOPE SABANPAN-YU

&

PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

Vol. 37(2009): 239-252
 Philippine Quarterly of Culture & Society
37(2009): 239-252

ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS

Hope Sabanpan-Yu

Man could really not keep his hand to himself. Nature was
in a sad state. Because the trees were disappearing, there
were many floods in the world that took many lives If
nature could talk back against human transgression, their
faces would long have swollen with shame.(1998a: 161)
Emesto D. Lariosa
"Exchange"

This epigraph suggests, as does this collection of short stories, that

Emesto D. Lariosa pondered philosophically about the natural
enviromnent and the human connection to it. In this short passage, Lariosa
shows that he comprehends nature to be a part ofthe human, as well as the
cultural, and the social imagination as much as it is a physical entity to be
experienced. Lariosa's words remind us that there is an indelible link
between our interactions with nature and our perception ofit, and the other
way around. "Exchange" {Bugti) won the first prize in the Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Cebuano short story in 1997, a fertile perio in
Lariosa's publishing career, and perhaps the shaip-eyed, conscientious
lifestyle he developed through his seemingly unending work as a regional
licensing chief of the National Food Authority (NFA) influenced his
understanding of the links between nature and ^
reminds us that he was always the curious sort of person who filed at the
back of his head the observations he picked up around him and absorbed
what he gathered according to his own inspirations. Even earliest
published stories, there is evidence of Lariosa's particulanzed meditation
on the interactions between human beings and nature.

UniversityDrofTn
Hooe S Yu teaches in the Department of Languages and Literature at the
Carios, Cebu. For discussion of her paper she can be reached at
<[email protected]>.
 240 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

k 11 ^ paper I will discuss the ways that Lariosa renders and

ht irfr mentality of his time within the narratives of
manuka di na
baybayonni Simon),
InnA, ^ 5 A ® {Hmgigo) and "In a Framed World"(Sa
^'mosn's fiction foresaw arguments
Sfn ^ ^n^'mnmentalists and ecocritics. His fiction is seasoned
SS12^ the natural with the cultural while
SS^d r f relationship between social
SSntd trm "^"^tives are also
coweSZl "environmental determinism," the
totT a clvfr P™"~ 'he physical environment in a creative
political relatiol''®''^^'''"'®
address Lario«°rrt °° ^'Snificant criticisms that
to dscui L^ni productions. For this reason and because I intend
regardins nature and ® viewpoints intersect with issues
Withm the last few decades, Ernesto D. Uriosa's written works
wrrrwr^oTrYriyi^
"Ms
Ang ^''2006).
Baybayon mHeSunon"
also won(1998)
the Carlos Palanca MemoS
and "Sakdaoanav" f9nfl^^Awwds
u foif
received the prestigious Gawad Pambansang SZi r!i i e °
outstanding contributions to Cebuano Literat^e(20MI wf 1
grant from the Cultural Penr^r ^ awarded a
(1991) and for Critical 1^^(1993)
various achievements there ar^ r.r^ V wnte-ups focus on his
...fln,. of i™ "f""•V"- «.=
ec^tical gnd ecofeminiM approaches to literary criticiM tt^iiraltrV
to bear on our critical conversation ofLariosa'sfiction ®
theyrev^e5rthm~k\SS
that tjlthesa the rale of oatote at St^J"?ht"* viewpoints as
complementary Aeoretical approaches: ecocriticism and ecofemWsm A,
I discuss these theones bnefly m this paper, it is important to give at thp
least, a general definition ofthese strands ofliterary criticism.
 241
ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS

