LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION TO
LIFE AND WORKS OF
CARLOS BULOSAN
COURSE OUTLINE
• Introduction to Carlos Bulosan
• Allos Life in the Philippines
INTRODUCTION TO
CARLOS BULOSAN
• He left the Philippines on July 1, 1930 to
seek better economic opportunities in the
United States
• An English-language Filipino writer and labor
activist
• He believed that knowledge should be
applied
BIOGRAPHY OF
CARLOS BULOSAN
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Carlos “Allos” Sampayan Bulosan
Born on November 02, 1911
Mangusmana, Binalonan, Pangasinan
Father- Simeon Bulosan (sharecropper)
Mother- Autilia Sampayan (seller)
Siblings: Aurelio, Dionisio, Silvestre,
Apolonio, Marcella and Escolastica
BIOGRAPHY OF
CARLOS BULOSAN
America is in the heart
Piring (2016)
Leon
Aurelio
Amado
Dionisio (?)
Luciano
Silvestre (?)
Macario
Apolonio (?)
Allos/Carlos
Allos/Carlos
Irene
Marcella
Francisca
Escolastica
ALLOS LIFE IN THE
PHILIPPINES
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5.
They live in a little grass hut in Mangusmana,
Binalonan. (Daranciang, 2006)
A stilt house made of wood and bamboo with
concrete footstools for posts and stairs.
The area was 35 sq. meters.
Under the house was an open storage for
implements and jars, a corner was used as a
corral for goats and sheep.
The yard was surrounded by bamboo fences and
gate.
In the backyard was a small bamboo structure
called “Kamarin” in Ilocano.
ALLOS LIFE IN THE
PHILIPPINES
• The family owned a 5-hectare farmland that lies at the bank of the Toboy
river.
• They had two (2) carabaos.
• The family had no helpers, they only had farm help.
• This practice is called “Kasogpon” in Ilocano and “Kasamak” in
Pangasinan.
• The Bulosan’s farm was considered third class.
• The family’s income in palay was only P125.00 per year with additional
P25.00 for their income on corn and vegetables.
• They only have P12.50 income per month.
ALLOS LIFE IN THE
PHILIPPINES
• Autilia Sampayan sold salt, salted fish, balatong and otong to augment the
very little income of the family.
• Escolastica inherited the tiny business.
• Milagros observed and sometimes helped her mother to sell.
• They made use of “galem”, to store their “abasto”
• At the age of five, Allos began working as a herd boy.
• At the age of thirteen, He went to Baguio to try his luck in looking for a job.
• He finally found a job offered by Miss Mary Strandon, who hired him to
push her wheelbarrow.
“The poor man does not write books; he is
too busy looking for something to fill his
stomach. And when he comes to it, his
mind is too weak, his recollection too
short, his imagination too blurred, etc.
Thus the history is not yet written.” –
Carlos Bulosan