GINSENG AND OTHER TALES FROM MANILA <i> by Marianne Villanueva (Calyx Books: $8.95).</i>

In her first collection of short stories, this Philippine-American writer paints a grim portrait of life during the latter days of the Marcos regime. The brutal excesses of the dictator and his henchmen reduce the lives of Villanueva’s characters to a succession of calculated risks. The activities of the semi-official death squads have reduced murder to a commonplace: In “Memorial,” an artist calmly walks home, although “Here and there he encountered a stray corpse. Since most wore tattoos, he assumed they were victims of the Anti-Vice Campaign. There was also the odd unmarked corpse--a journalist, perhaps, or a lawyer--buried surreptitiously among the weeds.” In “Opportunity,” Villaneuva reveals the thoughts of a mail-order bride, a woman willing to marry an unattractive foreigner for a chance at a better, safer life--far away.