GAWAD CCP

PARA SA
SINING
2020
1
GAWAD CCP
PARA SA
SINING
2020
Gawad CCP para sa Sining 2020
Published in 2021 by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

ISBN:
Softbound/Paperback 978-971-8546-92-5
PDF (read only) 978-971-8546-93-2
PDF (downloadable) 978-971-8546-94-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

used in any form or by any means without written permission
from the publisher and the copyright holders. Rights to
individual works and photos remain with their creators.

For questions or comments with respect to content, or if you

wish to obtain copyright permission for your intended use
that does not fall within these terms, please contact the CCP
Intertextual Division at (632) 88321125 local 1706/1707,
mobile 0919-3175708 or email us at ccpintertextualdivision@
gmail.com.

Every reasonable effort has been made by the CCP to contact

the copyright holders of all photographs and artworks used in
the Gawad CCP para sa Sining 2020. Institutions or individuals
who may have intellectual property rights over any of the
photographs or artworks whom the CCP has not been able
to reach, or to whom inaccurate acknowledgment has been
made, are invited to contact the CCP Intertextual Division at
the address provided above.
GAWAD CCP
PARA SA
SINING
2020

Cultural Center of the Philippines

Cultural Center of the Philippines

Board of Trustees
Chairperson
Maria Margarita Moran-Floirendo

Trustees
Arsenio J. Lizaso Mary Rose Magsaysay
Baltazar N. Endriga Michelle Nikki M. Junia
Jaime C. Laya Moises Benedict S. Carandang
Lorna Patajo-Kapunan Stanley Seludo
Marivic H. Del Pilar Zenaida R. Tantoco

President
Arsenio J. Lizaso

Vice-President and Artistic Director

Chris B. Millado

CCP Cultural Content Department

Officer-in-Charge
Libertine Santos Dela Cruz

CCP Corporate Communications Department

CCP Cultural Research and Development Division
CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media Division
CCP Library and Archives Division
CCP Office of the Artistic Director
CCP Office of the President
CCP Production Design and Technical Services Division
CCP Visual Arts and Museum Division
 Acknowledgment

ABS-CBN Film Restoration Likhaan Center for Women’s Health, Inc.

Ballet Philippines Liwayway
Benilde's Arts and Culture Cluster National Commission for Culture and the Arts
Dekada Publishing Philippine Educational Theater Association
Erehwon Center for the Arts Sagip Pelikula
Integrated Performing Arts Guild Tanghalang Pilipino
Kaliwat Theater Collective UP Vargas Museum

Wataru Abe Melissa Escueta Luther Perez

Antonio P. Africa Rica Estrada Peter John Marie L. Porticos
Susan Claire Agbayani Edgar Talusan Fernandez Xandra Ramos-Padilla
Paulo Alcazaren Steven Patrick C. Fernandez Ito Rapadas
I.R. Arenas Wilson Fernandez Alice Reyes
Anthony John R. Balisi Nonoy Froilan Raine Rivera
Lualhati Bautista Raymund Magno Garlitos Sheila Salvio
Maria Karina A. Bolasco Ramon Guillermo Luna Sicat-Cleto
Loreto D. Cabanes Jr. Sofia Guillermo Beverly Siy
Paw Castillo Nestor O. Jardin Raul Sunico
Johannes L. Chua Namiki Kanami Nicanor G. Tiongson
Kenneth Cobonpue Perry C. Mangilaya Pat Valera
Cecilia Concha Colmenares Jaypee Maristaza Randy Valiente
Kristine Conmigo Joy Emma Masapequeña Rodel Valiente
Ricardo Eric G. Cruz Rosalie Matilac Guelan Varela-Luarca
Jessanin Salva Dela Rosa Burn Mercado Ian Velasquez
Mike de Leon Lenin Karlos Mirasol Ronald Verzo
Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. John Kenneth Ortiz Rudy Vidad
Danilo Dolor Faye Pablo Basilio Yap
Rosario Encarnacion-Tan Nonon Padilla Emilio C. Yap III
Contents
Messages 8
Background & Criteria 11
Past Awardees 14

Lualhati Bautista Literature 16

Kenneth Cobonpue Design and Allied Arts 50
Clodualdo del Mundo Jr Film and Broadcast Arts 72
Danilo Dolor Tanging Parangal 94
Tony Fabella Dance 122
Nonoy Froilan Dance 148
Alice Guillermo Cultural Research 166
Nestor Horfilla Cultural Work and Research 184
Integrated Performing Arts Guild Culture of its Region 206
Junyee Visual Arts 228
Liwayway Development of Philippine Culture 250
Nonon Padilla "eater 276
Raul M. Sunico Music 296
Ma. Cristina V. Turalba Architecture 320

Acknowledgment: Photos and Illustrations 342

Editorial Team 344
Messages

Everyone can be an artist. Nevertheless, some individuals do

arts and make a huge difference. These artists utilize their art
forms to set the standards and create significant contributions
to their communities.

Through the Gawad CCP para sa Sining, the Cultural Center

of the Philippines recognizes these artistic individuals and
cultural organizations, celebrates their works, and honors the
impact they made on Philippine society.

Every Filipino should know more about these distinguished

artists and organizations. Therefore, there is a need to create
a folio for people to know why they deserve the recognition.
Awarded in 2020: danseur Nonoy Froilan, pianist and former
CCP president Raul M. Sunico, theater veteran Felix “Nonon”
Padilla, visual artist Luis “Junyee” Yee, Jr., writer Lualhati T.
Bautista, filmmaker Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo Jr., architect
Cristina V. Turalba, designer Kenneth Cobonpue, cultural
worker Nestor Horfilla, Danilo L. Dolor, the late Tony Fabella
and the late Alice Guillermo, the Integrated Performing Arts
Guild, and the Liwayway Magazine.

The Gawad CCP folio, the official publication that honors the
awardees who received the highest recognition from the
Philippine premier art institution, contains citations, essays,
photos, and notable works.

It is an excellent guide on the Filipino artists whose outstanding

achievements and contributions to Philippine arts and culture
are something that every Filipino, especially the young
generations, can emulate.

Congratulations to the 2020 Gawad CCP para sa Sining

awardees!

Maria Margarita Moran-Floirendo

8 Chair, CCP Board of Trustees
The Cultural Center of the Philippines salutes the artistry and
achievements of fourteen awardees featured in the Gawad
CCP para sa Sining 2020 Folio on print and digital formats.

As we launch this comprehensive publication, we honor and

celebrate their outstanding achievements and contributions
to Philippine arts and culture. These Filipinos have truly
proven their worth as artists and cultural workers of the
highest caliber.

In a way, the Folio serves as documentation on the

development of the arts and culture in the Philippines. It will
undoubtedly be an excellent reference for the academe,
artistic and cultural institutions, and diplomatic organizations
that want to learn about the Filipino heritage.

The Philippines has an immensurable treasure trove of

artistic talents. If only we could harness our human
resources, then we could catalyze social changes and
strengthen the Filipino national identity. And it can start by
knowing our heritage, our culture through these members
of the arts and culture sector featured in the Folio.

Congratulations to the people behind the Folio. I salute your

dedication and enthusiasm to give birth to this publication
amidst the pandemic and social unrest.

Arsenio J. Lizaso
President 9
 Told through essays, photos, and enumeration of the body of
works, the Gawad CCP para sa Sining Folio documents the
contribution of artists and cultural workers to the heritage of
the nation.

Through the achievements and contributions of the Gawad

CCP awardees, readers get a glimpse of how Filipino arts and
culture flourish through the discrete creative processes they
create and become a catalyst for change.

Even before the challenging conditions brought about by

COVID-19, artists and cultural workers have met various
challenges in their efforts to contribute to the psychic and
cultural well-being of the nation. Their specific achievements
and contributions exemplify the role of the arts in Philippine
society and how artistic and cultural work can be a place for
healing and empowerment.

By learning about them who have enriched Filipino’s tangible

and intangible heritage, we hope that the next generations will
develop a deep sense of pride and appreciation for Philippine
arts and culture.

Mabuhay ang mga manlilikhang Filipino!

Chris B. Millado
10 Vice President and Aristic Director
Gawad CCP para sa Sining

This is the highest award given by the Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP) to deserving Filipino artists and cultural workers in the fields
of dance, music, theater, visual arts, literature, film and broadcast arts,
and architecture and allied arts. The award consists of a cash gift, a
citation and a medal traditionally given in fitting formal ceremonies
at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) in February
capping the month-long activities in celebration of the National Arts
Month.

The equivalent of this award was first given by the CCP in 1977.
However, it was only in 1988 when guidelines for the choice of
awardees were formulated, and the first group chosen was awarded in
February, 1989. The Gawad CCP para sa Sining was then given yearly
until 1994.

In 1996, in line with CCP’s major strategic change from a Coordinating

Center for the Arts to a Center for the Performing Arts, it was decided
that CCP should now give its highest award, the Gawad CCP para sa
Sining Pantanghalan, to deserving Filipino artists and cultural workers
in the field of Performing Arts. It was given in September 1997, the CCP
anniversary month.

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining Pantanghalan was revived in September

2004 and was reverted to Gawad CCP para sa Sining. The award is
given every three (3) years.

For Gawad CCP para sa Sining 2020, in celebration of CCP’s 50th year,
the cash gift is increased to Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00), net of
taxes. The cash gift will only be given to living awardees.

11
 Criteria
1. All nominees should be Filipino citizens.

2. Posthumous nominees should be Filipino citizens at the time of their death.

3. Nominees should have been in practice for the last twenty (20) years and have a solid
body of work in the field he/she is being nominated.

4. The nominees should have established their major works from 1969, the founding year of
the CCP. The impact of the works of the nominees should have contributed to the vision-
mission of the CCP.

5. Shortlisted nominees of the last Gawad CCP para sa Sining awards are automatically
nominated for the next awards and included in the shortlisted nominees of the first
deliberation process.

6. Only two to three (2-3) posthumous awardees will be selected to be able to award more
living awardees.

Category A, given to:

1. Artists or group of artists in the fields of dance, music, theater, visual arts, literature, film
and broadcast arts, architecture, and design and allied arts, who have/had consistently
produced outstanding works in their particular art form or have/had evolved a distinct
style or technique that enriches the development of their particular art form through:

1.1 Outstanding works that cull and draw inspiration from the cultural heritage,
tradition and experiences of the Filipino people;

1.2 Outstanding works that manifest or develop a particular style or form;

1.3 Trailblazing works, contemporaneous or innovative in style or form;

1.4 Pioneering or innovative works that have influenced the other artists to explore
and develop a particular style or form significant to their locality or have/had
inspired revitalization of art-making in their region;

1.5 Outstanding works that draw national attention or popularize particular aesthetic
forms;

1.6 Their artistic and technical skill manifested in the continuing practice of their art;

1.7 Their willingness to share and pass on their expertise to others.

2. Artists or group of artists who are nationally recognized as outstanding in their field by
virtue of winning in prestigious national or international art or literary competitions or
12 being acknowledged as such by legitimate critics circles or by their peers.
Category B, given to:

1. Artists or group of artists who have made outstanding contributions to the culture of the
region of their birth or residence through:

1.1 Outstanding works that cull and draw inspiration from the cultural heritage,
tradition and experiences of the people in their region or locality;

1.2 Outstanding works that manifest or develop a particular style or form significant
to their particular region or locality;

1.3 Trailblazing works, contemporaneous or innovative in style or form but somehow

incorporating elements of their region’s heritage and tradition;

1.4 Pioneering or innovative works that have influenced the other artists of their
region to explore and develop a particular style or form significant to their locality
or have/had inspired revitalization of art-making in their region;

1.5 Outstanding works that draw national attention or popularize particular aesthetic
forms indigenous or endemic to the region;

1.6 Outstanding work/works that has/have earned for the regional artists national
or international prestige and honor in reputable or recognized national or
international art and literary competitions, thereby bringing honor not only to
themselves but to the other artists and the people of their region as well;

1.7 Their artistic and technical skill manifested in the continuing practice of their art;

1.8 Their willingness to share and pass on their expertise to others;

1.9 The recognition and support of their art and artistry by their peers and respective
communities.

Category C, given to:

Outstanding cultural workers who, through their works either in research, curatorship, arts
management or administration have helped to develop or enrich particular art forms or
Philippine culture in general.

Tanging Parangal ng CCP

Individual or organizations in the government and/or in the private sector, in recognition

of their outstanding services/efforts/contributions which have significantly affected the
development/support of the arts and/or the other cultural activities in the country. 13
 Past Awardees
1977
Hubertus Kuhne Cultural Administration
1978
Aurelio S. Estanislao Music
1979
Hernando R. Ocampo Visual Arts
1982
Luis C. Valencia Music
1983
Rosario A. Picazo Music
1984
Conchita Gaston Holmes Music
1986
Miguel Velarde, Jr. Music
1989
Alice G. Reyes Dance
Jose M. Maceda Music
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater
F. Sionil José Literature
Arturo Luz Visual Arts
Lino Brocka Film
Ramon Muzones Literature
E. Arsenio Manuel Cultural Research
1990
Paz Cielo Belmonte Dance
Andrea Veneracion Music
Daisy Hontiveros Avellana Theater
N.V.M. Gonzalez Literature
14
Cesar Legaspi Visual Arts
Ishmael Bernal Film
Abdulmari Asia Imao Visual Arts
Francisco Demetrio, S.J. Cultural Research
Alejandro Roces Tanging Parangal
1991
Levi Celerio Music
Philippine Educational Theater Association
(PETA) Theater
Jose Joya Visual Arts
Eddie Romero Film
Juan S.P. Hidalgo, Jr. Literature
Sinala Subli Group Dance
Amal Lumuntod Music
Bienvenido Lumbera Cultural Research
Purita Kalaw-Ledesma Tanging Parangal
1992
Maniya Barredo Dance
Onofre Pagsanghan Theater
Genoveva Edroza-Matute Literature
Ramon Tapales Music
Ben Cabrera Visual Arts
Elena Gardoce Folk Music and Literature
Damiana Eugenio Cultural Research
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards
for Literature Tanging Parangal
1993
Ramon A. Obusan Dance
Dalisay J. Aldaba Music
Rolando S. Tinio Theater
Liwayway A. Arceo Literature
Antonio “Tony” Velasquez Visual Arts
Mary Walter Film
Gardeopatra G. Quijano Regional Literature
Samahang Nazareno Folk Theater
Cebuano Studies Center Cultural Research
1994
Rosalia Merino Santos Dance
Cecile Licad Music
Natividad Crame-Rogers Theater
Gregorio Brillantes Literature
Mauro Malang Santos Visual Arts
Anita Linda Film
Teresita V. Pil Dance
Gilda Cordero-Fernando
Publishing/Literature
Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc.
(Mowelfund) Tanging Parangal
1997
Corazon Iñigo Dance
Nena del Rosario Music
Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio Theater
Teodoro L. Hilado Technical Theater
Sining Kambayoka Regional Theater
Nicanor G. Tiongson
Outstanding Cultural Worker
National Music Competition for Young
Artists (NAMCYA) Tanging Parangal
2004
Eddie Elejar Dance
Ryan Cayabyab Music
Cecile Guidote Alvarez Theater
Peque Gallaga Film
Cheche Lazaro Broadcast Arts
Santiago Bosé Visual Arts
Rene O. Villanueva Literature
Francisco Mañosa Architecture
Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc.
Theater
Doreen G. Fernandez
Cultural Research and Education
Mindulani, Inc.
Cultural Research and Advocacy
Antonio O. Cojuangco Tanging Parangal
2008
Felicitas L. Radaic Dance
Gilopez Kabayao and Corazon Kabayao Music
Felix Monino S. Duque Theater
Francisco V. Coching Visual Arts
Malou L. Jacob Literature
Manuel Conde Film
Jose R. Moreno, Jr. Fashion Design
Rodrigo D. Perez III (Dom Bernardo Ma., OSB)
Cultural Work
Philippine Folk Dance Society Tanging Parangal
2012
Agnes Dakudao Locsin Dance
Ramon Pagayon Santos Music
Zeneida Amador Theater
Brenda V. Fajardo Visual Arts
Cirilo F. Bautista Literature
Rodolfo “Dolphy” V. Quizon
Film and Broadcast Arts
Florentino H. Hornedo Cultural Research
Silliman University National Writers Workshop
Tanging Parangal
2015
Denisa Garcia Reyes Dance
Fides Cuyugan-Asensio Music
Antonio O. Mabesa Theater
Roberto Chabet Visual Arts
Ricardo Lee Literature
Nora Villamayor a.k.a Nora Aunor
Film and Broadcast Arts
Paulo Alcazaren Architecture
Benjamin S. Farrales Fashion Design
Leoncio P. Deriada Literature
Talaandig School of Living Tradition
Cultural Work
Armida Ponce-Enrile Siguion-Reyna
Cultural Advocacy
Basilio Esteban Villaruz Cultural Research
Missionary Society of St. Columban
Tanging Parangal
15
Lualhati
Bautista
LITERATURE

17
 Citation

Lualhati Bautista, one of the foremost writers of our times, has a

body of work that is extraordinary. She has written steadfastly
for six decades and is known for her novels that indubitably
endure in the consciousness of the Filipino audience, especially
since most of these were also adapted for the theater, television,
and cinema.

For her novels and stories that did not falter in narrating the
arrests, torture, and salvaging or summary executions of those
who dared to oppose the dictatorship during the period of
martial law, when most of the writers were reluctant to discuss
the political situation for fear of reprisal from the military;

For what she has written from her heart and spirit, with a
benevolence that values others as human beings, with their
own identities and rights, regardless of class, religion, tribe, or
gender;

For her opuses which exhort us to respect and fight for the
rights of the weak, the voiceless, and the forsaken until there is
equality in society;

For her stories and novels that narrate the discrimination and
oppression of women who are subjected to the patriarchal
system that exists in all levels of society, from the government to
the workplaces, from the educational institutions to the families;

For her works which demonstrate that, no matter what

hardships her protagonists face in a cruel and abusive society,
they will eventually emerge triumphant in their own identities;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Lualhati Bautista

this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center
of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

18
 Pagkilala

Pambihira ang nilikhang mga akda ni Lualhati Bautista bilang

pangunahing manunulat sa ating panahon. Anim na dekada siyang
puspusang nagsulat, at nakilala sa kaniyang mga nobelang nagmarka
sa kamalayan ng mga mambabasang Pilipino, lalo na’t ang marami
rito’y naisalin din sa midyum ng tanghalan, telebisyon, at pelikula.

Para sa mga nobela at kuwento niyang hindi nangiming isiwalat ang

nangyayaring paghuli, pagtortyur, at pag-‘salvage’ sa mga lumalaban
sa diktadura sa panahon ng batas militar, nang ang karamihan ng
mga manunulat ay umiwas sa mga paksang politikal dahil sa takot sa
pandarahas ng militar;

Para sa mga isinulat niyang nagmumula sa puso’t diwang bukas, na

umuunawa sa kapwa bilang tao na may sariling pagkakakilanlan at
mga karapatan, anuman ang kaniyang uri, relihiyon, tribu, o kasarian;

Para sa kaniyang mga obra na nagtuturo sa ating igalang at patuloy

na ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mga mahihina, walang tinig, at inetsa-
puwera hangga’t walang pagkakapantay-pantay sa lipunan;

Para sa kaniyang mga kuwento at nobelang naglahad ng

diskriminasyon at opresyon na dinaranas ng kababaihan sa ilalim ng
isang sistemang patriyarkal, na umiiral sa lahat ng antas ng lipunan,
mula pamahalaan hanggang opisina, mula eskuwelahan hanggang
pamilya;

Para sa kaniyang mga akdang may lakip na pahiwatig na gaano man

kasama ang pinagdadaanan ng kaniyang mga tauhan sa lipunang
mabangis at mapang-api, magtatagumpay pa rin ang kanilang
pagkatao sa paglipas ng panahon;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Lualhati

Bautista ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong
Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

19
 Lualhati Bautista "e Ascendance
of Sovereign Selves in Fiction
Luna Sicat-Cleto

Her name, “Lualhati,” evokes divine tranquillity, a Tagalog word that is often associated
with ascendance and deep joy. In a sense, Lualhati Bautista has lived up to her name as
a major novelist and screenwriter.

She started writing fiction at sixteen years old, but her first major work was written
in 1980 when she was thirty-five. Gapô at isang puting Pilipino, sa mundo ng mga
Amerikanong kulay brown (Gapo and one white Filipino in a world of brown-skinned
Americans) was set in Olongapo in the 1980s. A marked territory of US naval and
military power, Gapô’s colloquial referencing also alludes to its unique spatial identity
and memory. It is an ostensive territorial space, and Bautista collocates this world
with PX stalls, beerhouses, imported cars, motels, massive residences for American
servicemen, shabby and poorly constructed apartments and shanties for Filipinos co-
existing with the military’s fort and practice areas. This world feels familiar and strange
with its cultural, linguistic, and political landscape and its collateral narrative. Much
of the action in Bautista’s novel happens at Freedom Pad, a pub where white, black
and brown males drink, dine, and shag. It is a false collective space as it favors only
those who can pay, and tip with green money. One notes the irony of the pub’s name.
“Freedom” in this pub translates into the liberty to engage in prostitution, racial violence,
crime and debauchery. As Bautista maps Olongapo, she inevitably reveals its racially
zoned areas. There are spaces where Caucasian and Black lives breathe parallel, each
minding their own and violently reacting to any intruder. Brown lives walk liminally
in and out of these zones. They exist in Olongapo as subordinates, menial workers,
20 prostitutes, casual companions, marginal gender identities, and forgotten Amerasians/
G.I. babies. In Gapô, the impermanence of peace, comfort, and wealth is relative to
the promise of permanent protection and patronage of the
Americans for the Filipinos, wherein the Filipino is eternally a
captive consumer of goods and ideologies that compromise
personal and national health. Clearly, Bautista undermines
the Filipino’s bedazzlement with the American dream as she
narrates through scenes and descriptions of how Filipinos are
disciplined and exploited within their own nation.

Protagonist Michael “Mike” Taylor Jr. is a folk musician that

has an unusual playlist of classic American rock and radical
songs disguised as music fillers, sung in the language that
is recognized by the brown lives that flock Freedom Pad. He
is also an Amerasian who abhors anyone that nurtures the
colonial mentality, which Magda represents. Mike’s dead
mother, Dolores, was an only friend and co-worker of Magda
in the flesh trade. Magda’s promise to Dolores stops her from
kicking Mike out of her house and her life, as she resents Desaparesidos
Mike’s intrusion into her dream of snagging an American
husband. Their brutally honest dialogue inside the apartment
demonstrates Bautista’s ability to narrate the plot while
interrogating the values and dreams associated with the green Cover of ‘Gapô, 2012
card. While the novel hints at the tragic lives led by Magda
and other devalued women within and without the naval
base, Magda and Mike’s toxic symbiosis symbolizes the very
same predicament of Filipinos living, and yet resenting, the
American neocolonial presence.

Gapô also addressed the complexity of Filipino and American

masculinities, while acknowledging that there are queer
identities around and within them. In Bautista’s rendition of
the Filipino macho, she created Modesto, a welder and family
man. Modesto is painfully aware of the unequal treatment and
wages of workers within the base. While he is allowed to enter
the fortified space of American power, he is never accepted as
an equal and as a man. It is a secret existence that must never
be revealed to anyone, especially his family. He consoles his
wounded masculinity with beer and conversations with Ali,
a transexual with whom he has casual sex. When Modesto’s
own son discovers his father’s depravation in his workspace,
this provokes Modesto’s violent reaction to an unaddressed
injury. He assaults an American soldier who bullies him while
on duty, and is killed instantly.
21
 Bautista’s ear for dialogue, combined with her visual
storytelling, accessible language, and wit makes
Gapô memorable, since it also questions the critical
implications of the country’s compromised sovereignty
in exchange for defense security.

Buoyed by her initial success, Bautista proceeded to

write another novel. Crafting Dekada ’70 (The 70’s) in
1982, she confronted the pressure to write an equally
good second novel after Gapô. This period would mark
her commitment to raise her stakes in storytelling and
narrative discourse but also to explore what it means
to be a woman under the intensifying economic, social
and political oppression of martial rule. Katrina Stuart
Santiago identifies this novel as arguably the “center”
of Bautista’s creative opus, since it has resided in
popular culture consciousness through its film and
Second edition cover of Dekada ’70, 2018 dramatic adaptations while surviving six decades and
seven presidents since its inception. Implicitly, that
translates into almost six generations of adults knowing about the work and reading it
intra-generationally (Stuart Santiago, 2020).

Bautista never expected Dekada’s massive success, since it came out in limited copies
from an independent publisher. Martial law was already in place when the book came
out in small and affordable editions. “With martial law, the Filipino would know the
sting of prison,” as Conrado de Quiros once quipped, but Bautista’s worst fear did not
materialize. The book’s signal—in its volatile and strongly defined arguments against
state repression—was not even picked up by the radar.

But for the many readers who consumed it, the novel was immediately identified as a
courageous text. Amanda Bartolome and her sons were read as believable, relatable
beings caught in the decade that has since been referred to as “the long 1970s.” As a
female protagonist, Amanda deviates from the usual representation of mothers as long-
suffering and voiceless (Reyes, 2018). Thelma Kintanar observed the synechdochic
representation of this middle class woman who began to question her class and her
self-worth in the process of raising her five sons. Embodied in Taglish speech and
musings, Amanda showed how thinking individuals would challenge the complexities
of pigeonholed maternal duties, a resistance that also enabled other readers to conjure
and recollect their own experience of double-sided standards of “good” and “duty”
which can compromise individual growth and political epiphanies. As always, Bautista
never fails to foreground the plot within the time frame and its context. Curfews, arrests,
scenes of torture, and all sorts of military ignominy were suggested and cinematically
rendered. Amanda’s sons also embodied the diverse trajectories of male modernity
22 and nation-sense: one child, Isagani, chose to migrate due to early marriage, while
the other two, Jules and Em, found themselves in the underground movement

BAUTISTA
and were eventually punished and tortured for their choice. After the death of
Em and Jules’ incarceration, Amanda’s family life was irrevocably shattered.
Suddenly, she had to revise what her life was all about. Conjecturing what
mourners may say of her so-called life, Amanda is horrified of their possible
summation: “Mag-uusap ang mga tao sa aking libing at sasabihin nila: siya’y
isang asawa at wala na. Wala na siyang nagawa sa mundong ito kundi mga
anak.” In retrospect, the novel becomes an artifact of that period as there were
many families who experienced the same pain and crisis, as there were many
mothers and wives who felt the pain and urgent need for purposiveness like
Amanda’s.

Bautista stylistically employs a transition chapter that tackles the historic

moment of the novel’s dramatic present. Thus, the reading experience
becomes a lesson in re-visioning the master narratives fed by solipsistic
and hagiographically written textbooks, including the nation’s state-run and
passive newspapers and other media. Through this re-visit, Bautista opens up
the possibility of viewing realist fiction as an alternative history that can be re-
told to empower, not subjugate, enlightened minds. Amanda is educated not Stella Cañete-
only by her sons, but also in her re-valuation of who she was and who she is Mendoza and other
actors in the banner
becoming. Thus, Bautista has articulated the importance of the notion of Self
of Dekada ‘70
as separate yet united with the whole, a prophetic re-visioning of how real and Musical, directed by
progressive families and selves are. Pat Valera, 2020

23
BAUTISTA Her third major work, Bulaklak sa City Jail, was originally written as a
screenplay in 1984. In an interview, Bautista shared the novel’s germinal idea
and how she found a way to interview actual inmates and immerse herself
in Muntinlupa as an observer (Sicat-Cleto, 2015). That immersion was a
priceless experience for her, and soon, she was able to reconstruct the setting
in the most visceral manner possible. As a novelist, Bautista’s descriptive and
narrative powers are deceptively simple, yet profoundly real. Documenting
the prison’s “arena” is a feat by itself: Bautista noted not just the poor cheap
rations or the unhygienic toilets or sleeping quarters but also the vulgarity
and evidence of contraband activity and side hustles in sex and crime. Each
inmate character of Bulaklak is a person, a being defined by abject poverty,
neglect by family and institutions, marginalized by class, with minimal
prospects of a future once inside the prison space. While they are indexed as
prostitutes, petty thieves, drug addicts, disobedient juvies, gang leaders, and
lesbians in the prison book, they are also lovers, wives, daughters, aunts, and
mothers. Various incidents are within the plot, including a “health inspection”
initiation ritual, a prison riot, an ill-fated sexual relation that ends in suicide, the
protagonist’s giving birth in a charity ward. In its telling, the work manages to
infuse these heavy episodes with humor and even tender moments, especially
when describing how Angela Guiterrez’ newborn had affected the brusque
Nora Aunor in the and rough character of these women.
film adaptation of
Bulaklak sa City
Jail, directed by Every novel, screenplay and teleplay of Bautista felt real because it came
Mario O’Hara, 1984 from something personal. Everything has to come from that space, and the
writer must be able to love the characters she had created
for the readers to love them in return. That was how Bautista
explained her ability in writing fiction. In 1974, Bautista’s
husband was captured by the military and its timing could
not have been more absurd: the country was hosting the
Miss Universe pageant. As the judges searched for the “most
beautiful” woman in the world, Bautista saw for herself the
grotesque ugliness of the conjugal dictatorship when her
husband was released but now physically, emotionally, and
mentally changed. This experience validated her belief that a
writer must always have the courage to ask questions and to
call out the abuse of those in power. This juncture also pushed
her to lead her own life. “I was married to an activist who was
later a political detainee. I went underground with him for a
short period but decided to come back to the city. First and
foremost, because the movement was his life, not mine. I could
not live somebody else’s life” (Bautista, as quoted in Stuart
Santiago, 2020).

Bata, Bata... Paano Ka Ginawa? shares the same strong

woman prototype as Dekada’s. This narrative project revolves
around the idea of family and motherhood, thrown in with First edition cover of
questions about reproductive rights, and debates about Bulaklak sa City Jail, 2006
privilege. As a single mother, Lea is to defy narrow-minded
views about what a real mother does and how she should
behave. She attends her children’s PTA meetings like a female
gladiator, prepared for its blows centered on her morality
and upbringing. Exposing the flaws behind the ideological
state apparatus, Bautista echoed much of what the major
intellectuals have long observed about the twisted pedagogy
that comes from enslaved minds running the educational
systems. Assumed patriarchal order as defined in surnames
that women would submit to is another running motif, as Lea’s
children are questioned for their having different surnames
and different fathers. Lea is also a working mother that has
discovered the pains and joys of having an income while being
challenged with the guilt of “neglecting” her children.

Bautista’s brilliance as a novelist comes from her ability to

critique institutions, common everyday gestures, tasks, and
perceptions filtered through a narrative voice that is disarming
in its honesty. She designed the book-ends of Bata, Bata
in a manner that initiates the reader into walking through
an ordinary school event: a beauty and talent contest for its 25
BAUTISTA schoolchildren. Thus, she exposes the competitive nature of parents; imposing their
character, their dreams, their delusions, on their offspring. It is comic and pathetic to
finally see through all that masquerade of mini-selves aiming to please the crowd but
forgetting to please their own selves and their rights as persons. Using the third person
point of view, Bautista’s aesthetic choice minimizes the sentimental and didactic strain
of Lea Bustamante’s clearly intelligent and outspoken brain.

She also avoided the default of making the novel an ordinary journey of motherhood
by meditating about childhood’s major role in fomenting a person’s integrity. Thus,
Lea’s children are just as important. In one scene, Bautista allows us to listen to Lea’s
thoughts as she plays the internal tug-of-war with her son who contemplates leaving
Lea and migrating to the U.S. to be with his biological father. There’s an interplay of
nonchalance and clinginess that captures the human moment of these characters, the
tug-of-war that is implicit in any ties of love. Finally, Bautista delivers the political into
the personal. Logically, a woman like Lea Bustamante values her time, her body, her
energies and her rights, and that value-system must translate into a refreshing spirit
and a critical self. Thus, it is not surprising to see her political beliefs in action, her
actual immersion in the Lakbayan rally of 1984 that was meant to show the Marcos
regime that there is a mass base that is resistant and aware of the evils of salvagings,
corruption, and plunder. Even Lea’s views on love and her decision to have closure with
her former lover becomes political, and highlights an important insight about Bautista’s
brand of feminism: it was never anti-male nor is it espousing simple polyamory. It was
always about the search for a higher love and a personhood that cares for the larger
community. Told with humor and guts, Bata Bata ends with Lea Bustamante speaking
in her child’s graduation rites. It is the final validation from society’s prime example of
an institution, an institution that earlier had dismissed
her as overtly liberal, a bad mother and a woman
with a loud mouth that must be silenced. After the
undeniable success of the filmic adaptations of her
works which garnered major awards from various film
festivals, Bautista’s reputation as screen-writer was
even more highlighted when Bata, Bata was chosen
as the country’s official entry to the prestigious Oscar
Awards in 2003.

Much of what Bautista has produced novelistically

Cover of Bata, Bata... Pa’no Ka Ginawa?, 1991
can easily be adapted into the big screen. And much
of what she wrote for television and cinema can be
translated into prose. Her literary corpus is testament
to that virtuosity. In 2019, for example, she produced
Bayan Ko!, a collection of lengthy short stories (or
novellas) culled from her teleplays. “Giyera” features
the fateful years of the second world war. Bautista
re-formulated the romance genre by focusing on
the implications of a marriage of convenience between two people engaged Serena Dalrymple
to other lovers: an American soldier for Ising, and Rosa for Julio. It is a union and Vilma Santos in
the film adaptation
meant to buffer the possibility of Ising’s abduction and rape by Japanese of Bata, Bata... Pa’no
soldiers. Short as it is, the text is voicing several ideas about the validity of Ka Ginawa?, directed
desire and true companionship as a necessary ingredient in marriage. by Chito S. Roño,
1998
Another piece, “Ang Pag-ibig Ay Isang Tula,” was originally written for the
television series Mama in 1991, and was directed by Mario O’Hara. Although
Bautista did not reveal the source of inspiration for Julia’s character, two women
writers from the 19th century may be interpellated: Magdalena Jalandoni who
wrote prodigiously in Hiligaynon and Leona Florentino, an Ilokana poet who
was also the mother of folklorist and revolutionary Isabelo delos Reyes. The
story revolves around Julia, a young poet whose initiation into adulthood was
an early marriage, a decision made by her father to curb her precocity and
love for poetry. True to the period’s medieval outlook is the dominant fear of
outspoken females, and true to the novelist’s modern sensibility is the infusion
of that defining trait of any Bautista protagonist: a sense of self and a strong
decisive core. Again, the narrative voice is questioning the feudal structure
evident in any hacienda household. Once Julia becomes starkly aware of her
privilege as a principalia woman that patronizes servitude in a person that is
of a similar age yet born of constant need and lack, she frees her housemaid
from slavery, a decision that ends her marriage and her former life. While the
work reads like a young adult novel, “Ang Pag-ibig Ay Isang Tula” is also a
well-made piece of historical fiction as it cleverly infuses sharp commentaries
27
BAUTISTA
Teetin Villanueva in the theater
adaptation of Desaparesidos,
directed by Guelan Varela-Luarca,
2018; second edition cover of
Desaparesidos, 2018
about feudal structures in strategic places, to emphasize
the gap between classes and the inhuman dimension
of polo y servicios, among other indicators of colonial
rule.
Meanwhile, “Panakot-Uwak” takes its cue from the
predatory sexual habits of the fraile under the guise of
confessional routines. Originally drafted as an episode
for Maalala Mo Kaya, it was a script intended for the
celebration of Araw ng Kalayaan, and was directed
by Olivia Lamasan. Panakot-uwak is also the Tagalog
term for scarecrow. Set in the Spanish colonial period,
the rebellion that is simmering in the fallow lands
abandoned by most indios and cared for by the left-
behind wives and mothers is felt by its protagonist,
Martina. Martina’s interior monologue about the
birds, the abandoned fields and straw figures reveal
a consciousness that is cognizant of the colonial
order and the scarecrow is actually the frailty of the
religious order and monastic rule. The action begins
when Ramon, Martina’s son, comes home and tells his
mother that he is accused of theft by Padre Rodriguez.
Strong-willed Martina identifies the colonial abuse but
doesn’t quake in confronting it, even if she knows the
resistance would not be easy. To protect her son from a
possible fatal beating (a speculative link to Crispin’s fate in Rizalian discourse), Martina

BAUTISTA
accepts the friar’s violation, because the friar promised that her husband would be
exempt from forced labor. However, Martina is wise enough to know that this padre’s
secret lechery will be his undoing. Bautista constructed a revised, typical character in
this typical narrative of a collusion between colonialism and repressive morality by
constructing Martina as a sovereign agent, and the climactic last chapter proves that,
when she initiates a fire that not only kills the friar, but the secret between them and the
church itself.

In “Sayaw sa Kalayaan”, Bautista strategically revisits the historic St. Louis World’s Fair
Expedition and transports us to the originary moment of seduction when the indigenous
tribes of the Philippines were approached by the Americans to lure them to come to the
U.S. Obviously the agenda of using these tribes as objects of display and proof of colonial
superiority was well-hidden. The colonial seduction of American benevolence and
infrastructural aspirations like new roads and public schools captured the vulnerablity
of these Filipinos who were eager for these engagements of egalitarian progress and
fraternity. By shifting the focalization to the male native and indigenous consciousness,
embodied by the Igorot tribesman Lawagan, Bautista is raising her stakes in gendered
and political storytelling. The national intelligentsia is cleverly hidden in the guise of
an enlightened brown priest who reveals to Lawagan the true motives of their new
“friend” Sir Tyrone. As the novella ends with Lawagan escaping to the mountains
to warn his fellow Igorots of the trap that is in store, the narrative becomes a bold
speculation of an alternative journey: what if these tribes did escape the World’s Fair?
Would Lawagan succeed in this crusade? Bautista’s knowledge of history resolves this
imaginative dilemma. She closes the novella with a commentary about the sad fate
of the indigenuous tribes that were forcibly displayed in the fair: treated like animals,
ogled at like exotica.

