My Sad Republic is a 2000 Philippine English-language novel written by Filipino novelist Eric Gamalinda. The novel won for Gamalinda a Philippine Centennial Literary Prize in 1998. The 392-page novel was published by the Philippine Centennial Commission, the University of the Philippines Press, and the UP Creative Writing Center. My Sad Republic is the fourth novel written by Gamalinda. The theme of the novel is "love, obsession, and loss" occurring during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish colonial regime of the Philippines, and during the Philippine–American War. Origin of the title The title of My Sad Republic was derived from a verse in Florante at Laura, a classic narrative poem written by Filipino poet Francisco Baltazar (1789–1862) that intertwines romance and nationalism. The verse from which the title was adapted from mentions the Tagalog words "Sa loob at labas ng bayan cong saui,/ caliluha,i, siya'ng nangyayaring hari/", meaning "Inside and outside of my sad country,/ it is desolation that reigns supreme/" in the English translation. Characters The main characters in the novel include Dionisio Magbuela (also known as Isio, Papa Isio – meaning "Pope Isio", or Seguela, the "Pope of Negros"), Asuncion de Urquiza (also known as Asuncion Madrigal), Tomas Agustin, Felipe, Captain James Smith, and Martinez. Dionisio Magbuela is a peasant, healer, mystic, and religious leader, who later becomes a Filipino revolutionary, hero, and founder of a cult of babaylans (shaman-priests) based on folk Catholicism. Asuncion de Urquiza is a young woman under the care of a wealthy lady known as Doña Madrigal (De Urquiza's mother); Asuncion is an orphan and is the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish matador and a young woman belonging to the Madrigal's household. De Urquiza was described by Stuart-Santiago as a "rich girl of One Hundred and Seventeen Names" because the paranoid Doña Madrigal christened her with all the names of the Mary the Holy Virgin as a form of protection from evil. Tomas Agustin is a mestizo landowner and soldier serving in the Spanish army who believes that his "kind" is the "future of the Philippines", a social class that will improve the political and socio-economic situation in the archipelago after three centuries of Spanish rule and mismanagement. Agustin wanted to marry Asuncion de Urquiza for the latter's wealth. Felipe is the son of Asuncion de Urquiza and Tomas Agustin. Felipe was born after Tomas Agustin raped De Urquiza. Captain James Smith is