19/08/2026
Halos dalawang taon na rin pala mula nang una kong mabasa ang Ang Bangin sa Ilalim ng Ating Mga Paa. Ang bilis ng panahon, pero hanggang ngayon, may mga eksena at karakter pa rin mula sa mga libro ni Ronaldo Vivo Jr. na bigla na lang sumasagi sa isip ko.
Noong una, habang binabasa ko ang RVJ books, naalala ko si Bob Ong—especially McArthur. May ganoong rawness, humor, at paraan ng pagkukuwento na parang simple lang sa umpisa, pero habang tumatagal, mapapaisip ka na. Pero habang mas marami akong nababasa kay RVJ, mas lalo kong nakita na he is a completely different kind of storyteller. May sarili siyang boses, sariling mundo, at paraan ng paghawak sa mga kwentong hindi madaling bitawan.
The Dreamland Books Trilogy will always be one of my favorite Filipino reads of all time. Ang daming emotions habang binabasa ko,may mga moments na naiirita, natatakot, at may mga parte talagang napapahinto ako para lang huminga at i-process sa utak ko ung kwento.
I can still remember how Aling Belen’s story broke my heart. And Benjo? Grabe. There was a point where I genuinely wished I had a loyal friend like him. At syempre, hindi ko makakalimutan ang gigil ko kay Ms. Gamboa at Major.
Siguro isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit tumatak sa akin ang mga kwento ni RVJ is because somewhere, somehow, we’ve all encountered people like them. Maybe not exactly the same characters, but the personalities, the situations, the struggles, the power dynamics. Kaya ang dali nilang maging relatable.
And I love how RVJ tells these stories. Thought-provoking siya without feeling like he’s forcing a lesson down your throat. You finish a book, close it, and think you’re done,but somehow, hindi pala. It stays with you. May mga eksenang babalikan mo sa isip mo. At minsan, you’d wish that certain people would also read them hoping they’ll understand the story the way you did.
That’s what I appreciate most about his writing. His books don’t just tell you a story. They make you feel something, question something, and sometimes even look at people and situations a little differently.
He has already released two books after Dreamland, and yes, nasa TBR ko pa rin sila. I really hope I can find the time to finally read them. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading RVJ, it’s that his books are the kind you don’t just finish—you carry them with you.
And of course, sana makapunta ako ng MIBF someday and finally meet Ronaldo Vivo Jr. in person. it would be nice to finally meet the person behind the stories.
Until then, his books will continue to have a little space on my shelves—and an even bigger space in my reader’s heart.
