Chapter 1 Dream Amid Disgrace

The greatest nation known as the Perlas ng silanganan, the Makabayan are heroes who protect the people and shape the future of the country. Flordeliza is a young girl with a dream: to one day become a Makabayan. But as someone who faces prejudice and exclusion, that dream seems far beyond her reach. When an unexpected opportunity places her name in the Towns Game, a competition whose winner earns admission to the prestigious Academy of Makabayan Flordeliza finds herself standing at the first step toward her impossible dream. Now she begins a journey filled with challenges, friendship, and discovery as she learns what it truly means to be Makabayan.