The mother, Aling Maring , is gravely ill. To afford medicine and save her, the father, Mang Itoy , is forced to "clutch the knife" ( kumapit sa patalim )—a Filipino idiom meaning to resort to desperate or dangerous measures.
: Sacrifice, selflessness, love, and the harsh reality of poverty. Where to Find the Text mapanglaw ang mukha ng buwan pdf
( Translation: "The moon is not ordinary tonight. It is gloomy. It seems to have lost a lover. Its face is gray, not silver. Gone is the old shine from when we were still in love. The face of the moon is the face of my sadness." ) The mother, Aling Maring , is gravely ill