Her fourth novel, Desaparesidos, is an adaptation from her prize-winning screenplay

for the National Centennial Literary Contest in 1998. It is a novel that ties the
autonomous will among its activist characters, and how it confronts the horrors of
torture, betrayal, and loss within their own ranks. To read Desaparesidos is to read
and search for, the disappeared (and unvoiced) stories of the missing. It is Lualhati
Bautista’s most ambitious novelistic project to date, because it attempts to record the
struggle of freedom fighters who found themselves struck in the worst period of their
political commitment. Raissa Robles, author of Marcos Martial Law Never Again
sums up the experience of torture of the kadres as “more than just undirected, mindless
brutality, although it was bestial, sadistic and vicious enough” (Robles, 2017:82). It was
a deliberate policy meant to stifle the opposition, and it cost the lives of the best and the
brightest of that generation in the likes of Lorena Barros, Emman Lacaba, Liliosa Hilao,
and countless youths. As a state-controlled mechanism, torture weaponized electrodes,
ropes, syringes, guns and blindfolds, transforming isolated bodegas as theaters of
cruelty, and burnings of entire villages to purge the insurgents within became common
practice. This is the historical context, and also the arena of Jinky, Karla, Roy, and Anna, 29
BAUTISTA who were caught in the maelstorm of tactical interrogations and summary executions.
Jinky was the weakest link among the four, as he temporarily escaped further torture at
the hands of the military, by squealing on his comrade’s locations, thus destroying their
bond in the struggle.

The novel’s crux lies in the decision of Anna to surrender her infant daughter to the
then pregnant Karla, trusting that somehow, they would be reunited in a more stable
time. But Karla disappeared just when Anna and Roy were caught, tortured, and
consequentially detained. Twenty-one years later, Anna and Roy found themselves
together, as the Aquino government of 1986 freed all the political prisoners. The couple
strove to be normal, but were always hounded by their respective traumas, even in their
usual office work of seeking reparations for other human rights victims in the NGO they
work for. Bautista introduced the adolescent daughter Lorie into the domestic picture
of this family. Lorie, like her parents, also suffered a parallel trauma as an adoptee
daughter of families within the revolutionary ranks.

Like an epic chanter, Bautista makes use of repetitive lines that serve as memory cues
to the journey of this family, cleverly suturing the past and the future of their irreversible
psychological scars. The home of Anna and Roy may be their sanctuary, but even that
space can transform into the demonic torture chambers they escaped from. In an
uncanny way, they became the jailers of their own daughter Lorie, who had to point
out, quite painfully, that she is also a casualty of her parents’ trauma, as they never truly
trusted the sanctity and protection of their home because of their unvansquished fear
of military violation. Rest and peace are impossible because they are always haunted
by Malaya’s disappearance and their own vanishment as stable human beings. The
novel’s climax is located in the confrontation and reunion of Anna, Karla, and Roy as
they re-process the events that led to the disappearance of Anna’s child and Roy’s
decision to execute Jinky in the name of the revolution. Bautista echoes the very same
scene of Karla’s narrow escape and how she was ironically saved by a soldier who
gave her blood. This reunion is also a necessary scene of forgiveness, as each character
re-creates the pain and hurt of their ordeal.

Here, we must agree to a perceptive observation made by Katrina Stuart Santiago about
Bautista’s singular storytelling: she is an important voice because she had the courage
to ask the questions that needed to be asked through her characters in a specific
time-space collocation. But more than that, she encourages us to assert our rights for
a dialogue, for a discussion that “prods us out of the safety of our own echo chambers.”
Hers is a voice that has magnanimity and generosity, while holding on to her political
convictions and values of sense of self, sense of family, and sense of community.

Indeed, Lualhati Bautista is a harbinger of conceptual and ideological lualhati: she

allows us to engage in her honest meditations of modernity, of feminine and masculine
identities, of racial and gender diversity, of the need to assert our rights for the better, if
30 not thoughtfully written stories that come from us, from who we truly are, as people, as
selves. All her narratives have that cathartic spark of agency,
once the reader realizes how enmeshed we truly are with the
political decisions of our governing body. Our personal lives
have the potential to subvert these decisions, once they harm
our freedom and our sense of the sovereign located within
our own. Lualhati Bautista’s literary assertions came from her
sincere belief in one’s basic right of freedom of speech. That
indeed has brought us joy and sublime admiration for her
voice.

References
De Quiros, Conrado. 1997. Dead Aim: How Marcos
Ambushed Philippine Democracy. Foundation For
Worldwide People Power.

Kintanar, Thelma B. 2008. “Towards the New Filipina:

Filipina Women Novelists and Their Novels,” Her Story:
Women’s Narratives in Modern Southeast Asian Writing.
Anvil Publishing, pp. 80-119.

Reyes, Soledad S. 2003. Rosario De Guzman Lingat, 1924-

1997: The Burden of Self and History. Ateneo de Manila
University Press.

Robles, Raissa. 2016. Marcos Martial Law Never Again:

A Brief History of Torture and Atrocity under the New
Society. Filipinos For A Better Philippines.

Sicat-Cleto, Luna. 2011. “Pagluluwal ng Buhay, Panulat,

Pighati, Laban: Isang Panayam Kay Lualhati Bautista,”
Likhaan Journal of Philippine Contemporary Literature,
Vol.5, pp. 259-283.

Stuart Santiago, Katrina. 2020. “From Martial Law to

Covid-19, Lualhati Bautista remains an important
voice.” May 5. https://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/
literature/2020/5/5/lualhati-bautista.html.

Tadiar, Neferti X.M. 2009. “Women Alone,” Things Fall Away.

University of the Philippines Press, pp. 72-77.

Tolentino, Rolando B. 2008. “Dogeating Dogeaters: Abjection

in Philippine Colonial and Neocolonial Discourse,” Covers of Ang Kabilang
Philippine Studies: Have We Gone Beyond St. Louis, Panig ng Bakod, 2005; Hugot
sa Sinapupunan, 2004; and
Priscelina Patajo Legasto, ed. UP Press, pp. 665-682. Desisyon, 2005
 Lualhati Bautista Ang Pag-ahon
ng Malalayang Sarili sa Pagkathâ
Luna Sicat-Cleto
Salin ni Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez

Ang kaniyang pangalan, “Lualhati” ay nagpapahiwatig ng banal na kapayapaan,

salitang Tagalog na malimit iniuugnay sa pag-ahon at lubos na ligaya. Masasabi nga
na isinabuhay ni Lualhati Bautista ang kaniyang pangalan bilang batikang manunulat
ng nobela at pelikula.

Nagsimula siyang kumatha noong labing-anim na taóng gulang siya, ngunit ang
una niyang mahalagang akda ay isinulat niya noong 1980 nang siya ay tatlumpu’t
lima na. Ang Gapô at isang puting Pilipino, sa mundo ng mga Amerikanong kulay
brown ay tungkol sa Olongapo noong 1980s. Bilang kilalang teritoryo ng puwersang
militar at hukbong-pandagat ng U.S., ang kolokyal na turing sa Gapô ay tumutukoy din
sa natatanging identidad at gunita ng lugar o espasyong ito. Pinunô ni Bautista ang
mundong ito ng tindahan ng mga PX, beerhouse, imported na mga sasakyan, motel,
malalaking bahay para sa mga Amerikanong serviceman, hamak at mabuway na mga
apartment at barong-barong ng mga Filipino na kasabay na umiiral sa kampo at lugar
na pinagsasanayan ng militar. Ang mundong ito ay pamilyar ngunit iba dahil sa kultura,
wika, at pampolitikang katangian at kaakibat na naratibo nito. Karamihan sa aksiyon sa
nobela ni Bautista ay naganap sa Freedom Pad, lugar kung saan umiinom, kumakain, at
sumasayaw ang mga lalaking puti, itim, at kayumanggi. Huwad na kolektibong espasyo
iyon dahil kinikilala lámang nito ang may kakayahang magbayad at magbigay ng tip
gamit ang green money. Pansinin ang parikala sa pangalan ng pub. Ang “Freedom” sa
pub na ito ay nangangahulugang kalayaan na lumahok sa prostitusyon, at karahasang
may kinalaman sa lahi, krimen, at kabulukan.

Habang iminamapa ni Bautista ang Olongapo, hindi maiiwasang mailantad ang mga
lugar na itinakda para sa partikular na lahi lámang. May mga espasyo na sabay na
nabubuhay ang mga Puti at Itim, walang pakialamanan at marahas na tumutugon
kapag may nanghimasok. Ang mga kayumanggi ay labas-masok sa mga lugar na ito.
Nabubuhay sila sa Olongapo bilang tauhan, manggagawa, puta, kaswal na kasama,
32 may ibang kasarian, at nalimutang Amerasians/G.I. babies. Sa Gapô, ang pagiging
pansamantala ng kapayapaan, kaginhawahan, at kayamanan
ay nakasalalay sa pangako ng permanenteng proteksiyon
at tangkilik ng mga Amerikano sa mga Pilipino, na ang mga
Pilipino ay lagi na lamang tagakonsumo ng mga kalakal at
ideolohiya na di makabubuti sa personal at pambansang
kalusugan. Malinaw na sinisira ni Bautista ang pagkahumaling
ng mga Pilipino sa American dream habang isinasalaysay
niya sa pamamagitan ng mga eksena at paglalarawan
kung paanong ang mga Pilipino ay pinarurusahan at
pinagsasamantalahan sa kanilang sariling bayan.

Musikero o folk musician ang bidang si Michael “Mike”

Taylor Jr. na may di-pangkaraniwang playlist ng klasikong
American rock at mga kantang radikal na disimuladong
music fillers, na inaawit niya sa wikang naiintindihan ng mga
kayumangging pumupunta sa Freedom Pad. Amerasian rin
siya na namumuhi sa sinumang may kolonyal na mentalidad,
na kinakatawan ni Magda. Ang namatay nang ina ni Mike
na si Dolores ang tanging kaibigan ni Magda, na isa ring Ikalawang edisyong pabalat ng
‘Gapô, 2018
puta. Nangako si Magda kay Dolores at iyon ang pumipigil sa
kaniya na palayasin sa kaniyang bahay at búhay si Mike, dahil
pinakikialaman nito ang kaniyang pangarap na makapag-
asawa ng Amerikano. Sa pagtatampok ng prangkang usapan
nila sa kanilang apartment naipapakita ang kakayahan
ni Bautista na isalaysay ang banghay ng kuwento habang
sinisiyasat ang mga halagahan at pangarap na kaugnay ng
green card. Mahihiwatigan sa nobela ang malungkot na búhay
nina Magda at iba pang babaeng nawalan ng halaga sa loob
at labas ng base militar, kaya ang nakalalasong symbiosis
nina Magda at Mike ay larawan ng parehong kalagayan
ng mga Pilipino na isinasabuhay, ngunit ikinayayamot, ang
neokolonyal na pagkagapos sa mga Amerikano.

Tinalakay ng Gapô ang kasalimuotan ng pagkalalaki ng

Pilipino at Amerikano, habang kinikilala na may mga
pagkatáong queer sa paligid at sa loob ng mga ito. Itinanghal
ni Bautista ang Filipino macho sa pamamagitan ng paglikha
kay Modesto, isang welder at haligi ng tahanan. Batid na
batid ni Modesto ang di-pantay na trato at suweldo sa mga
manggagawa sa base militar. Kahit pinahihintulutan siyang
pumasok sa bantay-saradong espasyo ng kapangyarihan ng
Amerikano, hindi siya tanggap kailanman bilang kapantay at 33
 bilang tao. Lihim itong hindi dapat malaman ng iba, lalo na
ng kaniyang pamilya. Inaalo niya ang kaniyang nasugatang
pagkalalaki sa pamamagitan ng alak at pakikipag-usap
kay Ali, isang transexual na kaswal niyang katalik. Nang
matuklasan ng sariling anak ni Modesto ang pang-aapi sa
kaniya sa kaniyang trabaho, nagbunsod ito ng marahas na
reaksiyon sa di-natugunang atraso sa kaniya. Inatake niya
ang mismong Amerikanong sundalo na nambu-bully sa
kaniya sa trabaho, na siya niyang ikinamatay.

Nagsanib sa panulat ni Bautista ang husay ng dayalog,

matingkad na pagkukuwento, madaling maintindihang
wika, at talas ng isip, kung kaya’t kumakatkat sa diwa
ang Gapô; sinisiyasat din nito ang matinding implikasyon
ng nakompromisong kasarinlan ng bansa kapalit ng
seguridad sa depensa.

Pagkaraan ng naunang tagumpay, sinimulang isulat ni

Bautista ang isa pang nobela. Nang isinulat niya ang
Pabalat ng Dekada ’70, 1991 Dekada ’70 noong 1982, hinarap niya ang matinding
hamong makalikha ng isa pang nobela na kasing-husay
ng Gapô. Panulukan ang panahong ito sa kaniyang buhay-
panulat, itinatakda hindi lámang ng kaniyang sariling kapasiyahan na itaas ang
antas ng kalidad ng kaniyang pagsasalaysay at diskursong pasalaysay, kundi pati na
ang pananaliksik sa kahulugan ng pagiging babae habang umiigting ang paniniil sa
ekonomiya, lipunan, at pulitika sa panahon ng batas militar. Tinukoy ni Katrina Stuart
Santiago ang nobelang Dekada ‘70 na “sentro” ng malikhaing opus ni Bautista dahil
kumintal ito sa kamalayan ng kulturang popular sa pamamagitan ng adaptasyon nito
sa pelikula at drama, at patuloy na umiral sa loob ng anim na dekada at pitong pangulo
mula nang ito ay likhain. Kilala ang kaniyang akda ng halos anim na henerasyon ng
mga mamamayan, binasa ito ng magkakasunod at iba’t ibang henerasyon. (Stuart
Santiago, 2020).

Hindi inaasahan ni Bautista ang labis na tagumpay ng Dekada dahil limitado lámang
ang kopyang inilabas ng independiyenteng tagapaglathala nito. Martial law na nang
inilathala ang libro sa edisyong manipis at mura. Nasabi minsan ni Conrado de Quiros
na “With martial law, the Filipino would know the sting of prison,” (Sa batas militar,
naranasan ng mga Pilipino ang kamandag ng kulungan), ngunit hindi nangyari ang
kinatatakutan ni Bautista. Ang signal ng libro—ang malalakas na argumento nito laban
sa panunupil ng estado—ay ni hindi man lang napansin.

Ngunit para sa karamihang nakabasa nito, agad nilang kinilala ang nobela na
mapangahas at matapang na teksto. Si Amanda Bartolome at ang kaniyang mga
34 anak ay kapani-paniwala at madaling magkaroon ng kaugnayan sa kanila; sila’y
mga tauhang nabuhay sa binansagang “napakahabang 1970s.” Bilang

BAUTISTA
bidang babae, sinasalungat ni Amanda ang karaniwang paglalarawan sa
mga ina na matiisin at walang tinig (Reyes, 2018). Bilang representasyon ng
middle class, tinukoy ni Thelma Kintanar na pinahihiwatig rin ng tauhan ang
pagkuwestiyon mismo ng babaeng middle class sa kaniyang uri at sariling
halaga habang pinagdaraanan ang proseso ng pagpapalaki sa kaniyang
limang anak. Gaya ng masisipat sa Taglish na pananalita at pagninilay,
ipinamalas ni Amanda kung paano hamunin ng nag-iisip na indibidwal ang
salimuot ng mga tungkulin ng isang ina, isang pagtutol na umaakay sa mga
mambabasa na isipin at alalahanin ang kanilang sariling danas kaugnay
ng pamantayang doble-karang pakahulugan ng “mabuti” at “tungkulin,”
na maaaring magkompromiso sa pag-unlad at kabatirang pampolitika ng
indibidwal.

Gaya ng lagi niyang ginagawa, ang banghay o balangkas ng nobela ay

nakapaloob sa panahon at konteksto nito. Sa paraang sinematiko ipinahiwatig
at inilarawan ang mga curfew, pag-aresto, eksena ng tortyur, at lahat ng klase
ng pang-aabuso ng militar. Kinatawan din ng mga anak ni Amanda ang
magkakaibang tunguhin ng pagiging makabago ng pagkalalaki at kahulugan Behn Cervantes
at Vilma Santos
ng pagkabansa: pinili ni Isagani na mangibang-bansa dahil maagang nag- sa adaptasyong
asawa, samantalang ang dalawa pa, sina Jules at Em ay natagpuan ang pampelikula ng
kanilang mga sarili sa lihim na kilusan (underground movement) at kalaunan Dekada ’70, 2002

35
BAUTISTA ay pinarusahan at tinortyur dahil sa kanilang mga pasiya. Pagkaraang
mamatay ni Em at makulong ni Jules, tuluyan nang nawasak ang buhay
pamilya ni Amanda. Bigla, kinailangan niyang baguhin ang kaniyang búhay.
Habang iniisip kung ano ang posibleng sasabihin ng mga naglalamay tungkol
sa kaniyang búhay, nasindak si Amanda sa posibleng lagom nila: “Mag-uusap
ang mga tao sa aking libing at sasabihin nila: siya’y isang asawa at wala na.
Wala na siyang nagawa sa mundong ito kundi mga anak.” Sa pagbabalik-
tanaw sa dekadang iyon, ang nobela ay naging artifact ng panahon kung
kailan naranasan ng maraming pamilya ang gayon ding pighati at krisis,
dahil maraming ina at asawang nakaramdam ng sakít at mahigpit na
pangangailangang magkaroon ng silbi, gaya ng naramdaman ni Amanda.

Malikhain ang paggamit ni Bautista ng transition chapter o kabanata na

tumatalakay sa makasaysayang sandali ng dramatikong kasalukuyan ng
nobela. Sa gayon, ang karanasan sa pagbabasa nito ay balik-aral, isang
muling-pagsipat ng mga makapangyarihang naratibo na pinagtitibay ng
mga teksbuk na may layong ekslusibo’t tutok lang sa ilang indibiduwal, pati
na ng mga pasibong pahayagan at iba pang media na pinatatakbo ng estado.
Nora Aunor, Sa pamamagitan ng ganitong muling pagsipat, binubuksan ni Bautista ang
Gina Alajar, at posibilidad na ituring ang makatotohanang katha (realist fiction) bilang
Mitch Valdez sa alternatibo at mapagpalayang kasaysayan na maaaring muling isinasalaysay
adaptasyong
pampelikula ng upang bigyang-kapangyarihan, at hindi supilin ang mga naliwanagang
Bulaklak sa City kaisipan. Natuto si Amanda hindi lang sa itinuro ng kaniyang mga anak, kundi
Jail, 1984 pati na sa muling pagpapahalaga sa kung sino siya at kung ano ang kaniyang

36
nagiging pagkatao. Sa gayon, tinalakay ni
Bautista ang halaga ng ideya ng Sarili bilang
hiwalay ngunit kaisa ng kabuuan, isang
propetikong muling pagsipat sa kung paano
nagiging totoo at progresibo ang mga sarili at
mga pamilya.

Naunang isinulat bilang dulang pampelikula

noong 1984 ang kaniyang pangatlong
pangunahing akda, ang Bulaklak sa
City Jail. Sa isang interbyu, ibinahagi ni
Bautista ang binhing ideya ng nobela at
kung paano siya nakahanap ng paraan
upang makapanayam ang mga aktuwal na
bilanggo at lumubog o mag-immerse sa
Muntinlupa bilang tagamasid (Sicat-Cleto,
2011). Napakahalagang karanasan para
sa kaniya ng nasabing pakikipamuhay at
nagawa niyang buuing muli ang gayong
tagpuan sa pinakamakatotohanang paraan.
Bilang nobelista, ang kakayahan ni Bautista sa
paglalarawan at pagsasalaysay ay tila simple
lámang, ngunit napakalalim ng pag-uugat sa Poster ng restored na Bulaklak Sa City Jail, 1984
pagiging tunay at totoo.

Tagumpay na mismo ang pagdodokumento pa lámang ng “arena” ng

bilangguan: naitala ni Bautista hindi lámang ang mumurahíng rasyon o ang
maruruming palikuran o tulugán, kundi pati na ang bulgar at ebidensiya ng
mga gawaing ipinagbabawal at mga galawang kaugnay ng sex at krimen.

Tao ang bawat presong tauhan sa Bulaklak, hinubog ng matinding kahirapan,

ng pagpapabaya ng pamilya at ng mga institusyon, api dahil sa uri, at may
napakaliit na pag-asang magkaroon ng kinabukasan kapag nasadlak sa
bilangguan. Bagama’t sila ay tinutukoy sa libro ng bilangguan bilang mga
puta, magnanakaw, adik, pasaway na batang hamog, lider ng mga gang, at
lesbiyana; sila rin ay mga kasintahan, asawa, anak, tiya, at ina. Iba’t ibang
pangyayari ang nakapaloob sa kuwento, kabilang na ang “health inspection,”
ritwal ng initiation, riot sa kulungan, sinawimpalad na relasyong seksuwal na
nauwi sa pagpapakamatay, at ang panganganak ng bida sa charity ward. Sa
pagsasalaysay, nagawa ng akda na haluan ng katatawanan ang mabibigat
na eksena at maging ang mga eksenang may kurot sa puso, lalo na sa
paglalarawan kung ano ang epekto ng bagong-silang na sanggol ni Angela
Gutierrez sa brusko at magaspang na pagkatao ng mga babaeng ito.
37
 Bawat nobela, dulang pampelikula, at dulang pantelebisyon ni Bautista
ay totoong-totoo dahil halaw ito sa karanasang personal. Nagmumula
sa naturang espasyo ang lahat, at kinakailangang mahalin ng
manunulat ang mga tauhang nilikha niya para mahalin din sila ng
mga mambabasa. Ganiyan ipinaliwanag ni Bautista ang kaniyang
kakayahan sa pagkathâ.

Noong 1974, hinuli ng mga militar ang asawa ni Bautista at

napakaabsurdo ng tiyempong iyon: ginaganap rin sa bansa noon
ang Miss Universe pageant. Habang kinikilatis ng mga hurado ang
“pinakamagandang” babae sa mundo, natambad kay Bautista ang
masahol na kapangitan ng conjugal dictatorship nang palayain ang
kaniyang asawang ibang-iba na ang pangangatawan, damdamin, at
pati na ang isipan.

Pinagtibay ng ganitong karanasan ang kaniyang paniniwala na ang

manunulat ay dapat laging may tapang na magtanong at punahin ang
pagmamalabis ng mga makapangyarihan. Itinulak siya ng yugtong
ito upang tahakin ang kaniyang sariling landas. “Aktibista ang aking
Pabalat ng Bata, Bata... asawa na kalaunan ay naging political detainee. Nag-underground
Paano Ka Ginawa? ako kasama siya sa maikling panahon ngunit nagpasiyang bumalik
The Screenplay, 1997 sa lungsod. Una at pinakapangunahin, dahil ang kilusan ay búhay niya,
hindi akin. Hindi ko káyang isabuhay ang búhay ng iba.” (“I was married
to an activist who was later a political detainee. I went underground
with him for a short period but decided to come back to the city. First
and foremost, because the movement was his life, not mine. I could not
live somebody else’s life.”)[ Stuart Santiago, 2020.]

Sa Bata, Bata... Paano Ka Ginawa? makikita rin ang prototayp ng

malakas na babae, gaya ng makikita sa Dekada. Ang proyektong ito ay
pagsasalaysay na umiinog sa ideya ng pamilya at pagiging ina, kasama
na ang mga tanong tungkol sa reproductive rights, at debate hinggil
sa pribilehiyo. Bilang single mother, tila nag-iisa si Lea sa kaniyang
pagnanais na salungatin ang makikitid na opinyon o saloobin hinggil
sa kung ano dapat ang ginagawa ng isang tunay na ina at kung paano
dapat siya kumilos.

Dumadalo siya sa mga PTA meeting ng kaniyang mga anak na

parang babaeng mandirigma, handang salagin ang mga pag-atake
sa kaniyang moralidad at pagpapalaki sa kaniyang mga anak. Sa
paglalantad ng mga kahinaan ng ideyolohikong aparato ng estado,
isinalaysay muli ni Bautista ang matagal nang naobserbahan ng
mga pangunahing intelektuwal hinggil sa baluktot na pedagohiyang
38 nagmumula sa nilupig na isipan ng mga nagpapatakbo ng sistemang
pang-edukasyon. Ang minanang kaayusang patriyarkal na makikita
sa mga apelyido na kailangang tanggapin ng mga babae ay isa pang

BAUTISTA
palagiang paksa, gaya nang tanungin ang mga anak ni Lea kung bakit
magkaiba ang kanilang mga apelyido at kung bakit magkaiba ang
kanilang mga ama. Working mother din si Lea at nabatid niya ang mga
sakit at ligayang kaakibat ng pagkakaroon ng kita habang inuusig ng
konsiyensiya o pagsisisi dahil sa “pagpapabaya” sa kaniyang mga anak.

Ang husay ni Bautista bilang nobelista ay nakaugat sa kaniyang

kakayahang punahin ang mga institusyon, mga pang-araw-araw na
kilos, gawain, at persepsiyon na sinalà sa pamamagitan ng naratibong
tinig na nakakahalina ang katapatan. Nilikha niya ang punò’t dulo ng
Bata, Bata sa paraang mararanasan ng mambabasa na masaksihan
ang isang ordinaryong pangyayari sa eskuwelahan: isang beauty at
talent contest ng mga batang mag-aaral. Sa gayon, naisiwalat niya ang
kalikasan ng mga magulang na makipagpaligsahan at ipaako ang Albert Martinez,
kanilang pagkatao, mga pangarap, at mga kahibangan sa kanilang Vilma Santos, Serena
mga anak. Nakatatawa ngunit nakalulungkot na makita sa wakas, na Dalrymple, at Carlo
ang lahat ng pagbabalatkayo ng mga munting sarili ay naglalayon na Aquino sa adaptasyong
pampelikula ng Bata,
mapasaya ang mga manonood ngunit nakalimutang pasayahin ang mga
Bata... Pa’no Ka
sarili at pangalagaan ang kanilang mga karapatan bilang tao. Ginawa?, 1998

39
BAUTISTA Gamit ang punto de bista ng pangatlong panauhan, tiniyak ng mga piniling
paraang estetiko ni Bautista na hindi gaanong sentimental at didaktiko o
nangangaral ang pagpapahayag ng matalino at prangkang pag-iisip ni Lea
Bustamante.

Iniwasan din niya ang nakagawian nang pagpokus ng nobela sa

pangkaraniwang karanasan ng pagiging ina sa pamamagitan ng pagtuon
sa pangunahing papel ng pagkabata sa pagkakaroon ng integridad ng isang
tao. Sa ganiyang paraan, ang mga anak ni Lea ay itinuring na mahalaga rin.
Sa isang eksena, hinayaan tayo ni Bautista na malaman kung ano ang iniisip
ni Lea habang iniimadyin niya ang tunggalian sa loob ng kaniyang anak
na pinag-iisipang iwan si Lea at mag-migrate sa U.S. para makasama ang
kaniyang ama. Naghahalinhinan ang pagkukunwang walang pakialam at
ang pagkapit na nagpapakita ng pagiging tao lámang ng mga tauhan, isang
tunggaliang kaakibat ng anumang ugnayang may pagmamahalan.

Vilma Santos at Sa dulo, isinasanib ni Bautista ang politikal sa personal. Nararapat lang na
Serena Dalrymple
pinahahalagahan ng mga babaeng gaya ni Lea Bustamante ang kanilang
sa adaptasyong
pampelikula ng oras, katawan, lakas, karapatan, at ang gayong sistema ng halagahan ay dapat
Bata, Bata... Pa’no magdulot ng pagbabanyuhay ng kaluluwa at isang mapanuring sarili. Kung
Ka Ginawa?, 1998 kayâ hindi nakagugulat na makitang isinasabuhay niya ang kaniyang mga

40
paniniwalang pampolitika, ang kaniyang aktuwal
na paglahok sa rally na Lakbayan noong 1984 na
layong ipakita sa rehimeng Marcos na may masang
lumalaban at batid ang kasamaan ng pagpatay,
katiwalian, at pandarambong.

Kahit ang mga pananaw ni Lea tungkol sa pag-ibig

at ang kaniyang desisyon na magkaroon ng closure
sa dati niyang karelasyon ay naging politikal, at
itinatampok ang mahalagang katangian ng uri
ng peminismo ni Bautista: na hindi ito kailanman
laban sa lalaki o nagtataguyod lang ng polyamory o
pagkakaroon ng maraming karelasyon. Tungkol ito
sa pagtuklas sa mas mataas na antas ng pag-ibig at
pagkatao na nagmamalasakit sa mas malawak na
pamayanan.

Isinulat nang may siste at tapang, matatapos ang Pabalat ng Bayan Ko!, 2019
Bata, Bata sa pagtatalumpati ni Lea Bustamante
sa graduation ng kaniyang anak. Sukdulang balidasyon ito mula sa pangunahing
institusyon sa lipunan, isang institusyong naunang humusga sa kaniya na masyadong
liberal, masamang ina, at babaeng matabil na kailangang patahimikin. Pagkatapos
ng di-maikakailang tagumpay ng adaptasyong pampelikula ng kaniyang mga akda,
na pinagkalooban ng mga pangunahing gawad at pagkilala mula sa iba’t ibang film
festival, lalong naging bantog ang reputasyon ni Bautista bilang screen-writer nang
mapili ang Bata, Bata bilang opisyal na entry ng bansa sa prestihiyosong Oscar Awards
noong 2003.

Karamihan sa mga nilikhang nobela ni Bautista ay madaling gawing pelikula. At

karamihan sa mga isinulat niya para sa telebisyon at pelikula ay maaaring isalin
sa prosa. Ang kabuuan ng kaniyang mga akdang pampanitikan ay katunayan ng
kaniyang husay at galing. Noong 2019 halimbawa, inilabas niya ang Bayan Ko!, isang
koleksiyon ng mahahabang maikling kuwento (o mga novella) na halaw sa kaniyang
mga teleplay. Tampok sa “Giyera” ang mahahalagang taon noong Ikalawang
Digmaang Pandaigdig. Binihisan ni Bautista ng bagong pormula ang genre ng romansa
sa pamamagitan ng pagtutuon sa mga implikasyon ng “marriage of convenience” ng
dalawang tao na may ibang kasintahan: isang Amerikanong sundalo kay Ising, at si
Rosa kay Julio. Nagpakasal si Ising para maiwasan ang posibilidad na madukot at
magahasa ng mga sundalong Hapones. Maikli man ito, ang teksto ay nagbigay tinig
sa maraming ideya hinggil sa katunayan na ang pagnanasa at tunay na samahan ay
mahahalagang sangkap sa pag-aasawa.

Ang isa pang akda, “Ang Pag-ibig ay Isang Tula,” ay naunang isinulat na serye sa
telebisyon na Mama noong 1991 at idinirihe ni Mario O’Hara. Bagamat hindi ibinunyag 41
BAUTISTA ni Bautista ang pinaghugutang inspirasyon para sa tauhan ni Julia, dalawang babaeng
manunulat noong ika-19 siglo ang maaaring tukuyin: si Magdalena Jalandoni, na
masigasig na nagsulat sa Hiligaynon, at si Leona Florentino, ang Ilokanang makata na
ina rin ng folklorista at rebolusyonaryong si Isabelo de los Reyes.

Umiinog kay Julia ang kuwento, isang kabataang makata na sinupil ang paglago sa
maagang pag-aasawa, pasiyang nagmula sa kaniyang sariling ama upang matigil ang
kaniyang pagkahumaling sa pagtula. Alinsunod sa sinaunang pananaw noong mga
panahong iyon ang umiiral na takot sa mga babaeng may lakas ng loob na magsalita, at
alinsunod naman sa makabagong sensibilidad ng nobelista ang pagkintal ng tiyak na
katangian sa alinmang bida ni Bautista: may paggalang sa sarili at may paninindigan.

Muli, ang tinig sa naratibo ay kumukuwestiyon sa estrukturang piyudal na makikita

sa alinmang sambahayan sa estruktura ng asyenda. Nang lubos na mabatid ni Julia
ang kaniyang pribilehiyo bilang babaeng principalia na pinagsisilbihan ng iba na
kaedad din niya ngunit ipinanganak nang salat at mahirap, pinalaya niya ang kaniyang
katulong sa pagkakaalipin, isang pasiya na tumapos sa kanilang pagsasamang mag-
asawa at sa dati niyang búhay.

Bagamat parang nobela para sa mga kabataan ang “Ang Pag-ibig ay Isang Tula,”
maituturing itong mahusay na kathang pangkasaysayan dahil matalisik na nailahok
sa estratehikong mga bahagi ang matatalas na komentaryo o puna hinggil sa
estrukturang piyudal upang idiin ang agwat sa pagitan ng mga uri at ang di-
makataong dimensiyon ng polo y servicios, bukod pa sa iba pang palatandaan ng
pamamahalang kolonyal.

Samantala, ang “Panakot-Uwak” ay halaw sa mapagsamantalang ugaling seksuwal

ng mga prayle na kunwa ay bahagi ng kinaugaliang pangungumpisal. Unang kinatha
para sa Maalaala Mo Kaya, ang iskrip ay sadyang isinulat para sa pagdiriwang ng Araw
ng Kalayaan, at idinirihe ni Olivia Lamasan.

Nangyari noong panahon ng pananakop ng mga Espanyol, damá ng bidang si Martina

ang rebelyon na umuusbong sa mga bukiring inabandona ng karamihan sa mga indio
at pinangasiwaan ng mga naiwang asawang babae at mga ina. Ang monologo ni
Martina tungkol sa mga ibon, ang mga abandonadong bukirin at mga pigurang gawa sa
uhay ng palay ay nagpapakita ng kamalayan sa kaayusang kolonyal at sa katotohanan
na ang panakot-uwak ay marupok tulad ng ang ordeng relihiyoso at ang monastikong
paghahari-harian.

Nagsimula ang aksiyon nang umuwi si Ramon, ang anak ni Martina, at isumbong
nito sa kaniyang ina na pinagbibintangan siyang magnanakaw ni Padre Rodriguez.
Nakilala ng matapang na si Martina ang pang-aabuso ng kolonyalista, ngunit hindi
siya natakot harapin ito, kahit pa alam niyang hindi madali ang pagsalungat.
42
Upang maprotektahan ang anak sa posibleng pagbugbog hanggang
kamatayan (isang espekulasyong kaugnay ng sinapit ni Crispin sa diskursong
Rizal), tinanggap ni Martina ang pang-aabuso ng prayle, dahil nangako ito na
hindi na isasama ang kaniyang asawa sa puwersahang pagtatrabaho.

Ngunit tuso si Martina at alam niyang ang lihim na kalibugan ng pari ang
sisira dito. Bumuo si Bautista ng bagong karaniwang tauhan sa karaniwang
naratibo ng pagsasabwatan ng kolonyalismo at mapaniil na moralidad, sa
pamamagitan ng paglikha kay Martina bilang tauhang may sariling isip. Sa
rurok ng naratibo, sinimulan ni Martina ang sunog na kikitil hindi lámang sa
búhay ng prayle, kundi sa lihim sa pagitan nila, at ng mismong simbahan.

Sa “Sayaw sa Kalayaan,” estratehiko ang muling pagbabalik-tanaw ni Bautista

sa makasaysayang St. Louis World’s Fair Exposition at dinadala tayo sa
orihinal na sandali ng pang-aakit nang lapitan ng mga Amerikano ang mga
katutubong tribu sa Pilipinas upang hikayatin silang pumunta sa Estados
Unidos. Teetin Villanueva
at Brian Sy sa
adaptasyong
Halatang ikinubli ang pakay na gamitin ang mga tribung ito bilang display pantanghalan ng
at bilang katibayan ng pagiging superyor ng mga kolonyalista. Kolonyal Desaparesidos, 2018

43
Poster ng ang himig ng pagpapaamo’t pang-aakit na isinagawa ng mga Amerikano:
Desaparesidos, ipinain nila ang mga pinapangarap na impraestruktura gaya ng mga bagong
2018
kalsada at pampublikong paaralan, na sumasalamin sa bulnerabilidad ng
mga Pilipinong ito na handang makilahok sa mga ganitong gawain dala ng
pangako ng malayang pag-unlad at kapatiran.

Sa pamamagitan ng pagtutuon sa katutubong lalaki at sa katutubong

kamalayan, na kinakatawan ng katutubong Igorot na si Lawagan, itinaas ni
Bautista ang kaniyang pananagutan sa pagkukuwento ng may kinalaman sa
kasarian at politika. Mahusay na naikubli ang pambansang talino sa katauhan
ng mulát na paring kayumanggi na nagsiwalat kay Lawagan ng tunay na
motibo ng kaniyang bagong “kaibigan” na si Sir Tyrone.

Matatapos ang novella sa pagtakas ni Lawagan patungong mga bundok para

bigyang babalâ ang kaniyang mga kapuwa Igorot sa nakaambang bitag.
44 Naging mapangahas ang naratibo sa espekulasyon hinggil sa alternatibong
paglalakbay: ano nga kayâ kung nakatakas nga sa World’s Fair ang mga katutubong

BAUTISTA
ito? Magtatagumpay kaya si Lawagan sa ganitong krusada? Ang kaalaman ni Bautista
hinggil sa kasaysayan ang lulutas sa ganitong malikhaing suliranin. Tinapos niya ang
novella sa pamamagitan ng isang komentaryo hinggil sa masaklap na sinapit ng mga
katutubong tribu na sapilitang itinanghal sa fair: trinatong parang mga hayop, sinipat at
tiningnan bilang eksotika.

Adaptasyon ng kaniyang dulang pampelikula na nagwagi sa National Centennial

Literary Contest noong 1998 ang kaniyang pang-apat na nobela, ang Desaparesidos.
Nobela itong tumatahi sa mga nagsasariling paninindigan ng mga aktibistang tauhan
at kung paano nito hinarap ang matinding takot sa tortyur, pagtataksil, at kawalan sa
kanilang sariling hanay.

