Tagalog Novel Mga Prodigal (The Prodigals) by Luna Sicat Cleto

Libro Bisa

In Ms. Sicat’s novel, Mga Prodigal, the title symbolizes the Filipino’s desire for freedom from poverty and oppression. To be a prodigal is to confront the persistent condition of poverty by leaving the homeland in search of greener pastures abroad.

Stories of Overseas Filipino Workers are as numerous as grains of sand in the desert. In Mga Prodigal, however, these stories are told cinematically through generally dim and unsettling scenes. As one reads, one may ask of the characters, “But do they have a choice?” Many OFW stories remain undocumented, making it difficult to generalize the experience of working abroad. The more positive stories often focus on those who have become financially secure through remittances: they have invested in decent homes, sent their children to better schools, and improved their lifestyles.

Ms. Sicat, however, is not interested in these success stories. She probes instead the so-called “sacrifices” of Filipino overseas workers. Her novel presents many beginnings but few endings. Each character carries an unfinished, painful story; each chapter becomes a fragment of a larger condition of deprivation that invites Filipino readers to look more closely at their own relationships and circumstances.

Sicat presents the novel through vivid, almost cinematic scenes of loss, lack, and limitation—the conditions that Filipinos endure in their collective experience. The stories do not simply document life abroad; they expose what is left behind, what is endured, and what remains unresolved in the lives of those who leave home in search of a better life.

LibroKo'to

Tuklasin ang mga libro ko na libro mo na rin, at palawakin ang pag-aaral gamit ang mga libro-bisa. Explore my books, yours to enjoy too, and deepen your learning with the Libro‑Bisa collection.

mag-email sa

wordhousetranslate@gmail.com

© 2025, 2026 All rights reserved.

enjayspal@ninangjatwordhouse.com