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Althea Gabrielle Teodosio

Ms. Alexandra May Cardoso

English 13 X4-A

19 July 2019

Not Another Kabit Story: Patriarchal Ideology in the Character Analysis of Ina Del Prado in

Etiquette for Mistresses

It is indisputably conspicuous that female mistresses are well-represented in

Philippine movies with a number of mistress-themed films being produced over the past

decades. To name a few, Spot.ph (2012) listed 10 mistress-themed films and categorized

female mistresses based on their character portrayals starting off with 1982‘s Relasyon,

coining Vilma Santos‘ mistress role as ―The Technical Kabit‖ for being a working woman

whose existence as a mistress is known by the legal wife and son. It went further by listing

other mistress-themed films including 2012‘s The Mistress and referred to Bea Alonzo‘s

mistress role as ―The Daddy Issues Kabit‖ for having a relationship with a man who is way

older than her and, of course, is married to another woman.

Three years after the online publication of this article, another mistress-themed film

went out in PH cinemas. ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. produced another mistress story

entitled Etiquette for Mistresses—a 2015 film directed by Chito Roño based on a novel of the

same title written by Julie Yap-Daza. Roño claimed in a press conference that Etiquette for

Mistresses is ―not just another mistress movie [because] mistresses here [in the film] are

mistresses who don‘t do it for the money‖ (qtd. in Uy). It is quite provocative to hear such a

claim which was certainly uttered to aggravate the audience‘s curiosity for them to still
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anticipate and figure out themselves what made Roño‘s film different from any other movie

offerings that also revolve around mistress story.

Clearly, by ―another mistress movie‖, Roño must be referring to the usual

representations of female mistresses in Philippine media ―in which [they are portrayed as]

evil mistresses [who] busily wreck otherwise happy families in their pursuit of someone

else‘s husband, until, of course, their dramatic comeuppance‖ (Malaguit). On the other hand,

―wives are typically portrayed as martyr-like, suffering indignity after indignity, only to

ultimately forgive their husbands‖ (Malaguit). Female mistresses are frequently depicted as

the antagonists and sole perpetrators of a happy marriage; whereas legal wives are always

made ready to fight back and claim their rights during extreme confrontation scenes.

Moreover, by ―another mistress movie‖, it may also pertain to different variants of mistress

stories sharing identical endings: wife gets the man back; mistress dies, goes insane, or

forgives the man (Tolentino, qtd. in Malaguit).

Conversely, Etiquette for Mistresses breaks the conventional and stereotypical

portrayal of mistresses in which they are presented as well-mannered, sophisticated, high

class mistresses. It is, this time, told not only in one but in five mistresses‘ perspectives

whose reasons and motivations to commit into such forbidden relationship traverse from one

another. Just like what Roño stated, these five mistresses ―do not do it for the money‖, or at

the very least, it is what their characters repeatedly and explicitly express that they are what

they are because of the undying love they have for their partners—who happen to be married.

But despite of this modification in terms of mistress characters‘ socio-economic status

compared to other mistresses in other stories, this film still divulges patriarchal ideologies

that make it no different from any other mistress story. The film fails to determine the

external factors or the bigger issues as to why these five mistresses endure being a mistress.
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Instead, it includes the common portrayal of men wherein they are more powerful and

influential than their female counterparts.

The traditional patriarchal ideology, according to Cahn, ―held that women were

inferior to men and, indeed, subject to all men.‖ This is evidently depicted in the

characterization of mistresses in PH media wherein they are portrayed as women who lack

whether in the aspect of financial freedom or emotional stability that they need to grab

whatever opportunity may come. Unfortunately, PH media presents powerful yet married

men as the opportunity lacking women could clutch on. This is a clear manifestation of

patriarchal ideology as part of the narrative in mistress story. Below is a source that indicates

the usual characterization of mistresses in PH context to further support this statement:

In Patriarchy, men were referred as the superior ones while the women belong to the

subordinate class. Women were meant to serve men, while men hold the power and

last say in everything which was depicted in mistress movies. The wife and mistress

would always be seen arguing for the attention of the husband which puts him on high

pedestal. His characterization is often masculine, powerful and rich that shows how

domineering he is. Moreover, the husband usually belongs to the circle of high class

businessmen that depicts the male dominated society. (―Representation of Women‖)

This may serve as a counter-argument to Roño‘s claim that Etiquette for Mistresses is

―not just another mistress story‖. It is, undeniably, no different than its predecessors when it

comes to its portrayal of the image of men. The five mistresses may be economically

successful, however, they are still depicted as women who lack something and must depend

on a man to complete them.

