Me, Myself and A Girl Named Poverty:The Muse vs. The Writer
written by popoy s. medina
Mendiola Underground Writers' Project

Poverty is unique because it has a concrete form but the function is abstract. We can see what poverty looks like but its function is more of a value than an entity, which we can not readily hold in our hands or examine under a microscope. This makes poverty, as an inspiration, difficult to emotionally pin down on paper. What we often see in the silver screen is more of the physical form of poverty but in terms of the exploration of its function, this remains to be so elusive.

The relationship between the inspiration or the muse and the writer is essential in understanding the problem stated in the previous paragraph. One way to solve this problem is to analyze the angle and the attack of a material as it relies heavily on how the writer treat poverty and on how poverty treat the writer.


Poverty as a form can affect human action and activity in two ways. It could bring out or reinforce positive or negative human attributes. Success stories about men and women who overcame poverty are numerous. Often we look at these success stories as positive narratives that seek to inspire others to do the same thing. But in close inspection of the said narratives, we begin to discover undercurrents of deceits and exploitations. After all, one can not make pan cakes without breaking some eggs.


If Poverty is a social laboratory for men and women under extreme pressures to succeed, does the end justify the means? Embracing poverty as part of the socio-economic reality lessens the urge to struggle beyond the poverty line. Thus, the struggle is not anymore about overcoming it. Rather it is all about surviving it. On the other hand, resenting poverty urges a man or a woman to do everything to overcome it. This urge may bring out or reinforce actions and activities that are justified by either practical or moral needs or wants. When a woman chooses to be a prostitute in order to climb the social ladder, the action is not seen as a means of survival. Rather, it is a struggle to overcome a social condition that limits her potential as a person.

Identifying these two attitudes toward Poverty help us to construct a concrete function. A person who embraces poverty is a survivor and a person who resents poverty is a fighter. Both types are strong and weak in their own respective limitations and potentials. The mode from which each one go about in treating poverty does not make the other mode superior or inferior.

Poverty can also treat a man or a woman as a fighter or as a survivor. When a man or a woman is a fighter, poverty becomes an immovable object that encounters an irresistible force. Thus, a person who wants to overcome poverty tries to outwit a social condition that constantly tries to block human progress at all cost.

On the other hand, when a man or a woman is a survivor, poverty becomes the rules of the game within an immediate space. Meaning, in order to survive, one must play the game well. Thus, poverty is often called a vicious cycle. But I take a different position in this regard. Poverty becomes a vicious cycle for those who do not know how to play the game. But for those who respect the game, it is a validation of their "self-worth". This may sound weird but try living in a poverty stricken area and you will discover that despite of the poverty, the suicide rates of poor people is relatively less compared to the rich and the middle class.

These two modes of attitudes define the relationship between poverty as an inspiration or muse and the writer. If a writer treats poverty as a reality, he or she will write about materials on how characters survive despite of poverty. Such materials are often story driven because the focus is more on how a character survives poverty rather than the character surviving it. It is like boxing, when a match finishes in the first 3 minutes of the duel, the time and money spent for the match is worthless.

But if a writer treats poverty as a rival, he or she will write about materials that exhibit the fierce combat between a character who wants to outwit poverty and a condition that struggles to retain a character within its domain. Such materials are often "character" driven because the focus is more on the character rather than the unfolding story. Thus, we root for the character and pin our hopes to him or her as he or she valiantly or immorally outwits a formidable object.

Poverty, as a muse, captured the imagination of many writers. It has the power to seduce both the young and the old. In this regard, it is important to distinguish Poverty in terms of how it inspires us to write materials about it. In my opinion, Poverty as a muse could either be a damsel in distress or an experienced prostitute. The former requires the writer to save it from the hands of a rival while the latter requires the writer to understand the situation. In the end, we ask the question, are we screwing poverty or is poverty screwing us?

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Economic Law of Diminishing Returns: Making A Love Story
by Mendiola Underground Writers' Project

As defined, the Law of Diminishing Returns refers to the law of production stating that the incremental output from successive increases of one input will eventually diminish when other inputs are held constant. Technically, the law is equivalent to saying that the marginal product of the varying input declines after a point.

