The Alamat ng Gubat is a 2003 novel which was the fourth book published by Bob Ong

Bob Ong

Bob Ong, or Roberto Ong, is the pseudonym of a contemporary Filipino author known for using conversational Filipino to create humorous and reflective depictions of Philippine life. His actual name is not known.-Website:...

, a Filipino contemporary author noted for using conversational Filipino

Filipino language

This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...

 to create humorous and reflective depictions of life as a Filipino

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

. Among Bob Ong's works, it is notable for being the first one to be a self-contained straightforward narrative rather than a collection of anecdotes. Bob Ong later came up with another book written as a straightforward narrative, MacArthur

Macarthur (novel)

Macarthur or the Red Book is a 2007 novel by Filipino author Bob Ong. It is the sixth published work from Ong. As with all Bob Ong's published novels, it is notable for its use of contemporary street Filipino words. It is also notable for its departure from the usual Bob Ong formula of using humor...

, but it is a very different work because it does not have Bob Ong's signature humorous tone.

The story is about a little crab

Crab

True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

 named "Tong" searching for a banana heart to cure his father from sickness. While he begins his journey he finds he and his friends also fight the evil animals in the forest.

Alamat ng Gubat is notable for its allegorical references to Philippine society.

Tong

Tong is a small crab who is looking for a banana blossom (heart of a banana )in the forest to cure his sickly father. He is the son of the king of the sea, along with his siblings who are not assigned to the quest. He is engaged to a fish named Dalagang bukid. Tong is pinkish red and is the youngest in the pack of their crab family. Tong also has a brother called Katang who planned to take revenge on him at the middle of the story, Katang did not succeed to take revenge on him because Katang got killed by Leon who stabbed him with a bamboo stick.

Pagong

Pagong is a tortoise who is helping Tong in his adventure. He amazes Tong with his collection of turtle eggs. Pagong is an enormous tortoise that is very slow. He is also confused with his sayings and is said to be wisely stupid.

Aso

Aso is a wild dog . He is a lost dog living in a forest (which he likes). He also helps Tong to find the banana heart, the whole forest will likely die. Aso has a spot on his left eye and is a little confused with everything he says. He also likes playing.

Kuneho

Kuneho is mostly described as a Filipino version of Rabbit. He also joins Tong in his adventure in finding the banana heart. Kuneho is a little demanding on everything he says and is a little of always angry . He is tall and gray.

Buwaya

Buwaya is a crocodile who at the end, eats Tong's friends and Tong left behind. He announces Tong his "best friend". But Tong doesn't agree. Buwaya joins an evil gang in the forest which includes Leon, the gang leader, daga, and Maya, a small bird, who is also buwaya's sidekick and whose main job is to clean buwaya's teeth.

Daga

Daga, a rat living in the woods of Saging Republic. He is the tiny sidekick of Leon, Leon influenced Daga to Roar like lions and now, Daga is a part of the gang of evil animals in the forest.

Leon

Leon is a lion and is the leader and the founder of the evil packed gang. He influenced Tong's brother, Katang, in joining the evil gang of animals in the forest. Now, him and his gang is an obstacle to Tong's journey in finding the banana heart and saving his beloved father.

Maya

Maya is a sparrow which has his own mystery in the book : Good or Evil . Still, even at the end of the book, no one knows what side is he. He is Buwaya's sidekick but since his job is to clean Buwaya's teeth, he always ends up being eaten by the reptile although he manages to escape just in time.

Katang

Katang is the brother of Tong and decided to join the gang because of Tong. He is planning revenge for Tong because of Tong tricking him that getting deficated on an Adarna bird was good for his asthma. Now he has stolen Tong's is now part of the gang. But at the end, he got squashed by a bamboo stick .

Plot

Tong and his friends help find the banana heart in the forest. When Langgam won as the new leader of the forest, he got squashed by an animal. And also, they are being threatened by a gang of evil animals. So Tong, Pagong, Aso and Kuneho fight for the forest and are planning to save Tong's father. But when Tong's friends were eaten by Buwaya, Tong is left behind. Will Tong ever get the banana heart without killing the whole forest? Tong eventually got the banana heart with the help of an annoying but wise monkey. He has also not harmed the forest but saved it and made it a better place to live in. But of course, no one still knows what has happened to Leon and his gang.

Blurb

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! Samahan si Tong at ang kanyang mga kaibigan sa napakasayang alamat ng kahayupan sa Saging Republic. Magkibahagi sa kuwentong garantisadong Hindi kapupulutan ng aral. At salubungin ang napakagandang bukas na naghihintay sa ating lahat! Alamat mo. Alamat ko. Alamat ng Gubat. ANG LIBRONG PAMBATA PARA SA MATATANDA!

External links

• Alamat ng Gubat by Bob Ong