Ecocriticism is a literary movement that aspires .U

anthropocentric view of the world which is pervasive reading of
an ecocentric view of the world in its stead. app heinss and
literature that examines the interconnections ^ k a wide range
the nonhuman world of which they are a part. ie ® , studv
within the field, Cheryll Glotfelty's definition • ^t"
of the relationship between literature and the physical
(1996: xviii). Ecofeminism, on the other hand, is a
theoretical approach that emerged from einmism. . ^ ^j.g
ecofeminism interrogates the relatiottship between human «
and patriarchal domination. Greta Gaard and Patnck
ecofeminism as"a practical movement f" ® their
struggles of women to sustain themselves, their families,
communities"(1998: 2). . , tu;„v;r.cT nn nature it
While the main focus is to consider Lariosa s
is necessary to interrogate the ways that ° expose not
function within his stories in connection with
only a changing natural environment but also a complex
Ecofeminist thought is important to this "°^T/J^aracters but
for making connections between natural images an mnnections
also as a means for defining the ways that Lariosa ma
between environmental damage and social inequality o many ■
An ecofeminist thinker, Val Plumwood, makes a co^ection
between different manifestations of domination an
argues that the dualism of reason and nature is presen m carry
forms of Western domination. While the terms reason an
with them multiple potential meanings, she notes la
meanings reason contrasts systematically with nature in
senses" (1993: 19). In this manner, nature ^g'gj
stereotypical categories that the dominant society un ers a reason
to nature, becomes the inferior "other" to the master s powe
(1993: 19-20):

Nature, as the excluded and devalued contrast of reason, includes the

emotions, the body, the passions, animality, the primitive or u
civilized, the non-human world, matter, physicahty and sens
experience, as well as the sphere of irrationality, of faith an ma nes .
In other words, nature includes everything that reason exc u es.

\
 242 PfflLIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

For Pliunwood,humanity is separated by the master society that possesses

the ultimate power of reason, which is the power to subdue nature from
those who lack the power to control nature including those features that
connect them to natural processes. Plumwood argues that to be linked with
nature isTto Kbe defined as passive, as non-agent and non-subject
to •'O linkedaswith
the
environment' or mvisible background conditions against ^Lh the
foregroimd achievements of reason or culture take place" (1993* 4)
Rather than to attack men or rationality, Plumwood proposes an attack on
domination. It is in the
non-duahst concept ofintra-human relations and human/more-
Aan-human relations that she proposes to find the basis TrTnon-
dommatmg social and environmental ethic

(2003). ® di m manugpa ang n,ga langgcm)

an —^t pr£!;rofce?„n' "
narrates the story of Edear's climh tr, tu Pages, Lariosa
necrological service of the late Mayor TomarM^ H
portion is told by wav of vario.ic Mendez; most of this
childhoodencounters
different friends, Delia
withand Elena,
Waldo, theand
latehis
mayor'rriS?'
shooting birds in their island. It becomes who enjoys
connection with Mayor Tomas Mendez gives him anTv Waldo's
do as they please while Ed's and Tatay Luis's liv^f
opposite direction. Specifically, Tatay Luis, who is a u,"®
teacher, dreams of preserving the island as a hiVH c ^ school
to dre™ which l^ds htai,
Who make fiin of him. Tatay Luis warns them- "What vou^eTr^
b.rds is a transg^ssion. You ought to be punisW^rd'tor^p^^^^^^
 ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS 243

140). Later in the story, an unidentified man rapes Delia one night while
she is alone because the aunt she lived with went to the city. The only
thing she knows is that she scratched the man's neck with hcv shavp
fingernails. At the wake, Edgar is revolted to find the late mayor's body in
the coffin with scratches on his neck.
In this story, Lariosa portrays images of the natural, rural
landscapes that interact with the actions of the characters as well as with
the readers' comprehension of the social landscape of Cebu. Through the
images in the story, he illustrates the interweaving between the destruction
of the physical landscape (birds) and the use of guns and force for the
purposes of patriarchy and power. At the same time, Lariosa's work
^rig^ges and critiques the Cebuano patriarchal thought of the time that was
tied to a reason/nature — man/woman dualism used to rationalize physical
and sexual inequality.
In When birds no longer come to roost," Lariosa's view on nature
shows itself through the contrasting images of destruction and
regeneration, the fonner becoming a space of alienation and oppression
for the nature lovers and the latter becoming a visible image of possibility
- planting more mangrove trees. His story is rural and offers a complex
look at the Cebuano power structures and its changing physical
environment.
Although no name is given, this story appears to take place in a
rural island town in Cebu. The story displays a working knowledge of the
key developments of the time - to protect areas identified to be bird
sanctuaries. Throughout the last half of the twentieth century, Cebu was
becoming established as an important city in the South and along with that
rise came tourist attractions. Along with these developments there was a
pronounced need to protect nature that essentially guaranteed ecological
regeneration.
Early in the story, Lariosa introduces us to the protagonist's views
and to the natural landscape(2003: 139):
Waldo went through the mangrove. I notieed the quiek rush of the tide
as the water reached Waldo's knees. And then the burst of several rifle
shots. In a while, we saw Waldo grinning, as he lugged the dead birds.
"This will make a good appetizer for the mayor's guests, not just
something for you to play with." . . . Together with my classmates
Elena and Delia, I turned pensive and quiet. Elena bent her head. I
knew what she felt. She was embarrassed with what her father's right
hand man had done.
244 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