Step 1:
What if we use this economic law and transform it into an abstract verbal model of development that pertains to a relationship between two people?

In order for a relationship to prosper, elements within a relationship must increase at the same rate. Or else, incremental manifestation from successive increases of one element will eventually diminish when other elements are held constant. Thus, the marginal manifestation of the varying element declines after a point.

Step 2:
Now that there is an existing developmental model, let us identify the elements within a relationship by using individual psychology of Alfred Adler as a template.

First, the body is a major source of inferiority. But through compensation, those who have physical deficiencies may strive hard and develop their bodies to a greater than average extent. Second, will is another name for striving for superiority and actualizing life goals. Third, social relationships are direct expression of social interest and are essential in developing a fulfilling constructive lifestyle. Fourth, disjunctive emotions are intended to bring about a positive change in the life situation of the individual. Conjunctive emotions tend to be socially oriented. Fifth, intellect has two distinctions. Reason is the kind of intelligence, which contains social interest. On the other hand, personal interest is bounded by the individual's goal of personal superiority. Sixth, self is the individual's style of life.


Step 3:
The model serves as the framework for the elements. And the central requirement of model is for these elements to increase at the same rate. Given the framework, the elements and the requirement, in this construction, I am going to use functionalist sentimental romance.

Functionalism as the tone of the romance is concerned with the function of the material rather than the form. It is geared towards the effects of the material towards human actions and activities. Thus, a romantic material tackles a subject in terms of what is about rather than what it is. In this case, I am exploring the socio-economic effect of the material by engaging the audience in a dialectic discussion that examines the connection of human relationships with economic factors.

Sentimentality tries enact sympathy by using packaged emotions. It is understanding the audience's collective experience and using the said experience to deploy a material that deals with romance as a genre. Generally, stereotypical characters are utilized. In this case study, I will use a nerdy economic senior from a wealthy rural clan and a prostitute with a golden heart as the principal characters of the romance.

Romance, structurally, has three parts namely 1) the romantic problem or beginning, 2) romantic process and 3) romantic solution or end. In terms of process, there are two directions namely falling out of love and falling in love. In this material, I will use falling in love as the direction of the process oriented towards the romantic beginning versus the romantic end.

Step 4:
The characters are defined as stereotypes operating in a familiar world. The direction of the process is set and the material will project the beginning and end of a relationship. So what is the story.

In determining the story, I will use the functional and structural approach. Meaning, there is a need to understand the socio-economic function and structure of prostitution. How does demand and supply work in such an underground micro-economy. Within the structure of this micro-economy are functions that sustain it. Sustainability through its functions defines and propagates prostitution as a structure.

Step 5:
The developmental model is set. The elements are enumerated. The features of the romance, characters and story are identified. So what is the premise?

(First draft: 3 sentences)
A senior economic student sets out to prove that prostitution is purely an economic function. He meets a prostitute who becomes the principal subject of his study. He falls in love with the prostitute and begins to question his motivation behind his academic study.

(Second Draft: 2 sentences)
A senior economic student uses a prostitute as subject in order to prove that prostitution is purely an economic function. He falls in love with the prostitute and begins to question the motivation behind his academic study.

(Third draft: one sentence)
A senior economic student falls in love with a prostitute and begins to question his thesis that prostitution is purely an economic function.



(Fourth: refine #1)
The love affair between a senior economic student and a prostitute challenges the thesis that prostitution is purely an economic function.

You can still refine the premise until it achieves this precise collective thought in terms of the emotional and physical narrative thread. If you like, you can practice using this case study.

Step 6

I hope this case study helps you appreciate how the MU scriptwriting method is applied. I am sorry to say that there are nuisances in this method. Deployment of the knowledge is difficult because this method is relatively new. I realized this difficulty when I applied for the first time on a group of students in a free workshop. But I learned a lot from the experience and made the necessary modifications in terms of deployment. Unfortunately, the changes immediate effect is to make the workshop formal; thus, a minimal fee is required. I hope that this demonstration will inspire you to try this new method. Keep on writing comrades, cheers.

