This research is part of a larger project on writing the literary biography of Filipino writer Efren R. Abueg. Abueg became known as one of the members of the “Limang Suwail” (“The Five Rebels”), a group of young writers who once challenged the policies of local publishing houses. His name gained further prominence in literature when he became a contributor and editor for the anthology Mga Agos sa Disyerto (Streams in the Desert, 1964). After the publication of this anthology, Abueg continued to write literary works that examine the social issues brewing in the Philippines. This is evident in the publication of the anthologies Sigwa (Storm, 1972) and Plakard (Placard, 2019), which contain Abueg’s stories that he refers to as a “subversion of literature.” Through a comparative analysis of three of Abueg’s short stories—“Ang Kamatayan ni Tiyo Samuel” (“The Death of Uncle Samuel”), “Daluyong sa Ilaya” (“Surge in Ilaya”), and “Uuwi na Ako, Inay, Upang Humimlay sa Iyong Kandungan” (“Mother, I Am Coming Home to Rest in Your Lap”)—the discourse of subversion in literature is elucidated. The analysis of these stories also offers a closer examination of the relationship between the Philippines’ colonial history, personal experience, and political ideology in Abueg’s development as a writer.