Here, Lanosa presents familiarity with the power structure involved in the
abuse of nature. This is significant since it indicates an understanding of
what forces are in play in the particular ecosystem discussed. By focusing
on the interaction between human beings and nature, Lariosa stresses the
seemmg naturalness of the act of killing as game. It also introduces the
mmdset that Lanosa critiques, which is a recurring theme in the story
In ConsefTing Words, Daniel Philippon tells us' that
environmentalists "have traditionally identified two major categories of
value: mstrumental(or utilitarian) and intrinsic (or inherent) value"(2004-
S? K- value if it is useful, and inherent value
thflfnH u ^ Lariosa's portrayal of
the intrinsic value -
1 mangrove, the trees and the sea are all present - they are
charartil value shown, it is in the scene where some
other charaSers"^Th^ elightful but also as "game" in the perspective of
system. ^ human intrusion into the natural
depict tL'Dkm^'nf
T u?
continues to
® oppression of woman - with the race of Delia

(2003:142): mrough the changed landscape

^ries. The dying mangrove tadtro 'l'®

disappeared until they no longer returned.

luc^it is^^rX'to the P^g^t of the land as

the late twentieth century. At first the m'et f ®"vironmental practices in
woman chamcter is Sated 2Z,'nf" '"te.est that the
puipose.lt
do as theyiswish
this "master"
without view
any that led huS^ T
Sse™„r, fo' Ws
apparent
the later that
landscape thebenefit
for the effect ofofthe
menmetaDhori«!^ 'becomes
with the useTf™^^^ the changing of
putpose. By placing Edgar and Delte at Z eS ^IfT"
connecting their characters to the namml and rural landsctp^ Sosa
 ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS 245

confronts the reason/nature dualism used to rationalize the use of both

nature and women for patriarchal purposes and suggests a new way to
view both nature and women. Through a joint effort, Edgar and Delia are
able to revitalize the mangrove and the birds return to roost.
Published in Bisaya in 1997 "Exchange" {Bugti) received the first
prize in the prestigious Carlos Palanca Awards. "Exchange" is a complex
blend of visions of rural happiness and the reality of the Cebuano
industrialization experience.
In the opening section of the story, Lariosa engages in a vigorous
description ofa conversation between old friends, Ruben and Samuel,now
turned antagonists. The scene is tight and tense. After what seems like a
long search, Ruben finds Samuel living in a shanty underneath the old
bridge He comes to convince Samuel that "to oppose progress is
ignorance bordering on insanity"(1998a: 175). Samuel's parents sold their
property to the Great Cement Manufacturing Corporation, a decision
Samuel opposed but could not prevent from happening(1998a: 172):
[Wlhat the company did was fraudulent. It quietly agreed with the town
officials whose hands were filled with money in order to subvert them.
There was not even a public hearing to listen to the thoughts of the
people if they would agree to a cement plant to be constructed m their
midst. His parents were also greedy for the money... die love for Ae
right of good health meant the survival of the line without end. His
parents did not understand his opposition. They only looked at the
present and did not think of the future. He knew the consequences of
the greenhouse effect that meant excessive output of carbon dioxide by
the industries would raise the heat of the atmosphere and destroy
whatever life was on earth.

The people and the enviromnent are adversely affected by the operations
ofthe cement plant. Eight years after Samuel moved away, he continues to
hear news of people suffering lung and skin dise^es, of plants Md
vegetables withering, and ofrivers carrying toxins fmdmg flieir way to Ae
sea and killing the fishermen's source of livelihood. Lanosa causes the
reader to imagine the effects of environmental pollution on the natural
world and while following the growth of the cement plant, the reader is
ready'for the connections that Lariosa makes between human domination
over other humans and human degradation ^ represents
Samuel's parents, as well as Ruben and the company he represente
become taages of patriarchal domination, associated with misuse of
 246 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

poverty and the slum area (199L- 179) SamueTh"'°

liberation first by writing "Dream hpnpin T i ^he agent of
newspaper where he talked about(1998a: 179^ in the

children took some vegetables on credit tn "ii wives and

dreams ,he,„a„,er, make mre wTh

capitalists.
m Ihe annsSamuel
of hisgets shotatdurine
parents the fil,in a,
the htoSl ""^'^'""aness