Mendiola Underground Writers' Project : Emotional Baggage as a Profile

What if a charismatic person who exercises influence talks to you about the grandeur of genuine development in the Philippines? To top it all, he is articulate, well versed in the workings of the ordinary man's mind and clever in putting economic and political factors in one seemingly logical yet simplistic abstract verbal model.

You constantly cross path with this person. He is so impressive as he tells you all his adventures and the dangers he confronted. How he jumped from airplanes, visited exotic places, seduced countless women and met important people. In fact, he even shows you all his scars as remnants of his exploits.

From a far, you see this strong, well-built and ragged looking man. Your typical Marlboro model whose age is seemingly timeless. But when he smiles, and this the odd part, you can feel this haunting coldness in his soul. The character gives away something, macabre hints of the past.

He is a good provider to his family, probably a hero in the eyes of his children. But still, there is something about the smile that is difficult to forget. And then he looks at you. It is a gaze that says it all. This man is more that what he wants us to believe.

Conversations with him are always about adventures. He often taunts you for being a home buddy. He laughs like a roaring lion. Proud that once again he has proven that he is the master of his domain. Yet the gaze, again the gaze, it penetrates your sense and sensibility. There is something wrong with this person but the terror eludes you.

He proudly tells you that he always gets what he wants. Such an influential person but immature in his carriage. Nevertheless, this fact fuels his ego that it blinds his common sense. You begin to wonder, is there a weakness in his armor.

Perfection is a virtue but when it becomes an obsession, it kills logic and consistency. He believes that he is beyond human conventions. Cocky, he never understood the meaning of consequences. Willing to justify any means for an end because the end is always perfect in his eyes.

All his life, failure does not exist. It is only a set-back, a collateral damage or a detour to the final destination. Constantly justifying that what he did and going to do are not wrong but were and will be the best possible solutions to the immediate problems. Solutions that he keeps on revising, a perfectionist who does know what he wants.

Then it dawns inside your head. This man is no hero. A hero dies for others and it is not the other way around. He loves adventures because up to now he is still a child. A child who demands to get whatever he wants because consequences are nothing more but abstract constructions of the adult world.

And when this so-called peter pan realizes that neverland does not exist, the crisis begins. Old, gray, powerless and abandoned by his lost boys, he faces the public defeated and betrayed. His immaturity did him in. Sentimental romance, after all, is for little boys who believe that they could fly.

With a broken leg he gives his usual smile. You hold your breath. The monster is still alive. He gazes and winks. This child is not going to give up. Lessons are not learned. He will return and play his game again.

Immaturity was the terror that you saw in midst of an innocent smile. It is hard to reconcile that such influence rests in the hands of a child who pretends to be an adult. You hope that he will overcome such an immovable emotional baggage. But then again, hope is not real for an immature soul. Guess who he is?

Scriptwriting: Exploring Socio-Political Future:
Prime Minister Jose De Venecia.... 10 Percent?

Imagine time as if it is a big pond. Then suddenly, a child throws a stone in the middle of it. The impact of the stone as it hits the pond will produce ripples. These ripples are circular patterns that escalate as the energy caused by the impact is distributed.

What if we mark all the points in the different ripples. And from the center, we draw several lines connecting the inner ripple to the outer ripple. What we have are several lines moving in several directions, anchored in one single point of origin. The point of origin is the initial event caused by the child who threw the stone. The several points in the ripples connected by several lines are the possible futures of the said initial event. Now, it is up to the writer to choose which possible future is most likely to come true. How do we do this?

An average person will instantly say that in order to understand the future, one must explore the past. Yes, partly this is true but one must consider the volatility of human development. Meaning, raw information provided by the present as it moves towards the past, if not systematically studied, would often mislead us in making flimsy conclusions. That is why, it is vital that we study information within the parameters of a model.

