IRÔ examines “witness consciousness”—a condition beyond judgment or moral resolution, shaped by constant exposure to violence and artifice
Milflores Publishing has announced the release of IRÔ—a literary horror novel by award-winning Filipino writer Angelo “Sarge” R. Lacuesta.
Set in a rural Philippine province ruled by a political dynasty, IRÔ explores violence, power, folklore, and the age of spectacle—where atrocity is witnessed, recorded, and consumed.
When men are found brutally murdered across the municipality of Kidapalong, whispers spread of a mantiyanak: a female demon from Philippine folklore.
As fear spirals through social media and surveillance footage, the creature, mistaken by many for a dog, emerges not only as a monster but as a figure shaped by history, complicity, and abuse.
MONSTER’S ‘UNBLINKING GAZE’
At the center of the unraveling is Governor Roland Mallari, who is the heir to a dynastic empire sustained by brutality, secrecy, and narrative control.
Raised on guns, propaganda, and the glow of screens, Mallari trusts reality only when it is mediated. As IRÔ’s killings go viral, the systems that once protected him begin to collapse.
Equally central is Marta—the wife of the governor’s mayor-son, who is drawn into organizing the community’s response. Her investigation, through police records, CCTV footage, and fractured testimony, reveals how technology amplifies fear while obscuring truth. Surveillance and spectacle turn the town itself into a witness.
In the end, the governor is confronted not by vengeance but by the silent, unblinking gaze of the monster he himself has created—a presence that strips away spectacle and power, leaving only what remains.
MORE ON IRÔ, AUTHOR
Blending literary fiction and horror, IRÔ examines “witness consciousness”—a condition beyond judgment or moral resolution, shaped by constant exposure to violence and artifice.
The book asks what it means to look—and to live—in a culture where suffering is endlessly mediated.
Ahead of its Philippine release, IRÔ has already been sold into six international territories through their respective distributors: Malaysia (Buku Fixi), Italy (Edizioni e/o), United States (Europa Editions), United Kingdom (Europa Editions), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Kazakhstan (Nomad Foundation).
Angelo R. Lacuesta is a multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and creative producer. His works span fiction, film, and cultural criticism, and he is currently President of PEN Philippines. IRÔ is his second novel.
