From Pages to Reality: The Profound Lessons from Tata Selo

 Exploring the Intriguing Tale of “Tata Selo”

The fiction written by Rogelio Sicat, namely, “Tata Selo,” revolves around the life of Tata Selo—the protagonist itself. Tata Selo is a hardworking farmer, a widower, and a loving father. But due to one circumstance, his life turned upside down, and this is when the conflict in the short story started. A man who had no choice but to sell his land to the Kabesa in order to give proper care and medication to his sick wife at that time is now wanting to reclaim his land, but the current landowner, who is Kabesang Tano, wants Tata Selo to leave the land and no longer farm in there for the reason that he is already old. He reasoned out that if he can’t reclaim the land, then at least let the Kabesa let him farm there because, despite his age, he can still work hard and do the farming. He begged not to be dismissed, not until the Kabesa repeatedly hit him on the forehead, which made him bleed, and it triggered Tata Selo to strike the Kabesa, accidentally killing him. That’s where the Hepe and Alkalde kicked in, and it is where the fiction eventually also hinted that the Kabesa sexually assaulted the daughter of Tata Selo, Saling. Without any proper assessment of the truth, Tata Selo seemed disempowered to speak up and fight for his freedom because, in reality, the poor were always oppressed by society. Inequality and injustice are evident in the short story of Tata Selo.

The Eye-Opening Revelations from Tata Selo

    

     After reading the fiction, I sympathize with Tata Selo. He is a man who only wanted to be a good father—to be a strong “Haligi ng Tahanan"—and who only wanted what is good for his family. A father who will do anything for his loved ones well-being. He fought, he spoke up, and fought until the end for the authorities to hear his side and maybe understand where he is coming from, but sadly as we can see in our today’s government and how we evidently have a poor justice system, no one tried to help him. Instead, they turned a blind eye, their ears are deaf, their mouths are shut from the truth and justice just because the other is wealthier and powerful. It’s like they only bow and kneel to the rich. Their service, loyalty, and principles is just to always protect and serve the rich people. As a reader, it is always disappointing and very saddening that  the poor will oftentimes end up crying for sympathy and justice against high profile individuals. It signifies that in an unjust society divided by wealth and poverty, having wealth becomes the ultimate key to survival.

          As a young person, I believe that I can make a change, even if it is in a simple way. I want to stop the inequalities and mistreatment in our society. I want to help those who are afraid to speak up and stand for their rights. I want them to realize that you shouldn't ever stop until your voice is finally heard, because, as humans, it is our right to fight for what is right and receive the proper judgment that we rightfully deserve. What we always wanted was for justice to prevail and to stop this cycle to be able to save and give a bright future for the next generation. Hence, as part of the youth community, I can address these issues by always being kind to others. I can treat everyone with kindness and respect and stand up for those being treated unfairly. In our everyday lives in this world, it is not hard to spread kindness. Every person that we meet and every person that we walk past has an untold and deep story that we don’t know about. Each and every one of us has our own inner battles, and in this cruel world, a simple act of kindness can enlighten someone’s darkness. Be kind, be genuine in your actions and intentions, be the person that can be fully trusted, and be the person that you want to see in the world, because that’s all that we need.

          In conclusion, the short story is really an eye-opener for the readers to be aware of the unjust treatment happening in our society. It is also a great way for the readers to reflect, gain realizations, learn lessons, and take actions that can help make a change in this world. This is a good change that will help lessen the injustices and inequalities in today’s society. Hopefully, an impactful transformation is paving the way for future generations towards a world defined by justice and fairness.