Models, by definition, are abstract---verbal, mathematical or diagrammatic descriptions of imitations of reality. Sad to say, this will be a very long discussion if we will touch on the different types of models. It is so taxing, believe me. That is why I hate it whenever I tackle this approach. It forces you to study the types of models until you reach your breaking point. So forgive me if I will only discuss one type.

Verbal models are blueprints that predict socio-political futures by capitalizing on the principle of cause and effect. For example, some developmental models suggest that modernization require centralization of power. While others argue that development may take place either in reconciliation systems or mobilization systems. Meaning, the socio-political future within the relationship of man and society is subject to the effects caused by the relationship of political and economic factors.

The People's Initiative is dead and the SSS is going to increase the pensions of its members by 10 percent. These are unrelated events. The former is political and the latter is economic. But somehow, if we employ a verbal model, one can draw a connection between the two. Let us try.

One of the arguments of the People's Initiative, as sponsored by Speaker of the House Jose De Venecia, is that the present system of governance is slowing down the economic development of the country. But two weeks after the death of the initiative, the SSS posted a high rate of return on its investment. As a result, it is able to increase the pensions of its members by 10 percent. This negates the premise that the old system is slowing down the economy. The relationship between these two events sends signals to politicians that the "no election" scenario will remain as a scenario. Eroding the momentum of the people's initiative in its desire to change the system of governance.

Right now, politicians are gearing up for the 2007 elections, further pumping up the economy with election related investments. Investments that they seek to protect by maintaining the old system that feeds the vicious cycle of patronage politics. In other words, as a socio-political future, Jose De Venecia's dream of becoming the prime minister in 2007 won't happen. A future predicted by a SSS pensioner as he jumps for joy 10 percent more than the previous year.

The study of socio-political future is useless without a model. The model is the compass that guides the writer through the countless possible futures offered within the parameters that define the relationship of man and society. Again, among the approaches, I really dislike this one. But it does not mean that I do not respect it. In fact, writers who write speeches for politicians should be familiar with this approach. 75 percent of the time, political and economic speeches are all about socio-political futures. These are prescriptions that are often developmental in orientation that sponsor a set of conditions that in their perception will enact development and modernization.

Love it or hate it., this approach kicks ass. Predicting the future is definitely a must have for political pundits and columnists. But for writers like us, knowing the potential future helps us tell a compelling and exciting story. Especially when fiction becomes reality.

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The Socio-Political Phenomena Approach : In the Midst of Change

The Socio-Political Phenomena Approach is the study of change in the dynamics of the relationship between man and society. So, we ask the question: what are the causes of a significant change in the relationship? When the government through the Department of Agrarian Reform asserts the distribution of land properties within Hacienda Luisita to its tenants, the status quo is threatened by change.

Materials that are oriented towards interpreting change in an arena with defined parameters always make use of the principle of cause and effect. Change by its nature is a collection of events that gain momentum over time until finally it gathers enough speed to enact a sudden shift or movement that eventually erodes the status quo.

The status quo is the benchmark in any story construction using this approach. It is the back-story. It provides the rules from which characters use in order to operate within the parameters of a well-defined domain. Studying change, therefore, requires a writer to be historically accurate in terms of context and content in describing the status quo.

The clear nemesis of the status quo is the catalyst of change. It is a disturbance that injects deep within the status quo a radical agent that ignites other events that have a cause and effect orientation. This radical agent, by its nature, may resemble several forms. An agent may take the form of a character, an event, a space or a point in time. Whatever form it chooses to take, it is a disturbance that seeks to enact the process of change.


The relationship between the status quo and the catalyst of change defines the quality of the process of change. The status quo is an immovable agent. It is the framework from which we define the roles of the characters in a story. So, as a collective, the status quo is a character that has characteristics, characterization and emotional baggage. It is an organism whose nature is geared towards self-perpetuation and self-preservation. In this regard, it has created defense mechanisms that seek to fortify its armor. But like in any Greek tragedies, an armor is always subject to inherent weaknesses.

These inherent weaknesses are the very thing that the catalyst of change tries to exploit. As an irresistible force, it is smaller in terms of resources compared to the status quo. But this inherent disadvantage is often compensated with legitimate influence.