Another point this paper would like to raise is the proliferation of mistress theme not

only in PH films but also in dramas. As cited by Mendoza and Recuya, ―in recent years,
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many informal reports have cited reasons why these shows [mistress-themed shows] cater to

the Filipino audience such as evocation of emotions and portrayal of relatable ―daily

occurrences‖ (Carballo 2014) and depiction of inescapable hopeless marriages due to

Philippine ―laws and social conventions‖ (Ortuoste 2014).‖ Filipino viewers still patronize

this kind of content due to its relevant storyline that reflects a number of Filipino‘s reality.

Dr. Mary Grace Orquiza, a psychologist from Gray Matters Psychological Center, ―when a

person watches something and sees a character experiencing the same thing, it validates their

experience. It shows the viewer[s] that they are not alone when they are experiencing those

things‖ (qtd. in Malaguit).

On the other hand, Jay Fernando, a screenwriter of several mistress stories, stated that

mistress themes ―cross cultural barriers and are very exportable compared to other shows‖

(qtd. in Malaguit). He further said that mistress stories are ―relatively cheap to produce

[which] is something that‘s very important for Filipino producers‖ (qtd. in Malaguit).

Therefore, producers ought to offer the same content not only because of the intended

audience‘s preferences and demographics, but also because of its capability to penetrate the

market and acquire huge profit with fewer expenses.

Furthermore, this paper seeks to analyze the patriarchal ideology in the

characterization of Kim Chiu‘s mistress character and in some selected exchange of dialogues

among the main characters. It uses character analysis, descriptive phenomenological analysis

of Amador, Vecina, and Beroin, and dialogue analysis to determine the manifestations of

patriarchal ideology in the film. Hence, I claim that patriarchy has an influence over the

representations of mistresses in Philippine films and counter-argue that Roño‘s film is no

different with other mistress movies due to the patriarchal ideology it imparts that will be

scrutinized in this paper.

Overall, this research paper does not attempt to glorify nor justify the very nature of

being a mistress, but to understand why it is prominent in PH film and what discourse does it

disclose especially to Filipina women who are involved in this type of relationship.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF INA DEL PRADO

Fig. 1. First appearance of Ina Del Prado at the airport scene (12:25).

Ina Del Prado, starred by Kim Chiu, is a promdi (from the province) girl and a

neophyte when it comes to being a mistress. She is the youngest among the five mistresses

and her character is quite distinct than the rest of the mistresses who have already established

their career and have already been mistresses for a longer time.

Her first appearance does not set her apart from the usual portrayal of mistresses. Her

vibe exudes freshness and excitement. Georgia, one of the mistresses who is in charge of

making Ina a perfect mistress and is top billed by Kris Aquino, described Ina as ―young and

tactless‖ (26:21). As shown in figure 1, Ina is wearing heavy make-up and revealing clothes

which many interpret as the reasons why men give in to temptations. ―The usual justification

for this behavior stems solely from their gender and supposed physical needs—Kasi lalaki

ako (Because I am a man)‖ (Ortuoste). With the way Ina presented herself through her

outward appearance, it is an implication that her character does not dismantle the common

notion that women are seen as possessions and source of enticements. Not to mention the red
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lipstick Ina is wearing and her flamboyant hairstyle. Those two things speak of volumes and

augment her seductive appeal—which is also a common feature of mistresses. Additionally,

her first entrance will draw viewers to assume that Ina and Frank, portrayed by Zoren

Legaspi, first encountered on a bar, since it is where mistresses and husbands usually met

from other mistress movies. I myself didn‘t get shocked at all as the movie progresses and it

was revealed that Ina is a lounge singer and they met on a high-class hotel resto bar (57:20).

Ina was also depicted as a desperate woman who is longing for Frank‘s time and

attention. During the airport scene, Ina kept on asking if Frank also came to fetch her (12:38).

This scene is also a foreshadowing that her sweet and bubbly personality will change after

some time of not seeing the only motivation that drove her to leave her peaceful life in Cebu

and enter a chaotic relationship with a married man. Due to intense yearning her character

showed, she got herself drunk and suffered from alcohol intoxication that got her hospitalized

(22:47). She further broke down into tears when she woke up from unconsciousness and

learned that despite of her current situation, Frank won‘t still see her. This is another

manifestation of patriarchal ideology in media where women are portrayed as emotionally

unstable and their happiness depends on a man.