Hinihimig ng pagbasa sa Desaparesidos ang proseso ng pagbabasa’t paghahanap

sa mga naglaho (at hindi maisalaysay) na mga kuwento ng mga nawawala. Ito,
hanggang sa ngayon, ang pinakaambisyosong proyektong nobela ni Lualhati Bautista
dahil tinatangka nitong itala ang pagpupunyagi ng mga lumalaban para sa kalayaan,
na natagpuan ang kanilang mga sarili sa pinakamalagim na yugto ng kanilang
pakikisangkot.

Nilagom ni Raissa Robles, ang sumulat ng Marcos Martial Law Never Again, ang
karanasan ng pagpapahirap o pagtortyur sa mga kadre noon bilang “higit pa sa
karahasang walang direksiyon o walang-isip, bagama’t sapat na ang kahayupan,
kalupitan, at karahasan nito” (Robles, 2017:82).

Mula sa estado ang patakarang pag-aralang mabuti ang pananahimik ng oposisyon,

at kumitil iyon sa búhay ng pinakamahuhusay at pinakamagagaling sa henerasyong
iyon, gaya nina Lorena Barros, Emman Lacaba, Liliosa Hilao, at iba pang di-mabilang
na kabataan.

Bilang mekanismong kontrolado ng estado, ginawang sandata ng tortyur ang mga

electrodes, lubid, droga, mga baril at piring; ginawang teatro ng kalupitan ang mga
liblib na bodega; naging pangkaraniwang gawain ang teatrikal na pagsunog ng buong
komunidad upang puksain ang mga rebelde.

Ito ang kontekstong pangkasaysayan, at ang arena din nina Jinky, Karla, Roy, at Anna;
mga nasangkot sa delubyo ng tactical interrogations at summary executions. Si Jinky
ang pinakamahinang kawing sa apat, pansamantala niyang tinakasan ang patuloy
na tortyur sa kamay ng militar, sa pamamagitan ng pagsisiwalat sa kinaroroonan ng
kaniyang mga kasamahan, kayâ nasira ang kanilang pagkakaisa sa pakikibaka.

Umiinog ang buod ng nobela sa desisyon ni Anna na iwan ang kaniyang sanggol na
anak sa noo’y buntis na si Karla, sa pag-asang kahit papaano ay magkakasama silang
muli kapag mas maayos na ang panahon. Ngunit naglaho si Karla noong nahúli sina 45
BAUTISTA Anna at Roy, tinortyur, at kalaunan ay ikinulong. Pagkatapos ng 21 taon, natagpuan
nina Anna at Roy ang kanilang mga sarili na magkasama, nang palayain sila, kasama
ng iba pang bilanggong politikal, ng gobyernong Aquino noong 1986.

Sinikap ng mag-asawa na maging normal, ngunit lagi silang tinutugis ng kani-

kanilang trauma, kahit pa sa kanilang nakagawiang trabaho sa NGO, isang opisina na
tumututok sa paghahanap ng katarungan para sa iba pang biktima ng pang-aabuso sa
karapatang pantao. Isinama ni Bautista sa senaryong ito ang kanilang anak na si Lorie.
Si Lorie, gaya ng kaniyang mga magulang, ay dumanas din ng trauma bilang ampon ng
mga pamilyang kasama sa kilusang rebolusyonaryo.

Gaya ng mananalaysay ng epiko, tinatahi ni Bautista ang kuwento sa paulit-ulit na linya

upang magsilbing pananda ng gunita sa paglalakbay ng pamilya, at mahusay nitong
pinagsasanib ang nakaraan at hinaharap ng kanilang mga sikolohikong pilat na hindi
na maghihilom.

Maaari ngang santuwaryo nina Anna at Roy ang kanilang tahanan, ngunit kahit ang
espasyong ito’y maaaring maghunos bilang lugar ng makahayop na tortyur na kanilang
natakasan at tinatakasan. Kabalintunaang sila ang naging tagapagbilanggo ng sarili
nilang anak na si Lorie, na kinailangan pang idiin sa kanila, nang buong hinanakit,
na siya rin ay damay sa trauma ng kaniyang mga magulang, dahil hindi sila lubos na
nagtitiwala na sagrado at ligtas sila sa sarili nilang tahanan, dahil sa di-mawalang
takot sa paglapastangan ng militar. Mailap ang pahinga at kapayapaan dahil lagi silang
minumulto ng paglaho ni Malaya at ang paglaho ng sarili nilang katatagan bilang mga
tao.

Ang rurok ng nobela ay ang komprontrasyon at reunion o muling pagkikita nina Anna,
Karla, at Roy nang muli nilang iproseso ang mga nangyari hanggang mawala ang
anak ni Anna at nagpasiya si Roy na patayin si Jinky sa ngalan ng rebolusyon. Muling
isinalaysay ni Bautista ang parehong eksena ng pagtakas ni Karla at kung paano
siya isinalba ng isang sundalo sa pagsaling-dugo sa kaniya. Mahalagang eksena
ng pagpapatawad ang reunion na habang binabalikan ng bawat tauhan ang sakit at
pighati ng kanilang pinagdaanan.

Sa puntong ito, kailangang sumang-ayon tayo sa matalas na obserbasyon ni Katrina

Stuart Santiago hinggil sa bukod-tanging pagkukuwento ni Bautista: mahalaga siyang
tinig dahil matapang niyang itinatanong ang mga dapat itanong sa pamamagitan
ng kaniyang mga tauhan na nakapaloob sa espasyo at panahon ng katha. Higit sa
tapang, hinihimok niya tayong igiit ang ating karapatan para sa isang dayalog, sa isang
talakayan na “humihimok sa atin na iwanan ang kanlungan ng ating mga nakagisnang
paniniwala.” Dakila at mapagbigay ang tinig niya habang patuloy niyang hinahawakan
ang kaniyang mga prinsipyo at halagahang pampolitika tungkol sa kahulugan ng sarili,
pamilya, at komunidad.
46
Tunay ngang si Lualhati Bautista ay tagapagdala ng konsepto at ideyolohikong
lualhati: binibigyan niya tayo ng pagkakataong makilahok sa matapat na
pagninilay hinggil sa pagbabago, sa mga kaakuhang pambabae at panlalaki,
sa dibersidad ng lahi at kasarian, sa pangangailangang igiit ang ating mga
karapatan para sa mas mahusay, kung hindi man mas pinag-isipang mga
salaysay mula sa atin, mula sa tunay nating mga sarili, bilang tao, bilang ating
mga sarili.

Ang lahat ng kaniyang salaysay ay may mapagbagong siklab ng pagkilos,

kapag napagtanto ng mambabasa na tunay ngang sangkot tayo sa mga
desisyong pampolitika ng ating pamahalaan. Ang ating mga personal
na búhay ay may kakayahang salagin ang mga desisyong ito, kapag
niyuyurakan na ang ating kalayaan at damdaming nagsasarili, na nasa ating
kalooban. Ang mga paninindigan sa panitikan ni Lualhati Bautista ay halaw
Stella Cañete-
sa kaniyang tapat na paniniwala sa batayang karapatan ng bawat isa na Mendoza sa
makapagpahayag ng sarili. Tunay ngang humuhugot ito ng ligaya, at taos na Dekada ‘70
paghanga, sa kaniyang tinig. Musical, 2020

47
Selected Works
Mga Piling Akda
Novels Mga Nobela
Gapô, 2017. Novel in Filipino, Grand Prize
winner (novel) Don Carlos Palanca Memorial
Awards for Literature, 1980. Cacho Publishing
House, 1992. Anvil Publishing.
Bulaklak sa City Jail , 2018 (bagong edisyon),
C & E Publication. Adapted from Bulaklak sa
City Jail, screenplay, 1984.
Dekada ’70, 2017. Novel in Filipino, Grand
Prize winner (novel) Don Carlos Palanca
Memorial Awards for Literature, 1983.
Carmelo & Bauermann Printing Corporation,
1988 and Cacho Publishing House, 1991. Anvil
Publishing.
Bata, Bata... Pa’no Ka Ginawa?, 1984. Novel in
Filipino, Grand Prize winner (novel) Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.
Carmelo & Bauermann Printing Corporation,
1988 and Cacho Publishing House, 1991. Anvil
Publishing, 2017.
Desaparesidos, 2017. Novel in Filipino.
Adapted from the screenplay Desaparesidos,
3rd prize, National Centennial Literary Contest,
1998. Anvil Publishing.
“Desisyon,” 2004. Novella. Linangan ng
Kababaihan.
“Hugot sa Sinapupunan,” 2004. Novella.
Linangan ng Kababaihan.
“Ang Kabilang Panig ng Bakod,” 2005. Novella.
Linangan ng Kababaihan.
Sonata, 2017. Novel in Filipino. Dekada
Publishing.
Bayan Ko! (“Ang Pag-ibig ay Isang Tula;”
“Panakot-Uwak;” “Sayaw ng Kapayapaan;”
“Giyera”), 2019. Collection of novellas.
Dekada Publishing.
Short Stories Mga Maikling Kuwento
“Tatlong Kuwento ng Buhay ni Julian
Candelabra,” 1982. 1st Prize Maikling Kuwento,
Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for
Literature.
“Buwan, Buwan, Hulugan Mo Ako ng Sundang,”
1983. 3rd Prize, Maikling Kuwento, Don Carlos
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature.
Creative Non-Fiction Mga Sanaysay
Hinugot sa Tadyang, 2016. Dekada Publishing.
Screenplays Mga Dulang Pampelikula
Sakada, 1976. Co-Writer. Winner, Catholic
Mass Media Awards.
Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap, 1984. Nominee,
Best Screenplay, Film Academy Awards.
Bulaklak sa City Jail, 1984. Best Screenplay,
Metro Manila Film Festival; best story/best
screenplay, First Star Awards; best screenplay,
Film Academy Awards; finalist for best story/
best screenplay, FAMAS Awards, finalist for
best screenplay, Gawad Urian.
Sex Object, 1985. Nominee, best story/best
screenplay, Star Awards.
Kadenang Bulaklak, 1994. Best screenplay,
FAMAS Awards.
Nena, 1995. Best screenplay, Young Critics
Circle Award.
Ang Lihim ni Madonna, 1997. Nominee, best
screenplay, Film Academy Awards.
Bata, Bata Pa’no Ka Ginawa, 1998. Best story,
FAMAS Awards. Best screenplay, Gawad Urian.
Best screenplay, Young Critics Circle, best story/
best screenplay, PASADO (Film Organization of
Critics and Professors). Best screenplay, Star
Awards. Nominee, best story/best screenplay,
Film Academy of the Philippines, recipient, the
Millenium Film Festival Recognition Award.
Desaparesidos, 1998. 3rd Prize National
Centennial Literary Contest, screenplay
category.
Gusto Ko Lang Lumigaya, 2001. Nominee, best
screenplay, Film Academy of the Philippines.
Dekada ’70, 2002. Best story/best screenplay,
PASADO. Best screenplay, Star Awards. Best
screenplay, Film Academy of the Philippines.
Best screenplay, Gawad Urian. Best story/best
screenplay, Young Critics Circle; official entry
to the 2003 Oscar Awards.
Teleplays Mga Dulang Pantelebisyon
“Isang Kabanata sa Libro ng Buhay ni Leilani
Cruzaldo,” 1987. Best drama story for television,
Catholic Mass Media Awards.
Writer, Balintataw, Mama, and Dear Teacher,
awardees for Best TV Drama Anthology,
Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Main Writer, Pira-Pirasong Pangarap,
1997-2002, Best Drama Anthology for five
consecutive years, Star Awards for Television
“Taghoy sa Dilim,” 1994. First GMA Rainbow
Award for Best Teleplay.
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
49
Kenneth
Cobonpue
DESIGN AND ALLIED ARTS

51
 Citation

As an industrial designer, Kenneth Cobonpue has produced a substantial

body of work recognized for excellence locally and internationally. His
furniture designs are modernist in geometry and function, but distinctive
in their innovative use of native materials of rattan, bamboo, wood,
and fiber. These he put together using traditional modes of work that
emphasize manual craftsmanship of weaving, binding, and construction,
all of which are derived from Cebuano and Filipino cultural heritage in
object making.

For his artistry and creativity in adapting native materials and techniques
culled from a legacy of traditional furniture-making, all of which address
issues of sustainability, as well as creating opportunities for local labor
and economies;

For his contributions to the field of industrial design in the Philippines,

highlighted by innovations in overall design, materials sourcing,
and handling, the incorporation of value-added manual modes of
construction, embellishment and ornamentation, as well as in the use of
marketing and communications as a tool to convey important narratives
of his unique design process to a wide audience;

For bringing Filipino design on to the world stage, reaping accolades that
reflect both his design contributions as well as that of a country rich in
cultural, creative, and artistic capital;

For being a role model for the country’s future designers, inspiring them
to put value in their heritage, allowing them to invest and take inspiration
from being a Filipino;

For putting the Philippines first and acknowledging his roots constantly,
continually, and proudly as he projects himself within and beyond his
field of expertise, giving back at every opportunity to hometown, province,
region, and nation;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Kenneth Cobonpue

this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Manila, Philippines.
52
 Pagkilala

Bilang isang industrial designer, nakalikha na si Kenneth Cobonpue ng mahalagang

koleksiyon ng mga obra na kinikilala sa kahusayan, sa loob at labas ng bansa. Ang
kaniyang mga disenyong pangmuwebles ay modernista sa anyo at layunin, ngunit
katangi-tangi sa paggamit ng mga katutubong materyales, gaya ng yantok, kawayan,
kahoy, at hibla. Binubuo niya ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng tradisyonal na paraan
ng paglikha na nagbibigay-diin sa paggamit ng kamay sa paghabi, pagsasanib, at
pagbuo, mga pamamaraan sa paglikha na minana sa kulturang Cebuano at Pilipino.

Para sa kaniyang kasiningan at pagkamalikhain sa pag-aangkop ng mga katutubong

materyales at pamamaraan na hinango sa pamanang tradisyon ng paglikha ng
muwebles, na tumutugon rin sa usapin ng paghahanap-buhay at paglikha ng mga
oportunidad para sa lokal na paggawa at ekonomiya;

Para sa kaniyang mga kontribusyon sa larangan ng industrial design sa Pilipinas,

tampok ang ginawa niyang inobasyon sa disenyong pangkalahatan, sa pangangalap
at pangangasiwa ng mga materyales, sa paggamit ng kamay sa pagbuo, pagpaparikit,
at pagpapalamuti, at gayundin ng pakikipagkalakalan at pakikipagtalastasan
para maipabatid ang mahahalagang naratibo ng kaniyang kakaibang proseso ng
pagdidisenyo sa malawak na publiko;

Para sa paghahatid ng disenyong Pilipino sa tanghalan ng daigdig, sa pag-ani ng

mga parangal na sumasalamin sa kaniyang mga ambag na disenyo at maging sa
isang bansa na may mayamang kapital sa kultura, paglikha, at sining;

Para sa pagiging huwaran niya sa mga susunod na designer ng bansa, at sa

paghikayat niya sa mga ito na pahalagahan ang pamana ng kanilang lahi at
humango ng inspirasyon sa kanilang pagiging Pilipino;

Para sa pagbibigay niya ng priyoridad sa Pilipinas at sa palagian, patuloy, at may

pagmamalaking pagkilala niya sa kaniyang pinanggalingan, habang itinatanghal
ang sarili sa loob at labas ng kaniyang piling larangan, at para sa pagtanaw niya ng
utang na loob sa bawat pagkakataon sa kaniyang sinilangang-bayan, lalawigan,
rehiyon, at bansa;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Kenneth Cobonpue ngayong
ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila,
Pilipinas.
53
 Kenneth Cobonpue or How
Rattan Conquered the Art World
Paulo Alcazaren

In the field of industrial design, the Filipino creative who stands out for his exemplary
body of work is Kenneth Cobonpue. He has spent three decades producing innovative
and distinctive modern furniture using native materials and craftsmanship, earning for
himself respect and recognition from his countrymen. Through his work, he has also
put himself, modern Philippine furniture, and Filipino design on the global map. His
fame has transcended the creative fields into global popular consciousness via regular,
digital, and popular media. His oeuvre is now sought out by museums, collectors,
and celebrities, making it even in Hollywood, as key elements in sets of movies and
television series. In the last decade, he has expanded his creative production via
collaborations beyond furniture into transport design, public amenity, and architecture.
And he has only begun to hit his stride.
Kenneth Cobonpue breaks the mold of the Manila-based creative, being a product
of, and still mainly based in Cebu. This geographical connection is also a cultural, as
well as a creative one. The province and its main metropolis has nurtured the country’s
creative and object-making industries over the past few centuries. Most well-known
of these are ship-building, guitar-making, and furniture-making. Cebu City, where
Cobonpue was born and raised, was and remains an entrepreneurial metropolis. This
framework has melded well with the city’s creative vibe, ensuring viability for design-
related industries in Cebu.
54
It was in this milieu that Cobonpue grew up. His family was involved in many Mactan
businesses, one being furniture manufacturing. Kenneth always had an International
Airport, Cebu
inclination for the arts. As a young boy, he made his own toys using leftover
materials and techniques from craftsmen around him. But as he grew older,
the initial trajectory set for his formal education was a standard one of getting
a degree in business. It was at the start of his studies in business administration
that he acknowledged his true passion and decided to transition to fine arts
and industrial design. He, however, had little training in the arts and decided to
quit school to study drawing and painting with a local Cebu maestro.
Cobonpue’s goal was to go overseas for formal studies in design armed with
fine arts skills. By 1987, he was accepted into the Industrial Design program at
the renowned Pratt Institute in New York. He immersed himself in his studies
and augmented this with breaks, travelling to Europe and apprenticing at a
workshop for wood near Florence, Italy. He graduated with honors.
After Pratt, Cobonpue furthered his studies on the business side of furniture
manufacturing by enrolling in a program for Furniture Marketing and
Production at the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Reutlingen,
Germany. This was a partial state scholarship. On completion of this, Cobonpue

55
COBONPUE honed his newfound skills and discipline by working in
Munich and Bielefeld.
His decade-long journey to the US and Europe equipped
Cobonpue with more than the requisite industrial design skills.
As important, he developed a full and nuanced appreciation
of the global industrial design market, as well as the role of
design and designers in the process.
Cobonpue returned to Cebu in 1996 to help in the family’s
businesses. He took over management of their furniture design
and manufacturing company, Interior Crafts of the Islands, Inc.,
which his mother Betty had started. The company had made a
name in distinctive rattan furniture. Its output was mainly high-
quality products for the local and export market. Cobonpue’s
goal was to bring the business into the new millennium and
prepare it for a rapidly changing world.
Cobonpue looked beyond the primary business aspects of
the company to reimagine the product itself, building on the
company’s initial pioneering efforts in rattan. He knew that
what was needed was a new direction for the company based
on what he, Cebu, and the Philippines had to offer. This was to
be in terms of unleashing the potential of a wider range of local
and natural materials, not just rattan, and integrating these
to make stylish contemporary furniture using the excellent
artisanal skills of his fellow Cebuanos.
Cobonpue went into a mode of experimentation by weaving
traditional materials and processes with a modernist
approach in design. He eschewed the stark minimalism of

56
western modernist design while keeping its classical tenets
of massing, proportion, and functionalism. He replaced cold
steel and leather with rattan, bamboo, Philippine mahogany,
abaca, and other fibers while giving his pieces innate strength
using techniques borrowed from Cebuano traditional craft and
boat-making. His time abroad had given him the perspective
to essentially reinvent Filipino furniture to create a signature
process that leads to products distinctively his. What he
created was essentially functional art and not just artifact. This
blew away any western-derived definition of what furniture
should be.
A few years into this process, Cobonpue joined the Movement 8
group, an alliance of designers organized by Eli Pinto-Mansor
of the Center for International Trade Exposition and Missions
(CITEM). The group included a new generation of Filipino
designers like him, who had formal training or were exposed
to the international design scene. Aside from Cobonpue, the
group included Ann Pamintuan, Carlo Cordaro, Milo Naval,
Tony Gonzales, Tes Pasola, Renato Vidal, and Luisa Robinson,
with Budji Layug as curator. CITEM launched the group in
1999 and championed the exhibition of Philippine design and
its members’ creations in various international fora starting
with the Feria Internacional del Mueble in Valencia, Spain.
Left to right:
The world took notice of the Philippines and Movement 8. Zaza chair,
In quick succession, the group exhibited again in Valencia in Dreamcatcher
coffee table,
2000, then at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair
Amaya coffee
in New York in 2001, followed by the Salone Internazionale table, Bloom
del Mobile in Milan. At this point, Movement 8’s individual armchair

57
Sky Play designers and their work were increasingly featured in design and lifestyle
in Cebu, publications.
Philippines
By this time, Cobonpue’s work had begun to find its way into modern homes
and interiors in the Philippines and overseas. From the start of the new century,
Cobonpue’s furniture was featured, in this context, in books like Tropical Living
and Tropical Interiors (both by Elizabeth Reyes, Periplus Editions, 2002). His
work regularly appeared in editions of the International Design Yearbook
(2002, 2004, 2005, published by Lawrence Kin Publishing House of London);
publications which were curated by design icons like Marcel Wanders, Tom
Dixon, and Ross Lovegrove. Dixon also included Cobonpue in another key
publication, Phaidon’s & FORK, 2007, which acknowledged the world’s top
100 designers. In the book, Tom Dixon, its editor and main writer, observed,
“There is a generosity and boldness to Kenneth Cobonpue’s designs that
make them both accessible and aesthetically distinctive …Space Age, organic,
classically modernist, craft-based, sculptural—these are just a few thoughts
that spring to mind on encountering his work.”
58
 COBONPUE
The quality and innovation of Cobonpue’s work quickly led to
awards, including the grand prize at Singapore International Design
Competition, five Japan Good Design Awards, the American Society
of Interior Design Top Pick selection, the 2005 Design for Asia
Award of Hong Kong, and the French Coup de Coeur award. By 2006,
he achieved popular recognition in Time magazine, which anointed
him “rattan’s first virtuoso.” Features in Newsweek, Wallpaper, and
various European and Asian publications followed.
Cobonpue’s furniture was selected for hotel upgrades for the MGM
Grand Hotel, Ritz Carlton Hotels and Residences, Beverly Hills Hotel,
The Grove, Four Seasons Hotels, as well as for new hotel and resort
projects worldwide in the early 2000s. Then, the next destination
was Hollywood. From 2006 onwards, his pieces were picked or
commissioned for the set of a slew of films, including Ocean’s
Thirteen, Spread, Maid of Honor, and Total Recall. Television
followed closely with CSI: Miami, and a video for Maroon 5 in
2011. This exposure led stars like Brad Pitt and Will.i.am of the
Black-eyed Peas to purchase several of Cobonpue’s pieces. Other
celebrities like the Queen of Jordan likewise sought his pieces for
their personal use and enjoyment.
In 2011, Cobonpue embarked on his first foray beyond furniture. He
conceived of the world’s “first and only bamboo and rattan car.”
Naming this creation “Phoenix,” he drew inspiration from traditional
calesa body construction but using rattan, bamboo, steel, and nylon.
The car was presented at the 2012 Milan Auto Show and the annual
Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, eliciting much interest
from the general public as well as both automobile and furniture
cognoscenti.
Cobonpue continued exhibiting in major events and was named
Maison et Objet’s Asia Designer of the Year in 2014, at the first
edition of the exhibition in Asia, held in Singapore. From that point
on, he has been a sought-after speaker at international design
conferences, expositions, and events, as well as being regularly
featured in European, American, and Asian television programs,
digital, and print media.
Since his breakthrough in the international market from the mid-
2000s to the whole decade of the 2010s, Cobonpue has racked up
a constant and consistent involvement with international clients Chiquita stool
 in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. His
furniture, accessories, and other creations can now be found in hotels and
resorts in key tourism destinations in Hawaii, the Caribbean, Puerto Vallarta
and Cancun in Mexico, Las Vegas, Miami, Greece, Portugal, Spain, the Maldives,
Fiji, Sydney, Melbourne, Thailand, and, of course, the Philippines.
Mid-decade, Cobonpue pursued design challenges beyond commercial
engagements. He designed concepts for outdoor elements like street lighting
for Bohol and park benches for Rizal Park, reflecting an interest in the public
realm. In 2016 he designed Sky Play, a fanciful playground for children, located
on the third level of SM Seaside City.
Cobonpue’s persona had by this time transcended the field of design
Phoenix car and moved into civil society. In March 2017, Cobonpue was appointed by
President Rodrigo Duterte as Chairperson of the National Economic and

COBONPUE
Development Authority Regional Development Council for Central Visayas
(Region 7). He regularly meets with business and political leaders of Cebu and
the region on matters pertaining to economic and cultural programs.
Cobonpue has continued to expand the boundaries of his creative reach. In
2017 his alma mater, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, reached out
to Cobonpue to contribute to the design of a new chapel. Cobonpue took this
opportunity to scale up his work from furniture to buildings. He collaborated
with Architect Buck Sia, a fellow alumnus of the school. Cobonpue provided
the overall concept and design direction for the proposed Cor Jesu Oratory. For
the spaces, he took inspiration from the geometry of a heart, taking off from the
meaning of Cor Jesu (Heart of Jesus). The spaces of the chapel are enclosed
in envelopes and grids of bamboo, which became a pervasive thematic frame.
The chapel was constructed in one year and was inaugurated in December of
2018. A few months later, the Cor Jesu was entered in the World Architecture
Festival (WAF) competition for Completed Buildings, Religious Category. It
was shortlisted as one of six exemplary designs from around the world. The
designers presented the project to a live jury at the festival venue in Amsterdam
in December of 2019. In 2019, Cobonpue also contributed to another project for
children, designing the main elements for Pasilong sa Naga, a public park just
south of Cebu City.
Cobonpue continued to make waves internationally. In 2017 he returned to Italy
and went into two collaborative projects, one with Vivienne Westwood and the
other with noted London-based Italian furniture designer Federica Capitani.

In 2018 he launched his Star Wars collection, inspired by the multi-episode

blockbuster franchise. The launch coincided with the build-up leading to the
last episode in the franchise, which was due for release in 2019. Cobonpue
expounded on his approach to this collaboration with Disney, stating that
he, “wanted to incorporate the essence of each Star Wars character into the
designs, while staying true to our aesthetic and process of creating them by
hand...” adding that achieving the balance was the challenge, but “…it was also
a lot of fun.”

Kenneth Cobonpue continues to defy any barriers to his creative output… without
losing his childlike joy of creation. He works out of twin bases now—from Cebu
and Makati. He had the opportunity to set up shop in Spain but decided that the
Philippines was his home and being Filipino was his identity, declaring, “I chose
to stay here and direct everything I do in the Philippines so that every part of (of
my work) goes back to our country.”
It is evident that despite having already established himself creatively, his
passion will continue to provide us and the rest of the world with objects of
function and delight in the decades to come. 61
 Kenneth Cobonpue o Kung
Paano Nagtagumpay ang
Yantok sa Mundo ng Sining
Paulo Alcazaren
Salin ni Michael Coroza

Sa larangan ng industrial design o disenyong pang-industriya, si Kenneth Cobonpue ang

malikhaing Pilipino na namumukod-tangi dahil sa kahusayan ng kaniyang nalikhang
mga obra. May tatlong dekada na siyang gumagawa ng mga makabagong muwebles
na naghahawi ng landas at di-pangkaraniwan, gamit ang mga katutubong materyales
at kasiningan. Umani ito para sa kaniya ng paggalang at pagkilala ng kaniyang mga
kababayan. Sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang mga obra, nailagay din niya ang kaniyang
sarili, ang mga modernong muwebles ng Pilipinas, at ang disenyong Pilipino sa mapa ng
mundo. Nakaigpaw din ang kaniyang katanyagan mula sa larangan ng paglikha tungo
sa kamalayang popular ng daigdig sa tulong ng regular, digital, at popular na media.
Hinahanap ng mga museo, kolektor, at mga tanyag na personalidad ang kaniyang mga
obra, na tinangkilik maging sa Hollywood, bilang pangunahing bahagi ng mga set sa
mga pelikula at seryeng pantelebisyon. Nitong nakaraang dekada, pinalawak niya
ang kaniyang malikhaing produksiyon sa pakikipagkolaborasyon sa mga larangang
walang kinalaman sa muwebles, tulad ng disenyo ng transportasyon, pampublikong
pasilidad, at arkitektura. At, sa lagay na iya’y nag-uumpisa pa lámang siya.

Nawasak ni Kenneth Cobonpue ang estiryotipo ng artistang taga-Maynila, dahil sa

Cebu siya nagmula at nananatili hanggang ngayon. Ang kaniyang kinaroroonan ay
may kinalaman din sa kultura at pagiging malikhain niya. Sa nakaraang ilang siglo,
ang nasabing lalawigan at ang pinakasentrong lungsod nito ang siyang naglinang ng
mga industriyang malikhain at ukol sa paglikha ng mga bagay. Pinakatanyag sa mga
ginagawa rito ang barko, gitara, at muwebles. Ang Lungsod ng Cebu, pook na sinilangan
at nilakhan ni Cobonpue, ay sentrong lungsod ng kalakalan noon at hanggang ngayon.
Akmang-akma ang kalagayang ito sa kaligirang malikhain ng lungsod, kayâ patuloy
na nagtatagumpay ang mga industriyang nauukol sa pagdidisenyo sa Cebu.

Sa ganitong kaligirang panlipunan lumaki si Cobonpue. Maraming negosyo ang

kaniyang pamilya, isa na ang paggawa ng mga muwebles. Simula’t sapul ay sining na
62 ang nakahiligan ni Kenneth. Noong bata siya, gumagawa siya ng mga sariling laruan,
gamit ang mga tira-tirang materyales at ang mga pamamaraan ng mga bihasang Star Wars
manggagawa sa paligid niya. Gayunman, sa paglaki niya, ang unang naitakdang pormal Collection
na edukasyon para sa kaniya ay ang nakamihasnang pagtatapos ng kursong nauukol
sa negosyo. Noong nagsisimula pa lamang siyang kumuha ng business administration,
natiyak na niya kung ano ang tunay na gusto niya, kayâ ipinasiya niyang lumipat sa fine
arts at industrial design. Gayunman, wala siyang gaanong kasanayan sa sining kayâ
pinili niyang huminto muna sa eskuwela at nag-aral na lámang siya ng pagguhit at
pagpinta sa ilalim ng isang lokal na maestro sa Cebu.

Hinangad noon ni Cobonpue na mangibang-bansa upang pormal na makapag-aral ng

disenyo, pero kailangang bihasa na siya sa pinong sining. Noong 1987, natanggap siya sa
programang Industrial Design sa bantog na Pratt Institute sa New York. Ibinuhos niya ang
sarili sa pag-aaral at tuwing bakasyon, naglalakbay siya sa Europa upang magsanay pa
sa isang talyer ng gawaing-pangkahoy sa may Florence, Italy. Nakapagtapos siya nang
may mataas na karangalan sa Pratt. Pagkatapos sa Pratt, ipinagpatuloy ni Cobonpue
ang pag-aaral ukol naman sa negosyo ng paglikha ng muwebles. Pumasok siya sa
programang Furniture Marketing and Production sa Export-Akademie Württemberg
sa Reutlingen, Germany sa bisà ng parsiyal na grant mula sa estado. Nang matapos
niya ito, hinasa pa ni Cobonpue ang bago niyang natutuhang kasanayan at disiplina sa
pagtatrabaho niya sa Munich at Bielefeld. Sa may isang dekadang paglalakbay niya sa
63
Limbo Amerika at Europa, nakamit ni Cobonpue ang higit pa sa mga kasanayang kailangan
Acrobat sa industrial design. Pero sa prosesong pinagdaanan niya, nagkaroon siya ng ganap
setting
at detalyadong pagkaunawa sa pangangailangan ng merkado ng daigdig para sa
industrial design at sa mga designer nito.

Nagbalik si Cobonpue sa Cebu noong 1996 upang tumulong sa pangangasiwa ng mga

negosyo ng pamilya. Siya na ang namahala sa pagdidisenyo at paggawa ng muwebles
ng kanilang kompanya, ang Interior Crafts of the Islands, Inc., na pinasimulan
ng kaniyang inang si Betty. Tumanyag ang kompanyang ito sa paggawa ng mga
natatanging muwebles na yantok. May matataas na uri ang mga produktong nililikha
nito para sa lokal at pandaigdigang merkado. Nilayon ni Cobonpue na maitawid sa
bagong milenyo ang kanilang negosyo at maihanda ito para makasakay sa mabilis na
pagbabago ng mundo.

64 Hindi nagpakulong si Cobonpue sa pagnenegosyo lamang kundi pinag-isipan kung

paanong nanguna ang kompanya nila noon sa paggamit ng yantok. Batid niya na isang
bagong direksiyon ang kailangan ng kompanya, batay sa kung ano ang maihahandog

COBONPUE
niya, ng Cebu, at ng Pilipinas. Sasabay dito ang aktuwalisasyon ng potensiyal ng higit na
marami pang mga lokal at likas na materyales, hindi lámang yantok, at sa pagsasanib
ng mga ito upang makalikha ng kontemporanyong muwebles na elegante, gamit ang
mataas na antas ng kasanayan ng mga kapuwa niya Cebuano.

Sumuong si Cobonpue sa pag-eeksperimento sa pagsasanib ng mga tradisyonal na

materyales at ng modernistang pagdulog sa disenyo. Iniwasan niya ang estriktong
minimalismo ng Kanluraning modernistang disenyo, pero pinananatili ang mga
klasikong prinsipyo nito sa masipikasyon, proporsiyon, at punsiyonalismo. Inihalili
niya sa bakal at katad ang yantok, kawayan, Philippine mahogany, abaka, at iba pang
hibla habang nilalagyan niya ng panloob na tibay ang kaniyang mga likha, gamit ang
mga pamamaraang hango sa mga tradisyonal na kasanayan sa paggawa ng bangka
ng mga Cebuano. Ang mga panahong inilagi niya sa ibayong-dagat ang nagdulot sa
kaniya ng pananaw at pagnanais na muling-maimbento ang muwebles na Pilipino
upang makalikha, gamit ang sariling proseso ng paggawa, ng mga produktong may
sarili niyang tatak. Likhang-sining na may pakinabang ang kaniyang nalikha, hindi
palamuti lámang. Winasak nito ang depinisyon ng Kanluran sa kung ano ang mabuting
muwebles.

May ilang taon nang ginagamit ni Cobonpue ang prosesong ito nang sumapi siya sa
Movement 8, isang alyansa ng mga designer na inorganisa ni Eli Pinto-Mansor ng
Center for International Trade Exposition and Missions (CITEM). Kabilang sa grupong
ito ang isang bagong henerasyon ng mga Pilipinong designer na tulad niya, ay may
pormal na pag-aaral at maalam sa mga nangyayari sa internasyonal na disenyo.
Bukod kay Cobonpue, kabilang din sa pangkat sina Ann Pamintuan, Carlo Cordaro,
Milo Naval, Tony Gonzales, Tes Pasola, Renato Vidal, at Luisa Robinson, kasama si
Budji Layug bilang curator. Inilunsad ng CITEM ang grupo noong 1999. Nagtaguyod
ito ng eksibisyon ng disenyong Pilipino at ng mga likha ng mga kasapi nito sa mga
internasyonal na tanghalan. Sa Feria Internacional del Mueble sa Valencia, Spain
ginanap ang kauna-unahan.

Napansin ng daigdig ang Pilipinas at ang Movement 8. Sa mabilis na pagkakasunod-

sunod ng mga pangyayari, nag-eksibit muli ang grupo sa Valencia noong 2000, sa
International Contemporary Furniture Fair sa New York noong 2001, at sa Salone
Internationale del Mobile sa Milan. Sa pagkakataong ito, ang mga indibidwal na
designer na kasapi ng Movement 8 at ang kanilang mga obra ay padalas nang padalas
nang naitatampok sa mga publikasyong nauukol sa disenyo at sa estilo ng pamumuhay.

Sa pagkakataong ito, ang mga obra ni Cobonpue ay nagsimula nang mabigyan ng

puwang sa mga modernong tahanan sa Pilipinas at sa ibayong-dagat. Sa pagsisimula
ng bagong siglo, naitampok sa ganitong konteksto ang mga muwebles ni Cobonpue,
sa mga aklat na tulad ng Tropical Living at Tropical Interiors (parehong sinulat ni
Elizabeth Reyes, Periplus Editions, 2002). Palagiang naitatampok ang kaniyang mga 65
COBONPUE obra sa mga edisyon ng International Design Yearbook (2002, 2004, 2005, lathala ng
Lawrence Kin Publishing House ng London); mga publikasyong pinangasiwaan ng
mga dalubhasa sa disenyo tulad nina Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, at Ross Lovegrove.
Isinama rin ni Dixon si Cobonpue sa isa pang mahalagang publikasyon, ang & FORK ng
Phaidon, 2007, na kumilala sa nangungunang 100 designer sa buong mundo. Sa aklat
na ito, ganito ang naging obserbasyon ng editor at pangunahing manunulat nito, si Tom
Dixon: “There is a generosity and boldness to Kenneth Cobonpue’s designs that make
them both accessible and aesthetically distinctive … space-age, organic, classically
modernist, craft-based, sculptural – these are just a few thoughts that come to mind
on encountering his work.” (May magandang-loob at kapangahasan sa mga disenyo
ni Kenneth Cobonpue, na sanhi kung bakit ang mga ito ay madaling maarok kahit
kakaiba ang estetika... space age, organiko, klasikong modernista, gawa ng kamay,
parang eskultura—ilan lámang ito sa mga sumasaisip sa unang pagharap sa kaniyang
obra.”

Sa kalidad at inobasyon ng mga obra ni Cobonpue, hindi naglaon ay nakamit niya ang
Grand Prize sa Singapore International Design Competition, limang Japan Good Design
Awards, American Society of Interior Design Top Pick selection, 2005 Design for Asia
Award of Hong Kong, at French Coup de Coeur Award. Noong 2006, kinilala siya ng
Time Magazine na nagbansag sa kaniya bilang “nangungunang virtuoso ng yantok.”
Sumunod ang mga lathalain sa Newsweek, Wallpaper, at iba’t iba pang publikasyong
Europeo at Asyano.