Often, the status quo exercises full monopoly over power. Power rooted on its authority to resist change. On the other hand, the catalyst of change relies on influence that is legitimized by the need for change. Attitudes on the subject of change, in this case, define the arena of the conflict. Two forces, equalized by inherent strengths and weaknesses, fight it out for the sake of personal interest.

Again, ideology determines the writer's position regarding the material. Some writers, conservative in ideology, will always highlight the good all days and how change misdirected the society towards eminent destruction. Liberals will argue otherwise and will make several counterpoints that reflect development in marginalized sectors in society. Whatever position you take, you use the process of change as a means to solidify your position regarding the outcome of change.


Materials in this approach draw its power from the clever construction of the progression of change within a given conflict. One way or the other, as writers, we already plotted the end game of the material. But what makes the whole storytelling exciting is the manner from which a writer is able to present a compelling material regarding the process of change to the audience.

In determining the process of change, one must understand the factors that affects it. Change, as a series of events, has direction, speed and time duration. Direction refers to the vision that guides change towards its eminent destination. Speed covers the rate of the movement of change and time duration reflects the number of events necessary to reach the eminent destination. Given these parameters, we ask the following questions. What is the direction of the process of change? What are obstacles that the process of change will encounter? And how many events will it take in order for the process of change to reach its eminent destination?


In explaining the change within Hacienda Luisita, we are required to understand the actors that reinforce the status quo and the characters that forces change. It is really an interesting exercise because the more we study it, the more we understand that in the end, some of the actors who claims to be sponsors of change are actually vanguards of the status quo and vise versa.

This makes you wonder, as a writer, what is the attitude of the second-generation actors from both sides as they try to understand the situation and the arena of conflict? Childhood friendships, one way or the other, are affected when rival parties begin to draw the line. The concept of social classes often diminishes or disappears inside a playground. So what happens when children become adults? Do they forget about their childhood ties?

This is an example on how one is able to inject human emotions within the process of change. Friendship ends when loyalty begins. And loyalty is often a victim of deceit and betrayal. The collective effect of these actions induces escalating emotions of apathy, anger and hate. In the midst of change in Hacienda Luisita, people are forced to choose a position for or against change. In the process, human ties are broken.

The Socio-Political Phenomena Approach is a useful tool if we are studying change in the relationship of man and society. It provides guidelines on how to construct a material the tries to explain the process of change and the inherent conflict that fuels this process. Hacienda Luisita as a material is a potent exploration of human tolerance and acceptance. It is an arena where human ties are tested by greed, pride, tolerance and acceptance.

The Philosophical Approach: To Dump or Not To Dump... No Pun Intended

An arrangement was made between the Philippine government and Japanese government. In exchange for economic concessions, Philippine environmental authorities allowed Japanese Medical Institutions to dump bio-medical waste matter inside the Philippines.

Studying socio-political ideas is a philosophical approach that focuses on understanding the meaning of the socio-political life of man as an individual and society as a collective. In both cases, man and society either give off or give away hints that support whatever meaning both entities put into its respective socio-political lives.

The utilitarian value is a good example of a socio-political idea that affects the dynamics within the relationship of man and society. Society's predisposition to protect the collective good often clashes with an individual's personal interest and vise versa. When the U.S. government was pushing for the right of law enforcement agencies to acquire wholesale privilege on wire-tapping; this was promoted as a means to protect the collective good. In principle, it argued that the safety of the general public is far more important than the right to privacy of a citizen.

Everyday, we are confronted with the same principle in varying forms. Family, as a basic unit of society, is often the micro-laboratory of conflicts that arises from the interaction of what is perceived to be the collective good and the welfare of an individual. When a son refuses to be a doctor and pursues writing as a calling, this choice may create animosity within a family who perceives that the son is the only hope of the family against the ravages of poverty. So, if you are the son, what will you do?