Ina continued to show signs of desperation to meet Frank in person; however, she was

always given set of rules a mistress should follow by Georgia. She was always told to know

her place and must not complain because she is not the wife. Ina was able to abide until she

could no longer hold her longing and decided to meet Frank in one of his campaigns (50:48).

This scene presented a fraught woman who will seek everything for a man‘s attention. On the

other hand, Frank here got stricken by the sudden appearance of Ina but blatantly ignored her

because he was with his wife. It is a symbolic scene which highlights the representation of
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men in media as someone who has the authority to recognize the role of their female

counterparts in their lives.

Moreover, included in this paper is the descriptive phenomenological analysis of

Amador, Vecina, and Beroin which examines the motivations of real-life Filipina mistresses

for engaging into such kind of transgression and where they are coming from. This section

will also analyze if the characterization of Ina Del Prado is comparable with real-life

mistresses through the results of the descriptive phenomenological analysis.

Amador, Vecina, and Beroin stated that mistresses ―still acknowledge the act of

transgression. They know what they gotten into. They know their place, and they do not want

to get into trouble with the legal wife‖ (75). Ina‘s character has already expressed in the

beginning that she is aware that Frank has a wife and she is the mistress (13:30); she likewise

does not make any scene when she is in one space with the husband and the legal wife.

In addition, ―the experiences of female relationship transgressors in committing to

extra-marital relationships was described as ―secluded‖ due to the reason that they remain

kept from view‖ (76). Ina and the other mistresses are also living a secluded life. Frank

bought Ina a condominium apartment (14:40) which signifies that it will be Ina‘s refuge as

she is kept hidden most especially from the wife. Though the provided place for Ina is

spacious, it gradually became too small for Ina to spread her wings. It serves as an

entrapment prepared by a patriarch to own her time, skills, and abilities and limit her

potential to perform and function as a woman living in a society.

What is more hilarious, although Ina and the other mistresses are aware of their

situation, they do not seem to be bothered about it and still try to follow their rules in order to

keep their position as mistresses. They engrave in their mind that they will never be the

number 1 and they should always know their place no matter.

The film included another airport scene at the end part where Ina and Georgia were

sending off their other mistress friend Stella and her sick lover, portrayed by Iza Calzado and

Tirso Cruz III, to Macau(1:51:44). The scene features a totally different Ina unlike the

previous airport scene. This time, Ina is wearing a simple pair of clothes and a simple make-

up. Her hair is also tied up which symbolizes that her character is finally ready to turn away

from being a mistress. Georgia then uttered her last and finally rule and convinced Ina to

―find the courage to leave him [Frank] while you still can‖ (1:54:41). Georgia‘s line becomes

a concrete manifestation of what Ina could possibly do next.

I was looking forward for the film to address bigger issues such as how women,

especially in the case of mistresses, will combat the prevailing patriarchal ideology. I was

anticipating for Ina‘s next move after her conversation with Georgia. She was, after all,

enlightened that she was not yet trapped and she could still freely move forward. I find that

line of Georgia as a message for women—Filipina mistresses specially—that their fate isn‘t

determined by a group of powerful and influential people and that they can still break through

the shackles of the patriarchy system that prevents them to function fully. As long as women

have will, they can. However, it is disappointing that Ina‘s final fate in the film was to marry

a man—and this man is not just any man but is portrayed by Derek Ramsay. Her enlightened

character could do many things that will give the final string to hopefully empower female

viewers; still, the production decided to marry her off with a ―better man‖ (1:57:29).
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PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY IN SELECTED EXHANGE OF DIALOGUES

Fig. 2. Stella, left, and Georgia, right, hinting the arrival of Ina Del Prado

Another manifestation of patriarchal ideology in Etiquette for Mistresses is this

particular exchange of dialogues between Georgia and Stella. The context of this is that

Georgia received a request from her lover to train Ina to become a perfect mistress for Frank

Ayson, the political comrade of Georgia‘s lover. She spilled this information to Stella. Stella

then asked who is the unlucky lady but Georgia rebutted saying that the lady ―happens to be

the new girl in Frank Ayson‘s life—the future first Gentleman of the country‖ (10:29).

There are two ideologies existing in this conversation. First, all negative connotations

are affixed to a woman who chooses to become a mistress. However, secondly, she is

excused and is seen as lucky if ever happens to be a mistress of a prominent man. De Vera

claimed that ―men do not feel ashamed of being in extramarital affairs because it serves as a

testimony to their manhood‖ (qtd. in Mendoza and Recuya). De Vera further noted that

―women are heavily scorned and told that their souls will be condemned to burn in hell‖ (qtd.

Mendoza and Recuya).