Napili ang mga muwebles ni Cobonpue nang pinaganda ang MGM Grand Hotel, Ritz
Carlton Hotels and Residences, Beverly Hills Hotel, The Grove, Four Seasons Hotels, pati
na mga bagong hotel at proyektong bakasyunan sa buong daigdig noong bungad ng
2000. At sumunod na ang Hollywood. Simula noong 2006, napipili ang kaniyang mga
obra o sadyang kinokontrata siya sa paggawa ng set para sa mga pelikulang gaya ng
Ocean’s Thirteen, Spread, Maid of Honor, at Total Recall. Sumunod pa ang palabas sa
telebisyon na CSI: Miami at isang video para sa Maroon 5 noong 2011. Nagbigay-daan
ito sa pagbili ng mga bituing tulad nina Brad
Pitt at Will.i.am ng Black-eyed Peas ng ilang
obra ni Cobonpue. Ang ilan pang tanyag na tao
gaya ng Reyna ng Jordan ay naghahanap ng
mga obra niya para sa pansarili nilang gamit at
kasiyahan.

Noong 2011, pumasok si Cobonpue sa isang

gawaing labas na sa muwebles. Naisip niyang
gumawa ng “una at tanging awtong yari sa
kawayan at yantok” sa mundo. Pinangalanan
niya itong “Phoenix;” humango siya ng
inspirasyon sa tradisyonal na pagkakayari
Lamparang Dragon’s Tail ng kalesa, ngunit ang ginamit niya ay yantok,
kawayan, bakal, at nylon. Itinanghal ang nasabing awto sa Milan Auto Show noong Eclipse
2012 at sa taunang Salone International de Mobile sa Milan. Nakapukaw ito sa interes trishaw
ng madlang manonood, maging ng mga eksperto sa awtomobil at muwebles.

Nagpatuloy ang mga pagtatanghal ni Cobonpue sa malalaking eksibisyon at kinilala

siyang Maison et Objet’s Asia Designer of the Year noong 2014 sa unang edisyon ng
eksibit sa Asya na ginanap sa Singapore. Mula noon, lagi na siyang naaanyayahan para
maging tagapagsalita sa mga internasyonal na kumperensiya ukol sa disenyo, mga
eksposisyon, at iba pang mga pangyayari. Gayundin, regular na itinatampok siya sa
mga programa sa telebisyon, digital media, at mga pahayagan sa Europa, Amerika, at
Asya.

Simula nang makapasok siya sa internasyonal na merkado sa kalagitnaan ng 2000

hanggang sa buong dekada ng 2010, patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan ni Cobonpue
sa mga internasyonal na kliyente sa North America, South America, Europa, Africa,
Asya, at sa Pacifico. Ang kaniyang mga muwebles, accessories, at iba pang likha ay
matatagpuan na ngayon sa mga hotel at resort sa mga pangunahing destinasyong
panturismo sa Hawaii, Caribbean, Puerto Vallarta at Cancun sa Mexico, Las Vegas,
Miami, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Maldives, Fiji, Sydney, Melbourne, Thailand, at siyempre 67
pa, sa Pilipinas.
COBONPUE

Cor Jesu Oratory Sa kalagitnaan ng dekada, gumawa si Cobonpue ng mga disenyong hindi
sa Sacred Heart para sa komersiyo. Nagdisenyo siya ng mga bagay na gagamitin sa lansangan,
School-Ateneo de
Cebu
gaya ng mga ilaw-poste sa Bohol at mga upuan para sa Rizal Park, na
nagpapahiwatig na nais niyang makatulong sa mga proyektong para sa
publiko. Noong 2016, idinisenyo niya ang Sky Play, isang kamangha-
manghang palaruang pambata, na nasa ikatlong palapag ng SM Seaside City.

Sa panahong ito, lumabas na rin si Cobonpue mula sa mundo ng disenyo

patungo sa lipunang sibil. Noong Marso 2017, itinalaga si Cobonpue ni
Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte bilang tagapangulo ng National Economic and
Development Authority Regional Development Council for Central Visayas
(Rehiyon 7). Palagi siyang nakikipagpulong sa mga lider na komersiyo at
politika ng Cebu at ng rehiyon hinggil sa mga programang pang-ekonomiya
at pangkultura.

Patuloy na pinalawak ni Cobonpue ang saklaw ng kaniyang pagkamalikhain.

Noong 2017, ang kaniyang alma mater, ang Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de
Cebu, ay lumapit sa kaniya upang humiling na lumikha siya ng disenyo para
68 sa isang bagong kapilya. Sinamantala ni Cobonpue ang pagkakataon upang
maiangat ang obra niya mula sa muwebles patungong gusali. Nakipagtulungan
siya kay Arkitekto Buck Sia, kapuwa niya alumnus sa nasabing paaralan. Si Cobonpue

COBONPUE
ang gumawa ng pangkalahatang konsepto at direksiyon para sa disenyo ng gagawing
Cor Jesu Oratory. Para sa mga espasyo, humango siya ng inspirasyon sa geometry
ng isang puso, alinsunod sa kahulugan ng Cor Jesu (Puso ni Jesus). Napalilibutan ng
mga binalot na parilyang kawayan ang mga espasyo ng kapilya, na siyang naging
pangkalahatang tema ng disenyo. Isang taóng ginawa ang kapilya at pinasinayaan
noong Disyembre 2018. Pagkaraan ng ilang buwan, inilahok ang Cor Jesu sa
kompetisyong World Architecture Festival (WAF) para sa mga natapos na gusali,
kategoryang relihiyoso. Naitala ito bilang isa sa anim na huwarang disenyo sa buong
mundo. Itinanghal ng mga designer ang proyekto sa harap ng lupon ng mga hurado
sa Amsterdam noong Disyembre 2019. Noong 2019, nag-ambag muli si Cobonpue sa
isang proyekto para sa mga bata, ang pagdidisenyo ng mga pangunahing elemento
para sa Pasilong sa Naga, isang pampublikong parke sa timog ng Lungsod Cebu.

Patuloy na umaani ng tagumpay si Cobonpue sa daigdig. Noong 2017, bumalik siya sa

Italy at nakipagtulungan sa dalawang proyekto, isa kay Vivienne Westwood at ang isa
pa, sa tanyag na taga-London na Italianong designer na si Federica Capitani.

Noong 2018, inilunsad niya ang kaniyang koleksiyong Star Wars, na humango ng
inspirasyon sa patok na ilang-yugtong prangkisa. Napasabay ang paglulunsad nito
sa huling yugto ng prangkisa, na nakatakdang ipalabas noong 2019. Ipinaliwanag ni
Cobonpue ang dulog niya sa pakikipagkolaborasyon sa Disney at sinabing “...gusto
niyang ipasok ang esensiya ng bawat tauhan ng Star Wars sa mga disenyo, habang
nananatiling tapat sa estetiko at proseso ng paglikha sa kamay.” Idinagdag pa niya
na ang pagkakamit ng balanse ay isang hámon, subalit, “napakasayá rin naman ang
paggawa nito.”

Patuloy na binubuwag ni Cobonpue ang anumang

sagabal sa kaniyang malikhaing gawain... nang hindi
nawawala ang diwa ng paglalaro na waring bata.
Dalawa na ngayon ang lugar ng kaniyang paglikha—
Cebu at Makati. May pagkakataong nakapagtayo
siya ng puwesto sa Espanya, ngunit nagpasiya siyang
Pilipinas ang kaniyang tahanan at Pilipino ang kaniyang
identidad. Idineklara niya: “Pinili kong manatili dito at
ituon ang lahat ng ginagawa ko sa Pilipinas, upang ang
lahat ng bahagi (ng mga obra ko) ay mapakinabangan
ng ating bayan.”

Malinaw na kahit kilalang-kilala na ang pangalan

niya sa pagiging malikhain, patuloy na magluluwal
ang kaniyang marubdob na damdamin para sa atin
at sa buong daigdig ng mga bagay na may dulot
Salamin na Twiggy
na pakinabang at kasiyahan sa mga dekada pang
darating.
Chronology of Collections
Kronolohiya ng mga Koleksiyon
1980 – Lotus
1998 – Yin Yang
1999 – Balou
2000 – Pigalle, La Luna
2001 – Voyage
2002 – Yoda, Croissant, Kabuki, Lulu
2003 – Tilt, Matilda, Amaya, Dimple, Lolita,
Terra
2004 – Chiquita, Lolah, Wave, Pirouette
2005 – Stitches, Retaso, Suzy Wong, Kawayan
2006 – Dragnet, Dimsum, Link
2007 – Kawayan Too, Manolo
2008 – Oasis, Noodle, Bouquet, Operetta
2009 – Bloom, Harry, Hagia, Freya, Nobu,
Vaña
2010 – Rapunzel, Ima, Juniper, Ziggy
2011 – Cabaret, Papillion, Mermaid, Dream
Catcher, Pebble, Giza, Enoki, Tria
2012 – Eclipse, Tropez, Zaza, Kaja, Parchment
Table, Annik, Acacia
2013 – Parchment, Calyx, Adesso, Trame,
Papillion Swing, Shireen
2017 – Vivo, Peacock, Cloud, Kala, Isabella
2018 – Star Wars Collection - in collaboration
with the Disney Company Philippines
2002-2020 Installations and
Projects by Geographic Location
Mga Instalasyon at Proyekto
ayon sa Lugar na Pinaglagyan
Asia
Aloft Rooftop Bar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Nobu Doha Restaurants, Doha, Qatar
Nobu Dubai Restaurant, Atlantis The Palm,
Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
Rare Restaurant, Desert Palm Dubai
Siam Kempinski Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Four Seasons Resort, Maldives
Jia Shanghai, Shanghai, China
W Hotel, Maldives
Andaz, Tokyo, Japan
Lavinmana, Kobe, Japan
Ananyana Beach Resort, Bohol, Philippines
Be Grand Resort, Panglao, Bohol, Philippines
Morals & Malice Restaurant, Cebu City,
Philippines
Fairmont Makati Spa, Makati, Philippines
Seda Hotel, BGC, Taguig, Philippines
Two Serendra Complex, BGC, Taguig,
Philippines
Africa
Azura Boutique Retreat, Benguerra Island,
Africa
Bisate Lodge, Rwanda, Africa
North America & Central America
Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sheraton Universal Hotel, Los Angeles,
California
St. Regis Hotel, Puerto Rico
The Grove, Houston, Texas
Royal Palm Hotel, South Beach, Miami
Florida
Red Rock Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Mahekal Beach Resort, Playa del Carmen,
Quintana Roo, Mexico
Mandarin Oriental, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Rancho La Ola, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Nobu 57, New York City
Nobu Los Angeles, California
Nobu Cesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Mondrian Hotel, Soho, New York City
Marriot Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii
Casa Millas, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Hyatt Regency, Cancun, Mexico
Four Seasons Resort, Ko’Olina, Hawaii
Four Seasons Resort, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Hotel Wailea, Hawaii
Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa,
Hawaii
Rancho Altamar, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Four Seasons Resort, Walt Disney Resort,
Orlando, Florida
201 Washington Square Restaurant,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tabac Restaurant, Washington DC
The Grove, Houston, Texas
Motif Restaurant, San Jose, California
Forty 1 North, Newport, Rhode Island
Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Agraria Restaurant, Washington DC
Andaz Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
Abacus Restaurant, Dallas, Texas
Showroom, New York City
Meridian at Mt. Vernon Triangle,
Washington DC
Boy’s Room by Alter Design, Los Angeles,
California
Nobu Los Angeles, California
Nobu Hotel, Cesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel
Marriott, Alberta, Canada
Schindler Beach House, La Jolla, California
Shaw Contract Showroom, New York City,
New York
Sweetwater Mesa, Malibu, California
Tellus Apartments, Arlington, Virginia
South America
Trump Club, Panama City
Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Tivoli Sao Paulo Mofarrej, Sao Paulo, Mofarrej,
Brazil
Hotel Casa Del Horno, Panama
Europe
Raddison Blu, Cannes, France
Evidencia Astoria Creative Hotel, Lisbon,
Portugal
Fontana Park Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal
Hotel Casanova, Barcelona, Spain
Hotel Taiwana, St. Barth, French West Indies
Kensho Boutique Hotel, Mykonos, Greece
Lopesan Boabab Resort, Gran Canaria, Spain
Mainalon Resort, Tripoli, Greece
Seehotel Wilerbad Seminar & Spa,
Switzerland
The Blue Monkey Restaurant, Crete, Greece
Eli Eli, Thessalaniki, Greece
Drops Café and Bar, Volos, Greece
La Boheme, Munich, Germany
Maze Restaurant, London, England
Restaurant De Kas, Netherlands
Tapelia, Madeira, Portugal
The Vine, Madeira, Spain
Theros Wave Bar, Santorini, Greece
Ralph Lauren Display Window, London,
England
Australia & Oceana
Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel, Sydney
Tadrai Island Resort, Fiji
Ivanhoe Hotel L2 Lounge and Bar, Manly,
Australia
Lake House Restaurant, Victoria, Australia
Advanced Flight Heliport, Auckland, New
Zealand
Apaiser Flagship Melbourne Showroom,
Richmond, Australia
Linneys Jewelry Store, Sydney, Australia
Paddingtom Terrace by Darren Palmer,
Sydney, Australia
Westpac HQ, Sydney, Australia
Penrith Panther’s Foyer, Australia
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
71
Clodualdo
del Mundo Jr
FILM

73
 Citation

Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. is a writer, a director, a scholar, and

an educator, whose outstanding cinematic works, as well as
film scholarship, and criticism have contributed immensely to
the development and appreciation of Philippine cinema.

For his scathing, cinematic commentaries on the social and

economic injustices suffered by ordinary Filipinos, which give
voice to the oftentimes silenced majority;

For his talent in weaving stories, with a range, courage, and

imagination that defy the ordinary and the conventional, many
done in partnership with Mike De Leon, that has produced
works now enshrined in the pantheon of Filipino classics;

For his impressive scholarship on pre-war and contemporary

films that has contributed to a deeper understanding of our
colonial experience and the weakness of mainstream cinema,
on television that has exposed the vacuity of programs that
serve as the masses’ daily escape from their realities, and
on other aspects of media that have advanced the critical
discourse about popular media;

For his body of work as a writer, a filmmaker, a media

practitioner, and a scholar who relentlessly foregrounds the
importance of the Filipino identity, even as he encourages
Filipino audiences to always think critically of that identity;

For contributing to Philippine cinema and further elevating

its status as an art form that helps shape our understanding of
who we are as a people.

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Clodualdo del

Mundo, Jr. this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

74
 Pagkilala

Si Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. ay manunulat, direktor, iskolar at propesor, na

ang mga natatanging obra sa pelikula, maging sa panunuri at kritisismong
pampelikula, ay nakaambag nang labis sa pag-unlad at pagkaunawa sa
pelikulang Filipino;

Para sa kaniyang masinsing pagpuna sa tagibang na ugnayang pantao,

na nagsatinig sa hinaing ng karaniwang mamamayan na karaniwa’y
binubusalan ang bibig;

Para sa kaniyang galing sa paghabi ng mga kuwentong may lalim, tapang,

at haraya na humahamon sa karaniwan at nakagawian, marami rito ay
bunga ng kaniyang pakikiisa kay Mike De Leon, na napabilang na sa mga
klasikong akdang Filipino;

Para sa kahanga-hangang pag-aaral sa kasaysayan ng pelikulang Filipino

bago magkagiyera at sa pelikulang kontemporanyo, na nakatulong
para magkaroon tayo ng malalim na pagkaunawa sa karanasan ng
kolonyalismo at sa kakulangan ng popular na pelikula, sa papel ng
telebisyon na nagsisilbing paraan para makatakas ang manonood sa
realidad, at sa ibang mga aralin niyang nagpayabong ng diskurso sa
popular na media;

Para sa lahat ng mga obra niya bilang manunulat, manggagawa ng

pelikula, propesyunal ng media, at iskolar na walang sawang
nagtatanghal sa halaga ng pagkakakilanlan ng Filipino, at walang puknat
na nagpapaalala sa manonood na laging suriin ang identidad na ito;

Para sa kaniyang ambag sa pelikulang Filipino at sa pagtatanghal nito

bilang likhang-sining na humuhulma sa ating pagkaunawa sa ating sarili
bilang isang bayan;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Clodualdo del

Mundo, Jr. ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura
ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

75
 Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr.
Films with Clarity, Wisdom,
and Compassion
Anne Frances Sangil

Out of solitude, a writer imagines and creates his version of the universe. But a
writer’s imagined world is also shaped by his own milieu and is indicative of
the artist’s deep and personal involvement with forces outside of his fictional
renderings. Given the variety of worlds Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo, Jr. has
created, one is left to wonder how this writer has been wrought by his own life
experiences. Born in 1948 in Manila, Del Mundo was raised in a household
bursting with literary activity. Having a writer for a father, his childhood was
ideal for nurturing a wordsmith. Clodualdo del Mundo, Sr. was a writer for
Liwayway magazine and several komiks, not to mention an educator and a
passionate advocate for the Filipino language and literature. The father was
instrumental to his son’s choice of a literary path. Tasked to read the Harvard
Classics in his father’s personal library every summer, the young Del Mundo
was weaned on a regular diet of highbrow prose. But since his father also
worked in the komiks industry and even wrote for films, the son was also
exposed to popular media. This steady diet of canonical works combined with
popular literature set the stage for Del Mundo’s own relationship with words
and world-building.

Del Mundo went to high school at San Sebastian College, and later on,
pursued an AB Humanities degree under scholarship at the Ateneo de
Manila University. A self-professed nerd, Del Mundo maximized his Atenean
experience, even tried out (unsuccessfully) to be a cheerleader for the Blue
Battalion, not because he was lithe or athletic, but “because I was attracted by
76 the blue-and-white jacket” (Del Mundo, 2008). Little did Del Mundo know
that the university would become a fertile ground for his flourishing, not just as Bembol Roco in
a writer, but as a future filmmaker. Del Mundo became classmates with Mike Maynila, Sa Mga
De Leon, one year his senior, and they shared several classes under the same Kuko ng Liwanag,
directed by Lino
program, alongside another Humanities major, Mel Chionglo. Brocka, 1975

The scene is set—lights, camera, action.

After his graduation in 1968, Del Mundo taught for a year at Xavier School,
teaching Philippine History and English to first-year high school students. But
the call of further studies beckoned, so he went back to Ateneo to pursue a
master’s in Communication Arts. He enrolled in a scriptwriting elective which
turned out to be a tutorial class since he was the only student who signed up. His
professor was Nestor U. Torre. Doy was tasked to write a screenplay as part of the
class requirements, and he came up with his first project called Pepot Artista.
Upon submission, Torre asked him to write another one. Momentarily panicking
because he had no other original ideas left at the time, Del Mundo suggested an
adaptation of Edgardo Reyes’ work, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, a novel that his
professor in a Philippine Literature class, Bienvenido Lumbera, required him to
read. He finished his adapted screenplay by the end of the semester.

While he didn’t finish his MA thesis, Del Mundo received a Fulbright Scholarship
and took up an MS in Radio-Television-Film at University of Kansas, 1972-
1974. Upon finishing his degree and returning to Manila, his old friend Mike De
Leon had already formed Cinema Artists Philippines. De Leon knew about Del 77
Charo Santos, Mundo’s Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag adapted screenplay and asked
Mona Lisa, Lino Brocka to read it. The rest was history. Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag
Sarah K.
Joaquin, and was released in 1975, and it won several awards during the 1976 FAMAS
others in Itim, Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Brocka, Best Cinematography
directed by for De Leon, and Best Screenplay for Del Mundo.
Mike de Leon,
1976
That same year, Del Mundo joined De La Salle University where he headed the
Communication Arts department. But his academic life was not a handicap
to Del Mundo’s writing career; quite the contrary. His teaching residency
complemented the hours he needed to continue his world-building. After the
success of Maynila, he continued his working relationship with De Leon with
their follow-up endeavor, Itim, in 1976. The film went on to win Best Picture
at the Asian Film Festival, and gave Del Mundo his first Urian nomination for
Best Screenplay alongside his co-writer and brother-in-law Gil Quito. Itim
would also serve as a landmark for what would be a long-running cinematic
partnership between De Leon as director and Del Mundo as scriptwriter,
a partnership that would prove to be auspicious for Philippine cinema. His
back-to-back collaboration with De Leon on Kisapmata, 1981, and Batch ’81,
1982, led to 1982’s Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight showcase, further
78 establishing Del Mundo’s writing credentials. Kisapmata eventually won Best
Screenplay and Story at the Metro Manila Film Festival, while Batch ’81 gave
Del Mundo (with De Leon and Raquel Villavicencio) the Best Screenplay award from

DEL MUNDO
the Gawad Urian and the Film Academy of the Philippines.

While Del Mundo’s working relationship with De Leon is the stuff of legends, Del Mundo
was able to demonstrate his craft on his own, as he also found himself working with
director Gil Portes in various projects such as Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa, 1977, ‘Merika,
1984, Mulanay, 1996, Puerto Princesa, 1997, and Markova: Comfort Gay, 2000.

Del Mundo’s academic life continually intersects with and informs his writing. In one
of their faculty lounge chats at De La Salle University during the late 1980s, historian
Reynaldo Ileto casually told Del Mundo, “The problem with Filipinos is that there’s too
much entertainment” (Sangil, 2019). From there came Del Mundo’s idea for Aliwan
Paradise, his next collaboration with De Leon. A satire that explores the country’s
fascination with entertainment, the film takes off from Brocka’s Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko
ng Liwanag, and presents the viewer with a supposition. What if the two characters
from Maynila were still alive to continue their harrowing tale? Aliwan Paradise is Del
Mundo’s brainchild and as such, he received full and solo credit for its writing. Del
Mundo, with his usual modesty, recognizes the extent and perhaps even the limitations
of his words on paper, and acknowledges the collective authorship in filmmaking. In
an unpublished 1992 letter to De Leon, Del Mundo writes about his Aliwan Paradise
script,

Kung anuman ang kulang sa iskrip ngayon, kayo na ang bahalang magpuno. Hindi
naman talaga ‘tapos’ ang screenplay, di ba? Kailangang isapelikula ito. At hindi lang
naman ‘execution’ ang ginagawa ng production staff, kundi ‘creation’ din. Kaya
maraming hindi masasagot ang iskrip. Ang masasabi ko na lang ay ‘yung dinagdag
mong linya para sa Empresaryo—‘H’wag rendahan ang imahinasyon’ (Sangil, 2019).
DEL MUNDO Del Mundo’s imagination is relentless and unpredictable. From Batch ‘81’s hazing
to Itim’s séance, from the lightness of Kakabakaba Ka Ba? to the darkness of
Kisapmata, Del Mundo carefully creates characters and situations that allow his
viewers to not only feel but also to think about issues that he deems as important. His
work on Bayaning 3rd World in 1999 with De Leon, a historiophotic metafiction, is a
self-reflexive cinematic adaptation of a fragment of Jose Rizal’s past. The film invites
the viewer to challenge his or her notion of heroism, and to question Rizal’s lofty place in
history. Del Mundo’s dry sense of humor, his sardonic tenor reminiscent of his previous
works like Kakabakaba Ka Ba? and Aliwan Paradise are front and center in Bayaning
3rd World.

As a filmmaker, Del Mundo is aware of his role as essential to nation-building, “Through

film I try to make people see what I think is important or what I’m passionate about. To
make them see our environment, to what is happening around us” (Questions 2:50-
3:03). His documentary films speak volumes about his advocacy—Lupa (Earth), 1982,
Maid in Singapore, 2004, Ehemp!Plo: Corruption and Integrity in Philippine Society,
2008, and Tinitingnan, Di Nakikita (Looking Without Seeing), 2010. These works
illustrate Del Mundo’s desire to lay bare numerous social inequities and to speak up
against the injustices in our society.

As a scholar, Del Mundo’s body of work is equally impressive. He wrote Writing for Film
in 1981, under the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA), and edited Philippine
Mass Media: A Book of Readings, also published by the CFA
in 1986. After finishing his doctoral degree in Communication
Studies (Film) at the University of Iowa in 1994, Del Mundo
added another feather on his cap with Native Resistance:
Philippine Cinema and Colonialism 1898-1941, published by
De La Salle University Press in 1998. The book won the National
Book Award for Film Criticism from the Manila Critics Circle
in 1999. In 2010, he edited Spirituality and the Filipino Film
published by the CFA, and in 2014, Del Mundo edited Making
Waves: 10 Years of Cinemalaya, published by the Cultural
Center of the Philippines. In 2019, he edited Direk: Essays on
Filipino Filmmakers, published by the De La Salle University
Press. Several of his screenplays have also been anthologized,
namely Maynila. .. ‘Merika, Alyas Raha Matanda: Tatlong
Dulang Pampelikula, 1992, and Rizal/Bayaning Third World:
2 Dulang Pampelikula in 2000, which received the National
Book Award for Screenplay. Del Mundo also served as the
Principal Area Editor of the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art (2nd edition), Film volume, 2017.

Del Mundo’s love for movies is also evident in his passion for
Mark Gil in Batch ’81, directed
by Mike de Leon, 1982 archiving. He has written ardently about the value of having a
National Film Archive, and is an active member of the Society
of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA). He believes that film archiving is an Charo Santos,
excellent avenue to help us as a nation in coming to terms with ourselves, Sandy Andolong,
Christopher de Leon,
“These are films that can tell us stories about ourselves as a people, films that and Jay Ilagan in
can show the best and worst of ourselves, films that can show images and Kakabakaba Ka Ba?,
sounds and ideas about our past” (Nocon, 2018). For him, cinema has the directed by Mike de
power to open our eyes and help us realize our potential, and allow us to have a Leon, 1980
vision that will hopefully lead us to action.

More than three decades after his first screenwriting project at the Ateneo,
Del Mundo realized his passion beyond words on paper, of words becoming
cinematic flesh. In 2005, he received a grant from Cinemalaya, and armed with
his maiden script, he directed his first movie, Pepot Artista. The film won the
Best Film award in the Full-Length category at the Cinemalaya Independent
Film Festival. In 2011, Del Mundo wrote and directed Paglipad ng Anghel
(Flight of an Angel), part of De La Salle University’s centennial campaign and
celebration. The film won the Best Fiction Feature in the Spirituality section of
the 2012 Dhaka International Film Festival.

As a teacher, Del Mundo is beloved by his students and his colleagues. He 81

introduces cinema to young students of filmmaking, knowing that to leave a
DEL MUNDO mark means to mold the minds of the younger generation, to teach them how
to think judiciously, to look at the world with multicolored lens, to always look
for what is not only beautiful, but to ask what makes it good and beneficial for
every Filipino. Del Mundo is a University Fellow at DLSU, and in 2008, was
given the distinguished title and honor of Professor Emeritus, the highest rank
for a faculty upon retirement.

Del Mundo’s worlds evoke a range of conflicts and emotions—from the quiet
horror of Itim to the loud, bombastic violence of Batch ’81, to the silliness
of Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, and even to the oppressive dread that envelops
Kisapmata. His characters are never two-dimensional—Julio Madiaga,
Dr. Torres, Dadong, Sid Lucero, Rosa, Mila, Jose Rizal, Markova, Pepot, these
are characters that Del Mundo gave life to. He breathed soul into them, gave
them shape, placed them in various challenging situations and in the end,
he affects his audience, thus recreating the viewer’s worldview. A quiet man,
Del Mundo has long been compared to a bangus (milkfish), tahimik pero
Elijah Castillo matinik. He shies away from the glitz and the glamour of showbiz. He does not
and others in engage in personal dramas. Of course, this is quite ironic given the worlds he
Pepot Artista, has helped create, oftentimes brimming with color and spectacle. His worlds,
directed by
Clodualdo del not to mention his characters, are not meant to orbit in one corner and to just
Mundo Jr, 2005 languish in quietude.
 DEL MUNDO
Del Mundo’s words, whether on paper or uttered out loud, are constantly simple, but
always with clarity, wisdom, and compassion that soar over the noise of the crowd,
always bang on target. By creating numerous worlds, Del Mundo helps shape our own—
allowing us to look at the world critically, arming us with ideas about how to deal with
life’s challenges, giving us opportunities to resist the ordinary and the oppressive, while
allowing us to not just imagine but to create a better world where the present learns
from the past, where words become flesh, and where the ideal becomes real.

References
CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (Film). 2017. Second ed., vol. 6, 438–39.
Manila: Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Mundo, Clodualdo del, Jr. 2008. “Blue or Green? That Is the Question.”
Philstar.Com, 5 October, www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-
magazine/2008/10/05/404817/blue-or-green-question.

Nocon, Monchito. 2018. “The Heroes of Philippine Film Archiving.” Manila Bulletin, 7
April, mb.com.ph/2018/04/07/the-heroes-of-philippine-film-archiving.

“QUESTIONS Vol. 2: Dr. Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr.”2014. YouTube, uploaded by

De La Salle University, 17 March, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb9NFslm1hM.

Sangil, Anne Frances. 2019. “Violence, Satire, Social Activism, & Metacinema as
Signature: A Critical Study of Mike de Leon’s Films.” Doctoral dissertation.
De La Salle University. Print. 83
 Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr.
Mga Pelikulang May Linaw,
Lalim, at Lingap
Anne Frances Sangil
Salin ni Gary C. Devilles

Mula sa pag-iisa, humahabi at lumilikha ang manunulat ng kaniyang mundo.

Subalit hinuhubog rin ng kaligiran at taimtim na pakikiisa sa pang-araw-araw
na buhay ang mundong nalilikha ng manunulat. Sa samot-saring daigdig
na nilikha niya, isang palaisipan ngayon sa mambabasa at manonood kung
paano hinubog ng karanasan sa buhay ang manunulat na si Clodualdo del
Mundo, Jr.

Ipinanganak noong 1948 sa Maynila, lumaki si Del Mundo sa piling ng panitik.

Kilalang manunulat ang kaniyang ama, kaya pinanday rin sa mga panitik ang
kaniyang kamusmusan. Manunulat sa magasing Liwayway at iba pang komiks
si Clodualdo del Mundo, Sr., at bantog na tagapagtaguyod ng wikang Filipino
at panitikan. Ang kaniyang ama ang naghawan ng landas para sa kaniyang
tatahaking karera sa hiinaharap. Tuwing bakasyon, binabasa niya ang mga
akdang Harvard Classics sa sariling silid-aklatan ng ama, kaya lumaki si Del
Mundo sa mahusay na pagsasalaysay. Bukod sa panitikan, naging bihasa rin
siya sa mga komiks at palabas dahil ito ang kabuhayan ng kanilang pamilya.
Ang mundo ng panitik at popular na babasahin ang nagsilbing tawiran ni Del
Mundo sa kaniyang paggalugad sa lansangan at siyudad ng mga salita at
akda.

Nagtapos si Del Mundo ng hayskul sa San Sebastian College at Batsilyer sa

84 Humanidades bilang iskolar sa Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila. Inaamin
niyang abala siya sa kaniyang aralin, subalit sinubok din niyang mapabilang Jay Ilagan, Charo
(hindi nga lang nagtagumpay) bilang cheerleader sa Blue Battalion, hindi dahil Santos, Aida
Carmona, Vic
siya’y atletiko kundi dahil sa uniporme nilang blue-and-white na jacket. (Del Silayan, Charito
Mundo, 2008). Wala siyang kamalay-malay na ang pamantasan mismo ang Solis, at Ruben
lilinang sa kaniya bilang manunulat at manggagawa ng pelikula sa paglaon. Rustia sa Kisapmata,
Naging kaklase niya sa mga aralin sa Humanidades si Mike De Leon na matanda sa direksiyon ni Mike
sa kaniya ng isang taon sa pamantasan, at maging si Mel Chionglo. de Leon, 1981

Unti-unting nahahawan ang pinilakang tabing.

Sa kaniyang pagtatapos sa kolehiyo noong 1968, nagturo muna siya ng

Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas at English nang isang taon sa Xavier School sa mga
mag-aaral ng unang taon sa hayskul. Subalit matindi rin ang panawagan na
maging dalubhasa, kaya kumuha siya ng Masteral sa Sining sa Communication
Arts. Kumuha siya ng elective sa pagsulat ng script kung saan nag-iisa lamang
siyang mag-aaral sa ilalim ng gurong si Nestor U. Torre. Naatasan siyang
sumulat ng isang dulang pampelikula bilang kahingian ng kurso at sinulat niya
ang Pepot Artista. Nang maipasa ito, hiningan siya muli ni Torre ng isa pa. Subalit
sa kaniyang pagkukumahog noon, iminungkahi niya ang pagsasapelikula ng
nobela ni Edgardo Reyes na Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, ang nobelang inaral nila
sa kurso ng Panitikan kay Bienvenido Lumbera. Natapos niya ang adaptasyon
nito sa pelikula noong katapusan ng semestre. 85
 Bagaman hindi natapos ni Del Mundo ang kaniyang tesis, natanggap
naman niya ang Fulbright Scholarship at nakapagtapos siya ng MS sa
Radio-Television-Film sa University of Kansas, 1972-1974. Pagbalik niya
sa Maynila, naitatag na ng kaibigan niyang si Mike de Leon ang Cinema
Rod Leido, Dodo Artists Philippines. Alam ni De Leon na may adaptasyon si Del Mundo ng
Cabasal, Vic Lima, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag at ipinabasa niya ito kay Lino Brocka. At mula
Noel Trinidad, Mark noon, tumatak na sa manonood ang kaniyang akda. Inilabas ang Maynila
Gil, Jimmy Javier, noong 1975 at naghakot ito ng mga parangal sa 1976 FAMAS Awards para
Ricky Sandico,
Ward Luarca, at sa Pinakamahusay na Pelikula, Pinakamahusay na Direktor para kay Brocka,
Edwin Reyes sa Pinakamahusay na Sinematograpiya para kay De Leon, at Pinakamahusay na
Batch `81, 1982 Dulang Pampelikula kay Del Mundo.

86
 DEL MUNDO
Noong taon ding iyon, nagturo si Del Mundo sa Pamantasang De La Salle at
naging tagapangulo ng Communication Arts. Subalit hindi naging hadlang ang
buhay sa akademya sa kaniyang pagsusulat. Bagkus, kinailangan pa nga niya ang
buhay sa akademya sa kaniyang pagsusulat. Matapos ang tagumpay ng Maynila,
nagpatuloy ang kaniyang kolaborasyon kay De Leon sa pelikulang Itim noong
1976. Nagkamit ang pelikulang ito ng parangal na Pinakamahusay na Pelikula sa
Asian Film Festival at unang nominasyon sa Gawad Urian, kasama ang kaniyang
bayaw na sumulat din nito na si Gil Quito. Ang pelikulang ito ang magsisilbing
muhon para sa tambalan ni De Leon bilang direktor at Del Mundo bilang
manunulat sa kasaysayan ng pelikulang Filipino. Sinundan ito ng mga pelikulang
Kisapmata noong 1981 at Batch ‘81 noong 1982 na naging tampok sa Cannes
Film Festival Director’s Fortnight showcase. Dito napatunayan ni Del Mundo
ang kaniyang galing sa dulang pampelikula. Nagwagi ang Kisapmata ng
Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula at Kuwento sa Metro Manila Film Festival,
at nagtamo naman ang Batch ‘81 para kay Del Mundo (kasama sina De Leon
at Raquel Villavicencio) ng Pinakamahusay na Dulang Pampelikula sa Gawad
Urian at Film Academy of the Philippines. Bagaman masasabing alamat na ang
tambalang Del Mundo at De Leon, nakatrabaho rin ni Del Mundo ang direktor
na si Gil Portes sa mga pelikulang Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa, 1977, ‘Merika, 1984,
Mulanay, 1996, Puerto Princesa, 1997, at Markova: Comfort Gay, 2000.

Sa buhay ni Del Mundo, ang akademya ay lagi nang kaugnay at karamay ng

pagsusulat. Sa isang huntahan sa De La Salle noong 1980, minsang nasambit ng
historyador na si Reynaldo Ileto kay Del Mundo na ang suliranin ng mga Filipino
ay dahil sa mga naglipanang palabas (Sangil, 2019). Dito hinango ni Del Mundo
ang ideya para sa Aliwan Paradise, na katambal muli si De Leon. Isang pang-
uuyam ang pelikula sa pagkawili ng tao sa mga palabas, gamit ang kuwento ng
Maynila, Sa Kuko ng Liwanag; itinanghal kung paano ang mga tauhan dito ay
buhay pa at patuloy na ikinukuwento ang kanilang pagkadusta. Bagaman si Del
Mundo ang natatanging lumikha ng Aliwan Paradise, inamin pa rin niya ang
saklaw at hangganan ng kaniyang dulang pampelikula at kinilala ang kolektibong
pag-akda ng pelikula. Sa isang liham ni Del Mundo kay De Leon noong 1992,
nasabi niyang:

Kung anuman ang kulang sa iskrip ngayon, kayo na ang bahalang

magpuno. Hindi naman talaga ‘tapos’ ang screenplay, di ba?
Kailangang isapelikula ito. At hindi lang naman ‘execution’
ang ginagawa ng production staff, kundi ‘creation’ din. Kaya
maraming hindi masasagot ang iskrip. Ang masasabi ko na lang
ay ‘yung dinagdag mong linya para sa Empresaryo—‘H’wag
rendahan ang imahinasyon’ (Sangil, 2019).
87
DEL MUNDO Walang puknat at mahirap rendahan ang imahinasyon ni Del Mundo. Mula sa eksena
ng hazing sa Batch ‘81, sa tagpo ng seance sa Itim, sa eksena ng katatawanan ng
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? , hanggang sa kahindik-hindik na tagpo sa Kisapmata, nakalikha
si Del Mundo ng mga tauhan at pangyayaring tumimo at nagpaisip sa manonood. Ang
kaniyang Bayaning 3rd World noong 1999, sa direksyon muli ni De Leon, ay isang
pagbalikwas at pagmumuni-muni sa kasaysayan gamit ang buhay ni Jose Rizal.
Inaanyayahan ang manonood na hamunin ang konsepto ng kaniyang kabayanihan at
lansagin ang bulag na pagdadakila kay Rizal. Kitang-kita na ang siste at mapanuring
pagtanaw ni Del Mundo sa pelikulang ito, kaysa sa mga nauna niyang obra gaya ng
Kakabakaba Ka Ba? at Aliwan Paradise.