^'s°lved
and with involving the relationshirbetwe^^
nature. "Simon's shore" / T^" presents a problem
other
hough, which also considers humnn ' f ^y^ayon ni Simon) (1998b)
-olved as happily as "Ethan ^He^rs t, ^
non-dominant sustainable existence with n Z ^ Peaceful
'0 give up the desire to possess amreTr one L "
Simon's shore" hiphliahto u ^ caprice,
the shoreline of Salagduong. Wht it offeA""" Presented by
bvT° I, ® ""■""8'' "tt bountiful sef theT°"™''^ residents
xrr:art,dt f ~t:rthTrt
rClS):^"'"' .He P~t hvtinthatpte:
[A]ccording to Tatay, thev had h.
thai Ihei, calch would met'" "''rcf using dynamite so
conscientious with their fishing unlike n h '"'^fused. They were
said to use dynamite and poison such ac elsewhere who were
of Salagduong arc teeming with fish m, ^Hat is why the seas
greed of men. The fish™ re «"!'« not harmed by
a 'Phed, giving bounty to the
 ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS 247

Lariosa situates Eloisa, as the main symbol of that exploitation as

she is guilty of exerting her dominant tendencies over the land, Simon and
other people. As a young girl, she leaves Salagduong, like many others, in
search of good fortune in Manila. She promises Simon that she will return.
In the passage of time, when Eloisa does not retum, Simon leaves for
Cebu City to continue his education, leaving the care of his property to
Eleno. There he realizes the huge difference between his hometown and
the city(1998b: 190):

In the city, the noise was overwhelniing. There was so much dust in the
streets. There was chaos and the deafening uproar of its vehicles. The
evenings glistened with flickering lights disturbed only by the noise of
the bars and the different dance halls and night clubs like the disco and
karaoke bars. Their women were dangerous because they carried
diseases.

More than these, he "heard on the radio that there were lots of killing,
robberies, fraud and other crimes" being committed in the city (190).
Having witnessed a snatching incident, Simon, along with the other
spectators, comes to terms with the fact that the police were not really
doing their job. But he does meet good people who "adopted him and
made him work in their shop while he pursued his commerce depee. No
matter how successful Simon becomes, he decides to retum home to
Salagduong(1998b: 193):
I ran my eyes over all the areas I had missed. The trees had multiphed.
Eleno had fulfilled the order in my letter to plant more trees. This
would be to protect the watershed. To control the water flow so that
there will be no flooding. I heard the chirping of the birds m the trees as
ifthey were happy at my retum.

Unbeknownst to Simon, Eloisa married a Japanese businessmm.

They owned a beach resort in Salagduong. She was widowed when the
JanaLse was mysteriously robbed and murdered while they were in fte
cte For some tL,she wanted to buy Simon's property to expand her
ZsZrresort. Bm Simon does not sell.
the now widowed Mrs. Hiro to be his old love. Eloisa(1998b. 195).

sin sell ihis? Where will their wives and ehiidren bathe?"
248 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

n«ti,rp provides the

nature depiction
readerofwith
the relationship
a realistic, between Eloisa,
even close, Simon
vision of and
the
possibility that Salagduong offered - a vision that seems to be so true and
contemporaneous that the reader is reminded that this is a story a piece of
'T'"
'7'"^ ^ the na^TandTooial

