About Catalyst

Catalyst covers Paul Dumol’s Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio and how it tackles oppression among people. The magazine would further tackle how society works knowing what a man can do to hurt another man just because of status and greed. Articles, poems, and flash fictions done by writers and the artworks done by creatives will delve deeper into the realities of social injustice in the context of Contemporary Philippines.

Catalyst aims to be a digital medium of the harsh realities regarding social injustice in the Philippines.

Catalyst aims to educate Filipinos of the truthful and unbiased stories of social injustice in the Philippines.

The magazine aims to appeal to the Filipino youth specifically, teenagers to young adults, and ideally extend to the older generations too. The age group mentioned are individuals that are presumed to have considerable concern and knowledge about current and previous social issues whether locally, internationally, or both—or at the least, are learning individuals—hence, they are the target audience of the magazine. Through the magazine, the group hopes to further enlighten already informed audiences as well as reveal truthful and unbiased stories to those who are yet to open their minds and eyes to the issues of the past and present. Ultimately, the magazine intends to reach the general majority of the Filipino population, not restricted to the primary audience, as it will tackle topics that impact all Filipinos.

Publishing this magazine may prompt discussions about the social issues included in Paul Dumol’s Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio, so it is possible that we may hold an event for discussion groups about the magazine’s content. This may be done during the launching event or within the promotion period to further promote the magazine. The release of the magazine may also prompt engagements to campaign against social injustice and inequality.

“ANG PAGLILITIS NI MANG SERAPIO” is a tragic play written by Paul Dumol, who was a high school student at Ateneo during that time. As a tragic play, it focuses on the downfall of Mang Serapio, a beggar who uses his doll to get pity and money from people on the streets, the money is then given to the federation he belongs to. He was tortured for breaking the federation’s rules, which showed care for his doll. This play gives a new take on tragic plays, as apart from common tragics that start with the main character leading a good life and then later on suffering, this play is a tragedy within a tragedy given that Mang Serapio was already living a difficult life from the start of the play and then further falls to tragic events. “Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio” displays violent themes given the prevalence of torture, in fact, its climax is about gauging Mang Serapio’s eyes out to blind him. The play exhibits two kinds of conflicts, which are man against man and man against society. The first conflict is represented by the three protagonists and their devious ways, it shows how much a person’s greed and power can hurt another while the second conflict is manifested through the play’s display of power play from people of high social class (PROTAGONISTS) and the suffering of the people of lower class (MANG SERAPIO).

There are two symbols portrayed in the play which are; the doll and the witch. Mang Serapio is a widower who not only lost his wife but also his daughter. The doll is the only remnant he has of his daughter, thus it’s valuable and priceless. The doll symbolizes priceless happiness from simple things in life, which enables one to strive despite the presence of hardships. Meanwhile, another symbol is displayed through the blinding of Mang Serapio symbolizes the power of people from the higher class. They will do everything to keep their power and status, even at the expense of torturing people. Blinding a man is almost the same as eliminating their hope and determination because a blind man cannot fight for his right as he cannot see the truth.

This play displays the corruption and non-existent justice system in the Philippines. In the play, regardless of what will happen in the trial, Mang Serapio will still be punished for being guilty because he’s facing powerful people who use their resources to get what they want, even if it causes the demise of other people. The antagonists represent politicians and rich people who cheat the system while Mang Serapio represents middle and lower-class people who suffer at the expense of greed and power.

The key theme present in this play is the concept of social injustice in relation to social hierarchy. The play draws attention to the stark differences in societal class and how those at the bottom of the social hierarchy are treated unfairly by those in power. Although the main characters were all portrayed as beggars if we look closely at their behaviors, they represent the three prevalent social classes: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class.

Starting with the upper class is the adjudicator and the interrogators. The adjudicator is the one with the most power in the play but remains oblivious, gullible, and biased for those in the same class while the interrogators are deceptive, manipulative, and plain discriminative to those below them. In our society, the upper class is people with money, power, and authority. Most of the upper-class actions have a large impact on those below them. Most of what they do is simply for their own benefit, enjoyment, and satisfaction. The adjudicator and interrogators are oppressors who abuse their power to further take from those who have nothing.

The middle classes are the witnesses and the guards. In this play, the characters are complicit and subservient to those in power. The verdict of the trial does not affect them directly and they only care about their own safety and money. In our society, the middle class is somewhat safe in the jaws of the upper class or elite as such most are unresponsive to injustice and some even contribute to the discrimination and mistreatment of the lower class. Inaction, ignorance, and compliance in the face of a corrupt system in its own action of an oppressor.

Lastly, the lower class characters that fall into this criteria are the beggars who are impaired and old. In our society, the lower class is often ignored and mistreated, their situation pushes them to stay in their class to be uneducated and illiterate thus becoming oppressed and powerless unable to protect themselves. A key character here is Mang Serapio; he experiences discrimination and mistreatment due to his circumstances and is pushed to the edge by society or in the play by the federation. Although Mang Serapio is already at the bottom of the barrel due to him losing his wife, daughter, life, and occupation he stays sane and hopeful through the doll he has as he treats it as his daughter, Sol (which is the irony of it all). He is faced with a trial accusing him of breaking the rules of the federation. The upper class and middle class put on a show of a “fair trial” just to punish him for a nonsensical crime. In the end, he was blinded and his last chance of hope was snuffed by the one-sided verdict of those with power.