Manila

Manila is the capital city of the Philippines and the seat of its government. Dogeaters takes place in and around Manila, which is portrayed by the playwright as a quickly modernizing city. Pucha tells Rio that tacky themed eateries like the one in which they have ice cream are cropping up all over the city, along with shopping malls and multiplex cinemas. Manila is also painted in gaudy colors as a home of loud nightclubs run by aging drag queens and sordid hovels where foreigners can watch sex shows. The wealth of Severo Alacran is juxtaposed with the squalor of Uncle's shack. Imelda Marcos longs to make Manila the Cannes of the Pacific, but the Philippine film industry is dominated by a dumb action star and a soft-porn starlet. In short, Manila is presented as a strange menagerie of glamor and squalor.

Studio 54

Studio 54 is the most...