The son draws meaning of his socio-political life from his chosen vocation. Writing in this case, becomes the source of his existence. Take away the writing and he is just an empty shell. This biological shell is inhabited by an abstract concept called the soul. The soul determines self-consciousness that essentially defines existence. Both man and society exhibit consciousness in trying to assert existence. In the process, decisions are made in terms of what is right and what is moral.

The concept of good and evil is not applicable in this approach. There is no such thing as a good choice and an evil choice. To sidetrack to our discussion, religion then becomes an anomaly in this approach. Considering that its a domain that draws itself from purely metaphysical and abstract values that are often in the realm of the mysterious or enigmatic. So be assured that we will not include religious principles to our discussion.

When the Philippine government allowed the Japanese government to dump waste materials to its territory., it is not a question of what is good or what is evil. It is more of a function of what is right and what is moral. Looking at it as a pure economic exercise, it is the right thing to do. In exchange for these waste materials are economic benefits that the country badly needs in order to service the collective welfare. But, its negative effect to national pride to an individual's point of view is beyond economic rewards.

The dumping is not an environmental issue rather it is a historical issue. Japanese atrocities committed in WW2 complicate the dumping as an act of putting insult to injury. In a culture that was subject to countless colonial oppressions, this is a new form of oppression that attacks the inherent economic weakness of our nation. Whether we like it or not, this is a socio-political culture that sends its own people to work for foreign masters in exchange for monetary concessions. Unlike before, this time around, we are selling our dignity for a price.


When a father sends his daughter to Japan as a sex worker, we find this immoral. We say that the end does not justify the means. Whatever economic benefits the family will gain from the daughter do not validate the means from which it was achieved. What if a mother sends her daughter to Sweden as a doctor, do we find this immoral?

In Philippine rural areas, community health centers and hospitals badly need the services of young doctors in order to arrest the growing Health Crisis. So, when parents send their children who are young doctors to foreign countries, does this end justify the means?

The question of what is moral and what is right depends on the point of view of the individual or the collective in a given set of parameters. Parents sending doctors abroad for the sake of economic considerations is the right thing to do. But for rural communities, the act is immoral because doctors are running away from their social responsibility to serve the medical needs of their nation. The same holds true for the sex worker. Going abroad is the right thing to do. But, it is not moral for a community that values human dignity as a national pride. So, in this case, a doctor is no different from a sex worker. Both are willing to do what is right than what is moral.

Doing what is right is often within the boundaries of material needs and wants. While doing what is moral operates within the parameters of spiritual needs and wants. Thus, we often hear people say that when someone does the right thing, the human mind overcomes the human heart. And when someone does the moral thing, his heart overcomes the mind. This statement implies that the heart is illogical and the mind is the temple of logic. I find this analogy extremely flawed and highly romanticized. Both actions, in my opinion, are subject to the same requirements of logic and consistency. When you decide to subject yourself to a spiritual need, then, there should be provisions that support this decision. Or else the action that is said to be moral will be reduced to an enigmatic anomaly.

The soul, as the source of existence, exhibits duality in persona. It is an entity that is realized by a person's or a collective's material and spiritual needs and wants. Thus, the soul becomes the arena. Constantly determining the value of issues that it confronts as it tries to assert itself.

In our case study, the Philippine government as a collective finds it more important to do the right thing. This is supported by its material need to service its constituents no matter what. Thus, given a set of parameters, the end always justifies the means. On the other hand, for an individual, compromising a nation's dignity in exchange for financial rewards is equivalent to selling pride in the market place. Thus, the dumping becomes immoral.

Philosophical statements and questions are always geared towards confronting an individual's or a collective's duality with regards to spiritual and material needs and wants. When Christ said "man does not live on bread alone, as a socio-political thinker, he was not prescribing people to stop eating bread. I mean, that is not practical because bread was a staple food during those days. What he was asking the people then is to examine their priorities in life. Socio-political thinkers force people to think. Writers, on the other hand, remind people that socio-political thinkers are forcing them to think.

