The story happened in an island called, Cuyo, in Palawan. The story is about the life of a woman named, Ploning. She is very popular and respected by the people in their place. She is a very kind hearted person. She knows how to get along with other people and make good relationships with them. Being so good and very friendly, she is considered as the adviser of the people, especially when they have problems. She is so very nice in dealing with them and she knows what to say and give in order to help other people with their problems. She gives brilliant advices that can comfort and help those who need them. But eventhough that Ploning has all these goodness within her and had close relations with other people, they still find it difficult to know her true person.
It is said in the story that Ploning had a lover named, Tomas, and a native also in that place. They both love each other. But the conflict happened when Tomas went to Manila leaving Ploning alone in that place. From then on, Ploning still hopes that his lover will come back soon and they will both continue what they have started- their love. Ploning keeps on waiting and waiting until such time that she knew already the fate or what happened to her lover. Tomas. Actually, Tomas went in Manila to have a medication for his sickness. But unfortunately, he didn’t make it. He was not cured, but he died. Upon knowing this, Ploning was so affected of what had happened to her lover, which makes also a great change in her life. In order not to be noticed by the people who are so close to her, she just pretended to be ok all the times, hiding only her true feeling of mourn and frustration. That’s why people also noticed that she loves to hear story from them but she never mentioned to them about her own story, or her love life with Tomas. Her only escape or, somehow, her refuge of her feeling of mourn and frustration is to pour them out through writing them in a peace of paper and keep them that nobody could see or read it. This is her escape from the reality, which made her very different from her true person before.
The character of Ploning best depicts some of the greatest culture of being a Filipino. As Filipinos, like Ploning, we are so respectful and very hospitable all the time. We really give great value with our relationships with other people sharing our thoughts and wild ideas with them- we are fond of making so many friends and make them as our family that we chose for ourselves wherein we are so secured to share to them all our ups and downs- revealing our very person, because we now that they are willing to listen and help us. But the problem with us sometimes is that, we, Filipinos are so good in terms of giving advices and ideas to others but if we are already on the situation same as theirs, we don’t know also what to do and we can’t even apply the ideas and the insights that we are giving to others. We can be a great help in others’ problem but we find it hard to solve our own. The other trait of being Filipino that can be seen in the character of Ploning is that of our “culture of silence.” We, Filipinos because we don’t like the occurrence of conflict in our society, or even in our home, our tendency is just to keep quiet, shut up our mouth, and pretend nothing bad happened. This kind of point of Filipinos view serves as an accomplice to all the anomalies that we are having right now in our society. It doesn’t mean that if we don’t want war or we are not the direct objects, who will be affected mostly of the anomalies in our society, we will remain silent and do nothing. We should think that if it is not us, there will be other innocent people who will be affected and will become defenseless victims of these anomalies that we have in our society. The culture of “hipos-hipos lang” will do nothing for us. Instead, it will bring us more conflicts and problems, just like what happened to Plonning because she kept silent of her feelings, the people who are close to her were no able to help her or to give her inspiration to become who she was before and it would somehow help her to gain back their good relationship of her father.
The movie Ploning, though it is very simple and has a “bitin” ending, it brings about important lessons and insights, especially for us, Filipinos that there are things in our nature, as Filipinos, that we need to give up in order for us to improve more ourselves so that we can develop a good and progressive society.
It is said in the story that Ploning had a lover named, Tomas, and a native also in that place. They both love each other. But the conflict happened when Tomas went to Manila leaving Ploning alone in that place. From then on, Ploning still hopes that his lover will come back soon and they will both continue what they have started- their love. Ploning keeps on waiting and waiting until such time that she knew already the fate or what happened to her lover. Tomas. Actually, Tomas went in Manila to have a medication for his sickness. But unfortunately, he didn’t make it. He was not cured, but he died. Upon knowing this, Ploning was so affected of what had happened to her lover, which makes also a great change in her life. In order not to be noticed by the people who are so close to her, she just pretended to be ok all the times, hiding only her true feeling of mourn and frustration. That’s why people also noticed that she loves to hear story from them but she never mentioned to them about her own story, or her love life with Tomas. Her only escape or, somehow, her refuge of her feeling of mourn and frustration is to pour them out through writing them in a peace of paper and keep them that nobody could see or read it. This is her escape from the reality, which made her very different from her true person before.
The character of Ploning best depicts some of the greatest culture of being a Filipino. As Filipinos, like Ploning, we are so respectful and very hospitable all the time. We really give great value with our relationships with other people sharing our thoughts and wild ideas with them- we are fond of making so many friends and make them as our family that we chose for ourselves wherein we are so secured to share to them all our ups and downs- revealing our very person, because we now that they are willing to listen and help us. But the problem with us sometimes is that, we, Filipinos are so good in terms of giving advices and ideas to others but if we are already on the situation same as theirs, we don’t know also what to do and we can’t even apply the ideas and the insights that we are giving to others. We can be a great help in others’ problem but we find it hard to solve our own. The other trait of being Filipino that can be seen in the character of Ploning is that of our “culture of silence.” We, Filipinos because we don’t like the occurrence of conflict in our society, or even in our home, our tendency is just to keep quiet, shut up our mouth, and pretend nothing bad happened. This kind of point of Filipinos view serves as an accomplice to all the anomalies that we are having right now in our society. It doesn’t mean that if we don’t want war or we are not the direct objects, who will be affected mostly of the anomalies in our society, we will remain silent and do nothing. We should think that if it is not us, there will be other innocent people who will be affected and will become defenseless victims of these anomalies that we have in our society. The culture of “hipos-hipos lang” will do nothing for us. Instead, it will bring us more conflicts and problems, just like what happened to Plonning because she kept silent of her feelings, the people who are close to her were no able to help her or to give her inspiration to become who she was before and it would somehow help her to gain back their good relationship of her father.
The movie Ploning, though it is very simple and has a “bitin” ending, it brings about important lessons and insights, especially for us, Filipinos that there are things in our nature, as Filipinos, that we need to give up in order for us to improve more ourselves so that we can develop a good and progressive society.
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