Summary:
Tulak
is a story of a boy named Tikboy who grew up in the slums of Manila City,
introduced to drugs at an early age, got addicted to it, and realized in the
end what was wrong from right.
Tikboy
grew up with in the care of his Aunt and Uncle who are drugs pushers and also
users. He never knew of his parents’ whereabouts. It’s either there are hiding
because of drugs or unfortunately, dead. At an early age, Tikboy suffered a lot
from his Uncle, Abdon. Beaten up or pushed to sell drugs is their daily routine
and to think he is a Cop. While his Aunt, Lukring works as a prostitute and
also a battered wife. Their life revolved around drugs. The people living in
their place were also drugs users and pushers. It was a drug world inside.
Tikboy
suffered a lot in the arms of his uncle, until one event caused him to flee
away from that place and became one of those street children. Then, he met
Bernie and Rolan, also street children like him. The three of them journeyed in
life. Stealing, inhaling rugby and fleeing was their life by then, until they
met Betina. Betina was the one who took care of them thinking that the children
might love him back and accept what he was, gay. Even though he took care of
them, fed them and gave them shelter, the boys would always sneak out and go
back to their life. But when the time comes they would need Betina again, they
would simply go back and Betina would always take them in. But that wasn’t fair
anymore. Betina got tired of the things they always do and finally let them be.
The
boys grew up in the presence of drugs. Their life was separate by the time they
were adults. They grew old, yet their purpose in life wasn’t yet found. Tikboy
was always in and out of prison, Rolan got married with Maura who is also a
user and pregnant while Bernie wasn’t found for a very long time.
Tikboy
met a lot of people, people who influenced him and let him see the reality of
being an addict. It let him realize that he needed to change. He wanted a
better life. Until he found the ShabuTiangge, found Bernie, and the death of
Rolan, Maura and their baby, also the death of Bernie and Abdon, and finally
seeing his Aunt Lukring again.
He
knew that there are a lot of things that should be happening to his life, not
drugs taking him over. And so, they all checked in to rehab, and after a few years,
they were clean and were new men. Those incidences made them realize that life
is important and that one can really conquer addiction when he wants it.
Tikboy: Main character/ Drug pusher.
Abdon: Tikboy’s Uncle.
Lukring: Tikboy’s Aunt.
Bernie: Tikboy’s childhood friend.
Rolan: Tikboy’s childhood friend.
Maura: Rolan’s wife
Roi: Tikboy’s friend.
Benita: The one who takes care of the 3 boys Tikboy, Rolan and Bernie.
Dessa: Drug pusher.
Thelma: User and girlfriend of Roi.
Digma: The one who introduced Tikboy the “ShabuTiangge”
Question#1: What events in the movie
provide evidences for realities observe in the lives of people in our society?
The event where poverty is seen is
that they have to sell their body in order to have money. Where children would
just inhale Rugby so that their hunger would be suppressed. Where drugs were
their only hope in making out in this would alive and killing people would be
their only answer to have what they want.
It was
shown in the movie how their life was like a rat hole where everyone would all
cram up to one place and get their supply (drugs). It showed how poor our
country is. How people would engage themselves in drugs and their lives are always
revolving in it. It shows how the people in our society that engaging in drugs
would solve their problems and make them happy. They are saying that they
cannot get out in this kind of life now because their lives are much better
when drugs are around. Supporting them and making them live.
Question#2: What
factors can you cite that influenced the drug – taking behaviors of the
characters in the movie?
Tikboy was influenced by his
relatives and also by his friends to take drugs. It showed him how drugs can
make money and also help in coping with his everyday life. By selling it and
also using it for his own benefit. And so as he grew older, his life revolved around
drugs too. The other example would be Thelma, Roi’s girlfriend. Because her
boyfriend is an addict, she was influenced to take drugs as well. She thought
it would be fun and that Roi would still stay with her if she followed him. If
she would take drugs as well, Roi would love her more and keep her with him.
Last would be Lukring, Tikboy’s Aunt. Because her husband Abdon is a user and a
pusher, she was influenced to take drugs and to be pushed to sell her body for
money. It wasn’t easy for her but she still followed what her husband told her.
Question#3: What
insights did you learn from the movie regarding the drug problem, especially
among the youth in the society?
I realized that drug abuse doesn’t
choose what age if it strikes someone. Sometimes it’s out of curiosity,
poverty, friends, need or for money. The youth are the ones who are influenced
most because they think it would be fun or cool if they use drugs. Some would
use drugs in the form of rugby to suppress hunger. Because they are young and
are not well educated about drugs, they tend to fall for the wonder and use of
drugs. Also sometimes out of provision, the younger ones would just do it
unnoticed by their parents and so it can lead to addiction and destruction of
their lives in the end.
Question#4: How can we best prevent or
reduce this drug menace that endangers/ threatens the welfare of people in
society?
We can prevent drug menace first by
erasing all drugs user and pushers in our society. Clean every place where
drugs are abundant and also clean the people who were involved in drugs. It’s
not also easy if the ones who are in charge won’t do their job. If drugs are
still visible, people’s lives, families, and jobs would still be endangered.
They are not educated about the threats of drug abuse. They would still think
that drugs are helping them but they don’t know that it is the one who is
slowly tarring their lives apart. And so, the government should erase drugs in
our society, clean the people, and prevent it from happening again.