This approach is fascinating because it requires a writer to critically analyze and challenge ideas. In the process, a writer is compelled to explore his or her soul as it tries to determine what is perceived to be right or moral. In using this approach, we should be aware that it is our task as writers to transform abstract ideas into concrete events, characters, moments in time and space. Writing a material in this approach is like writing a thesis paper. We state the thesis of the paper and try to validate its logic and consistency. In the end, we might discover that the thesis is flawed and inaccurate or perhaps unravel an alternative that brings out new problems or solutions.

The People's Initiative Supreme Court Decision... A Love Story?

Political Documents offer us a great wealth of information. Butinformation, by its nature, should be checked and validated in termsof its accuracy. In this regard, the study of political documents asan approach in exploring a society's socio-political reality shouldbe utilized with care and caution. Drawing reckless conclusions fromraw information often leads to problematic analysis in terms ofcharacters, motivations and intentions. As a result, it is oftendifficult to identify self-serving distortions of truth.

"The Truth", in this approach, does not exist. What we have areversions or distortions of what we perceived to be the valid or theinvalid versions or distortions of the truth. It is the public, asthe final arbiter, who determines which version will become thestandard from which other versions will be measured. Thus, truth isnothing more but a version or distortion that is validated by thepublic consensus.
As writers, our task is to identify these self-serving distortions orversions of the truth as well as the sources of these self-servingdistortions and versions of the truth. It is from these distortionsor versions and sources of distortions or versions that we are ableto determine the components of the material we want to construct.Thus, we dissect a document in terms of characters, motivations,intentions and versions or distortions of the truth. These fourcomponents constantly collide and as a result the inherent conflictin a document begins to crystallize.

The recent judicial decision regarding the "People's Initiative" is agood example of a political document. Each character in the documentoffers a self-serving version or distortion of the truth. Versions,when validated and checked, approximates the socio-political realityof our society. As writers, we begin to ask the question, which ofthe distortions or versions we find appealing?
Ideology, again, plays an important role in answering this question.We might parallel ourselves to one version or distortion andsystematically destroy the other versions or distortions by exposingwhat we perceived to be flaws or evils of the said rejected versionsor distortions. Or perhaps, add another version or distortion of thetruth that we feel is more appealing compared to the existing ones.

Studying the judicial decision regarding the people's initiative, asa political document, is a good opportunity for us to find a humanface deep within a legal document. One way or the other,conspiracies and unsolicited relationships arise among charactersthat seek to promote their respective versions or distortions of thetruth. Who knows, you might find a love story in it?

MENDIOLA UNDERGROUND WRITERS' PROJECT
BASIC SCRIPTWRITING NARRATIVE APPLICATION

Exploring narrative scriptwriting using social, economic and political issues as foundations of a progressive and social based story construction.
1. Pagbuo ng ideya sa isang Kuwento
2. Pagbuo ng premise Ng isang Kuwento
3. Paglikha ng Karakter
4. Pagbalangkas ng Istorya
5. Tamang paggamit ng Unit Development
6. Pagbubuo Ng Iskript

Makilahok sa kakaibang sistema ng pagsusulat. Kung nais nyong sumali, magpadala ng e-mail sa address na ito : mendiola_underground@yahoo.com
Mendiola Underground"Militanteng Paggawa ng Kuwento at Iskript"(Narrative Application for Feature and Short Film : Outline)_________________________________________________
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Political pundits always ask the question, where is the beef? This is the standard discussion ender for any socio-political question. The same is true for character, story, plot and genre. Alternative writers that constantly use the socio-political approach in developing and managing a material, it is a never-ending question. Where is the beef?

A material is like a solar system. At the center of this solar system is the vision of the writer. Revolving around this vision are the elements that essentially contribute in deploying this idea into a workable concept. These elements are characters, story, plot and genre. Put them together and you either have an excellent recipe for an engaging material or have an honest to goodness piece of shit.

So what makes a material socially and politically oriented? When we talk about human rights abuses, is it political? When we talk about the lifestyle of prostitutes, is it social activism? When we touch on the unequal distribution of wealth, is it economic militancy? What if we talk about the marginalized Muslim population, is it a religious concern?

