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Grace
Tita Chato is Jay Reguero’s aunt, sister to Jay’s dad, Tito Maning, and Tito Danilo, and the partner of Tita Ines. Tita Chato is Tito Maning’s opposite in many ways: she doesn’t support the Philippine drug war and took Jun in after Tito Maning kicked him out of the house, which caused her and Tito Maning to cut off contact with one another. In addition, while Tito Maning’s relationship with his wife, Tita Ami, is sometimes strained, Tita Chato’s relationship with Tita Ines is comfortable and happy. Tita Chato used to be a lawyer and now runs an organization that helps girls escape trafficking. One of her clients was Reyna, who later fell in love with Jun and ended up secretly living with him after Jun ran away from Tita Chato’s home. Although Tita Chato is grieved by Jun’s death and openly acknowledges the horrors of the drug war, she’s also practical and knows that the family can’t seek justice for Jun, given the corruption of the Philippine courts. This is something Jay has a hard time coming to terms with.
Tita Chato Quotes in Patron Saints of Nothing
The Patron Saints of Nothing quotes below are all either spoken by Tita Chato or refer to Tita Chato. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Fail Him in Death
Quotes
Tita Chato puts out her cigarette. “What happened to Jun is a tragedy, whether or not he was a drug pusher.” She pauses, gathering her thoughts, then continues. “But he is dead. We cannot bring him back to life. You need to accept that. There is nothing we can do about it except mourn.”
I clench my jaw.
She's not all that different from Tito Maning. Though her words were delivered with more compassion, they were the same: I am not truly Filipino, so I don’t understand the Philippines. But isn't this deeper than that, doesn’t this transcend nationality? Isn’t there some sense of right and wrong about how human beings should be treated that applies no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak?
I'm alone in this. Somebody needs to clear Jun’s name even if nothing comes of it. We failed him in life. We should not fail him in death.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Tita Chato Quotes in Patron Saints of Nothing
The Patron Saints of Nothing quotes below are all either spoken by Tita Chato or refer to Tita Chato. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Fail Him in Death
Quotes
Tita Chato puts out her cigarette. “What happened to Jun is a tragedy, whether or not he was a drug pusher.” She pauses, gathering her thoughts, then continues. “But he is dead. We cannot bring him back to life. You need to accept that. There is nothing we can do about it except mourn.”
I clench my jaw.
She's not all that different from Tito Maning. Though her words were delivered with more compassion, they were the same: I am not truly Filipino, so I don’t understand the Philippines. But isn't this deeper than that, doesn’t this transcend nationality? Isn’t there some sense of right and wrong about how human beings should be treated that applies no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak?
I'm alone in this. Somebody needs to clear Jun’s name even if nothing comes of it. We failed him in life. We should not fail him in death.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