Bilang manggagawa ng pelikula, batid ni Del Mundo ang kaniyang papel sa

pagtataguyod ng bansa. Aniya, “Sa pelikula nagagawa kong ipakita sa manonood ang
mga usaping mahalaga sa ating lahat. Naitatanghal ko ang kaligiran at ang nangyayari
sa atin” (Questions 2:50-3:03). Matutunghayan sa kaniyang mga dokyumentaryo ang
mga usaping itinataguyod niya gaya ng Lupa (Earth), 1982, Maid in Singapore, 2004,
Ehemp!Plo: Corruption and Integrity in Philippine Society, 2008, at Tinitingnan,
Di Nakikita, 2010. Mababatid dito ang kaniyang pagnanasang itanghal ang di-
pagkakapantay sa lipunan at labanan ang kawalan ng katarungan.

Hindi matatawaran ang nalathalang iba pang akda ni Del Mundo. Sinulat niya ang
Writing for Film noong 1981, na nilathala ng Communication Foundation for Asia
(CFA), at pinamatnugutan ang Philippine Mass Media: A Book of Readings noong
1986. Nang matapos niya ang kaniyang doktorado sa Communication Studies (Film)
sa University of Iowa noong 1994, inilathala ng De La Salle University Press ang
kaniyang disertasyong Native Resistance: Philippine Cinema and Colonialism

88
1898-1941 noong 1998. Ginawaran ito ng National Book Award for Film Johnny Delgado,
Criticism ng Manila Critics Circle noong 1999. Noong 2010, pinamatnugutan Melissa de Leon,
at Julio Diaz sa
niya ang Spirituality and the Filipino Film na inilathala ng CFA, at noong Aliwan Paradise, sa
2014, pinamatnugutan niya ang Making Waves: 10 Years of Cinemalaya, direksiyon ni Mike
na inilimbag ng the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Taong 2019, nang de Leon, 1992
patnugutan niya ang Direk: Essays on Filipino Filmmakers, na nilimbag
ng De La Salle University Press. Ilan sa kaniyang dulang pampelikula ang
pinagsama sa iba’t ibang antolohiya, gaya ng Maynila. .. ‘Merika, Alyas
Raha Matanda: Tatlong Dulang Pampelikula, 1992, at Rizal/Bayaning
Third World: 2 Dulang Pampelikula noong 2000, na nagkamit ng National
Book Award para sa Dulang Pampelikula. Naging pangunahing patnugot
si Del Mundo sa Film Volume ng CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art
(Ikalawang edisyon), taong 2017.

Madudukal ang pagkawili ni Del Mundo sa pelikula sa kaniyang masinsing

pag-aarkibo. Marami na siyang nasulat na artikulo hinggil sa halaga ng
Pambansang Arkibo ng mga Pelikula, at aktibong tagapagtaguyod siya
ng Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA). Naniniwala siya na
maghahawan ng landas ang arkibo ng mga pelikula para sa kasarinlan
at pagkabansa, “These are films that can tell us stories about ourselves as
89
Joel Torre a people, films that can show the best and worst of ourselves, films that can
sa Bayaning show images and sounds and ideas about our past” (Nocon, 2018). Para sa
3rd World, sa
direksiyon ni
kaniya may kapangyarihan ang pelikulang magmulat sa atin para makita
Mike de Leon, natin ang ating kakayahan at ganyakin tayong magtakda ng mithiing siyang
1999 magpapakilos sa atin.

Pagkaraan ng halos tatlong dekada mula nang sulatin ni Del Mundo ang una
niyang dulang pampelikula sa kaniyang kurso sa Ateneo, nakita na rin niya
kung paano naisasalin ang rubdob ng damdamin sa mga salita sa pahina,
mga salitang nagkaroon naman ng buhay sa pinilakang tabing. Noong 2005,
nakatanggap siya ng grant mula sa Cinemalaya at dinirihe niya ang kaniyang
unang pelikula na Pepot Artista. Nagwagi ang pelikula ng Pinakamahusay
na Pelikula sa Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Noong 2011, sinulat
at idinirehe niya ang Paglipad ng Anghel na bahagi ng pagdiriwang ng
De La Salle ng kanilang sentenaryo. Nagwagi ito ng Best Fiction Feature sa
Spirituality section ng 2012 Dhaka International Film Festival.

Bilang guro, magiliw at mahal na mahal si Del Mundo ng kaniyang mga mag-
90 aaral at katrabaho. Itinuturo niya ang pelikula sa mga bagong mag-aaral ng
pelikula, dahil alam niya na sa mahusay na pagtuturo ay maaari niyang mahubog ang pag-

DEL MUNDO
iisip ng susunod na salinlahi, turuan silang maging kritikal at tingnan ang mundo sa iba’t
ibang lente, at huwag sa ningning, bagkus kusang hagilapin ang liwanag na magpapala
sa nakararaming Filipino. Isang University Fellow ng DLSU si Del Mundo at noong
2008, iginawad sa kaniya ang Professor Emeritus, ang pinakamataas na karangalang
ipinagkakaloob sa mga propesor na magreretiro.

Nag-uumapaw sa tunggalian at mga damdamin ang mundo ni Del Mundo – mula sa

tahimik na hilakbot ng Itim, sa ragasa ng karahasan ng Batch ‘81, sa nakawiwindang
na halakhakan ng Kakabakaba Ka Ba? at sa nakapanlulumong gimbal ng Kisapmata.
Buhay na buhay ang kaniyang mga tauhan – sina Julio Madiaga, Dr. Torres, Dadong,
Sid Lucero, Rosa, Mila, Jose Rizal, Markova, Pepot – mga tauhang binuhay mismo ni
Del Mundo. Binigyan niya ang mga ito ng hininga, hugis, ipinunla sa mapanghamong
kapaligiran, at sa dakong huli, naganyak ng mga ito ang manonood na makalikha rin ng
sarili nilang pananaw sa bagay-bagay. Inihahalintulad si Del Mundo sa isang bangus,
tahimik pero matinik. Mahiyain at tumatalilis sa rangya at kislap ng industriya. Wala rin
siyang panahon sa walang kawawaang drama ng buhay. Subalit balintuna ito para sa
isang lumilikha ng mundong makulay at marikit. Sinadyang lagalag at hindi napapako
sa isang tabi ang mga mundong nalikha niya, sampu ng kaniyang mga tauhan.

Sadyang payak ang mga akda ni Del Mundo, nakalathala man o isinasalaysay, subalit
laging may kaliwanagan, karunungan, at kahabagan na nangingibabaw sa ingay ng
balana, tumatagos sa kaibuturan. Sa paglikha ng mga mundo, tinutulungan din niya
tayong likhain ang sariling mundo – pagnilayan muli ang mundong ginagalawan, gamit
ang kaisipan sa pagbuno sa pang-araw-araw na buhay, upang hindi lamang mangarap
kundi likhain ang mainam na kinabukasan, na natututo sa nakaraan, nabubuhay sa mga
salita, at ginaganap ang panagimpan.

91
Selected Works
Mga Piling Akda
As Screenplay Writer Published Books
Bilang Manunulat ng Pelikula Mga Nalathalang Libro
Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, 1975 Writing for Film, 1981.
Itim, 1976 Philippine Mass Media: A Book of Readings
Sa Piling ng mga Sugapa, 1977 (ed.), 1986.
Kakabakaba Ka Ba?, 1980 Maynila. .. ‘Merika, Alyas Raha Matanda:
Tatlong Dulang Pampelikula, 1992.
Kisapmata, 1981 Native Resistance: Philippine Cinema and
Batch ’81, 1982 Colonialism 1898-1941, 1998.
‘Merika, 1984 Rizal/Bayaning Third World: 2 Dulang
Aliwan Paradise, 1992 Pampelikula, 2000.
Mulanay: Sa Pusod ng Paraiso, 1996 Spirituality and the Filipino Film (ed.), 2010.
Puerto Princesa, 1997 Making Waves: 10 Years of Cinemalaya
(ed.), 2014.
Bayaning 3rd World, 1999 Direk: Essays on Filipino Filmmakers (ed.),
Markova: Comfort Gay, 2000 2019.
Pepot Artista, 2005
Paglipad ng Anghel, 2011

As Writer and Director

Bilang Manunulat at Direktor
Maid in Singapore (documentary), 2004
Pepot Artista, 2005
Ehem!Plo: Corruption & Integrity in Use your gadget
Philippine Society (documentary), 2008 to scan the QR code
for a video about
Tinitingnan, Di Nakikita (documentary), 2010 this awardee.
Paglipad ng Anghel, 2011

93
 Danilo
Dolor
TANGING PARANGAL

95
 Citation

Danilo L. Dolor is an entrepreneur whose advocacy of preserving and promoting

Philippine music and cinema, in particular, and Philippine culture and history,
in general, has raised the consciousness and appreciation for the country’s
precious heritage among Filipinos of all ages, genders, sectors, classes, and
regions.

For upgrading the performance of the Philippine kundiman, balitaw, danza,

balse, harana, and pandanggo and raising it to a legitimate concert level, thereby
gaining more prestige and respect for traditional music among the culturati and
the ordinary citizens;

For introducing to the younger generations some of the most beloved and
artistic works in Philippine music through concerts that paid tribute to classical
composers like Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, movie composers
like Tito Arevalo and Ernani Cuenco, beloved singers and actors like Maria
Carpena, Atang de la Rama, and Sylvia la Torre, and poet-lyricists like Jose
Corazon de Jesus and Levi Celerio;

For bringing to the sick, the poor, the aged, and other marginalized sectors the
beauty and comfort of Philippine traditional music through special pro bono
performances inside and outside of Metro Manila;

For carefully documenting the cinematic works of the first (1933-1941) and
second (1946-1960) studio periods of the Philippine cinema and sharing with
the public and especially with young filmmakers and cineastes this precious
documentation through exhibits and publications as well as his long-running
column featuring movie personalities and events of yesteryears;

For his other heritage and historical projects that have helped to conserve
historical landmarks like the Maragondon house where Andres Bonifacio
was tried or commissioned plays and sponsored activities that have projected
Apolinario Mabini as the role model for today’s youth;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Danilo L. Dolor this 7th day of
February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila,
Philippines.

96
 Pagkilala

Si Danilo L. Dolor ay isang komersiyante na ang adbokasiya para sa pangangalaga at

pagpapalaganap ng musika at pelikulang Filipino, sa partikular, at ng kalinangan at
kasaysayang Pilipino, sa pangkalahatan, ay nag-angat ng kamalayan at pagkaunawa
sa napakahalagang pamanang ito sa hanay ng mga Pilipino, anuman ang kanilang
edad, kasarian, sektor, uri, o relihiyon.

Para sa pagpapahusay niya sa pagtatanghal ng mga Pilipinong kundiman, balitaw,

danza, harana, at pandanggo at pag-angat niya rito sa antas ng lehitimong konsiyerto,
na nagbigay ng higit na dangal at galang para sa tradisyonal na musika sa hanay ng
culturati at ng karaniwang mamamayan;

Para sa pagpapakilala niya sa nakababatang henerasyon sa ilan sa pinakatatangi at

pinakamaririkit na akda sa musikang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng mga konsiyertong
nagparangal sa mga klasikong kompositor tulad nina Nicanor Abelardo at Francisco
Santiago, mga kompositor sa pelikula tulad nina Tito Arevalo at Ernani Cuenco, mga
itinatanging manganganta at aktor na sina Maria Carpena, Atang de la Rama, at Sylvia
la Torre, at mga makata-lirisista na sina Jose Corazon de Jesus at Levi Celerio;

Para sa paghahatid niya sa maysakit, mahihirap, matatanda, at iba pang sektor na

isinaisantabi ng lipunan, ng halina at haplos ng tradisyonal na musikang Pilipino sa
pamamagitan ng mga libreng konsiyerto sa loob at labas ng Maynila;

Para sa maingat na dokumentasyon niya ng mga pelikula ng una (1933-1941)

at pangalawang (1946-1960) panahon ng istudyo ng pelikulang Pilipino at sa
pagbabahagi niya ng mahalagang dokumentasyong ito sa publiko at lalo na sa mga
kabataang filmmaker at cineaste sa pamamagitan ng mga eksibit at publikasyon, at
pati na ng kaniyang matagal nang lumalabas na kolum tungkol sa mga personalidad
at pangyayari sa pelikula sa nakaraang panahon;

Para sa iba pa niyang mga proyekto sa pamana ng kasaysayan, na nakatulong para

maisaayos muli ang mga historical landmark tulad ng bahay sa Maragondon na
pinaglitisan kay Andres Bonifacio, at kinomisyong mga dula at itinaguyod na mga
gawaing nagtanghal kay Apolinario Mabini bilang huwaran ng kabataan ngayon;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Danilo L. Dolor ngayong ika-7
ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

97
 Danilo L. Dolor A Life in
Music, Film, and Philanthropy
Nicanor G. Tiongson

Danilo (Danny) Lirio Dolor is a businessman, whose passion and advocacy for Philippine
culture have prompted him to preserve and promote the classics of Filipino music and
cinema, especially from the 1930s to the 1970s, resulting in a deeper understanding
and appreciation by Filipinos of these works as consummate expressions of Filipino
artistry and shining embodiments of the Filipino soul.

"e Dolors of Lipa

As Batangueño as the subli, Dolor was born on 26 September 1938 in Lipa, the only son
of Leon Espineli Dolor of Lipa and Soledad Panganiban Lirio of Lipa and Tanauan, and
the second child in a brood that included the eldest, Fe Dolor-Serrano and the youngest
Erlinda. Dolor finished his elementary, secondary, and tertiary schooling at the Colegio
de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros. Although already landed, his father, a pharmacist
by profession, ventured into a partnership with his two pharmacist brothers, to open the
first Dolor Pharmacy in 1926 in Lipa. After Leon married Soledad in 1936, Soledad, left
the family business (a soft drink factory in Candelaria where aerated water could be
sourced) and helped out in the pharmacy. Soon the pharmacy opened another branch
in Binondo before the Japanese occupation. After the war, the pharmacy flourished
even more, opening branches at the Rizal Avenue, Azcarraga St., and Escolta as well
as Cebu and Davao. But in 1976, on its 50th anniversary, Dolor Pharmacy, like other
big pharmacies then, had to close down with the phenomenal rise and spread of one
drugstore that continues to lead the business in our day.

Refusing to be defeated, the Dolors, especially Soledad whose, industry and honesty
were appreciated by fellow entrepreneurs, used their savings and connections to
diversify the family’s business interests. This they did by partnering with established
entrepreneurs for major investments in the Better Living Subdivision in Paranaque; the
Medical Center Manila, and later the Emilio Aguinaldo College and the Pearl Hotel; the
Philippine Savings Bank, Pasay City Development Bank, and Traders Royal Bank; St.
Patrick’s Elementary and High School in Quezon City; and Yuchengco’s Hi-Cement
98 Corporation. With Soledad’s determination and luck, the Dolor investments in Lipa
Tribung Pinoy
 and Manila as well as in Cavite, San Pablo, and Davao grew over the decades, leaving
the Dolor children with more than enough for their necessities and little luxuries, and,
of course, their personal advocacies.

With earnings as a major stockholder in many of the companies mentioned above,

Dolor could have simply frittered his life away, traveling from country to country,
hopping from socials to socials. But he decided to put dispensable funds to good use
– to support the needs of the church in the Archdioceses of Lipa, Manila, and Cebu, to
engage in activities that will preserve and promote the culture and history of Batangas
and the nation, and most of all, to actively propagate the musical and cinematic heritage
of the country. To achieve his goals, he sat as chair or board member of religious, civic,
and cultural organizations whose concerns coincided with his own.

"e Enchantment of the Kundiman

As a child in Lipa, Dolor was early on exposed to traditional Philippine music as
well as music from Hollywood movies, because there was always singing to the
accompaniment of the piano in their house. This exposure was heightened when he
started watching pre-war and post-war musicals, both Filipino and American, from his
elementary to college years. By that time, the old kundimans and balitaws had become
part of his identity as Filipino. It was natural, and almost expected, therefore, for Dolor
to take steps to “keep alive and promote love for and interest in traditional Philippine
music, especially among the youth,” whom he realized were so obsessed with foreign
pop music that they had become alienated from, or simply did not know anything
about, their own musical heritage.

In the beginning, Dolor had not planned on establishing a musical ensemble but
100 circumstances conspired to birth Tribung Pinoy (TP). On 26 September 1978, the family
friend Narding Torres invited some of his singer friends to perform some songs for

DOLOR
Dolor’s birthday. These classically trained singers, who were also professionals in their
own fields, included three males and three females who would form the three pairs
of what would later become Tribung Pinoy: coloratura soprano Gloria Coronel-Dizon,
professor of voice at the UST Conservatory of Music, and tenor Renato (Rey) Almira,
officer at the Public Affairs Department of Andres Soriano Corporation; lyric soprano
Lourdes Sauco-Francisco, a lawyer and executive at the Philippine National Bank, and
baritone Vladimir Valera, a company lawyer for Eastern Shipping Lines; mezzo-soprano
Erlinda Dacanay-Azcuna, professor at the UST Conservatory of Music, and basso
profundo Constancio Cadelina, executive secretary of the Philippine Association of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta; and Julie Mendoza, accompanying pianist, also a
professor at the UST Conservatory of Music. Dolor was delighted with the spontaneous
and animated concert, so he acceded to the proposal of creating a musical ensemble
that would promote kundimans, balitaws, haranas, balses, and danzas—but on a
concert level. They decided to name the group Tribung Pinoy (TP), which had recall
and an easy contemporary vibe that would not scare away the general public.

Losing no time, Dolor organized the group’s first performance on 2 December 1978,
a merienda concert at the Peninsula Hotel for the benefit of the Lipa Cathedral. The
concert was very well-received. Dolor then decided to formally establish not only
the group but a larger Tribung Pilipino Foundation, which would manage not only the
concerts of this first group of singers but of those who would come after them, as well as
all other activities related to Dolor’s heritage advocacies. Raising the group’s ante, Dolor
planned their first anniversary concert, titled Gabi ng Kundiman ng Lahi, in the most
prestigious venue in the country, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Dolor
proudly points out that this concert, held on 1 October 1979, was the first “all Filipino
traditional music concert” in the CCP, which had been associated mainly with Western
classical music since it opened in 1969. The invitational concert was an unqualified
success. The group began to be noticed by the culturati and the general public.

To make each of their future concerts memorable, Dolor, who by then had become TP’s
de facto producer and artistic director, conceptualized them as a series of tributes to
major Philippine artists associated with the country’s traditional music and sometimes
in observance of their birth centennial. This approach rationalized the choice of songs
for each concert and rendered even more meaningful and educational, the concerts he
staged for sarsuwela queens Maria Carpena and Atang de la Rama; art kundiman and
balitaw composers Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo, Constancio de Guzman, and
Santiago Suarez; film music composers Tito Arevalo and Ernani Cuenco; poet-lyricists
Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florentino Collantes, and Levi Celerio; classically trained
singers Conching Rosal and Sylvia la Torre; and novelty pop singer of the 1950s Rosita
de la Vega (who popularized “Mambo Magsaysay” and “Titina, My Titina,” among
others). These concerts were always planned by Dolor in consultation with his singers,
always making sure that a significant percentage of the songs for each concert would
be new.
101
DOLOR Typical of these tribute concerts was the one held for Jose Corazon de Jesus in 1986,
entitled “Oh Batute” which featured only songs which had lyrics by Batute and some
of his most famous poems. The first awitan section featured three kundimans of the
tandem Batute and Francisco Santiago: “Pakiusap,” “Anak-Dalita,” and “Madaling Araw,”
followed by a reading of Batute’s poem “Isang Punong Kahoy” and ”Ang Pamana.” The
second awitan had a lighter tone, with D. Paterno’s “Dalagang Pilpina,” V.M. Jacinto’s
“Hele, Hele Bago Quiere,” and C. Reyes’s “Arimunding-munding,” now followed by
another reading of Batute’s poems on nature and love for country by Loren Legarda and
Ricky Davao. The third awitan section performed J. Buencamino’s “Ibong Sawi” and
Leon Ignacio’s “Tampuhan” and “Lambingan,” followed by a reading of Batute’s “Ang
Pagbabalik.” The fourth awitan had two kundimans: Nicanor Abelardo’s “Pahimakas”
and R. Bunyi’s “Huling Awit,” followed by two poems on love read by Dely Magpayo. The
last awitan featured only one major song that became the second national anthem of
protest during the Marcos regime, “Bayan Ko” by Constancio de Guzman. The tribute
ended with Dolor and the company acknowledging Batute’s contributions to Philippine
culture as well as the presence of his widow Asuncion Lacdan-de Jesus.

As TP’s reputation grew, so did the demand for its concerts. With Ed Borbon now as
director and choreographer and Narding Torres as production manager, the group
performed in prestigious venues like the CCP, the Metropolitan Theater, Philam-life
Auditorium, Philippine International Convention Center, Los Hidalgos, and Pearl Hotel
in Metro Manila; and in churches, schools, theaters, community centers, and open-air
entablados in the provinces. They even did a concert at sea on a Hong Kong Cultural
Voyage. Outside the country, they represented the Philippines in Korea in the 1980
Cross Cultural Foundation Festival. In 1983, they staged concerts in nine cities in the
USA which were attended by eager Filipino-
Americans, one of whom wrote this in the Los
Angeles Tribune: “The Tribung Pinoy is one
of the pleasantest things to come out of the
Philippines since the world-famed Bayanihan
dancers in the fifties and sixties. Tribung Pinoy
had class, character, and charisma all its own
to make us proud of being Filipino.”

Driven by what writer Millet Mananquil

called in 1984 a “highly contagious sense
of nationalism and sincerity of purpose,”
the group sang before the highest figures of
the land, like First Lady Amelita Ramos in
Malacañan, and the Cardinals Jaime Sin, Julio
Rosales, and Ricardo Vidal in their palaces, as
well as to high school kids from Tondo, inmates
of the Correctional Institute for Women, aging

Atang de la Rama
and disabled nuns from 18 St. Paul de Chartres convents, and 1,300 patients Tribung Pinoy
of the National Mental Hospital who were fully recovered but had not been
claimed by relatives. But no doubt the most unforgettable outreach of the group
was to the Culion Leper colony in 1980, where the TP gamely performed four
concerts in four different places and for diverse audiences in Culion within the
span of 24 hours. These pro bono concerts are probably what the church would
call corporal acts of mercy.

As the group performed year after year, they became even better performers.
In 1981, critic Rosalinda Orosa noted: “The Tribung Pinoy seems more
beautiful, more professional, and more nostalgic at every performance.”
Indeed, the group had proven itself before all kinds of audiences. But there was
one audience that Dolor feared the most – the youth that he most wanted to
reach. In 1980, TP was invited by the CCP Outreach to perform in the afternoon
at the CCP Main Theater to an audience of rowdy high school students from
public schools in Tondo and private schools like Letran and Ateneo. Dolor was
apprehensive at how the kids would receive the program of “old songs.” After
the first song, a balitaw, he was surprised to hear applause. Then in the middle
of the next song, the kundiman “Madaling Araw,” the kids broke out into
spontaneous applause, clearly delighted by the song. For the rest of the show,
the kids were already on the palm of TP’s hand, so to speak. The unbelieving
Dolor was speechless, both honoured and humbled because TP had not only
connected with the youth, but seemed to have connected the youth to their
cultural forebears – and perhaps, even their Filipino soul. 103
 TP’s artistry and devotion to Philippine music were recognized by awards like the
Aliw Hall of Fame Award for Best Cultural Group; the “Artists of the Year” award from
the Philippine Government Cultural Association; and a citation from the Surian ng
Wikang Pambansa for propagating the Filipino language through musical and cultural
presentations. But just when TP was at its peak, the problems began to surface one
by one, ending in the dissolution of the group in 2005. After 1986, basso profundo
Cadelina decided frequent rehearsals were not for him and decided to join Dely
Magpayo’s show as a guest performer. Then tenor Rey Almira got sick and resigned,
followed by mezzo-soprano Erlinda Azcuna who also became ill and resigned. Then
soprano Lourdes Francisco decided to leave for the US to settle down with her children.
TP’s three pairings were shattered. In the beginning, Dolor tried to fill the vacancies
by inviting tenor Nolyn Cabahug, soprano Liza Cabahug, soprano Rachel Gerodias,
and bass Nomer Son to take the place of those who left, if only temporarily. But Nolyn
got sick as well, and Vladimir Valera left to settle in the US. Only Gloria Coronel-Dizon
remained of the original TP. Dolor decided it was time to bring down the curtain on TP,
after 27 years of innumerable concerts all over the country.

But the Tribung Pilipino Foundation remained active and would soon launch another
series of concerts to promote Filipino heritage music. In 2014-17, Dolor served as a
member of the CCP Board of Trustees. As a member, he asked the board to allow him to
hold regular afternoon concerts at the CCP Bulwagang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater
Lobby), mainly for senior citizens and students. Permission given, Dolor launched his
new musical series called Harana sa Dapit-hapon. Harana followed a programming
similar to that of TP, but now featured, not one group, but a series of individual artists
and musical groups. In its 12 concerts from March 2015 to December 2017, Harana
had featured established classical singers like Nolyn and Liza Cabahug, Lemuel de la
Cruz, Rachel Gerodias, and Byeong-in Park, as well as then up-and-coming tenors like
Miguel Castro, Andrei Reyes, Juan Paulo Azul, and Arman Ferrer and sopranos Sweet
Samaniego-Buchanan, Margarita Roco, and Myramae Meneses, and veteran singer
Pilita Corrales. It also featured violinist Jimmy Tagala, Jr, pianists Raul Sunico, Corazon
Pineda-Kabayao, and Augusto Espina, and the music groups Kammerchor Manila, the
Kabayao Quartet, and the CCP scholars group Kabataang Gitarista. Harana became
Lakbay Harana for the two concerts which Dolor organized in the provinces, one in
Angeles City and the other in Pila, Laguna.

After his stint with the CCP, Dolor would occasionally stage Harana sa Dapit-hapon
concerts and mount art exhibits at his own museum in Soledad, his residence at
Antipolo del Norte, Lipa, which has a cluster of five buildings including a museum and
a chapel.

"e Lure of the Silver Screen

After classes at Letran on Friday afternoons, Dolor would walk not toward their house
104 on Donada St. in Vito Cruz, but in the opposite direction, crossing Jones Bridge to join
his parents in the Rizal Avenue branch of their pharmacy. While waiting for his mother

DOLOR
to close shop at 9 pm, Dolor would take in a movie, sometimes with his father, at Cine
Star (which became Vista later) on Azcarraga St., or at the Manila Grand Opera House
on Avenida Rizal and Lope de Vega, or one of the first-run theaters on Avenida or
Escolta which showed only American films. In the Cine Star and Grand Opera House,
Dolor would watch a twin bill consisting of a stage show and a movie produced by
the Big Three or the independent producers of the 1950s. Dolor claims he saw all the
Premiere Productions movies then, thanks to the annual passes that Premiere’s Dr.
Ciriaco Santiago gave his father Leon. He also saw Sampaguita and LVN movies but
had to pay admission fees.

But it was not only post-war films that Dolor knew. He also watched pre-war movies
being screened in Lipa theaters during his summer vacations and in Cine Star, as well
as in Uncle Bob’s screenings of old Tagalog movies on Channel 7. This way, he got to
know the famous songs from the sarsuwela films of 1936 to 1941 and the superstars of
that era like Rosa del Rosario and Norma Blancaflor, both of whom he had the privilege
of hosting for a dinner in his house in 1982, when they came home to receive their
Walang Kupas awards.

It was Dolor’s obsession with actors in Hollywood and Filipino films that got him started
on collecting film magazines like Literary Song Movie magazine and pictures of actors
and stills from their movies, as well as clippings of movie ads. Later in life, Dolor would
showcase these valuable documents in two exhibits. The first, called “The Golden
Years: Memorable Tagalog Movie Ads 1946-1956,” opened at the Ayala Museum
in 1993 and then moved to the UP Film Center and the SM Megamall in 1994. Dolor
published these ads in a book in 1994. The second exhibit, called “Alitaptap: Kikilap-

105
 kilap, The First Golden Years of Philippine Cinema 1936-1941,” which showed selected
movie ads from the first studio period from 1933 to 1941, opened at the Cinemalaya
Independent Film Festival in 2015 before moving to Glorieta 4 in Makati the same
year, and the Perez-Samanillo building in 2019. In 2019 Dolor also mounted an exhibit
called “Alaala: Sigfredo ni Manuel Conde,” consisting of stills from the 1951 Lebran film,
at his museum in Soledad, Lipa City.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Dolor idolized many actors and actresses from the three
studios for their looks and/or their acting talents. But the one actor he truly adored
was Carmen Rosales, whom he honoured with an exhibit at the NCCA gallery and a
TP concert that performed songs from Mameng’s famous movies, like “Maalaala Mo
Kaya?” and “Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig.” In 2013, Dolor published a pictorial biography
of the actress by Manny Fernandez called Carmen Rosales: Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig.

In 1994, Dolor started a column, together with Ronald K. Constantino, called “Remember
When” in The Philippine Star. Week after week since it started, it has featured movie
personalities or cinematic events, usually from the pre-war to the immediate post-war
periods. The column has attracted many readers not only because of the trivia from
cinema history that it serves, but especially because of the rare old movie ads or movie
stills or actors’ portraits that grace every issue. The column has completed its 27th year
of existence and Dolor plans to publish the whole series.

A Clutch of Heritage Projects

But Dolor’s philanthrophy has not by any means been confined to his projects for
heritage music and cinema. One notable project that he undertook in the visual arts is
106 the publication in 1992 of Inspired Calm: The Somber Realism of Domingo Celis by
Santiago A. Pilar, a study on the little known but very talented contemporary of Fernando
Amorsolo. As a collector, Dolor has assembled a sizable collection of paintings by

DOLOR
established artists like Oscar Zalameda as well as those of up and coming painters
like Adler Llagas. He has mounted exhibits on Pilipino Komiks as well as the ternos
of fashionista radio personality Dely Magpayo, both at Soledad in 2019. He helped to
put together an exhibit on the ternos of Ramon Valera at the National Museum in 2004,
providing specimens from his own collection. He has also helped to restore antique
altars through architect priest Fr. Bautista and supervised and supported the opening of
museums for the visual arts and Philippine history in various towns, including his own
museum at Soledad.

Dolor’s historical projects popularizing Batangas hero Apolinario Mabini, who

“epitomizes the patriotism and nobility of the heroes of yesteryears” for today’s youth,
include: an annual history quiz contest called Paligsahan sa Kasaysayan to celebrate
Mabini’s birthday on July 23, involving more than 100 private and public schools in
Batangas since 1989; a play by Rene Villanueva commissioned by Dolor and entitled
Mabini: Utak ng Himagsikan, published in 2003 and distributed to institutions and
students in Batangas; and the staging of the same play in 2003 in Lipa and later in
2014 at the Mabini shrine near Malacañan and other venues.

Another nationalist project that Dolor spearheaded, under the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines, was the restoration of the bahay na bato in Maragondon,
where Andres and Procopio Bonifacio were tried by a kangaroo court of Aguinaldo
henchmen. He has organized or constructed, or curated museums like the Obviar
Museum in Lipa and the Vidal Museum in Cebu, and established his own San Sebastian
Library in Lipa City. He has donated land for churches all over the country.

Dolor’s support of cultural and heritage projects have been recognized by awards like
the Award of Recognition from the National Historical Institute in 1990; the Outstanding
Lipeño Award from the City of Lipa in 1982, 1991, and 1997; the first Dangal ng
Haraya award from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2001; the
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan from the City of Manila in 2004; the Dr. Jose Perez
Memorial award from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences in 2012;
and the Light of Culture and Arts award from the International Theatre Institute and
UNESCO Dream Center in 2013.

Conclusion
Many are the Filipino entrepreneurs whose wealth could buy and maintain them in a
life of privilege and apathy, impervious to and isolated from the problems of a nation
struggling to achieve true and complete economic, political, and cultural independence.
Of these wealthy individuals, only a rare and precious few—perhaps no more than fifty
– embark on cultural projects, not only for tax shelter reasons but because their concern
and support for culture proceed from a deep appreciation and affection for that culture,
and are therefore genuine and generous, consistent and long-lasting. Of these very few 107
enlightened individuals, Dolor is probably one of the most exemplary.
 Danilo L. Dolor Isang Buhay sa
Musika, Pelikula, at Pilantropiya
Nicanor G. Tiongson

Si Danilo (Danny) Lirio Dolor ay kilalang komersiyante, na may maalab na pagmamahal

at pagtataguyod sa kulturang Pilipino, na nagbunsod sa kaniya na pangalagaan at
palaganapin ang mga akdang-klasiko ng musika at pelikulang Pilipino, lalo na yaong
gawa mula noong dekada 1930 hanggang dekada 1970, na nagdulot naman ng higit
na malalim na pagkaunawa at pagkagiliw ng mga Pilipino sa mga akdang ito bilang
marikit na pagpapahayag ng kasiningang Filipino at maningning na representasyon
ng kaluluwang Pilipino.

Ang Pamilya Dolor ng Lipa

Taal na Batangueñong tulad ng subli, ipinanganak si Dolor noong 26 Setyembre 1938
sa Lipa, nag-iisang anak na lalaki nina Leon Espineli Dolor at Soledad Panganiban
Lirio ng Lipa at Tanauan, at pangalawa sa tatlong magkakapatid na kinabibilangan
ng panganay na si Fe Dolor-Serrano at bunso na si Erlinda. Nagtapos si Dolor ng
elementarya, hayskul, at kolehiyo sa Colegio de San Juan de Letran sa Intramuros.
Bagama’t mayroon na silang mga lupa, nagbukas si Leon, isang propesyonal na
parmasyutiko, at ang dalawa pa niyang kapatid na parmasyutiko, ng Dolor Pharmacy
noon 1926 sa Lipa. Nang ikinasal sina Leon at Soledad noong 1936, iniwan ni Soledad
ang negosyo ng kanilang pamilya (ang gawaan ng soft drink sa Candelaria, Quezon
kung saan may matatagpuang “aerated water”) at tumulong na rin siya sa pagpapatakbo
ng parmasya, na nagbukas pa ng isang sangay sa Binondo bago dumating ang Hapon.
Pagkatapos ng giyera, lalo pang umunlad ang parmasya at nagbukas ng mga sangay
sa Abenida Rizal, Kalye Azcarraga, at Escolta, at sa Cebu at Davao na rin. Pero noong
1976, sa ikalimampung anibersaryo nito, nagsara ang parmasya, tulad ng iba pa niyang
kapanahon, dahil sa kagila-gilalas na pagbukas at paglaganap ng isang parmasyang
siya pa ring nangunguna sa larangang ito sa ating panahon.

Hindi nagpatalo ang mga Dolor, lalo na si Soledad na kilala na noon ng kapwa
komersiyante dahil sa kaniyang sipag at katapatan. Ginamit nila ang kanilang kapital
at koneksiyon para pumasok sa iba-ibang klase ng negosyo at nakisosyo sa mga
kilala nang komersiyante sa Better Living Subdivision sa Parañaque; sa Medical
108 Center Manila, at pagkatapos, sa Emilio Aguinaldo College at Pearl Hotel; sa Philippine
Tribung Pinoy sa pabalat ng Weekend Magazine, ika-13 ng Nobyembre 1983
 Savings Bank, Pasay City Development Bank, at Traders Royal Bank; sa St. Patrick’s
Elementary and High School sa Quezon City; sa Hi-Cement Corporation ni Yuchengco.
Dahil sa pagpupursigi at suwerte ni Soledad, lumago ang mga investment ng mga Dolor
sa Lipa at Maynila at pati na sa Cavite, San Pablo, Candelaria, at Davao na rin. Kaya naman
totoong ang namana ng tatlong magkakapatid ay sobra-sobra na para sa kanilang
pangangailangan at mumunting kapritso at pati sa kanilang mga personal na adbokasiya.

Sa kita niya bilang stockholder sa marami sa kompanyang nabanggit, maaaring

winaldas na lamang ni Dolor ang buhay niya sa paglalakbay kung saan-saan at pagdalo
sa walang katapusang mga sosyalan. Pero nagpasiya siyang gamitin ang bahagi ng mga
naipon sa mabuting layunin—sa pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng simbahan sa
Arkdiyosesis ng Lipa, Manila, at Cebu, sa paggawa ng mga proyektong mag-aalaga at
magpapalaganap sa kultura at kasaysayan ng Batangas at ng bansa, at higit sa lahat, sa
aktibong pagpapalaganap sa ating tradisyonal na musika at pelikula. Para makamit ang
kaniyang mga layunin, nagsilbi siya bilang tagapangulo o kasapi ng mga organisasyong
pansimbahan, sibiko, at pangkultura na ang pinagpupunyagian ay hawig ng sa kaniya.

Ang Gayuma ng Kundiman

Bata pa siya sa Lipa ay naririnig na ni Dolor ang mga tradisyonal na awit na Pilipino at
pati na musika mula sa mga pelikulang Hollywood, dahil lagi nang may kantahan na
sinasaliwan ng piyano sa bahay nila. Lalo pang dumalas ang kaniyang pakikinig sa
musika nang magsimula siyang manood ng mga pelikulang Pilipino at Amerikano, mula
elementarya hanggang kolehiyo. Unti-unti ay naging bahagi na ng kaniyang pagkatao
ang mga matandang kundiman at balitaw. Kaya naman hindi kataka-taka na gumawa
si Dolor ng hakbang upang “panatilihing buhay at pairalin ang pagmamahal at interes

110
sa tradisyonal na musikang Pilipino, lalo na sa kabataan” na sa tingin niya’y nalulong

DOLOR
na sa musikang banyaga kung kaya malayo na ang loob nila o sadyang wala silang
nalalaman, sa sarili nilang tradisyunal na musika.