The socio-political approach in material development and management looks at the multi-dimensional persona of man & society. Encapsulated in this approach is the notion that society affects man and man affects society. This symbiotic relationship is the arena from which conflicts arise. And it is in these conflicts that the relationship is tested.

Observing, understanding & analyzing these conflicts and testing these conflicts are always within the framework of two colliding and opposite forces. What is and what ought to be. We always approximate what is ideal and we use this approximation as we try to explore the relationship between man & society. We then start to figure out what kind of animal we are dealing with. And figuring out the animal requires us to embrace a particular view towards it. A view that is shaped by our ideology, conscious or not, and begin to figure out what are the best possible solutions that will make the animal less violent so that it will not devour the writer in front of it.

Thus, a material is said to be political, social, economic or even religious when it begins to persuade or coerce man and society to manipulate their inherent symbiotic relationship to suit a particular ideology. This is, in its conception, the clash of what is and what ought to be. An eternal discourse in trying to come up with the best possible framework that will provide the most harmonious exchanges between man and society.

Karl Marx provided us an ideology that offers one possible explanation with regards to the relationship of man & society. He gave us a potential framework in terms of angle and attack as we try to figure out why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Das Kapital is like a long love letter that tries to persuade man & society to abandon capitalism and embrace a more communal way of life. You then begin to feel Karl's passion in trying to liberate man and society from the evils of capitalism. And his passion is reflected by the principles of what is said to be Communism.

Ideology, in this approach, is essential in coming up with a material that seeks to persuade or coerce man and society to re-evaluate their symbiotic relationship. Such re-evaluation may affect the relationship in three ways. First, when an agent is introduced in a system, the system will violently react to the agent. As a result, the system will reject the agent and destroy it. Second, the agent will introduce reforms in the system. Third, the agent will radically change and re-invent the system. And fourth, the agent will assimilate with the system.

The lack of ideology is equivalent to a writer's lack of vision. Vision, as I mentioned before., is important because it is the core component that directs the operationalization of a material into the final product, the screenplay.

Thus, we must be vigilant in understanding ourselves. This is the core principle of the approach. We must be certain in what we stand for and what we believe are the evils within the relationship of man and society.

But at the same time, one must be cautious and responsible in forwarding one's ideology. One must subscribe to the spirit of a free market of ideas. The willingness to engage in intelligent discourses and amenable debates. To make sure that there is a process as we begin to explore our ideas as well as the ideas of other people.

Man and Society offer us endless combinations of materials. It is up to us to select which are important and which are trivial. But it does not mean the former is correct and the latter is wrong. Selection is a subjective undertaking that reflects an individual's ideology. In this regard, the discourse is not base on whether or not your selection is correct or wrong. Rather, the discourse is measured by its ability to capture the hearts and minds of the public. In the end, the public is the one who will evaluate whether or not your discourse is valid.

The conception of this approach started when I realized the fundamental need to diversify the materials within the different media platforms. It seeks to enrich the existing collections of characters, plots, genres and stories. Depth and quality of materials is not the sole monopoly of this approach rather it offers an alternative way of developing and managing a material.

MENDIOLA UNDERGROUND WRITERS' PROJECTBASIC SCRIPTWRITING NARRATIVE APPLICATIONExploring narrative scriptwriting using social, econimic and political issues as foundations of a progressive and social based story construction.

1. Pagbuo ng ideya sa isang Kuwento
2. Pagbuo ng premise Ng isang Kuwento
3Paglikha ng Karakter4. Pagbalangkas ng Istorya
5. Tamang paggamit ng Unit Development
6. Pagbubuo Ng Iskript

Makilahok sa kakaibang sistema ng pagsusulat. Kung nais nyong sumali, magpadala ng e-mail sa address na ito : mendiola_underground@yahoo.comMendiola Underground"Militanteng Paggawa ng Kuwento at Iskript"(Narrative Application for Feature and Short Film : Outline)
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Venue
Future ProspectMarikina Shoe Expo, Araneta Center ComplexCubao, Quezon City