Swirls of the East Wind

Fresh from detention that lapsed to an unprecedented declaration of martial law in the country, Ampon battles with the antagonism of a sister. She argues it is romanticism to rejoin the politically disobedient. She appears helpless.

Ampon rejoins friends - inspired by tales of a guerrilla leader but haunted by Japanese cruelties - to set up a demo house, recruiting activists to the countryside. Th ey believe the first steps of stripping power from the Philippine ruler begin there.

They conduct social surveys to see firsthand the dire conditions, risking lives to battle armed state agents - amid myriad weather, rains, typhoons and snakes - and making occasional strikes to supporters of the dictator.

In a bid to satisfy external forces, notably American politicians and domestic bankrollers, the gung ho dictator, wades in the snap election, with moneybags for vote-buying. But the ballot power of the masses overwhelms, and the impossible happens: the housewife beats him. Her victory rivets attention of the masses, resonating all way to US Congress' halls. Yet problems remained.

The recalcitrant, politically disobedient, exhausted in the skirmishes, remain committed to the herculean uplift of the people. Ampon, always in the sidelines, tries to help advance the cause, keeping the torch lit for decades now.