Noong una’y wala namang balak si Dolor na bumuo ng isang grupo ng manganganta,
pero tila pinagkaisahan ng mga pagkakataon ang pagluluwal sa Tribung Pinoy (TP).
Noong 26 ng Setyembre 1978, nag-anyaya ang kaibigan niyang si Narding Torres ng
mga kilala nitong manganganta para umawit sa kaarawan ni Dolor. Kasama sa mga
mang-aawit na ito na nag-aral talaga ng kanto, at pawang mga propesyonal sa kani-
kanilang larangan, ang tatlong lalaki at tatlong babae, na siyang bubuo ng tatlong
pares ng manganganta ng TP: ang coloratura soprano na si Gloria Coronel-Dizon,
propesor ng kanto sa Conservatory of Music ng Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas (UST),
ang tenor na si Renato (Rey) Almira, ng Public Affairs Department ng Andres Soriano
Corporation; ang lyric soprano na si Lourdes Sauco-Francisco, isang abogada at
executive sa Philippine National Bank, ang baritone na si Vladimir Valera, abogado ng
Eastern Shipping Lines; ang mezzo-soprano na si Erlinda Dacanay-Azcuna, propesor
din sa Conservatory of Music ng UST, ang basso profundo na si Constancio Cadelina,
kalihim ng Philippine Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; at si Julie
Mendoza, piyanistang propesor sa Conservatory of Music ng UST. Natuwa si Dolor sa
madalian pero masayang konsiyerto, kaya pumayag siya sa mungkahing bumuo sila
ng grupong aawit ng mga kundiman, balitaw, harana, balse, at danza—pero sa antas
ng isang lehitimong konsiyerto. Nagkaisa silang pangalanan ang grupo ng Tribung
Pinoy, dahil madali itong tandaan at magaan at ngangayunin ang dating kaya hindi
nakakaasiwa sa karaniwang manonood.

Hindi nag-aksaya ng panahon si Dolor at isinalang na agad ang grupo sa kanilang

unang konsiyerto noong 2 Disyembre 1978, isang konsiyerto-meryenda, sa Peninsula
Hotel na benepisyo para sa Katedral ng Lipa. Nagustuhan ang grupo, kaya naisip
ni Dolor na pormal na bumuo hindi lamang ng isang grupo ng manganganta kundi
ng isang foundation, ang Tribung Pilipino Foundation, na siyang mamamahala hindi
lamang sa mga konsiyerto ng unang grupo kundi ng mga susunod pang mang-aawit,
at pati na sa iba pang proyektong kaugnay ng mga adbokasiya ni Dolor sa pamanang
lahi. Itinaas ni Dolor ang antas ng grupo at itinakda ang konsiyerto sa kanilang unang
anibersaryo, ang Gabi ng Kundiman ng Lahi, sa pinakaprestihiyosong teatro sa bansa, sa
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Ipinagmamalaki ni Dolor na ang konsiyertong
ito, na ginanap noong 1 Oktubre 1979, ang “kauna-unahang konsiyerto na pawang
musikang tradisyonal ang kinanta” sa CCP, na noo’y mas nakilala sa mga konsiyerto
ng musikang Kanluranin mula pa nang buksan ito nooong 1969. Ang konsiyertong
dinaluhan ng mga imbitado lamang ay naging malaking tagumpay. Napansin na ang
grupo ng mga culturati at ng publiko.

Upang lalong magtatak ang bawat konsiyerto nila, naisip ni Dolor, na noo’y naging
de facto prodyuser at artistic director ng grupo, na gawing serye ng mga parangal o
tribute ang mga susunod na konsiyerto sa mga sikat na artistang Pilipino na may
naging ambag sa tradisyonal na musika ng bansa, at kung minsan sa ika-isandaang 111
Tribung anibersaryo ng kanilang kaarawan. Sa gayo’y naging maayos ang pagpili ng mga awit
Pinoy para sa bawat konsiyerto at naging higit ding makahulugan at may pagkakatutunan
ang mga konsiyertong kanilang itinanghal para sa mga reyna ng sarsuwela na sina
Maria Carpena at Atang de la Rama; mga kompositor ng kundiman at balitaw na sina
Francisco Santiago, Nicanor Abelardo, Constancio de Guzman, at Santiago Suarez;
mga kompositor ng musika para sa pelikula na sina Tito Arevalo at Ernani Cuenco; mga
makata-lirisistang sina Jose Corazon de Jesus, Florentino Collantes, at Levi Celerio;
mga mang-aawit na nag-aral ng kanta tulad nina Conching Rosal at Sylvia la Torre; at
ang novelty singer ng dekada 1950 na si Rosita de la Vega (na siyang nagpalaganap ng
“Mambo Magsaysay” at “Titina. My Titina,” at iba pa). Laging kinokonsulta ni Dolor ang
mga mang-aawit sa pagpaplano ng mga konsiyertong ito at lagi nilang tinitiyak na mas
marami ang mga bagong awit na kanilang itatanghal sa bawat konsiyerto.

Tipikal sa mga konsiyertong parangal na ito ang hinanda para kay Jose Corazon de
Jesus noong 1986 na pinamagatang “Oh, Batute!,” na ang itinampok ay mga awit
lamang na may lirika ni Batute at ang ilan sa kaniyang kilalang tula. Ang unang awitan
ay binuo ng tatlong kundimang pinagsamahan nina Batute at Francisco Santiago:
“Pakiusap,” “Anak Dalita,” at “Madaling Araw,” na sinundan ng pagbigkas ng mga tulang
“Isang Punongkahoy” at “Ang Pamana.” Mas magaan ang dating ng pangalawang
awitan na nagtampok naman sa “Dalagang Pilipina” ni D. Paterno, “Hele, Hele Bago
Quiere” ni V. M. Jacinto, at ang “Arimunding-munding” ni C. Reyes, na sinundan
112 ng pagbasa nila Loren Legarda at Ricky Davao ng mga tula tungkol sa kalikasan at
pag-ibig sa bayan ni Batute. Sa ikatlong awitan ay itinanghal ang “Ibong Sawi” ni J.

DOLOR
Buencamino at ang “Tampuhan” at “Lambingan” ni Leon Ignacio, na sinundan naman
ng pagbasa ng tulang “Ang Pagbabalik.” Ang pang-apat na awitan ay nagtampok sa
dalawang kundiman: ang “Pahimakas” ni N. Abelardo at “Huling Awit” ni R. Bunyi, na
sinundan ng pagbasa ni Dely Magpayo ng dalawang tula ng pag-ibig ng makata. Ang
huling awitan ay may iisa ngunit napakahalagang awit lamang, ang “Bayan Ko” ni C. de
Guzman, na naging pangalawang pambansang awit sa panahon ng rehimeng Marcos.
Nagwakas ang parangal sa pagkilala ni Dolor at ng grupo sa naging ambag ni Batute
sa kulturang Pilipino at sa pagpapasalamat sa pagdalo ng balo nitong si Asuncion
Lacdan-de Jesus.

Sa pagsikat ng TP ay dumami rin ang mga paanyaya para umawit. Sa ilalim ng direktor
at koryograper na si Ed Borbon at production manager na si Narding Torres, nagtanghal
ang TP sa pinakaprestihiyosong tanghalan, tulad ng CCP, Metropolitan Theater,
Philam-Life Auditorium, Philippine International Convention Center, Los Hidalgos, at
Pearl Hotel sa Metro Manila; at sa mga simbahan, eskuwelahan, teatro, community
center, at bukas na entablado sa mga probinsiya. Sa dagat man ay nakapagkonsiyerto
ang grupo nang sumama sila sa Hong Kong Cultural Voyage. Sa labas ng bansa,
kinatawan ng TP ang Pilipinas sa Korea sa Cross Cultural Foundation Festival noong
1980. Noong 1983, nagkonsiyerto ang TP sa siyam na siyudad sa U.S., na dinumog ng
mga sabik na mga Fil-Am. Wika ng isa sa kanila sa Los Angeles Tribune: “The Tribung
Pinoy is one of the pleasantest things to come out of the Philippines since the world-
famed Bayanihan dancers in the fifties and sixties. Tribung Pinoy had class, character
and charisma all its own to make us proud of being Filipino” (Ang Tribung Pinoy ay isa
sa pinakamagandang lumabas sa Pilipinas mula nang dumating ang mananayaw ng

113
DOLOR Bayanihan noong dekada 1950 at 1960. Ang Tribung Pinoy ay may mataas na uri, may
sariling katangian, at sariling karisma, na maipagpapamaki ng lahat ng Pilipino.)

Udyok ng tinawag ni Millet Mananquil noong 1984 na “highly contagious sense of

nationalism and sincerity of purpose” (nakahahawang nasyonalismo at matapat na
layunin), nagtanghal ang grupo sa harap ng pinakamatataas na tao sa bansa, tulad
ni Unang Ginang Amelita Ramos sa Malacañan, at sa harap ng mga kardinal na sina
Jaime Sin, Julio Rosales, at Ricardo Vidal sa kani-kaniyang mga palasyo, at gayon din
sa harap ng mga mahirap na binatilyong hayskul sa Tondo, sa mga taga Correctional
Institute for Women, sa matatanda at may kapansanang mga madre mula sa 18
kumbento ng St. Paul de Chartres, at 1,300 pasyente ng National Mental Hospital, na
magaling na ngunit pinabayaan na ng mga kamag-anak. Ngunit ang tiyak na hindi
malilimutang outreach ng grupo ay yaong sa Culion Leper Colony noong 1980, kung
saan masiglang nagtanghal ang TP ng apat na konsiyerto sa apat na hiwalay na lugar at
para sa iba-ibang manonood sa loob ng 24 na oras. Ang mga pro bono na konsiyertong
ito ang siya na ngang tinutukoy marahil na “corporal acts of mercy” ng Simbahan.

Sa kanilang pagtatanghal sa bawat taon ay tuluyan nang nahasa at humusay ang mga
mang-aawit. Noong 1981, napuna ni Rosalinda Orosa na: “The Tribung Pinoy seems
more beautiful, more professional and more nostalgic at every performance.” (Tila
lalong gumaganda, nagiging mas propesyonal, at mas may nostalgia ang Tribung
Pinoy sa bawat pagtatanghal). Marahil, napatunayan na nga ng TP ang kaniyang
sarili sa harap ng iba’t bang manonood. Pero may isang grupo ng manonood na
kinatatakutan si Dolor—ang kabataan, na siyang gustong-gusto niyang maabot.
Noong 1980, inimbita ng CCP Outreach ang TP para magtanghal sa hapon sa harap
ng magugulong estudyante ng mga hayskul sa Tondo at mga pribadong hayskul ng
Letran at Ateneo. Hindi mapakali si Dolor dahil hindi niya alam kung ano ang magiging
dating sa kabataan ng mga “matandang awitin.” Pagkatapos ng unang awit, isang
balitaw, nakarinig si Dolor ng palakpak. Sa gitna ng pangalawang awit, ang kundimang
“Madaling Araw,” biglang nagpalakpakan ang mga bata, dahil natuwa sa narinig. Mula
noon, hawak na sa palad, ika nga, ng TP ang mga manonood. Hindi makapaniwala
si Dolor, at tila sabay na lumaki at lumiit din ang loob niya dahil naabot ng TP ang
kabataan, at dahil tila naiugnay rin ng TP ang kabataan sa kanilang mga ninunong
artista—at marahil, sa kanila ring kaluluwang Pilipino.

Kinilala ang kasiningan ng TP ng ilang gawad, tulad ng Aliw Hall of Fame for
Best Cultural Group; ng “Artists of the Year” award mula sa Philippine Government
Cultural Association; at ng pagkilala mula sa Surian ng Wikang Pambansa para
sa pagpapalaganap nila sa wikang pambansa sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga
pagtatanghal na musikal at pangkultura. Ngunit kung kailan nasa tugatog na ng
tagumpay ang grupo ay siya namang pagdating ng sunod-sunod na sakuna na
nagwakas sa paghihiwalay ng grupo noong 2005. Pagkatapos ng 1986, unang nagbitiw
si basso profundo Cadelina dahil nabigatan sa dami ng rehearsal kaya’t sumali na
lamang bilang guest performer sa programa sa radyo ni Dely Magpayo. Nagkasakit
114 at nagbitiw rin ang tenor na Rey Almira, na sinundan naman ng pagkakasakit din ni
mezzo-soprano Erlinda Azcuna, at ng pag-alis ni soprano
Lourdes Francisco para manirahan sa Amerika kapiling
ng kaniyang mga anak. Nawasak ang pagkakapares-
pares ng grupo. Noong simula, sinikap ni Dolor na
mapalitan, kahit pansamantala, ang mga nabakanteng
posisyon sa pamamagitan ng pag-anyaya sa tenor na
si Nolyn Cabahug, soprano na si Liza Cabahug, soprano
na si Rachel Gerodias, at bajo na si Nomer Son. Pero
nagkasakit si Nolyn, at lumipad na rin si Vladimir Valera
patungong U.S. para manirahan doon. Tanging si Gloria
Coronel-Dizon na lamang ang natira sa orihinal na
TP. Nagpasiya si Dolor na ibaba na ang tabing sa TP,
pagkatapos ng 27 taon ng napakaraming pagtatanghal
sa iba-ibang lugar sa bansa at mundo.

Ngunit nanatiling buhay ang Tribung Pilipino Foundation

at di nagtagal ay naglunsad ng panibagong serye ng mga
konsiyerto para palaganapin ang matatandang awiting
Pilipino. Mula 2014 hanggang 2017, naglingkod si Dolor
bilang miyembro ng Board of Trustees ng CCP. Bilang
trustee, hiniling niya sa board na pahintulutan siyang
magtanghal ng regular na mga konsiyerto sa hapon sa
Bulwagang Nicanor Abelardo, para sa mga senior citizen
at sa kabataan. Pumayag ang board, at inilunsad ni Dolor
ang bagong serye ng mga konsiyerto, ang Harana sa
Dapit-hapon. Sa Harana, sinundan ni Dolor ang dati pang
mga programa ng TP, pero ngayon ang nagtatanghal ay
hindi na isang grupo lamang kundi iba’t ibang artista at
grupong pangmusika. Sa may 12 konsiyerto nito mula
Marso 2014 hanggang Disyembre 2017, naitampok ng
Harana ang mga kilala nang klasikong mang-aawit
tulad nina Nolyn and Liza Cabahug, Lemuel de la Cruz,
Rachel Gerodias, at Byeong-in Park, at pati ng sumisikat
na mga tenor tulad nina Miguel Castro, Andrei Reyes,
Juan Paulo Azul, at Arman Ferrer at ang mga soprano na
sina Sweet Samaniego-Buchanan, Margarita Roco, at
Myramae Meneses, at ang beteranong mang-aawit na si
Pilita Corrales. Itinampok din ang biyolinistang si Jimmy
Tagala, Jr, mga piyanistang sina Raul Sunico, Corazon
Pineda-Kabayao, at Augusto Espina, at mga grupong
tulad ng Kammerchor Manila, ang Kabayao Quartet,
at ang grupo ng mga iskolar ng CCP, ang Kabataang
Gitarista. Ang Harana ay naging Lakbay Harana para
sa dalawang konsiyertong ginanap sa probinsiya, sa 115
Angeles City at sa Pila, Laguna.
DOLOR Pagkatapos ng kaniyang panunungkulan sa CCP, nagtanghal pa rin si Dolor ng Harana
sa Dapit-hapon at nag-organisa ng mga eksibit sa sarili niyang museo sa Soledad, ang
kaniyang tahanan sa Antipolo del Norte, sa Lipa, na may kulumpon ng limang gusali,
kasama na ang isang museo at isang kapilya.

Ang Panghalina ng Pelikula

Pagkatapos ng klase niya sa Letran tuwing Biyernes ng hapon noong dekada 1950,
maglalakad na si Dolor, pero hindi papauwi sa bahay nila sa Donada St. sa Vito Cruz.
Tatawid siya sa Jones Bridge para sunduin ang mga magulang niya sa kanilang
parmasya sa Abenida Rizal. Habang hinihintay niyang magsara ang ina niya nang
alas-nuwebe ng gabi, manonood muna ng sine si Dolor, kung minsa’y kasama ng
kaniyang ama, sa Cine Star (na naging Vista Theater) sa kalye Azcarraga, o sa Manila
Grand Opera House sa Abenida at Lope de Vega, o sa mga primera klaseng sinehan
sa Abenida o sa Escolta, na pelikulang Amerikano lamang ang ipinalalabas. Sa Cine
Star at Opera House, nakakapanood si Dolor ng “double program,” isang stage show
at isang pelikula na gawa ng Big Three o iba pang independent na prodyuser noong
dekada 1950. Ipinagmamalaki ni Dolor na napanood niya ang lahat ng pelikula ng
Premiere Productions noon dahil sa taunang pases na ibinibigay ni Dr. Ciriaco Santiago
ng Premiere sa kaniyang amang si Leon. Nanonood din si Dolor ng mga pelikula ng
Sampaguita at LVN, pero kailangan na niyang bumili ng tiket.

Pero hindi lang mga pelikula pagkatapos ng giyera ang alam ni Dolor. Nakakapanood
din siya ng mga pelikulang gawa bago magkagiyera, na ipinalalabas sa sinehan sa
Lipa habang nagbabakasyon siya doon at sa Cine Star, at pati na sa mga ipinapalabas
ni Uncle Bob tuwing hapon na matatandang pelikulang Tagalog sa Channel 7. Doon
na niya nakilala ang mga sikat na awit sa mga pelikulang sarsuwela noong 1936
hanggang 1941 at ang mga superstar ng panahong iyon tulad nina Rosa del Rosario at
Norma Blancaflor, na kapwa niya naimbita sa isang hapunan sa kaniyang bahay noong
1982, nang umuwi ang dalawa para sa Walang Kupas award.

Ang pagkahumaling na rin ni Dolor sa mga artistang Amerikano at Pilipino ang nag-
udyok sa kaniya na mag-ipon ng mga magasin tungkol sa pelikula tulad ng Literary
Song Movie magazine at mga litrato ng artista at stills ng kanilang mga pelikula
at pati na clipping ng mga adbertisment ng pelikula o movie ads. Nang lumaon,
pinakita ni Dolor ang mahahalagang dokumentong ito sa dalawang eksibit. Ang una,
na pinamagatang “The Golden Years: Memorable Tagalog Movie Ads 1946-1956,”
ay nagbukas sa Ayala Museum noong 1993, bago lumipat sa UP Film Center at SM
Megamall noong 1994. Ipinalimbag ni Dolor ang mga adbertisment na ito sa isang
libro noong 1994 din. Ang pangalawang eksibit, na tinaguriang “Alitaptap: Kikilap-
kilap, The First Golden Years of Philippine Cinema 1936-1941,” ang nagpakita ng piling
mga movie ads mula sa panahon ng unang mga istudyo mula 1933 hanggang 1941.
Nagbukas ito sa Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival noong 2015 bago lumipat sa
116 Glorieta 4 sa Makati nang taon ding iyon, at sa Perez-Samanillo building noong 2019.
Noong 2019 din binuksan ni Dolor ang eksibit na tinawag niyang “Alaala: The Golden Years,
Sigfredo ni Manuel Conde,” na binubuo ng mga stills mula sa pelikulang ito ng Memorable
Tagalog Movie
Lebran noong 1951, sa kaniyang museum sa Soledad, sa Lipa. Ads 1946-1956
Exhibit at SM
Noong dekada 1950 hanggang 1970, maraming aktor at aktres mula sa tatlong Mega Mall, 1994
istudyo ang lubos na hinangaan ni Dolor dahil sa kanilang kagandahan/
kakisigan at/o dahil sa kanilang husay sa pagganap. Pero iisa lang ang aktres
na kaniyang sinamba, si Carmen Rosales, na pinarangalan niya sa isang eksibit
sa NCCA gallery at sa isang konsiyerto kung saan kinanta ang mga awit sa
bantog na mga pelikula ni Mameng, ang “Maalaala Mo Kaya?” at “Ang Tangi
Kong Pag-ibig.” Noong 2013, inilathala ni Dolor ang isang talambuhay-sa-
larawan ng aktres na sinulat ni Manny Fernandez at pinamagatang Carmen
Rosales: Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig.

Noong 1994, sinimulan ni Dolor ang kolum na “Remember When,” kasama

si Ronald K. Constantino sa The Philippine Star. Linggo-linggo mula nang
lumabas ang kolum, ipinakilala ng kolum ang mga personalidad ng pelikula
at mga pangyayari sa pelikula, kadalasan mula sa panahon bago magkagiyera
at pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng digmaan. Maraming naging tagasunod ang
kolum, hindi lamang dahil sa hatid nitong tribya mula sa kasaysayan ng ating
pelikula, kundi lalo’t higit dahil sa mga mahirap nang hanaping matandang
adbertisment ng pelikula, mga tagpo sa pelikula at litrato ng mga artista, na
nagpapaganda sa bawat kolum. Umabot na ng ika-27 taon ang kolum, at
binabalak ni Dolor na ipalimbag ang lahat ng mga kolum na ito.
117
Isang Bungkos ng
Gawaing Pangkasaysayan
Ngunit hindi sa proyekto lamang para
sa matatandang musika at pelikula
natuon ang pilantropiya ni Dolor. Isang
mahalagang proyekto na ginawa niya
sa sining biswal ay ang pagpapalimbag
noong 1992 ng Inspired Calm: The
Somber Realism of Domingo Celis ni
Santiago A. Pilar, isang pag-aaral sa
di-gaanong-kilala ngunit napakahusay
na artistang kapanahon ni Fernando
Amorsolo. Bilang kolektor, nakaipon
na si Dolor ng malaki-laki na rin
namang koleksiyon ng mga painting
ng kilala nang mga pintor tulad ni Oscar
Zalameda at pati na rin ng mga gawa
ng bagong litaw na mga artist tulad ni
Adler Llagas. Nagkaroon na siya ng
eksibit tungkol sa Pilipino Komiks at
sa mga terno ng fashionistang bituin
ng radyo na si Dely Magpayo, kapwa
sa Soledad noong 2019. Tumulong
siya sa pagbubuo ng eksibit ng mga
terno ni Ramon Valera sa National
Museum noong 2004, na nagtanghal
ng ilan sa mga terno mula sa kaniyang
sariling koleksiyon. Tumulong na rin
siya sa restorasyon ng mga antigong
altar sa pamamagitan ng arkitektong
pari na si Fr. Bautista at pinamahalaan
o itinaguyod ang pagbubukas ng mga
museo para sa sining biswal at sa
kasaysayan ng Pilipinas sa iba’t bang
bayan, kasama na ang sarili niyang
museo sa Soledad.

Kasama sa mga proyektong

pangkasaysayan ni Dolor ay yaong
nagtatampok sa bayaning Batangueño
na si Apolinario Mabini, na sa ganang
 DOLOR
kaniya’y “epitomizes the patriotism and nobility of the heroes of yesteryears”
(kumakatawan sa patriotismo at dangal ng mga bayani ng kahapon) para sa mga
kabataaan ngayon. Kabilang dito ang taunang history quiz contest na tinawag na
Paligsahan sa Kasaysayan na ginagawa bilang bahagi ng selebrasyon sa kaarawan
ni Mabini tuwing ika- 23 ng Hulyo at sinalihan na ng mahigit sa 100 eskuwelahang
pribado at publiko sa Batangas simula noong 1989; ang dula ni Rene Villanueva na
kinomisyon ni Dolor na pinamagatang Mabini: Utak ng Himagsikan at nalimbag
noong 2003, na ipinamudmod sa mga institusyon at mag-aaral sa Batangas; at ang
pagpapalabas ng dulang ito noong 2003 sa Lipa at noong 2014 sa Mabini Shrine
malapit sa Malacañan at iba pang tanghalan.

Ang iba pang proyektong makabayan na pinamunuan ni Dolor, sa ilalim ng National

Historical Commission of the Philippines, ay ang pagsasaayos ng bahay-na-bato sa
Maragondon, kung saan “nilitis” umano sina Andres at Procopio Bonifacio ng mga
kabig ni Aguinaldo. Si Dolor ay nakapag-organisa o nakapagpatayo o nakapag-curate
na rin ng mga museo, tulad ng Obviar Museum sa Lipa at ang Vidal Museum sa Cebu,
at nakapagbukas na ng kaniyang sariling San Sebastian Library sa Lungsod ng Lipa.
Nagbigay na rin siya ng donasyon na mga lupa para sa pagpapatayo ng mga simbahan
sa iba-ibang lugar sa bansa.

Umani ng maraming pagkilala ang ginawang pagtataguyod ni Dolor sa mga gawaing

pangkultura at pangkasaysayan, tulad ng: Award of Recogntion mula sa National
Historical Institute noong 1990; ang Outstanding Lipeño Award mula sa lungsod ng
Lipa noong 1982, 1991, at 1997; ang unang Dangal ng Haraya award mula sa National
Commission for Culture and the Arts noong 2001; ang Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan
award mula sa lungsod ng Maynila noong 2004; ang Dr. Jose Perez Memorial Award
mula sa Filipino Movie Arts and Sciences noong 2011; at ang The Light of Culture and
Arts award mula sa International Theater Institute at UNESCO Dream Center noong
2013.

Kongklusyon
Maraming komersiyanteng Pilipino na ang yaman ay sapat na para sila’y mabiyayaan
ng buhay na puno ng pribilehiyo at kawalang-pakialam, manhid at hiwalay sa mga
suliranin ng isang bansang patuloy na nagpupursigi para makamit ang tunay na
kalayaan sa ekonomiya, politika, at kultura. Sa mayayamang indibidwal na ito, iilan
lamang ang katangi-tangi – marahil ay wala pang limampu – na nagtataguyod ng mga
gawaing pangkultura, hindi lamang dahil maikakaltas ang gastos dito sa babayarang
buwis kundi dahil ang kanilang malasakit at pagtataguyod sa kultura ay nagmumula
sa malalim na pagkaunawa at pagmamahal sa kulturang iyon, kaya naman dalisay
at bukas-palad, ‘di nagmamaliw at pangmahabang panahon. Sa iilang ilustradong
indibidwal na ito, namumukod tangi si Dolor.
119
Selected Works
Mga Piling Akda
Concerts Mga Konsiyerto
Gabi ng Kundiman ng Lahi, CCP Little Theater,
1 October 1979
Walang Hanggan, CCP Little Theater,
26 September 1980
Tribung Pinoy Concert, Meralco Theater,
21 October 1981
Handog sa Pangulo, Puerta Real Gardens,
27 June 1981
Parangal sa Kahapon, CCP Little Theater,
2 September 1981
Awitan sa Tag-araw, Phil-Am Life Theater,
23 May 1983
Inang Bayan, Perlas ng Silangan, Rizal Theater,
9 April 1984
Parangal kay Huseng Batute, Los Hidalgos,
25 April 1985
Hanggang Langit Mahal Kita, CCP Little Theater,
22 September 1986
Alitaptap Kikilap-Kilap: Gabing Parangal kay
Florentino Collantes, Casa Manila, Intramuros,
Manila, 26 February 1988
Konsiyerto at Parangal kay Nicanor Abelardo,
Malacañan Ceremonial Hall, 8 February 1993
Halina’t Magsaya, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City,
30 June 1994
Gintong Alaala ng Lumipas, Francisco Santiago
Hall, PCIB Tower One, Makati City
Handog kay Atang, CCP Tanghalang Aurelio V.
Tolentino, Manila, 2002
Sylvia… Kung Kita’y Kapiling, Tanghalang Yaman
ng Lahi, Ermita, Manila, 21 February 2006
Rosita… Down Memory Lane, Pearl Manila Hotel,
28 July 2006
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
Ikaw ang Mahal Ko, Parangal kay Tito Arevalo,
Tanghalang Leandro Locsin, NCCA Building,
Intramuros, Manila, 22 February 2007
Harana sa Dapithapon, Una hanggang
Ikalabing-Apat na Yugto, Bulwagang
Nicanor Abelardo, CCP, Manila,
March 2014-December 2017
Lakbay Harana, Una at Ikalawang Yugto, Pila
Laguna, 2016, and Angeles City, 2017.
Exhibits Mga Eksibit
The Golden Years, Memorable Tagalog Movie
Ads 1946-1956, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong
City, 8-14 January 1993.
Alitaptap Kikilap-Kilap, A Photo Exhibit of
Movie Ads from The First Golden Years of
Philippine Cinema 1936-1941. Cinemalaya
Independent Film Festival, August 2015
Alaala: Sigfredo ni Manuel Conde, Soledad,
Lipa City, 31 May 2019
Alaala: Pilipino Komiks, Soledad, 31 May 2019
Karilagang Pilipina 4, Ito ang Inyong Tiya Dely,
Soledad, 31 May 2019
Books Mga Aklat
Inspired Calm: The Somber Realism of
Domingo Celis by Santiago A. PIlar, 1992
The Golden Years, Memorable Tagalog
Movie Ads 1946-1956, edited by Ronald K.
Constantino and Ricardo F. Lo, 1994
Mabini: Utak ng Himagsikan by Rene
Villanueva, 2003
Carmen Rosales: Ang Tangi Kong Pag-ibig
by Manny Fernandez, 2013
Tony
Fabella
DANCE

123
 Citation

Antonio “Tony” L. Fabella was a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, whose

timeless work on stage and off stage would establish several important Philippine
dance companies, enrich the repertoire of modern and ballet choreographies, and
train several generations of Filipino dancers, including the children of the urban
poor.

For his memorable performances as a captivating and multi-talented dancer with

infectious energy on stage, essaying several lead roles with the Bayanihan, Dance
Theater Philippines, and the CCP Dance Company, later Ballet Philippines;

For helping to establish some of the leading dance companies in the country,
including the CCP Dance Company and the Manila Metropolis Ballet, which would
later merge with other companies to become the Philippine Ballet Theater, and
dance studios like Fabella-Elejar Dance Studio, the Goldcrest Dance Center, and
New Alabang Dance Center;

For creating scores of notable choreographic works, from classical to popular, from
the 1970s up until his passing in the late 2000s, which have enriched the repertoire
of almost all major ballet companies and dance schools in the Philippines;

For mentoring, molding, and patiently guiding many generations of dancers

through the CCP Dance Workshop, the Fabella-Elejar Dance Studio, and several
dance schools throughout Metro Manila;

For establishing and managing, with his colleagues Eddie Elejar and Luther Perez,
the Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc. and the Manila
Dance Center, which brought training in the arts to many underprivileged children,
thereby giving them a chance at a better future through dance and the performing
arts;

For his work as a dancer, teacher, mentor, and choreographer, and his advocacy to
bring dance to every Filipino regardless of age, class, gender, or background,

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Antonio L. Fabella this 7th day
of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila,
Philippines.

124
 Pagkilala

Mananayaw, guro, at koryograper ng walang-kupas na mga obra ng sining sayaw si Antonio L.

Fabella. Sa harap at likod ng entablado, tumulong siya para maitatag ang ilan sa mahahalagang
pangkat pansayaw sa Pilipinas. Pinagyaman din niya ang repertoryo ng koryograpiya ng ballet
at modernong sayaw. Gayundin, inilaan niya ang buong buhay niya para sanayin ang ilang
henerasyon ng mananayaw na Pilipino, kabilang na ang mga anak ng maralitang tagalungsod.

Para sa di-malilimutang pagtatanghal niya bilang mananayaw na angat ang bighani at galing,
masigla kung gumalaw sa tanghalan habang ginagampanan ang mga pangunahing papel
sa mga produksiyon ng Bayanihan, Dance Theater Philippines, at sa CCP Dance Company, na
naging Ballet Philippines paglaon;

Para sa pagtulong niyang maitatag sa bansa ang ilang pangunahing pangkat pansayaw, kabilang
na ang CCP Dance Company at Manila Metropolis Ballet na ibinuklod sa iba pang pangkat para
maging Philippine Ballet Theater at para sa mga binuksan niyang istudyo ng sayaw tulad ng
Fabella-Elejar Dance Studio, Goldcrest Dance Center, at New Alabang Dance Center;

Para sa paglikha niya ng mga obrang koryograpiko, klasiko, o popular man at sadyang kapansin-
pansin, mula noong dekada 1970 hanggang sa pagyao niya noong 2009—mga obrang
nagpayaman sa repertoryo ng halos lahat ng pangunahing pangkat ng ballet at paaralan ng
sayaw sa Pilipinas;

Para sa paghubog, gabay, at tiyaga niya sa pamamatnubay sa maraming henerasyon ng

mananayaw sa pamamagitan ng CCP Dance Workshop, Fabella-Elejar Dance Studio, at iba pang
paaralan ng sayaw sa buong Metro Manila;

Para sa pagtatatag at pamamahala, kasama ng mga kapanalig na sina Eddie Elejar at Luther
Perez sa Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc. at sa Manila Dance Center,
na nagpakilala sa kabataang maralita sa kapangyarihan ng sining at nagbigay ng pagkakataon
at magandang bukas sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng sayaw at ng mga sining ng tanghalan;

Para sa lahat ng nagawa niya bilang mananayaw, guro, patnubay, at koryograper at sa paglalaan
ng sarili para ihatid ang sining sayaw sa bawat Pilipino nang walang pagtatangi sa edad, katayuan
sa lipunan, kasarian o pinagdaanan man sa buhay;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Antonio L. Fabella ngayong ika-7 ng
Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

125
 Tony Fabella Pirouetting, Like
an Angel Let Loose by Heaven
Anna Camille Fabella

Antonio “Tony” Limuaco Fabella was born on 20 March 1941, in Pagsanjan,

Laguna. He was the fourth among the five children of Ricardo Fabella, who
was the Principal of Pagsanjan Academy, and civic leader Luz Limuaco. Fabella
was a consistent honor student throughout his early schooling years. In 1965,
he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the Mapua Institute
of Technology and passed the Government Board Examinations for Chemical
Engineers. But before he could go down that career path, dance came calling.

A Gifted Dancer

Fabella’s first venture into dance was not in classical ballet but in folk dance. He
trained at the Bayanihan Dance Company under Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula and
Libertad V. Fajardo. He quickly rose through the ranks at Bayanihan, becoming
a leading member and joining the company on their many international tours.

From folk dance, he then trained in modern dance and classical ballet. He
learned from many accomplished local and international teachers, including
Alice Reyes, Norman Walker, Pauline Koner, Takako Asakaw, Eddie Elejar,
Nina Vyroubova, Natalia Mirskaya, Elvira Rone, Miro Zolan, Alfred Rodriguez,
Ian Stripling, and Garth Welch.
126
Tony Fabella as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, CCP Dance Company, 1976
127
FABELLA

Tony Fabella’s professional dancing career began with Dance Theater

Philippines, Bayanihan, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance
Company. He was a charter member, company manager, and resident
choreographer of the Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company, better known
today as Ballet Philippines.

He had a magnetic presence onstage that garnered him lead roles in many
productions, such as Mir-i-nisa, Alice Reyes’ rock opera Tommy, Itim Asu
(Black She-Wolf), and Tales of the Manuvu. He played the role of Puck in
Gener Caringal A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which The Philippines Daily Express
and Fabella awarded him the Male Dancer of the Year. Colleague, former student, and
in Tales of
the Manuvu, friend Edna Vida says that Fabella’s dancing was sheer ecstasy. “He had an
CCP Dance exceptional ability to pour out joy as he pirouetted and jetéd, like an angel let
Company, 1977 loose,” she wrote in The Philippine Star (Froilan).

128
A Generous Mentor

Aside from being a gifted dancer, Tony Fabella was also

known as an excellent mentor and teacher. As faculty of the
CCP Dance Company, he taught several classes, including the
adult ballet classes. One of his students in these classes was
Edna Vida, who at the time, wanted nothing to do with ballet.
“I remember thinking, ‘Tony Fabs really shouldn’t bother; he’s
too important to waste one whole hour working on a loser…’”
she wrote in an article. “I was determined not to make it, but
day in and day out, he molded my legs, my feet, my arms, my
torso, my neck” (Froilan).

Besides Edna Vida, several prominent dancers also name him

mentor, including Denisa Reyes, Nina Anonas de Santos, Vella
Damian, Enrico Labayen, Luther Perez, Benjie Toledo, Perry Luther Perez and Fabella
Sevidal, and Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

After leaving the CCP Dance Company, Fabella then joined

forces with Eddie Elejar to form the Fabella-Elejar Dance Studio
(FEDS) and its performing arm, the Manila Metropolis Ballet
(MMB). They also established the Goldcrest Dance Workshop
and the New Alabang Dance Center. Fabella guested as a
teacher and choreographer for many dance schools around
Metro Manila as well. He became an honorary member of the
Association of Ballet Academies, Philippines (ABAP).

Eventually, his partnership with Elejar led to a project with

more social impact. In 1994, Fabella, along with Eddie Elejar
and Luther Perez, established the Quezon City Performing Arts
Development Foundation, Inc. (QCPADFI), an initiative to help
get underprivileged children trained in the arts for a chance
at a better future. Supported by the Quezon City government,
the program holds auditions for children to assess their talent
and attitude towards dance and the arts. QCPADFI offers
programs in dance, theater, creative writing, voice, and guitar
programs, and gives their scholars allowances and honoraria
for performances. The trinity of dance teachers also took the
program to Manila and established the Manila Dance Center
(MDC), with the same goals for street children.
129
FABELLA

Both groups have received praise and multiple awards, and have had local and
international shows and tours. The young performers have gone from the streets to
traveling to Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bosnia, and other countries to showcase their
talents to other cultures. “Once you study dance, you become a whole person,” said
Fabella of the program. “You learn about the importance of discipline. You are able to
develop confidence and self-esteem. Once you have self-esteem, you can never be
poor” (Subido).

Several MDC and QCPADFI alumni have become full-time performers and dancers.
Scholars from the programs have gone on to complete their studies and even work
in Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal Studios, TV and commercial events, and theater
and dance companies. Ronelson Yadao and Victor Maguad, currently lead dancers of
Ballet Philippines, are former Manila Dance Center students who have pursued dance
as a career.

