That these three books come in the vernacular also adds to their rareness. I am not sure if I lack research skills, but even Google’s finds were no closer to any form of "About Bob Ong." Even entries to this contest require such information, which Ong deliberately omitted in his three books, notwithstanding that they contain practically his experiences and adventures and, if those were not fictitious, he actually shares with his readers a great deal about himself. of the travails and joys of schooling and the illustrated yellow cover turned upside down, of the peculiarities of Filipinos, the regressing state of Philippine education, and our desire for a more responsive government.Īlso, I wonder if there were other books published without the usual "About the Author" stuff. Ong must have intentionally made his titles eye-catching and intriguing, for who could have guessed the contents behind such headings, which seemed to goad, get-us-to-the-cashier-and-find-out! In fairness, my rendezvous with them proved their titles and covers could not have been more apt: that plain black book on my shelf reminds me of Dante’s seven deadly sins of men locally applied A B N K K B S. Foremost, I will always remember them for their uniqueness second, for successfully touching on my sensibilities and the many aspects of my own person, including my being a Filipino and of course, for being so funny. I am not exaggerating when I say that reading Ong’s books was indeed a great experience – and for many reasons.
After I was done with the book, I immediately got hold of Ong’s two other books, ABNKKBSNPLAko?! and Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino? The book elicited not only my smiles and laughter, but also my own reflection on life’s constants and variables, which situations are simply "given" and which ones call for change. The pace by which I turned the pages was as fast as I began to appreciate the author’s thoughts. I finally had my turn – a welcome treat after I tucked to bed my kid and her twin siblings, or during breaks and idle moments at the office. I had to contain my curiosity as the book made my husband smile, laugh, pause and laugh again, whether he was in our living room, bedroom, or even while queuing at a supermarket cashier, reading aloud to me once in while a sentence or two. I needed my husband’s reassurance that it was, indeed, a good purchase. Totally clueless about Ong’s works, I got the impression from the title that it was just one of those compilations of jokes and that its plain black cover was not exactly in good taste. This was what I thought when my husband picked from the shelves Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas by Roberto "Bob" Ong when we were deciding how best to use our National Book Store gift checks. Nagpa-xerox ka o nagtiyaga sa malabo at ilegal na kopya? Tinapos mo lang bang basahin sa tindahan ang libro at hindi mo binili? Hiram lang ba ang kopya mo ng libro tapos hindi mo na ibinalik sa may-ari? Pagkatapos mong basahin ito, mamamatay ka. Marami ka ngang alam, pero tila yata hindi mo alam ang pinakamahalagang bagay tungkol sa libro. Kasalukuyan s’yang may pinagkakaabalahan na alagang hayop… at nagamit n’ya ang “F” word nang kagatin s’ya nito habang. Alam ko rin na isa s’ya sa mga nabanggit na “Nonoy” sa libro. Kung hihingan mo s’ya ngayon ng joke, ang maibibigay n’ya sa’yo ay ang tungkol sa “horny eagle.” Dahil masyadong matipid, buwanan lang s’ya pumasyal sa barberya. ‘Yung sumulat ng paboritong libro ni hudas. Sabi sa isang death clock sa Internet, hindi na raw s’ya aabot sa taong 2049. hindi totoong sumali s’ya sa Laban o Bawi. “If you hafta ask, you ain’t never gonna know!” Tulad ni Fats Waller, sasagutin ka lang ng sumulat ng: Pero bakit tinawag 'yong paboritong libro ni hudas? …may kinalaman kaunti sila Ryan and Jacob sa libro. nagkaroon muna s'ya ng paboritong website, Um… bago magkaroon ng paboritong libro si hudas,
sadyang tinanggal nang ipasa ng sumulat ang manuscript sa publisher. Basta ang alam ko, meron daw ‘yon misteryosong missing chapter, Sige nga, ano ba ang alam mo tungkol sa libro na ‘yon? Binasa mo ang libro pero hindi mo inalam ang mga bagay-bagay tungkol dito. Hindi kaya isa ka rin sa mga nagbasa ng paboritong libro ni hudas? Ikaw ang namatay, dapat alam mo kung bakit at paano. tapos naipasok mo ang daliri mo sa isang electrical outlet. O baka naman nakasandal ka sa isang pader, Nakalimutan mong nasa tuktok ka ng flag pole.
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