What also makes Etiquette for Mistresses—as what Roño claims—different from

other mistress movies is its subtle confrontation scene between the mistress character of

Claudine Barreto and the legal wife (1:28:54). The confrontation scene is not as aggressive as

the other mistress stories which involve physical contact. The scene was with high emotions

between the mistress and the wife and revealed that the legal wife knew the existence of the

mistress all along. The confrontation scene of a high-class mistress and a sophisticated wife is

just like them, the difference is that their exchange of dialogues, especially on the part of the

legal wife, is extreme and contains hurtful words. It was revealed that the wife was suffering

all along but she had to endure it for her family and children.

CONCLUSION

Indeed, Etiquette for Mistresses shows patriarchal ideology chiefly in the

characterization of Ina Del Prado and in some selected exchange of dialogues between the

main characters. Roño‘s claim that his film is ―not just another mistress movie‖ is

disapproved in this paper. It only shows that the film is similar with other mistress stories due

to the common portrayal of the image of a man that is evident in his film.

This paper also presented the usual portrayal of female mistresses and legal wives in

PH films wherein both are extremely in conflict with each other; nonetheless, it is examined

that Ina Del Prado‘s character slightly varied and corresponded to the descriptive

phenomenological analysis of real-life mistresses of Amador, Vecina, and Beroin.

The analysis is purely based on what is perceived and included in the movie. Other

research may also contain insights and views from the director, scriptwriters, and reasons

why these actors were casted to further make strong points. Future research may also dwell

on the evolution of how female mistresses are depicted over the past years and conduct a

comparative analysis between the portrayal of female mistresses in films and dramas. This
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paper only uses character analysis, descriptive phenomenological analysis, and dialogues

analysis to investigate the patriarchal ideology in the film. Other film analyses may also be

incorporated such as cinematography, sound, editing, etc. to evaluate the patriarchal ideology

in the film. Furthermore, it could also include criticism in the lens of Feminism since it

concerns two women fighting over a guy‘s validation and criticism in the lens of Marxism to

investigate if this phenomenon can be seen as a class struggle.

Overall, this research paper does not attempt to justify nor promote the very nature of

being a mistress, but to understand why it is prominent in PH film and what discourse does it

disclose especially to Filipina women who are involved with this type of relationship.
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Works Cited

Amador, Lara Jasm A., et al. ―The Mistresses' Perspective: A Descriptive Phenomenological

Study on the Experiences in Extramarital Relationship of Female Relationship

Transgressors.‖ Antorcha, vol. 4, no. 1, Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Intramuros,

Manila, 2017, pp. 55-83. PHILIPPINE E-JOURNALS,

www.ejournals.ph/article.php?id=11603.

Cahn, Susan. ―Patriarchal Ideology and the Rise of Capitalism.‖ International Socialism, ser.

2, 1979, pp. 89–91. 2, www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isj2/1979/isj2-

005/cahn.html#top.

Etiquette for Mistresses. Directed by Chito Roño. Performances by Claudine Barreto, Kim

Chiu, Iza Calzado, Cheena Crab, and Kris Aquino. ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc.

2015.

Malaguit, Rachel. ―In the Mood for Blood: Filipino TV Mistresses and the Women Who

Love to Hate Them.‖ Coconuts Manila, Coconuts, 6 Mar. 2019, 4:52pm,

coconuts.co/manila/features/mood-blood-filipino-tv-mistresses-women-love-hate/.

Mendoza, Grazianne-Geneve V., and Andreah Yvonne P. Recuya. Kabitserye: An Analysis

of Marital Infidelity in Filipino Films and Television Soap Operas from 1970-2015.

Ortuoste, Jenny. ―Dismantling the ‗Kabit‘ Culture.‖ Manila Standard, 6 Apr. 2017,

manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/pop-goes-the-world-by-jenny-

ortuoste/233688/dismantling-the-kabit-culture.html.

―The Other Women: 10 Types of Movie Mistresses.‖ SPOT.ph, 14 Sept. 2012,

www.spot.ph/entertainment/51905/the-other-women-10-types-of-movie-mistresses.
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―The Representation of Women in Mistress Movies.‖ Read Between The Lines, 20 Oct.

2015, readbetweenthelinessite.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/the-representation-of-

women-in-mistress-movies/.

Uy, Jon. ―10 CHITO RONO QUOTES ABOUT THE ‗ETIQUETTE FOR MISTRESSES‘

MOVIE.‖ Style Wise Manila, 28 Sept. 2015,

stylewisemanila.blogspot.com/2015/09/etiquette-for-mistresses-chito-rono.html.