WaoM (20067and°S,I'"K
responsibility for environmental He (2006b), Lariosa attributes
showing how taowSr"r'.''^f^'^tton to speeiftc social actors by
between^e;:L„T.S;]:7p<::M:7^^~f
knowledge of the characters and the reato
disorepandes
effectively read in an emnnUnoi a. ' These two stones are
epistemological claims are vital to ecoSir^ !^°™Prehends
to refer to Ulrich Beck at this point for i •
that
appropriate
distribution ofrisk has become as important
the
andmdustrialized societies ofbetween
perceptual distance the poslwSM W^r Jyf
ecoWi^i ^^alth in
expenence means every individual fart. dangers and everyday
security
the moreandoneevery pers™the"7
knows, greater the e '■^"h »d
™rld-
importance of risk grows because of m •!. '"^^ttirity. The
eontOTporary environmental dangers onera7 T f "hich

can attend basically to how characte^rn a ^"tical analysis

knowmgLanosa's
or not knowing the enviroMcTtsftlr
vision remains ^ P°sitioned as
<=onstruot.
easy to miss the implication ofhifZd '"S 'f *7' '^'t » is
1 a Framed World" offers
 ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS 249

a moral response to the epistemological quandary of environmental

degradation. It features a chronological story and third person point of
view. The clear-cut narration serves to mark even more obviously the
levels of knowledge between the characters, the narrator and the reader.
Life and the preservation of life is associated in the most serious turns of
the plot which preoccupies the characters Jesu, Sirenia, and the
commimity who focus their attention on day-to-day survival and social
acts of justice and tolerance. The incongruity between presumed and
actual risks and the failure to read the environment and know the
consequences of one's behaviour then becomes meaningful.
Jesu is an industrious character who secmes food for himself and
his pregnant wife. This industry extends to the community when there is a
scarcity of food. They relied on their God to provide for them until orie
day this God disappears and they are left to their own devices. There is
stealing and trouble. Towards the end, the reader is able to connect the
elements of the story. Jesu and the others are fishes in Gregor's aquarium,
dependent on him for their survival. Gregor had problems and his inability
to control his life leads him to be irresponsible about the fishes in his
aquarium. His fnends find him dead and as they call the police. Ric is
asked by the others to transfer the fishes to his own aquarium.
"In a Framed World" imposes a moral stance on the reader.
Gregor's desire comments on the limits of his knowledge. It shows how he
was blind to the environmental accountability on his part to provide for
living creatures in his care. This blindness is made apparent as Lanosa
emphasizes in his description the effect of waiting for 0<^ between the
knowledge of the characters and the reader, by the wider perspective
movided by the narrator. The fishes are faithfiil because n^
perspective given to the reader shows that they are to be proviM for. The
stotVs straiihtforward line of responsibility and cam are trten to an
Lteme with the depiction ofthe more epistemologically complicated and
devastating scenario of abandonment that confronts the reader with
moral ^^bplot employs the epistemological cnsis of the
risk society where causal knowledge ofthe environmental danger is vague
and ditticuii
and difficult lo
to establish with certainty, to into
. ^ distance separate knowledge
the same locationfrom
and
morality, lanosa collapse^^^^^^
Tlie fiTel primarily embody the sacrifice for human development; their
babiHty to fiShtens the moral stakes ofthe epistemological cnsis.
250 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

By charting the human characters' actions to their material effects,

and specifically, in making fishes the victims of these actions, "In a
Framed World, seems to criticize these people for their limited
perspective due to anthropocentric prejudice.
Along the same lines as the preceding story, "Crackshot" shows
how the physical landscape is shaped by its characters. The story
illustrates the physical distance between animals and human beings; the
spatial disconnection between these actors in the environment are made
and affected by the decisions of humans who transform nature into a
landscape of sport. Berto, the crackshot, "was always loaded with catch
dov«"(2oS sreen pigeons, starlings and zebra
ablent
absent infRBerto,
„ Eming, and their classmatessustainable environment
because sport is
does not
tsnre atXlr™'''"®
associated '^P™duetion.
with supenonty, with the mastery of nature Being a crackshot
proceeds ''>=s'™ction of the birds
m;raL::ts,2oS2V""'

The emphasis on the bird as imapp in "Pro,,! u zs, ,

knowledge and even that of the residents nf n •
understanding the consequences of their d;struct'on';f''hre"'*^°'™'
By foregrounding social relations, the story implies ,ha,
nature is not key to understanding the actor, rlu continuity of
power that is at play-power betwppn hn
and nature. It reveals an ironic gan betwo^^" .f ' between
^ relation of
humans
pictures of rural landscape - taking care of cn beautiful
tree - and the acts of subduing natL. climbing the jackfruit
as ideological - ifL bfid^rnorkilkd w^^^^
to do this. The difficulty of con"^^^^^^ attempts
indicated by the impossibility of ninnL f aport is
less from whom. We know that Berto 1p u ^^ach
Tatay Indo, who was the
Sltngs seem to be an event that happe^ned -otXlViZhe mltlhTat
250 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