A Calling in Choreography

Towards the end of the 1970s, Fabella retired from dancing and pursued choreography
full-time. His first choreography, La Verite for the CCP Dance Company’s Summer
Dance Workshop, opened the door to more works for the CCP. This included the all-
male Batuque, Orpheus Descending, Semana Santa, Noche Buena, Prince of the
Pagodas, and Ang Konsiyerto (The Concert). This was also followed by Pas de Deux
to a Recorder, That Summer Afternoon, Six for Kasilag, Mi Bandera (My Flag),
Ritmo Filipino (Filipino Rhythm), Entrances and Exits, and Love, Like the Moon, the
Inconstant Moon. He also worked with Ramon Santos (later National Artist) for Siklo
(Cycle) and Ang Kasal (The Wedding), the latter a deconstruction of Nijinska’s Les
Noces for the UP Dance Program.

After his time at the CCP Dance Company, he would hone his choreography skills
at the helm of MMB, which would later merge with Hariraya Ballet, Dance Theatre
Philippines, and other dance schools, to become Philippine Ballet Theater (PBT). PBT
inherited many of Fabella’s works, including the Tchaikovsky Waltzes. Raoul Banzon,
ballet teacher and former PBT danseur, described Fabella’s creative process as highly
efficient but idiosyncratic, using techniques only known to Fabella. “When he starts
creating a new dance, he comes equipped with a cassette tape of his music, a small,
mysterious piece of paper containing the number of counts in his music and the dance
practically already done in his head” (Banzon).

130
Throughout the 1980s, Fabella continued to produce more works, such
as A Gift of Dance, Glazunov Variations, Bolling Suite, Ancestral Spirits,
Philippine Sketches, and Lingon sa Nakalipas (Looking Back at the Past).
Fabella frequently used popular music by Filipino artists, such as in Limang
Dipa (Five Meters), Bonggahan (Razzle-Dazzle), Mantones de Manila,
Kundiman: Noon at Ngayon (Kundiman: Then and Now), Marcha at Sayaw
(March and Dance), and Beautiful Girls all for PBT, as well as Dalagang
Pilipina (Philippine Lady) for Ballet Manila (BM). But neither did he shy
away from grand classical numbers, such as Dancing to Czerny and Dancing
to Verdi for BM. For these and his earlier works, Fabella was awarded the
Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan by the City of Manila in 1984.

Today, every major ballet company and ballet school has a Tony Fabella work
in their repertoire. His works can be found in dance organizations all over
the country, from big ballet companies to schools like Academy One, Ecole Prince of the
de Ballet Manille, and Halili-Cruz School of Classical Ballet. In addition to all Pagodas,
CCP Dance
these, Fabella ventured into more commercial projects, such as mainstream
Company, 1976
entertainment, corporate events, and government projects.
FABELLA

Fabella’s perennial masterpiece is Tambol at Padyak (Drum

and Thump), a massive ensemble choreography to music from
Filipino ethno-rock band Pinikpikan. Premiering as part of Ballet
Philippines “Shoes ++” in 2000, the piece has been performed
by companies and schools all around the country. Characterized
by pedestrian and commercial movements with bursts of balletic
leaps and turns, the six-minute long number is a high-energy
exhibition piece that tells no other story than the beats in the
music. Joelle Jacinto, in Runthru magazine, wrote of the piece’s
finale:

“The dancers execute a series of leaps across

the stage, whizzing past each other with their
limbs stretched out in any way you can imagine.
After leaving the dance floor, they return, each
wearing a pair of bakya. They go back to their
stomping, pedestrian kembot movements, the
wooden shoes clanging audibly, adding another
rhythmic wall to Pinikpikan’s ten percussion
assault. Both the music and the dancers build
up a frenzy for the last measures of the song, and
as chant-vocalist Carol Bello howls to close the
piece, the dancers stomp as if running in place,
holding their splayed hands up to their faces,
and howl along with her, like Indians making a
war cry. They stomp their bakya onto the floor,
the noise merging with thunderous applause
as they don’t stop till the curtain comes down
or the lights blackout, whichever comes first”
(Jacinto).

For this work, Fabella received the Alab ng Haraya in 2003 from
the National Commission of Culture and the Arts.

In 2012, Fabella was one of the awardees for the Natatanging

Gawad Buhay Award from Philstage. In October 2013, a tribute
showcase entitled “Fab! A Tribute to Tony Fabella” featured his
best works with eleven different schools performing. Directed
by Edna Vida, the show included PBT, Ballet Manila, the CCP
Dance School, ACTS Manila, Ecole de Ballet Manille, Perry

132
 FABELLA
Sevidal School Ballet, Pink Toes, Radaic School of Classical Ballet, the Vella Tambol at Padyak,
Damian School of Classical Ballet, the Halili Cruz School of Classical Ballet, Ballet Philippines,
2014
and Fabella’s own QCPADFI.

Final Days

In 2007, Fabella was diagnosed with colon cancer. While undergoing radiation
therapy, he maintained active teaching status with the MDC and QCPADFI. He
was able to choreograph his final full-length ballet, Ibong Adarna, (Adarna
Bird) for QCPADFI. He also choreographed Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin (The
Mysterious Violin) for Ballet Manila’s Tatlong Kwento Ni Lola Basyang
(Three Stories of Grandma Basyang), which debuted in 2008, his final work
before his passing.

“Tony Fabz’s generous spirit will live on forever in his dances,” said Lisa
Macuja-Elizalde. “Like all of his ballets, it is exceptional in its musicality,
charm and its uncanny ability to make everyone teary-eyed from laughter.
133
Semana Santa, Very much like the man himself” (ABS-CBN News). Ballet Manila also had
CCP Dance a benefit performance for Fabella on 7 February 2008 at the Star Theater,
Company, 1971
titled “Ballet Manila Dances Fabella.” The show featured several of Fabella’s
works for Ballet Manila, including Dancing to Czerny, Dancing to Verdi, and
Dalagang Filipina. Performing Fabella’s pieces were the entire Ballet Manila
ensemble and several guest artists from other dance companies. Former
colleagues from his dancing days, students past and present, fans, and friends
and family were in attendance. His QCPADFI and his former students at the
Association of Ballet Academies Philippines also led various fund-raising
events and activities.

After several surgeries and three cycles of chemotherapy, the cancer spread
to Fabella’s kidneys. As his condition worsened, he was easily tired and
often had lower body pains. Fabella was set to direct the dance portion of the
show “Rubies: Gems of Philippine Art” on 27 February 2008. However, his

134
 FABELLA
deteriorating health led him to bow out of the show, asking Edna Vida to replace him.
“The pain he was feeling was something close to having a toothache all over his body,”
Edna Vida wrote in an article. “He prefers to stand because the pain is lessened, and
sometimes he sleeps with his body upright. Then the laughter that is like machine-gun
fire comes on – the joy is still there. ‘Ganyan naman tayong mga dancer, di ba? Sanay sa
sakit ng katawan (That’s how we dancers are, we’re used to pain)’” (Froilan). He spent
his last days in the hospital with a steady stream of visitors.

On 4 June 2009, Fabella succumbed to multiple organ failure. He is survived by the

hundreds of students he has mentored and his plethora of choreographies that are still
being performed to this day.

References

ABS-CBN News. 2009. “Ballet Manila launches ‘Halo-Halo Extra Special.’” ABS-CBN
News, 13 August 2009, https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/08/12/09/ballet-
manila-launches-halo-halo-extra-special. Accessed 25 July 2021.

Banzon, Raoul H. 2008. “A Small Tribute to Tony Fabella, the Little Big Man of Philippine
Ballet.” kanthoughts, 17 September, http://kanthoughts kanthoughts.blogspot.
com/2008/09/small-tribute-to-tony-fabella-little.html. Accessed 25 July 2021.

Froilan, Edna Vida. 2009. “Tony Fabella: Creating Dancers.” Philstar.com, 1 March, https://
www.philstar.com/other-sections/starweek-magazine/2009/03/01/443977/
tony-fabella-creating-dancers. Accessed 25 July 2021.

Jacinto, Joelle. 2013. “The Fabulous Tony Fabs: In Tribute.” Runthru Dance Magazine,
https://sites.google.com/site/runthrudancemagazine/home/features/the-
fabulous-tony-fabs-in-tribute. Accessed 25 July 2021.

Subido, Joy Angelica, and Karla Alindahao. 2006. “For the joy of dancing.”
Philstar.com, 17 July 2006, https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-
culture/2006/07/17/347867/joy-dancing. Accessed 25 July 2021.

Villaruz, Basilio Esteban. 2017. “Fabella, Tony.” CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art.
(second edition). Tiongson, Nicanor (ed-in-chief), Cultural Center of the Philippines.

135
 Tony Fabella Paikot-ikot, Waring
Anghel na Pinakawalan ng Langit
Anna Camille Fabella
Salin ni D.M. Reyes

Isinilang si Antonio “Tony” Limuaco Fabella noong ika-20 ng Marso 1941 sa Pagsanjan,
Laguna. Pang-apat siya sa limang anak nina Ricardo Fabella na noo’y punong-guro ng
Pagsanjan Academy at lider-sibikong si Luz Limuaco. Sa mga unang taon sa paaralan,
laging isa si Fabella sa mga estudyante na may parangal para sa kahusayan. Nagtapos
siya ng Chemical Engineering noong 1965 sa Mapua Institute of Technology. Pasado
rin siya sa Government Board Examinations para sa Chemical Engineers. Ngunit bago
pa man tuluyang tahakin ang karerang ito, maligaya siyang napahinuhod sa tawag ng
pagsayaw.

Mahusay na Mananayaw
Hindi sa klasikong ballet ang unang hataw ni Fabella kundi sa katutubong sayaw.
Nagsanay siya sa ilalim ng Bayanihan Dance Company, sa patnubay nina Lucrecia
Reyes-Urtula at Libertad V. Fajardo. Sa Bayanihan, mabilis siyang umangat para maging
tampok na kasapi. Lagi siyang kasama sa mga pagtatanghal ng pangkat sa iba’t ibang
sulok ng mundo.
136
Mula katutubong sayaw, masugid rin niyang inaral ang modernong sayaw at Fabella at Mary
klasikong ballet. Nagsanay siya sa ilalim ng mga de-kalibreng guro tulad nina Anne Garcia
sa Mir-i-nisa,
Alice Reyes, Norman Walker, Pauline Koner, Takako Asakaw, Eddie Elejar, Nina Dance Theater
Vyroubova, Natalia Mirskaya, Elvira Rone, Miro Zolan, Alfred Rodriguez, Ian Philippines, 1969
Stripling, at Garth Welch.

Sa Dance Theater Philippines, Bayanihan, at Cultural Center of the Philippines

Dance Company nagsimula ang propesyunal na karera ni Tony Fabella sa
pagsayaw. Orihinal siyang miyembro na paglao’y nagsilbing company manager
at resident koryograper ng Alice Reyes Modern Dance Company, na higit na
kilala ngayon bilang Ballet Philippines.

Sa entablado, may pang-akit siyang malabato-balani. Dahil dito, malimit ilaan

sa kaniya ang pangunahing papel sa maraming produksiyon tulad ng Mir-i-
nisa, Tommy, ang rock opera ni Alice Reyes, Itim Asu, at Tales of the Manuvu.
Sinayaw din niya ang papel ni Puck sa A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Hindi
nagdalawang-isip ang Philippine Daily Express na hirangin siya bilang Male
137

Itim Asu
Fabella at Joy Coronel sa
Itim Asu, The Alice Reyes and
Modern Dance Company, 1970
138
Dancer of the Year. Sabi ng kasamahan at dati niyang
estudyante na si Edna Vida, pawang kasiyahan ang
madarama ng manonood sa tuwing sasayaw si Fabella.
Pagbubunyi niya sa isang artikulo sa Philippine Star:
“Namumukod-tangi ang abilidad niya, hatid ang nag-
uumapaw na tuwa; para siyang nakawalang anghel sa
kaniyang mga piroutte at jeté” (Froilan).
Butihing Guro
Liban sa pagiging likas na mahusay na mananayaw,
kinilala din si Tony Fabella bilang magaling na guro at
gabay. Bilang guro ng CCP Dance Company, marami
siyang klase na naturuan. Kabilang dito iyong para sa
nakatatandang mag-aaral ng ballet. Kabilang si Edna
Vida sa klaseng ito pero wala siyang kahilig-hilig sa
ballet. Muni niya sa isang artikulo: “Sa isip ko noon, bakit
pa ba nag-aaksaya ng panahon si Tony Fabs? Sobrang
bigatin niya para pagtiyagaan ang isang loser na gaya ko
. . . Alam ko na wala talagang mangyayari, pero inaraw-
araw pa rin niyang hutukin ang binti, paa, braso, punong
katawan at leeg ko” (Froilan).
Liban kay Edna Vida, kinikilala din siyang mentor ng iba
pang tanyag na mananayaw, tulad nina Denisa Reyes,
Nina Anonas de Santos, Vella Damian, Enrico Labayen,
Luther Perez, Benjie Toledo, Perry Sevidal, at Lisa
Macuja-Elizalde.
Matapos magpaalam sa CCP Dance Company, agad
nakipagsanib-puwersa si Fabella kay Eddie Elejar.
Magkatulong nilang itinatag ang Fabella-Elejar Dance
Studio (FEDS) at ang grupong pantanghalan nito, ang
Manila Metropolis Ballet (MMB). Binuksan din nila
ang Goldcrest Dance Workshop at ang New Alabang
Dance Center. Nilibot ni Fabella ang maraming
paaralan ng sayaw sa Metro Manila bilang panauhing
guro at koryograper. ‘Di naglaon, kinilala siya bilang
kasaping pandangal ng Association of Ballet Academies
Philippines (ABAP).
 FABELLA
Hindi maglalaon, mauuwi ang tambalang Fabella-Elejar sa proyektong may
litaw na pakinabang na panlipunan. Noong 1994, kasama sina Eddie Elejar at
Luther Perez, itinatag ni Fabella ang Quezon City Performing Arts Development
Foundation, Inc. (QCPADFI), isang inisyatibo para matulungan ang mga
batang salat sa buhay, sa pamamagitan ng pagsasanay sa kanila sa sining, para
magkaroon ng higit na maalwang buhay. Sa tangkilik ng pamahalaang lokal ng
Quezon City, isinalang nila sa audition ang mga bata para tayahin ang abilidad
at damdamin ng mga ito ukol sa sining at sayaw. Agad nagbukas ang QCPADFI
ng programa sa sayaw, teatro, malikhaing pagsulat, pag-awit, at pagtugtog
ng gitara. Pinilit nilang mag-abot ng allowance at honorarium para sa mga
pagtatanghal. Pagkaraan, masuyong inilatag nitong tatlong guro ang programa Fabella kasama
sa Lungsod ng Maynila. Doon, itinatag nila ang Manila Dance Center (MDC) na sina Lisa Macuja-
may parehong layon din para sa mga batang kalye. Elizalde, Osias
Barroso, Jeffrey
Espejo at Melanie
Umani ng maraming papuri at parangal ang dalawang grupo. Nalibot nila ang Motus ng Ballet
maraming lugar sa loob at labas ng bansa para magtanghal. Mula sa kalye, Manila

139
FABELLA

umabot ang mga bata sa Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bosnia, at sa kung saan-
saang bansa para ipamalas sa ibang kultura ang angkin nilang husay. “Kapag
nag-aral kang sumayaw, tuluyan nang mabubuo ang pagkatao mo,” paliwanag
ni Fabella ukol sa programa. “Makikita mo ang halaga ng disiplina. Magkakaroon
ka ng tiwala at pagpapahalaga sa sarili. Basta alam mong pahalagahan ang
sarili, hinding-hindi ka na magiging aba” (Subido).

Naging ganap na tagapagtanghal at tagasayaw ang ilan sa mga alumni ng

MDC at QCPADFI. Matagumpay na natapos ng mga iskolar ang pag-aaral
nila at agad ring nakahanap ng trabaho sa Hong Kong Disneyland, Universal
Studios, sa mga programa at patalastas sa TV, at maging sa teatro. Hindi rin
Nonoy Froilan at sila nahirapang sumali sa iba pang pangkat pansayaw. Sa kasalukuyan, kapwa
Edna Vida sa Ang
Konsiyerto, CCP pangunahing mananayaw ng Ballet Philippines sina Ronelson Yadao at Victor
Dance Company, Maguad; nagsimula sila bilang estudyante sa MDC, kapwa desididong tahakin
1974 ang pagsayaw bilang seryosong karera sa buhay.
Tawag ng Koryograpiya
Sa pagtatapos ng dekada 1970,
nagretiro sa pagsayaw si Fabella para
ibuhos ang panahon sa koryograpiya.
Ang koryograpiya niyang La Verite
sa Summer Dance Workshop ng CCP
Dance Company ang una sa marami
pang sayaw na lilikhain niya para sa
kompanya. Kabilang dito ang Batuque
na sayaw para sa mga lalaki lamang,
Orpheus Descending, Semana Santa,
Noche Buena, Prince of the Pagodas, at
Ang Konsiyerto. Sinundan pa ito ng Pas
de Deux to a Recorder, That Summer
Afternoon, Six for Kasilag, Mi Bandera,
Ritmo Filipino, Entrances and Exits at
Love, Like the Moon, the Inconstant
Moon. Nakatuwang din niya si Ramon
Santos (magiging Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) para sa Siklo at Ang Kasal. Gina Mariano
at Benjie Toledo
Dekonstruksiyon itong huli ng Les Noces ni Nijinska para sa UP Dance Program. sa Pas de Deux
to a Recorder,
Matapos ang panahong inilagi ni Fabella sa CCP Dance Company, lalo pa CCP Dance
niyang pinaghusay ang kakayahan sa koryograpiya bilang pinuno ng MMB. Company, 1974
Paglaon, isinama niya ang MMB sa Hariraya Ballet, Dance Theatre Philippines,
at iba pang paaralan ng sayaw para mabuo ang Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT),
grupong residente sa sayaw ng CCP. Minana ng PBT ang maraming obra ni
Fabella kasama na ang Tchaikovsky Waltzes. Para kay Raoul Banzon, guro ng
ballet at dating danseur ng PBT, sadyang mabunga ang malikhaing proseso ni
Fabella habang gamit ang katangi-tangi niyang teknik. “Tuwing gagawa siya
ng bagong sayaw, darating ‘yan na baon ang tugtog sa cassette tape at saka
kapiraso at mahiwagang papel kung saan nakadetalye ang bilang sa tugtog;
halos buo na sa isip niya ang sayaw” (Banzon).

Noong dekada 1980, nagpatuloy si Fabella sa paglikha ng marami pang obra

tulad ng A Gift of Dance, Glazunov Variations, Bolling Suite, Ancestral Spirits,
Philippine Sketches, at Lingon sa Nakalipas. Madalas siyang gumamit ng
musikang popular na gawa ng mga musikerong Pilipino tulad ng sa Limang
Dipa, Bonggahan, Mantones de Manila, Kundiman: Noon at Ngayon, Marcha
at Sayaw at Beautiful Girls, lahat para sa PBT. Nilikha rin niya ang Dalagang
Pilipina para sa Ballet Manila (BM). Gayunman, hindi rin siya nangimi na
bumuo ng sayaw sa estilong klasikal, tulad ng Dancing to Czerny at Dancing to
Verdi para sa BM. 141
Siklo, CCP Dance Dahil sa mga obrang ito at sa kaniyang mga nagawa para sa sayaw sa Pilipinas,
Company, 1977 ginawaran si Fabella ng Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award ng Lungsod
ng Manila noong 1984.

Sa kasalukuyan, nakalangkap na sa repertoryo ng bawat pangunahing pangkat

at paaralang pamballet ang mga obra ni Tony Fabella. Mapapanood ito sa
pagtatanghal ng mga pangkat pansayaw sa buong bayan, mula sa malalaking
kompanya ng ballet at paaralan tulad ng Academy One, Ecole de Ballet Manille,
at Halili-Cruz School of Classical Ballet. Dagdag rito, pinasok din ni Fabella
ang mga proyektong komersiyal gaya ng mga aliwang pangmadla, okasyong
pangkorporasyon, at proyekto ng pamahalaan.

Ang Tambol at Padyak ang walang-kupas na obra maestra ni Fabella.

Koryograpiya ito para sa malaking grupo, sa saliw ng musika ng Pinikpikan,
sikat na bandang ethno-rock. Unang ipinalabas ito noong 2000 bilang bahagi
142
 FABELLA
ng “Shoes ++” ng Ballet Philippines. Naitanghal na rin ito ng mga pangkat at paaralan
sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng kapuluan. Kilala ito dahil sa galaw na pang-kalye at astang
komersiyal na may mga bugso ng talon at ikot pamballet. Anim na minuto ang tagal
ng piyesa, pang-eksibisyon ang dating, maliksi ang pulso, at walang ibang layon kundi
bilangin ang pintig ng musika. Pinuri ni Joelle Jacinto sa Runthu magasin ang finale
nito (orihinal sa Ingles):

“Sa entablado, sunud-sunod ang talon ng mga mananayaw—labo-

labo at halos magkasagian na. Kahit saan ka tumingin, banat na
banat ang bisig at binti nila. Paglabas ng entablado, biglang-hangos
din sila—nakabakya naman. Saka babanat ng padyak sabay kembot
na pangkalye, malutong ang hampas ng bakya, dagdag ang bagong
pintig sa ritmong perkasyon ng Pinikpikan. Sa dulong bahagi ng kanta,
kapwa may badya ng sumisiklab na damdamin ang mananayaw
at musika. Habang bumubuwelo si Carol Bello para tapusin na ang
kanta, wala pa ring lubay sa paghataw ang mga mananayaw, paroo’t
parito, gagap sa kamay ang mukha nila, umaatungal, parang Indian
na di-uurong sa giyera. Sa sahig, sige pa rin ang padyak ng bakya
nila, kasabay ng masigabong palakpak ng manonood, walang patid
hanggang tuluyan nang bumagsak ang telon o magdilim ang ilaw,
alin man ang mauna” (Jacinto).

Para sa obrang ito, ipinagkaloob ng National Commission of Culture and the Arts ang
Alab ng Haraya kay Fabella noong 2003.

Noong 2012, Philstage naman ang naghandog kay Fabella ng Natatanging Gawad
Buhay. Pagdating ng Oktubre 2013, itinanghal ang ilan sa pinakamahusay niyang obra
sa “Fab! A Tribute to Tony Fabella” sa imbay ng labing-isang paaralan. Sa direksiyon
ni Edna Vida, umindak sa palabas na ito ang PBT, Ballet Manila, CCP Dance School,
ACTS Manila, Ecole de Ballet Manille, Perry Sevidal School Ballet, Pink Toes, Radaic
School of Classical Ballet, Vella Damian School of Classical Ballet, Halili Cruz School of
Classical Ballet, at ang sariling supling ni Fabella, ang QCPADFI.

Mga Huling Araw

Noong 2007, natuklasan ni Fabella na may kanser siya sa kolon o bituka. Habang
sumasailalim sa radiation therapy, hindi niya itinigil ang pagtuturo sa MDC at sa
QCPADFI. Tinapos niya ang koryograpiya para sa Ibong Adarna, ballet na ganap
ang haba, para sa QCPADFI. Gayon din ang koryograpiya para sa Ang Mahiwagang
Biyulin, bahagi ng Tatlong Kwento Ni Lola Basyang ng Ballet Manila, na nagbukas
noong 2008. Huling obra niya ito na naipalabas bago tuluyang mamayapa.
143
FABELLA Pagmamalaki ni Lisa Macuja-Elizalde sa obra: “Laging nabubuhay sa mga
sayaw ni Tony Fabz ang pagiging mapagbigay niya. Tulad ng lahat ng ballet na
kinatha niya, katangi-tangi ang musikalidad, rikit, at kakatwang kakayahan nito
na paluhain tayo habang pinatatawa. At hindi malayo ‘yan sa pagkatao niya”
(ABS-CBN News). Noong ika-7 ng Pebrero 2008, nagdaos din ng benepisyong
pagtatanghal ang Ballet Manila sa Star Theater para kay Fabella. Tinawag itong
“Ballet Manila Dances Fabella.” Tampok dito ang ilan sa mga obra niya para
sa Ballet Manila tulad ng Dancing to Czerny, Dancing to Verdi, at Dalagang
Pilipina. Nagbuklod ang buong ensemble ng Ballet Manila at ilang panauhing
artista galing sa iba pang pangkat ng sayaw para itanghal ang mga piyesa ni
Fabella. Dumalo rin ang mga dating kasamahan noong sumasayaw pa siya, mga
dati at bagong estudyante, tagahanga, kaibigan, at mahal niya sa buhay. Para
makalikom ng pampagamot, nagdaos din ang kaniyang QCPADFI at dating
mga estudyante sa ABAP ng pagtatanghal at iba pang aktibidad.

Matapos ang ilan pang operasyon at tatlong siklo ng chemotherapy, hindi na

rin napigilan ang pagkalat ng kanser sa kidney o bato ni Fabella. Sa paglala
ng kaniyang kondisyon, madali na siyang mapagod at madalas manakit ang
ibabang bahagi ng katawan. Siya pa sana ang mamamahala sa parteng sayaw
ng palabas na “Rubies: Gems of Philippine Art” noong ika-27 ng Pebrero 2008.
Pero kailangan na niyang ipagkatiwala ito sa iba. Pinili niya si Edna Vida na
humalili sa kaniya.

Florence Perez,
Fabella, at
Ester Rimpos
sa Dugso,
CCP Dance
Company, 1974

144
“Yung sakit na iniinda niya, para bang kirot ng ngipin, pero dama sa buong Ronnie Leonardo,
katawan,” ulat ni Edna Vida sa isang artikulo. “Mas gusto pa niyang tumayo Nonoy Froilan, at
Gener Caringal
para lang maibsan ito. Minsan nga, patayo na rin yata siya kung matulog. Pero sa Batuque, CCP
biglang bubunghalit ng tawa, parang ratatat ng machine gun—naroon pa Dance Company,
rin ang saya. “Ganyan naman tayong mga dancer, di ba? Sanay sa sakit ng 1976
katawan” (Froilan). Hanggang sa huling sandali niya sa ospital, walang tigil
ang mga dumadalaw sa kaniya.

Matapos isa-isang bumigay ang maseselang bahagi ng katawan, yumao

si Fabella sa lungsod ng Maynila noong ika-4 ng Hunyo 2009. Iniwan
niyang nagdadalamhati ang daan-daang estudyante na minsa’y buong-
puso niyang ginabayan at ang laksang koryograpiya na itinatanghal pa rin
hanggang sa kasalukuyan.

145
Fabella in Rosalia Merino-Santos’ Tayo Na’t Maglaro, CCP Dance Company, 1971
Selected Choreographies
Mga Piling Koryograpiya
La Verite, CCP Dance Company, 1970.
Noche Buena, CCP Dance Company, 1970.
Semana Santa, CCP Dance Company, 1971.
Prince of the Pagodas, CCP Dance Company,
1972.
Changes, CCP Dance Company, 1973.
Orpheus Descending, CCP Dance Company,
1973.
Pas de Deux for a Recorder, CCP Dance
Company, 1974.
Ang Konsiyerto, CCP Dance Company, 1974.
That Summer Afternoon, 1975.
Batuque, CCP Dance Company, 1976.
Araw at Buwan, Dance Theatre Philippines,
1976.
Siklo, CCP Dance Company, 1977.
Kristo, Dance Theatre Philippines, 1977.
Six for Kasilag, CCP Dance Company, 1978.
Mi Bandera, Philippine Ballet Theater, 1979.
Ritmo Filipino, Philippine Ballet Theater, 1979.
Entrances and Exits, Philippine Ballet Theater,
1980.
Limang Dipa, Philippine Ballet Theater, 1981.
Love, Like The Moon, the Inconstant Moon,
1982.
Ang Kasal, UP Dance Program, 1982.
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
A Gift of Dance, 1983.
Glazunov Variations, 1985.
Bolling Suite, 1985.
Ancestral Spirits, 1985.
Philippine Sketches, 1985.
Lingon Sa Nakalipas, 1985.
Graduation Ball, 1986.
A Dance Offering, 1986.
Dancing to Donizetti, 1987.
Change... Gonna Come, 1988.
Narciso, 1988.
Pinoy Talaga, 1989.
Beautiful Girls, Philippine Ballet Theater, 1990.
Tchaikovsky Waltzes, Philippine Ballet Theater.
Kundiman: Noon at Ngayon, Philippine Ballet
Theater.
Mantones de Manila, Philippine Ballet Theater.
Dancing to Verdi, Ballet Manila, 1997.
Dancing to Czerny, Ballet Manila.
Tambol at Padyak, Ballet Philippines, 2000.
Ibong Adarna, Quezon City Performing Arts
Development Foundation Inc., 2007.
Ang Mahiwagang Biyulin, Ballet Manila, 2008.
Nonoy
Froilan
DANCE

149
 Citation
Rafael Catalino Froilan, known to all as Nonoy Froilan, is a dancer, teacher,
choreographer, and videographer, who popularized and elevated the dancing
profession among Filipino male dancers. As premier danseur, he personified the ideal
principal artist, blessed with a solid technique, innate musicality, exceptional artistry,
an ideal physique, and a genuine passion for dancing.

For being a role model for many young and aspiring male dancers to emulate, inspiring
them to pursue dancing as a career and emancipating their role as merely a support
to the ballerina;

For the wide and varied roles he portrayed in many classical ballet productions,
including Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet,
La Bayadère, Firebird, and Don Quixote, and for giving these roles a deeper meaning
beyond being simply an elegant prince;

For earning the distinction of being a “partner par excellence” and being sought after
by many outstanding local and foreign ballerinas and modern dance artists, including
Alice Reyes, Maniya Barredo, Edna Vida, Ester Rimpos, Effie Nañas, Cecile Sicangco,
Toni Lopez Gonzales, Anna Villadolid, Lisa Macuja, Robin Haig, and Yoko Morishita;

For his versatility in technique and excellent artistry earning him a reputation of being
the best danseur of his generation, exemplified by his sensitive portrayals of the lead
character in many outstanding modern and contemporary dance pieces such as
Alice Reyes’ Amada and Itim-Asu, Norman Walker’s Season of Flight, and Gener
Caringal’s Ang Sultan;

For having originated the roles in modern dance masterpieces including Norman
Walker’s Songs of a Wayfarer, Jean Deroc’s Roi David and Alice Reyes’ Rama,
Hari, and for being lauded by critics here and abroad for his exceptional portrayal of
different and difficult roles;

For his lifelong contribution to the development and promotion of dance in the country,
even beyond his retirement as a dancer, through choreography, teaching, restaging of
dance productions, and dance videography;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Rafael Catalino Froilan this 7th day of
February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

150
 Pagkilala
Si Rafael Catalino Froilan, kilala ng lahat bilang Nonoy Froilan, ay isang mananayaw, guro,
koryograper, at bidyograper, na nagpalaganap at nag-angat ng propesyon ng sayaw sa mga
mananayaw na lalaking Filipino. Bilang pangunahing mananayaw, kinatawan niya ang ideyal
ng pangunahing alagad ng sining, na nabiyayaan ng matibay na teknik, likas na musikalidad,
natatanging kasiningan, ideyal na pangangatawan, at dalisay na rubdob sa pagsasayaw.

Dahil nagsilbi siya bilang huwaran ng maraming kabataang lalaking nangangarap na maging
mananayaw, na binigyan niya ng inspirasyon para piliin ang sayaw bilang isang karera, at dahil
pinalaya niya ang papel ng lalaking mananayaw mula sa pagiging taga-alalay lamang ng bailarina;

Dahil sa malawak at sari-saring papel na binigyang-buhay niya sa mga produksiyon ng klasikong

ballet, kabilang na ang Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet,
La Bayadère, Firebird, at Don Quixote, na ginampanan niya nang may higit na lalim kaysa payak
na pagiging eleganteng prinsipe;

Dahil biniyayaan siya ng magandang reputasyon bilang “napakahusay na katambal sa sayaw”

at hinirang siyang makatambal ng mga bukod-tanging lokal at dayuhang bailarina at artista ng
modern dance, kabilang sina Alice Reyes, Maniya Barredo, Edna Vida, Ester Rimpos, Effie Nañas,
Cecile Sicangco, Toni Lopez Gonzales, Anna Villadolid, Lisa Macuja, Robin Haig, at Yoko Morishita;

Para sa lawak ng kaniyang teknik at namumukod na kasiningan na nagpabantog sa kaniya bilang

pinakamahusay na mananayaw na lalaki ng kaniyang henerasyon, na pinatutunayan ng kaniyang
madamdaming pagbibigay-buhay sa mga pangunahing tauhan sa mga natatanging moderno at
kontemporanyong sayaw, gaya ng Amada at Itim-Asu ni Alice Reyes, Season of Flight ni Norman
Walker, at Ang Sultan ni Gener Caringal;

Para sa paglikha niya ng mga orihinal na papel sa mga modernong obra maestra ng sayaw, kabilang
ang Songs of a Wayfarer ni Norman Walker, Roi David ni Jean Deroc, at Rama, Hari ni Alice Reyes
at dahil sa papuri sa kaniya ng mga kritikong Filipino at banyaga para sa kaniyang katangi-tanging
pagganap sa iba-iba at mahihirap na papel;

Dahil sa buong-buhay na kontribusyon niya sa pagpapa-unlad at pagsusulong ng sayaw sa bansa,

kahit nang magretiro na siya bilang mananayaw, sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang koryograpiya,
pagtuturo, muling pagtatanghal ng mga sayaw, at dance videography;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Rafael Catalino Froilan ngayong ika-7 ng
Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

151
 Nonoy Froilan Premier
Danseur Par Excellence
Nestor O. Jardin

In the female-dominated world of ballet, Rafael Catalino Froilan, more popularly

known as Nonoy Froilan, stands out as one of the few professional male dancers
whose names have become bywords in Philippine dance. During his prime, he was the
embodiment of what a Filipino premier danseur should be – tall with a proportionate
physique, a handsome face, exceptional dance technique, and artistry that transcends
various dance styles.
His entry into the world of dance was not what premier danseurs usually aspire and
prepare for. His involvement in dance, from his elementary to high school to college
days, was always incidental to pursuing his educational degree. But from an early age,
Froilan already had an artistic inclination, joining all sorts of extracurricular activities
like choral singing, folk dance, oratorical contests, and school anniversary productions
in his hometown of Calbiga, Samar.
Froilan’s formal training in dance came at the age of 17 – considered late for one
aspiring to be a professional dancer. But back then, he had no ambition to become one
anyway. He just wanted to avail himself of the free tuition from the University of the
East through membership with the UE Dance Troupe. He trained in folk dance, ballet,
and jazz under Cora Iñigo, director and choreographer of the troupe. Subsequently, his
interest in dance grew as he did rehearsals and performances with the group.
152
And because the dance community is such a small world, he met Nonoy Froilan in A
new friends in the persons of Gener Caringal and Manuel Molina, Midsummer Night’s
members of Alice Reyes’ newly formed group at the Cultural Center of Dream, CCP Dance
Company, 1976
the Philippines (CCP). Froilan recounts his first experience watching
a show at CCP in 1970. “I bought a P25 ticket and with excitement
went to the CCP Main Theater for the first time. It was an eye-opening
experience when the theater goes dark, the curtain goes up and down,
and the lights fade in or black out.” He adds, “The program entitled
Alice Reyes & Dance Company in a Modern Dance Concert was truly
exciting – Amada, Getting There, Negro Spirituals, Company and the
stunning 7 & a Half. I made a pledge to myself – I’m going to dance on
that stage!”
Little did he imagine that those prophetic words would come true.
Not only would he dance on that stage, but he would also rule on that
stage. He trained further with the Dance Arts Studio under Tony Llacer,
who subsequently recommended that he join the CCP Summer Dance
Workshop. Alice Reyes immediately saw his potential and invited him
to become a member of the company in December of 1973.
153
Froilan and Edna Vida in Itim Asu, 1984; Untitled, 1973; Firebird, 1979
Froilan, Reyes, and the CCP Dance Company saw a perfect fit. The company needed

