ABNKKBSNPLAKO?!

BY BOB ONG

REPORT BY:
TEAM RIORDAN
BIOGRAPHY:
Bob Ong (born February 1975) is
the pseudonym of a
contemporary Filipino author known for
using conversational writing technique to
create humorous and reflective
depictions of Philippine life. The author's
actual name and identity is unknown.
 It came about when he put up the Bobong
Pinoy website years ago while working as a
teacher and web developer at the same time.
The name just evolved out of playing of words
that was the BobOng Pinoy website. Then,
someone contacted him after being mistaken as
the actual person named Bob Ong. From then
on, his famous pseudonym was born. Until now,
the real person behind the Bob Ong pseudonym
is still not known to many but they still buy his
books. This may mean that his identity is not that
important, it is his writing that matters.
 He is known for his writings with an element of
comedy in them. His readers can easily relate to his
works as it replicates Filipino culture and traditions. His
writing style is conversational in nature which creates
humorous and reflective depictions of life as a typical
Filipino. His published books include ABNKKBSNPLAko?!,
Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?,
Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas, Alamat ng Gubat,
Stainless Longganisa, Macarthur, Kapitan Sino, and Ang
mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan. So far, six of the books
he had published have surpassed a quarter of a million
copies.
ABNKKBSNPLAKO?!
• first published on 2001, quickly selling out its first
run of 500 copies.
•By 2013 it had sold over 240,000 copies, at which
time a 12th anniversary edition was published.
• an autobiography of the Filipino author Bob Ong
•The novel details what are supposedly the childhood
memories of the author, from his earliest days as a
student until his first few years at work.
•conversational tone which uses humor to point out
various absurdities inherent to Filipino culture.
•nostalgia
GENRE

“ABNKKBSNPLAko?!”
Humor, Autobiography
LITERARY DEVICES & FIGURES OF SPEECH
•Epigraph - an epigraph is a reference to another
work that an author hopes will help readers
understand her own work. Unlike an allusion, an
epigraph stands apart from the text itself rather
than being included in it.
e.g.
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my
education.” – Mark Twain

“A pleasant possession is useless without a comrade.”

- Seneca
•Euphemism - whether for humor or just for
taste, a writer wishes to describe some graphic
or offensive event using milder imagery or
phrasing.

e.g.
“…40 pupils kami. 39 lang ang upuan, at 30 lang
ang ayos. Siyam ang matitiyaga sa mga
gumegewang gewang na salumpuwit. Isa ang
araw-araw na makikipag-Trip to Jerusalem.”
•Flashback - a literary device wherein the author depicts
the occurrence of specific events to the reader, which have
taken place before the present time the narration is
following, or events that have happened before the events
that are currently unfolding in the story.

•Metaphor - refers to a meaning or identity ascribed to

one subject by way of another. In a metaphor, one subject
is implied to be another so as to draw a comparison
between their similarities and shared traits.
e.g.
“Si Bungo ang teacher namin sa music…Hindi sya tatawaging
bungo kung hindi nakausli ang mga buto at ugat nya sa mukha.”
•Simile - referring to the practice of drawing
parallels or comparisons between two unrelated
and dissimilar things, people, beings, places and
concepts. Similes are marked by the use of the
words ‘as’ or ‘such as’ or ‘like’.

e.g.
“Yung teacher ko naman sa Theology noong
college e mukhang walang energy. Laging
bagsak ang mata tulad ni Garfield, parang laging
may pinupuntahang lamay gabi-gabi.”
•Hyperbole - uses specific words and phrases
that exaggerate and overemphasize the basic
crux of the statement in order to produce a
grander, more noticeable effect.

e.g.
“Pero kahit na 10 lbs ang nawala samin ng
mga kasama ko, kahit na nagkandaligaw-
ligaw na kami at nadehydrate…”
•Personification - refers to the practice of
attaching human traits and characteristics with
inanimate objects, phenomena and animals.

e.g.
“… kahit na nagkandaligaw-ligaw kami at
nadehydrate sa paglalakad ng malayong
distansya sa ilalim ng galit na araw…”
TRADITIONS

•Celebration of Christmas, Noche Buena.

•Paying of the rosary.
•Eating meals at the dinner table together.
MORAL LESSONS
•Never be afraid to fail.
•Be proud of who you are.
•Enjoy your life.
•Always do your best.
•Don’t waste your opportunities.
•Never lose hope.
•Learn from your mistakes.
•Open-up to your family.
•Believe in yourself.