By charting the human characters' actions to their material effects,

and specifically, in making fishes the victims of these actions, "In a
Framed World," seems to criticize these people for their limited
perspective due to anthropocentric prejudice.
Along the same lines as the preceding story, "Crackshot" shows
how the physical landscape is shaped by its characters. The story
illustrates the physical distance between animals and human beings; the
spatial disconnection between these actors in the environment are made
and affected by the decisions of humans who transform nature into a
landscape of sport. Berto, the crackshot,"was always loaded with catch
from Ws slingshot, such as turtledoves, green pigeons, starlings and zebra
doves p006b; 205). The concept of nature as sustainable environment is
absent in Berto, Eming, and their classmates because sport does not
require Ihe understanding of the cycle of reproduction. Being a crackshot
is associated with superiority, with the mastery ofnature.
It IS with Eming where we see how the destmction of the birds
proceeds without notice or complaint. In a slingshot competition the
mayor announces(2006b: 209):

'There's oriy one t^et for those who joined the contest and that is the
"«•

^hasis on the bird as image in "Crackshot" shows that the bovs'

By foregrounding social relations, the imnUrtl^M fte e

nature is not key to understanding the iSors rath^ it^! Mntmmty of
power that is at play-power betwepnViiimore 'j relation of
and nature. It reveals m ironic I
pictures ofrural landscape-taking care ofcowf
tree-and the acts ofsnbduinSS^ ""''"'8 «>ejackfruit
Lariosa employs repetition in the narrativsn tex i.
as ideological-if the bird is not IdUed with a hit k vriiui"?™ """'8'"
to do this. The ditfieulty of contesting or resfsSia tbrio
mdicatedby the impossibUity ofpinning down wL™
less from whom. We know that Berto leampd tif
Tatay bdo, who was the best in ^ fether,
slings seem to be an event that happened to the plpTe 1"^re^whT*
 ERNESTO LARIOSA AND NATURE IN HIS WORKS 251

best played roles that try to profit from nature and that invisibly structure
their lives. With the sacrifice of the birds comes the title of best in
shooting slingshots that most of the story's characters not only accept but
long for, making no connection between the system that makes it possible
for them to live and their own physical decline.
The question of knowledge is raised most explicitly in
"Crackshot," as in the other stories, by the large gap between the localized
knowledge of the characters and the even wider natural, historical
knowledge necessary to appreciate the relations of power in which they
are embedded. Berto and Eming's localized environmental knowledge is
too insignificant to be explained while ultimately showing its tragic
irrelevance in the sport culture that dominates their town.
The stories reveal that the celebration as well as the degradation of
human life and the desecration ofthe natural world is not simply a mistake
- there are alternatives. For the reader to simply shrug them off is to
become comolicit in the very exploitation that the stones represent. The
force of Lariosa's narratives lies in bringing to public light the matenal
conditions and underpinning relations that are often ignored and giving
them moral significance.

references CITED

Beck, Ulrich , „
1992 77;^ Soc/e/y. London. Sage.
Gaard, Greta and Patrick Muiphy ^ (eds.), Ecofeminist

Urbana: University ofIllinois Press.

Glotfelty, Cheryll in gn Age of Environmental Crisi^" ^
I qofi "Introduction. Litera^ Fromm The Ecocntiasm Reader.
r~ or
Georgia Press.

Urio^a,Eme» Manila: Liwayway PnWiahing,Fobru.O'I. IW-

 252 PHILIPPINE QUARTERLY OF CULTURE & SOCIETY

1998b "Ang baybayon ni Simon." Independent Post. Cebu: Independent Post,

December 1998.

2003 "Kon di na manugpa ang mga langgam." Bisaya. Manila: Liwayway

Publishing, July 23,2003.

2006a "Sa kuwadradong kalibotan." Lariosa Ms.4.

2006b Hingigo, Dagang Foundation Maeazine Cehir nanonr, c j *•
Inc., August 2006. "gazme. Cebu. Dagang Foundation
Philippon, Daniel
2004 Conserving Words; How American Nature Writer, ^ i.
Atas:Universily of
Plumwood,Val
1993 ofN.,ure. New York: RouUedgo.

View publication stats