FROILAN
a new principal dancer to replace Manuel Molina, who accepted membership in a
foreign ballet company. Reyes wanted a male artist who could be trained to take on lead
roles in her new choreographies. And Froilan became so enthused with a professional
career in dance that he worked hard to meet expectations of him.
The company provided numerous opportunities to train and work with outstanding
local and foreign teachers and choreographers. These were Alice Reyes, Eddie Elejar,
Tony Fabella, Gener Caringal, Norman Walker, Garth Welch, Pauline Koner, Alfred
Rodriguez, Jan Stripling, Gray Veredon, William Morgan, Rochelle Zide-Booth, and
Luminita Dumitrescu, among many others. From these dance experts, Froilan learned
to hone his technique in classical ballet and modern dance. He worked hard and easily
absorbed the corrections and counseling of the ballet masters. But one trait of Froilan
that his teachers and co-dancers admired was his discipline. For him, there was no
compromise as far as attending daily dance classes, being on time for rehearsals, or
warming up properly before each performance was concerned.
Froilan’s forte was partnering or dancing with a female partner and ensuring that there
is a coordinated and harmonious flow of movements between the two of them. Dance
partnering technique is learned over the years by tutoring and through experience.
From the male dancer’s part, it is an advantage if he is physically strong and tall in
order to facilitate lifts and support the turns or balances of the ballerina. From his early
professional dancing years, Froilan was an inborn partner because of his physique,
strength, musicality, and technique.
He was therefore sought after by choreographers to play the lead roles in many full-
length ballet classics. Only two years after he joined the CCP Dance Company, he
danced the role of the Nutcracker Prince in Act 2 of The Nutcracker with foreign guest
artist Robin Haig. It was a memorable experience for Froilan as it was his first classical
ballet production. From then on, all the succeeding ballet productions of the company
had him in the lead role.
Among all of the country’s premier danseurs, Froilan had perhaps the largest number
of full-length classical ballet repertoire pieces under his belt - The Nutcracker, Swan
Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, La Bayadère, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Firebird, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Carmen, Snow White, and
Ang Pilya, William Morgan’s version of La Fille Mal Gardée.
In these ballets, he danced the lead roles with many outstanding ballerinas, including
Maniya Barredo of the Atlanta Ballet, Anna Villadolid of the Munich Opera Ballet, Lisa
Macuja of Ballet Manila, Ballet Philippines’ principal dancers Ester Rimpos, Effie Nañas,
Edna Vida, Cecile Sicangco, Maricar Drilon, and Toni Lopez Gonzales, and foreign
guest ballerinas of the company such as Yoko Morishita and Robin Haig. Each of these
ballerinas possesses a unique talent and artistry, interpreting roles differently with
distinct nuances. Froilan adjusted to each one confidently, giving them the spotlight as
a gentleman should do. 155
 Froilan’s modern dance repertoire is equally impressive. And
it was in them that his star shone brighter. His portrayals of the
lead roles in Alice Reyes’ masterpieces, such as Don Rafael
in Amada, Governor Bustamante in Itim-Asu, and Rama in
Rama, Hari were powerful interpretations of man’s tragedies
and triumphs, weaknesses and strengths, incapacities and
power. Equally impressive were his portrayals of the lead
characters in Norman Walker’s Season of Flight, Songs of a
Wayfarer, and Songs, Drones and Refrains of Death.
But Froilan’s most significant achievements were the original
roles he created in many outstanding masterpieces by Filipino
and foreign choreographers. Norman Walker, a world-
renowned American choreographer who had created pieces
for many international dance companies, was so impressed
with the talent of Froilan that he cast him as the central
character in the world première of Songs of a Wayfarer in
December 1973, the first year he became a member of the CCP
Dance Company.
It was a difficult and tiring role. He had to be dancing on stage
90% of the time and had to undergo a gamut of emotions
from beginning to end. “I had sleepless nights during the
time Norman was choreographing the piece. One time I got
Froilan in Gisielle, 1982 dehydrated and caught a fever after rehearsals. But one of the
most fulfilling experiences I had in my dancing career was
to receive 24 curtain calls in Mainz, Germany for Songs of a
Wayfarer,” Froilan reveals.
The other noteworthy roles he originally created were in two
full-length modern dance productions by Alice Reyes - the
title roles in Rajah Sulayman, 1975, and Rama, Hari, 1980.
Reyes, who was proclaimed National Artist for Dance in 2014,
was quoted as saying about Froilan in 1981, “Besides the fact
that Nonoy has the advantage of being more mature, he also
has that very rare quality of elegance. He goes on stage, and
you know that he is the prince, that he is the lead character.
He has the capacity to go deep into a role and incorporate it
into his character so that when he goes on stage, he becomes
that character.” Reyes adds, “In spite of all these, he remains
his same quiet and modest self.”
Indeed, Nonoy Froilan, who had danced into the hearts
of thousands of dance enthusiasts during two decades as
premier danseur, has remained humble and grateful for his
156 success. The impact of his achievements has reverberated
deeply in the consciousness of many male dancers who followed in

FROILAN
his footsteps. In many ways, he had emancipated the male’s role in the
vast repertoire of dance in the Philippines. From being incidental or a
support to the ballerina, the male danseur now has a wider range of
challenging repertoire pieces to portray.
After his retirement from the stage in 1993, Froilan chose not to leave
the dance world. Away from the limelight, he quietly ventured into
choreography, teaching, coaching, restaging dance productions, and
dance videography. And not surprisingly, he excelled in them. His
restaging of the full-length Giselle featuring Cecile Sicangco and
ballet superstar Julio Bocca received excellent reviews. He founded
the Froilan Video Arts in 1994 and immediately was sought after for
video productions on dance, some of which have won awards in local
and foreign competitions.
At 70 years old, Nonoy Froilan stands proud for never having left
dance to redirect his professional life into something more lucrative.
His continuing contribution to the world of dance in the Philippines
Froilan, Lydlyd Gaston,
is immeasurable and is appreciated and recognized by the and Benjie Toledo in
choreographers, dancers, teachers, and students, whose professional Ang Sultan, CCP Dance
lives he touched and enriched. Company, 1977

157
 Nonoy Froilan Premier
Danseur Par Excellence
Nestor O. Jardin
Salin ni Romulo Baquiran, Jr.

Sa mundo ng ballet na pinangungunahan ng kababaihan, namukod-tangi si

Rafael Catalino Froilan, higit na kilala sa ngalang Nonoy Froilan, bilang isa
sa mga propesyunal na mananayaw na lalaki na naging bantog sa Pilipinas.
Sa rurok ng kaniyang karera, kinatawan niya ang mga ideyal na katangian
ng isang Filipinong premier danseur—matangkad at may balanseng
pangangatawan, makisig, napakahusay ang teknik sa pagsasayaw, at may
kasiningang angát sa iba-ibang estilo ng sayaw.
Ang paglahok niya sa mundo ng sayaw ay hindi sa paraang karaniwang
pinapangarap at pinaghahandaan ng mga premier danseur. Lagi nang
kaugnay ang kaniyang pagsayaw sa pagnanais niyang makapagtapos ng pag-
aaral, mula sa elementarya, hay-iskul, at hanggang kolehiyo. Ngunit bata pa
lamang ay talagang may hilig na sa sining si Froilan; sumasali siya sa sari-
saring gawaing ekstrakurikular, gaya ng pagkanta sa choral group, folk dance,
paligsahang oratorikal, at mga palabas para sa anibersaryo ng eskuwelahan
sa tinubuang-bayan ng Calbiga, Samar.
Nagsimula ang pormal na pagsasanay ni Froilan sa sayaw sa edad na 17 –
medyo huli na para sa naghahangad na maging propesyunal na mananayaw.
Ngunit noon, wala naman siyang ambisyong maging propesyunal na
mananayaw. Gusto lamang niyang mapakinabangan ang libreng pag-aaral sa
University of the East bilang kasapi ng UE Dance Troupe. Nagsanay siya ng folk
dance, ballet, at jazz sa gabay ni Cora Iñigo, direktor at koryograper ng grupo.
Nagkainteres lalo siya sa sayaw dahil sa mga rihersal at sa mga sinalihan
niyang pagtatanghal ng grupo.
Dahil napakaliit lamang ang mundo ng sayaw, nagkaroon siya ng mga bagong
158 kaibigan sa katauhan nina Gener Caringal at Manuel Molina, mga kasapi ng
bagong tatag na grupo ni Alice Reyes sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas
(Cultural Center of the Philippines o CCP). Ikinuwento ni Froilan ang nadama
niya nang una siyang makapanood ng palabas sa CCP noong 1970. “Bumili
ako ng P25 na tiket at sabik na pumunta sa CCP Main Theater sa unang
pagkakataon. Namulat ako sa karanasang iyon – nang nagdilim ang teatro,
nagtaas-baba ang telon, at bumukas-namatay ang mga ilaw.” Dagdag pa
niya, “Talagang nakasasabik ang programang pinamagatang Alice Reyes &
Dance Company in a Modern Dance Concert – Amada, Getting There, Negro
Spirituals, Company at ang kahanga-hangang 7 & a Half. Pangako ko sa sarili
ko – sasayaw ako sa tanghalang iyan!”
Hindi niya akalaing magkakatotoo ang mga salitang iyon. Hindi lamang
siya nagsayaw sa tanghalang iyon; sinakop niya ang tanghalang iyon.
Patuloy siyang nagsanay sa Dance Arts Studio sa ilalim ni Tony Llacer na
siya namang nagrekomenda sa kaniya para makasali siya sa CCP Summer
Dance Workshop. Agad na nakita ni Alice Reyes na malayo ang mararating Froilan sa
ng talento ni Froilan, kaya inimbita niya itong sumapi sa kompanya noong Songs of a
Disyembre 1973. Wayfarer, 1973

159
FROILAN Waring pinagtiyap ang mga pangangailangan nina Froilan, Reyes, at ng CCP Dance
Company. Kailangan ng kompanya ng bagong pangunahing mananayaw na papalit
kay Manuel Molina, na sumapi na sa isang dayuhang kompanya ng ballet. Naghahanap
naman si Reyes ng lalaking mananayaw na maaaring sanayin para sa mga papel
na bida sa mga bagong koryograpiya niya. At sumidhi na nga nang labis ang interes
ni Froilan sa sayaw bilang karerang propesyunal, kaya nagsikap talaga siya para
matupad ang mga inaasahan sa kaniya.
Nagbukas ng maraming oportunidad ang kompanya para sa baguhang mananayaw
para makapagsanay at makatrabaho ang mahuhusay na lokal at dayuhang guro at
koryograper. Kasama dito sina Alice Reyes, Eddie Elejar, Tony Fabella, Gener Caringal,
Norman Walker, Garth Welch, Pauline Koner, Alfred Rodriguez, Jan Stripling, Gray
Veredon, William Morgan, Rochelle Zide-Booth, Luminita Dumitrescu, at marami
pang iba. Natuto si Froilan sa mga eksperto sa sayaw at nahasa ang mga teknik
niya sa klasikong ballet at modern dance. Nagsikap siya at madaling natuto sa mga
pagwawasto at payo ng mga maestro sa ballet. Ngunit may isang katangian si Froilan
na hinangaan ng kaniyang mga guro at kasamang mananayaw -- ang kaniyang
disiplina. Walang dahilan para hindi siya dumalo sa araw-araw na klase sa sayaw,
para hindi dumating sa oras ng rihersal, para hindi makapaghanda nang tama para sa
bawat pagtatanghal.

Froilan at Alice Reyes sa Rama, Hari, CCP Dance Company, 1980

Forte ni Froilan ang pagtambal o pagpartner sa babaeng
mananayaw at pagtiyak na may maayos at sabay ang daloy
ng kanilang galaw. Ang teknik ng pagtambal sa sayaw ay
natututuhan sa loob ng maraming taon sa pamamagitan ng
pag-aaral at karanasan. Sa bahagi ng mananayaw na lalaki,
bentahe kapag malakas ang kaniyang pangangatawan at
matangkad para mabuhat at maalalayan ang bailarina sa
ginagawa nitong pag-ikot at paninimbang. Mula sa mga
unang taon ng kaniyang propesyon bilang mananayaw,
waring naging natural na ang pagiging partner ni Froilan
dahil sa kaniyang pangangatawan, lakas, musikalidad, at
pamamaraan.
Kaya palagian siyang kinukuha ng mga koryograper para
maging bida sa mga klasiko at ganap-ang-habang ballet.
Dalawang taon lamang pagkasali sa CCP Dance Company,
ginampanan na niya ang papel ng Nutcracker Prince sa Act 2
ng The Nutcracker, kasama ng panauhing artistang si Robin
Haig. Hindi malilimutan ni Froilan ang karanasang iyon dahil
iyon ang una niyang pagtatanghal ng klasikong ballet. Mula
noon, palagi na siyang nahihirang na bida sa mga sumunod
na pagtatanghal ng ballet ng kompanya.
Sa mga premier danseurs ng bansa, si Froilan marahil ang Froilan sa Sisa, CCP Dance Company, 1979
may pinakamahabang listahan ng mga papel na ginampanan
sa mga ganap-ang-habang ballet - The Nutcracker, Swan
Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, La Bayadère, Coppelia, Don
Quixote, Firebird, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo &
Juliet, Cinderella, Carmen, Snow White, at Ang Pilya, ang
bersiyon ni William Morgan ng La Fille Mal Gardée.
Sa mga ballet na ito, ginampanan niya ang pangunahing
papel kasama ng mga natatanging bailarinang sina Maniya
Barredo ng Atlanta Ballet, Anna Villadolid ng Munich Opera
Ballet, Lisa Macuja ng Ballet Manila, mga pangunahing
mananayaw ng Ballet Philippines na sina Ester Rimpos, Effie
Nañas, Edna Vida, Cecile Sicangco, Maricar Drilon, at Toni
Lopez Gonzales, at mga dayuhang bailarina, gaya nina Yoko
Morishita at Robin Haig. May kaniya-kaniyang katangian at
kasiningan ang bawat bailarinang nabanggit, at may sarili
silang interpretasyon sa bawat papel nila, na binibigyan
ng sariling kulay. Buo ang loob na binagayan ni Froilan ang
bawat isa sa mga ito, at ibinaling sa kanila ang atensiyon ng
manonood, na siyang dapat gawin ng isang maginoo.
161
Froilan at Lisa Gayundin, kahanga-hanga ang listahan ng kayang gawin ni Froilan sa modern
Macuja dance. At dito lalong kuminang ang kaniyang bituin. Ang pagganap niya ng
mga pangunahing papel sa mga obra maestra ni Alice Reyes gaya ng Don
Rafael sa Amada, Gobernador Bustamante sa Itim-Asu, at Rama sa Rama,
Hari ay matingkad na pagbibigay-buhay rin sa mga trahedya at tagumpay
ng tao, kahinaan at lakas, kawalang kakayahan at kapangyarihan. Gayundin
kahusay ang kaniyang pagganap sa mga pangunahing tauhan sa mga akda ni
Norman Walker na Season of Flight, Songs of a Wayfarer, at Songs, Drones
and Refrains of Death.
Ngunit ang mga pinakamahalagang tagumpay ni Froilan ay nasa paglikha niya
ng mga orihinal na papel sa maraming namumukod na obra maestra ng mga
koryograper na Filipino at dayuhan. Labis na humanga sa talento ni Froilan
si Norman Walker, koryograper na Amerikanong kilala sa buong mundo, na
umakda ng mga koryograpiya para sa mga pandaigdigang kompanya para
162 sa sayaw, kung kaya kinuha siya nito para sa world première ng Songs of a
Wayfarer noong Disyembre 1973, ang taon nang una siyang naging kasapi ng CCP

FROILAN
Dance Company.
Mahirap at nakakapagod gampanan ang papel na iyon. Kailangan niyang sumayaw
sa tanghalan sa loob nang 90% ng tagal ng palabas at kailangang dumaan sa mga
salimuot ng damdamin mula sa umpisa hanggang sa dulo. “Hindi ako makatulog sa
mga araw na nilalapatan ni Norman ng koryograpiya ang palabas. Isang araw, natuyuan
ako ng katawan at nilagnat pagkatapos ng rihersal. Ngunit isa sa mga kasiya-siyang
karanasan ko sa pagsayaw ang makatanggap ng 24 curtain call sa Mainz, Germany
para sa Songs of a Wayfarer,” pagtatapat ni Froilan.
Ang iba pang namumukod-tanging papel na orihinal niyang nilikha ay para sa
dalawang pagtatanghal ng modern dance na ganap ang haba na gawa ni Alice Reyes
- ang pangunahing papel sa Rajah Sulayman, 1975, at sa Rama, Hari, 1980. Si Reyes,
na ginawaran ng titulong Pambansang Alagad ng Sining para sa Sayaw noong 2014,
ang nagsaad ng ganito tungkol kay Froilan noong 1981, “Bukod sa katotohanang may
bentahe na siya sa pagiging mas mature, taglay rin niya ang pambihirang elegansiya.
Paglabas niya sa tanghalan, alam mong siya ang prinsipe, siya ang bida. Kaya niyang
pumasok nang malalim sa tauhan at isanib ito sa kaniyang ginagampanan, kaya kapag
nasa tanghalan na siya, nagiging siya ang tauhang iyon,” dagdag ni Reyes. “Sa kabila ng
lahat ng mga ito, siya pa rin ang tahimik at simpleng si Froilan.”
Si Nonoy Froilan na sumayaw at nakapasok sa puso ng libo-libong tagahanga ng sayaw
sa loob ng dalawang dekada bilang premier danseur, ay nanatiling mapagpakumbaba
at lagi nang nagpapasalamat sa tagumpay na naabot niya. At tumimo ang bisa ng mga
nagawa niya sa kamalayan ng mga lalaking mananayaw na sumunod sa kaniyang
hakbang. Sa maraming paraan, napalaya niya ang papel ng lalaki sa malawak na
repertoire ng sayaw sa Pilipinas. Mula sa pagiging insidental lamang o taga-alalay ng
bailarina, mas dumami na ngayon ang mga papel na maaaring gampanan ng lalaking
mananayaw sa mapanghamong repertoire ng sayaw.
Nang magretiro siya sa pagsayaw noong 1993, nagpasya si Froilan na hindi niya
iiwanan ang mundo ng sayaw. Hindi alam ng madla, ngunit tahimik niyang pinasok
ang koryograpiya, pagtuturo, coaching, muling pagpapalabas ng mga sayaw, at dance
videography. At hindi naman kataaka-taka na naging mahusay din siya sa mga ito.
Maganda ang mga rebyu sa muli niyang pagtatanghal ng sayaw na ganap ang haba
na Giselle, na nagtampok kay Cecile Sicangco at ballet superstar na si Julio Bocca.
Itinatag niya ang Froilan Video Arts noong 1994 at agad na kinuha ito para sa mga
produksiyon ng video sa sayaw, at nanalo pa ang ilang gawa nila ng mga gawad sa mga
paligsahang lokal at sa ibang bansa.
Sa edad na 70, maipagmamalaki ni Nonoy Froilan na hindi niya kailanman
iniwan ang mundo ng sayaw para pumasok sa isang propesyong higit na
pagkakakitaan. Hindi masusukat ang kaniyang patuloy na mga ambag sa sayaw
sa Pilipinas, na pinahahalagahan at kinikilala ng mga koryograper, mananayaw, guro,
at mag-aaral, na nabigyan niya ng inspirasyon at napagyaman ang mga buhay. 163
 Selected Roles Played
Mga Piling Papel na Ginampanan
Classical Ballet
Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice Reyes, 1976
Prince Ivan in Firebird, Armin Wild, 1979
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Armin Wild, 1979
Prince Florimund in Sleeping Beauty, Luminita Dumitrescu, 1980
Nutcraker Prince in The Nutcracker, Armin Wild, 1980
Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Alice Reyes, 1981
Basilio in Don Quixote, Luminita Dumitrescu, 1981
Prince Charming in Cinderella, Alice Reyes, 1981
Prince Albrecht in Giselle, Alice Reyes after J. Coralli and J. Perrot, 1982
Prince Solor in La Bayadere, Vakhtang Chabukiani, 1982
Don Jose in Carmen, Alice Reyes, 1984
Franz in Coppelia, William Morgan, 1985
Prince Charming in Snow White, Effie Nañas, 1988
Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edna Vida, 1989
Kulas in Ang Pilya, William Morgan, 1990
Petruccio in The Taming of the Shrew, Edna Vida, 1992
Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Edna Vida, 2013

Modern Dance
The Young Man in Songs of a Wayfarer, Norman Walker, 1973
Lead dancer in Season of Flight, Norman Walker, 1974
Don Rafael in Amada, Alice Reyes, 1974
Rajah Sulayman in Rajah Sulayman, Alice Reyes, 1975
Governor Bustamante in Itim-Asu, Alice Reyes, 1975
The Sultan in Ang Sultan, Gener Caringal, 1975
Prince of the Pagodas in The Prince of the Pagodas, Tony Fabella, 1976
King David in Roi David, Jean Deroc, 1978
Daphnis in Daphnis, Chloe and Pan, Gray Veredon, 1979
Rama in Rama, Hari, Alice Reyes, 1980

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this awardee.
Gina Mariano and
Froilan in Alice Reyes’
Romeo & Juliet, 1981
Alice
Guillermo
CULTURAL RESEARCH

167
 Citation

Art historian, art critic, and educator Alice Guillermo was one
of the country’s most prolific writers on art, having authored
and co-authored several books and articles and written
hundreds of newspaper articles on visual artists, artworks, and
art history. Through her well-researched and critically written
oeuvre, she has helped shape the trajectory of art studies in the
Philippines.

For her unrelenting advocacy of art as a catalyst for change as

exemplified by her seminal works on social realism and protest
art in the Philippines, which remain the most comprehensive
to date;

For her critical publications and reviews on Philippine art in

newspapers and magazines which brought art closer to the
public.

For her contributions to scholarship through the numerous

books and textbooks on art that she has authored and co-
authored;

For her approach to reading images emphasizing semiotic and

iconic analysis, historical context, and evaluative meaning,
which has informed art pedagogical practices and influenced
generations of educators and students;

For her fluid and lyrical style of writing, which gave the genre of
academic writing ample room for stylistic play and made the
reading and understanding of art a pleasurable experience;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Alice Guillermo

this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center
of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

168
 Pagkilala

Si Alice Guillermo—historyador at kritiko ng sining at edukador ay isa sa

pinakaproduktibong manunulat tungkol sa sining, na pinatutunayan ng
marami niyang aklat na inakda, mga aklat at artikulong katuwang niyang
isinulat, at sa daan-daan niyang artikulo sa diyaryo ukol sa mga alagad ng
sining biswal, mga likhang sining, at kasaysayan ng sining. Sa pamamagitan
ng kaniyang masinop na pananaliksik at ng mga kritikal niyang oeuvre,
tumulong siya sa pagtatakda ng landas na tatahakin ng mga pag-aaral ng
sining sa Pilipinas.

Para sa kaniyang walang humpay na adbokasiya para sa sining na

nagsusulong ng pagbabago sa lipunan, na itinatampok ng kaniyang mga
seminal na akda ukol sa realismong panlipunan at sining ng protesta sa
Pilipinas, na siya pa ring pinakakomprehensibong pag-aaral dito hanggang
ngayon;

Para sa kaniyang mga publikasyong kritikal at mga rebyu ukol sa sining sa

Pilipinas sa mga diyaryo at magasin na naglápit ng sining sa publiko;

Para sa kaniyang ambag sa iskolarsyip sa pamamagitan ng maraming aklat

at teksbuk sa sining na inakda niya at katuwang niyang isinulat;

Para sa kaniyang mga pamantayan sa pagbasa ng mga imahen na

nagbibigay-diin sa pagsusuring semyotiko at ikoniko, kontekstong historikal,
at ebalwatibong pagtataya, na nagpayaman sa paraan ng pagtuturo ng sining
at nakaimpluwensiya sa mga henerasyon ng mga edukador at mag-aaral;

Sa kaniyang lirikal at madulas na estilo ng pagsulat, na nagbukas ng mga

posibilidad para mapagaan ang estilo ng pagsusulat sa akademya at gawing
kaaya-aya ang pagbasa at pag-unawa sa sining;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Alice Guillermo

ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas,
Maynila, Pilipinas.

169
 Alice Guillermo "e Image,
the Milieu, and the Critic
Helen Yu-Rivera

Alice Guillermo was born in Quiapo, Manila, on 6 January 1938 to Pastor

Aquino Guerrero and Teodorica Vitalis. She obtained the degrees bachelor of
arts and bachelor of science in education, magna cum laude, at the College
of the Holy Ghost (later College of Holy Spirit) in 1957. She started her career
as an educator in the early 1960s, teaching English at the Department of
Humanities, University of the Philippines, Los Baños. In 1965, she was awarded
a scholarship by the French government to the Universite d’Aix-Marseille in
France where she obtained the Certificat d’Etudes Littéraires Generales, the
Certificat de Seminaire d’Etudes Superieures, avec mention Assez Bien, with
a study of the French nouveau roman, “La Modification par Michel Butor:
Thèmes et Structures” and the Diplome de Langue et Lettres Françaises with
Assez Bien, in 1967.

When she returned from her sojourn in France, she taught English in UP Los
Baños in 1963-1965 and French in the Department of European Languages
in UP Diliman in 1967. She was also a lecturer in Humanities in UP Manila in
the same year. She married the poet Gelacio Guillermo in 1967 and bore two
children, Sofia and Ramon, who are both writers and educators. She became
an assistant professor of Humanities at the University of the East (UE) in
1969-1978. From 1975 to 1977, she served as vice-chair for publications of the
Cultural Research Association of the Philippines. From UE, she moved to the
UP College of Fine Arts (CFA), where she taught art history and theory in 1978-
85. In 1985, she became a full-time faculty member in the Department of Art
Studies. She was a recipient of the UP Diamond Jubilee Assistant Professorial
170 Chair in 1988. In 1991, she received a Japan Foundation Fellowship Grant
to Tokyo. She served as chair of the Department of Art Studies from Guillermo’s books on
1991 to 1994 and retired in 2003. She was subsequently appointed as art’s social function
professor emerita.

Her prolific career in art writing and criticism reached a peak when
she published her first book, The Mobil Art Awards in 1981. She also
co-authored Ugat-Suri in 1984 and published Social Realism in the
Philippines in 1987. Images of Change: Essays and Reviews and
The Covert Presence and Other Essays on Politics and Culture were
published in 1988 and 1989, respectively. It was also during the 1980s
that she wrote articles and reviews for Observer, WHO, Life Today,
We Forum, New Day Magazine, and Philippine Daily Globe (Paulino
2019, 18). Her daughter Sofia related that her mother would go to art
exhibitions after her classes every day and proceed to the Port Area in
Manila, where most newspaper offices were located. She would then
write her reviews in these offices and submit them on the same day. She
continued this long and distinguished career of writing for the popular
audience after she retired in 2003, contributing for publications such
as Asian Art News, World Sculpture News, and Contemporary Art
Philippines. Guillermo passed away on 29 July 2018 after a lingering
illness. Upon her demise, she had published no less than 29 books,
co-authored 16 books, contributed 29 chapters to different books or
anthologies, written 22 journal articles, 19 exhibition catalogues, and
around 300 periodical articles (Paulino 2019, 16).
171
Guillermo’s love for art started in her early years when,
as a young girl, art books with their colorful pictures
enthralled her and introduced her to the works of the
impressionists, expressionists, surrealists, and cubists.
She also related that a stimulating teacher in art piqued
her interest. Her political orientation was honed later
by her membership in the Student Cultural Association
of the University of the Philippines (SCAUP), an
organization co-founded by Petronilo Daroy and Jose
Ma. Sison in 1959. SCAUP was anti-clerical and was
formed as an antithesis to the then-popular University
of the Philippines Student Catholic Action (UPSCA).
The SCAUP, according to Guillermo, would overshadow
“the bohemian influence of the existentialist” with its
“radical mix of politics and art” (Guillermo as quoted in
Paulino 2019, 16).

For Guillermo, art is not static but is explicitly critical,

and thus, has the ability to effect change in society.
Art is seen as a frame where the political can be
negotiated. In her seminal works Social Realism in
the Philippines, 1987 and Protest: Revolutionary
Art, 1970-1990, 2001, she tackled the growth and
development of political art in the Philippines when
freedom was stifled and art stepped in as a critical
and emancipatory tool. These two works remain the
most comprehensive work on political art to date and
are often cited as reference materials in the syllabus of
local and international universities. Despite her views
on art as a political tool, Guillermo also believed that the
experience of art can be hedonistic and emotional and
that in the face of great art, one can feel a rush, a frisson
aesthetique (aesthetic chill).

Guillermo’s writings reached large audiences not only

through her reviews in newspapers and magazines
but also through the numerous textbooks she has
helped craft. She co-authored Art: Perception and
Appreciation published by the University of the East
(UE) in 1976. Today, the textbook is still a required
reading material for the Art Appreciation course

Educational materials on visual arts by Guillermo

prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education or CHED (Paulino 2019,

GUILLERMO
18). She also co-authored A Portfolio of 60 Philippine Art Masterpieces,
1984, which was meant to be used as reference material for art courses. In
1981, the UP Department of Humanities (now the Department of Art Studies),
reprinted her essay “Ang Sining Biswal sa Pilipinas” in Art, Man and Nature:
Selected Readings in the Humanities. She would develop this historical
survey of Philippine art into a more comprehensive study of Philippine art in
works such as Tuklas Sining , 1989; Art in Social Change, 1993; and the CCP
Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, 1994 (Paulino 2019, 18). She also co-authored
textbooks published by the UP Department of Art Studies in 1988, 1991, 1997.

More than historical surveys, Guillermo distinguished herself through

her approach to reading images which has immensely contributed to art
pedagogical practices. In the introduction of her book Image to Meaning,
2001, entitled “Reading the Image,” she laid out the four planes of analysis, an
analytic tool to study how the materiality and elements of a work of art produce
meaning. The four planes span from formalist evaluation in the semiotic and
iconic planes to the contextual plane, and finally to the evaluative plane where
Nunelucio
the axiological content, which is constituted by values, is examined. While
Alvarado,
she espoused the material particularity of the art object, which is critical to Tunok sa
its understanding and evaluation, she was cognizant of the limitations of Dahon, 1986
GUILLERMO formalism and the internal instability of semiotics. Her
approach welded both diachronic and synchronic
axes by emphasizing not only the importance of
the art object but also its historical contexts. For her,
socio-historical contexts are important because they
ground the artwork to the larger reality that surrounds
it. The impact of “Reading the Image” on art education
continues to be felt today and is cited as reference in the
syllabus of universities such as UP, Ateneo de Manila
University, De La Salle University, and University of
Santo Tomas (Paulino 2019, 19).

Guillermo was a great writer. She wrote in fluid, elegant,

and lyrical prose, dispelling the notion that academic
writing should be dull or incomprehensible. The fluidity
of her prose, however, did not diminish the sharpness
of her critique. Writing on an artist’s work, she stated:
“… one would wish for more audacity. His treatment,
sectional and closed, seems to be in need of loosening
up in a style that has well approached its limits”
(Guillermo in Frisson 2019, 43). Her writing does not
threaten but commands an affective response from the
reader through the poetry of her language. On Danilo
Santiago’s works, she writes:

The edges of the landscape-vignettes may freeze into

frames of solid crystalline space. Sharp and brittle,
they reflect the moving colors of the universe. A
section of landscape may be bordered by a rainbow’s
arc or an unfurling ribbon of quicksilver. Even the sky
itself enters into play when its cerulean depths may
astonishingly thin out like a scroll curling around the
edges (Guillermo in Frisson 2019, 94).

In the preciseness of her description and her use of

metaphor as a rhetorical device, Guillermo renders her
reading as deeply reflective and surreal as the art object.
Indeed, reading her works sends a chill, a frisson, down
one’s spine.

Due to the breadth and depth of her oeuvre, Guillermo

won several distinctions and awards in her lifetime.
For her incisive reviews of local artists and their works,

Edgar Talusan Fernandez, Kinupot, 1977

she garnered the art criticism award from the Art Association of the Philippines Artist
(AAP) in 1976. In 1979, she won second prize in the Palanca Memorial Award monographs
by Guillermo
in Literature for her essay “Ang Kaisipang Pilipino Batay sa Sining Biswal.” She
was a UP Creative Writing Center national fellow for the essay in 1987-88. In
1999, the CCP awarded her the Centennial Honor for the Arts in Art Criticism.
The Metrobank Art and Design Excellence or MADE competition in writing art
criticism was named the Alice Guillermo Art Criticism Award in 2014.

References
Arumpac, Adjani, dir. 2018. Art for Alice, mp4 video.

Galang, Rosalinda and de la Paz, Cecilia, 2020. “Alice Guillermo” in CCP Encyclopedia
of Philippine Art Digital edition. Cultural Center of the Philippines. https://epa.
culturalcenter.gov.ph/3/17/3466/.

Guillermo, Alice. 2019. “Beauty and Poetry in a Visual Feast” in Frisson: The Collected
Criticism of Alice Guillermo, eds. Patrick Flores and Roberto Paulino. 93-95. Quezon
City: Philippine Contemporary Art Network.

———. 2019. “Bose at Hiraya? Three Sculptors” in Frisson: The Collected Criticism
of Alice Guillermo, eds. Patrick Flores and Roberto Paulino. 41-43. Quezon City:
Philippine Contemporary Art Network.

Paulino, Roberto, 2019. “Annotating Alice: A Biography from her Bibliography” in

Frisson : The Collected Criticism of Alice Guillermo, eds. Patrick Flores and Roberto
Paulino. 15-21. Quezon City: Philippine Contemporary Art Network. 175
 Alice Guillermo Ang Imahen,
Kaligiran, at ang Kritiko
Helen Yu-Rivera
Salin ni Corazon L. Santos

Ipinanganak si Alice Guillermo sa Quiapo, Maynila noong ika-6 ng Enero 1938 kina
Pastor Aquino Guerrero at Teodorica Vitalis. Natamo niya ang mga digring batsilyer sa
sining at batsilyer sa agham sa edukasyon, magna cum laude sa College of the Holy
Ghost (na ngayo’y College of Holy Spirit) noong 1957. Nagsimula ang kaniyang karera
bilang edukador noong unang bahagi ng dekada sisenta. Nagturo siya ng Ingles sa
Department of Humanities, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Los Banos. Noong 1965, binigyan
siya ng iskolarsyip ng gobyerno ng Pransiya sa Universite d’Aix-Marseille France kung
saan natamo niya ang Certificat d’Etudes Littéraires Generales, at ang Certificat de
Seminaire d’Etudes Superieures, karangalang banggit, para sa kaniyang pag-aaral
ng French nouveau roman, “La Modification par Michel Butor: Thèmes et Structures.”
Noong 1967, natamo niya ang Diplome de Langue et Lettres Françaises nang may
karangalang-banggit.

Nang nakabalik na siya mula sa Pransiya, nagturo siya ng Ingles sa Unibersidad ng

Pilipinas (UP) Los Baños mula 1963 hanggang 1965 at ng French sa Department
of European Languages sa UP Diliman noong 1967. Naging lektyurer din siya sa
Humanidades sa UP Manila ng taong iyon. Noong 1967, napangasawa niya ang
makatang si Gelacio Guillermo at nagkaroon sila ng dalawang anak, sina Sofia at
Ramon, na kapwa manunulat at edukador. Naging katuwang na propesor siya sa
Humanidades sa University of the East (UE) noong 1969 hanggang 1978. Naglingkod
siya bilang pangalawang tagapangulo ng Cultural Research Association of the
Philippines, mula 1975 hanggang 1977. Mula sa UE, lumipat siya sa Department of
Fine Arts (CFA) ng UP kung saan nagturo siya ng kasaysayan at teorya ng sining mula
1978 hanggang 1985. Noong 1985, naging full-time na guro siya sa Department of Art
Studies. Taong 1988 nang gawaran siya ng UP Diamond Jubilee Assistant Professorial
Chair. Noong 1991, natamo niya ang Japan Fellowship Grant sa Tokyo. Naglingkod
siya bilang Tagapangulo ng Department of Art Studies mula 1991 hanggang 1994 at
nagretiro noong 2003. Pagkaraa’y itinalaga siya bilang professor emerita.

Ang mayabong niyang karera sa pagsulat sa sining at kritismo noong dekada otsenta ay
umabot sa tugatog nang nailimbag ang kaniyang unang aklat, The Mobil Art Awards
noong 1981. Naging katuwang na awtor siya ng Ugat-Suri noong 1984 at nalimbag din
ang kaniyang Social Realism in the Philippines noong 1987. Magkasunod namang
176 nalimbag noong 1988 at 1989 ang kaniyang Images of Change: Essays and Reviews at
ang The Covert Presence and Other Essays on Politics and Culture. Dekada

GUILLERMO
otsenta rin nang nagsulat siya ng mga artikulo at rebyu para sa Observer,
WHO, Life Today, We Forum, New Day Magazine, at Philippine Daily Globe
(Paulino 2019, 18). Ayon sa kuwento ng anak niyang si Sofia, pumupunta ang
kaniyang ina sa mga eksibisyon ng sining pagkatapos ng mga klase nito at
pagkaraa’y tumutungo sa Port Area sa Maynila kung saan matatagpuan ang
mga opisina ng diyaryo. Aniya, doon mismo sa mga opisinang ito isinusulat ng
kaniyang ina ang mga rebyu at ipinapasa sa araw ding iyon. Matapos magretiro
noong 2003, ipinagpatuloy ni Guillermo ang mahaba at natatanging karera
ng pagsulat para sa madla at nag-ambag sa mga publikasyong katulad ng
Asian Art News, World Sculpture News, at Contemporary Art Philippines.
Sumakabilang buhay siya noong ika-29 ng Hulyo 2018, pagkatapos ng matagal
nang iniindang karamdaman. Nang siya ay yumao, nakapagpalimbag na siya
ng hindi kukulangin sa 29 na aklat, 16 na aklat kung saan siya ay katuwang na
awtor, 29 na kabanata ng pinamatnugutang aklat o antolohiya, 22 artikulo sa
dyornal, 19 na katalogo ng eksibisyon, at halos 300 artikulo sa peryodiko.

Nagsimula ang pagmamahal ni Guillermo sa sining noong bata pa siya. Naakit

siya ng makukulay na larawan ng mga aklat sa sining, na siyang nagpakilala sa
kaniya ng likha ng mga impresyonista, ekspresyonista, sureyalista, at kubista.
Naikuwento rin niya ang guro sa sining na gumising sa kaniyang interes.
Ang politikal niyang oryentasyon ay pinatalas naman ng kaniyang pagsapi
sa Student Cultural Association of the University of the Philippines (SCAUP),
organisasyong itinatag ni Petronilo Daroy at Jose Ma. Sison noong 1959. Anti-
klerikal at anti-tesis ang SCAUP ng popular noong University of the Philippines
Student Catholic Action (UPSCA). Ayon kay Guillermo, tinabunan ng SCAUP
“ang impluwensiyang bohemian ng eksistensiyalista” sa pamamagitan ng Mga monograp
“radikal na paghahalo ng politika at sining” (pahayag ni Guillermo, Paulino ng mga artista na
2019, 16). isinulat ni Guillermo

177
Catalogues
by Guillermo

Mga katalogo ng Para kay Guillermo, hindi estatiko ang sining kundi hayagang kritikal at kung
mga eksibisyon gayon ay may kakayahang maghatid ng pagbabago sa lipunan. Isang tagpuan
ang sining kung saan posible ang negosasyon ng politikal. Sa kaniyang seminal
na akdang Social Realism in the Philippines, 1987, at Protest: Revolutionary
Art, 1970-1990, 2001, tinalakay niya ang paglago at pag-unlad ng politikal
na sining sa Pilipinas sa panahong sinupil ang kalayaan at pumosisyon ang
sining bilang instrumentong kritikal at mapagpalaya. Hanggang ngayon, ang
dalawang aklat na ito ang pinakakomprehensibong akda ukol sa politikal
na sining at madalas na ginagamit bilang sangguniang materyal sa mga
silabus ng mga lokal at internasyonal na unibersidad. Sa kabila ng kaniyang
pananaw sa sining bilang instrumentong politikal, naniniwala rin si Guillermo
na ang pagdanas sa sining ay maaaring maging hedonistiko at emosyonal at
sa pagharap sa isang dakilang likhang-sining, mararamdaman ng tumitingin
ang isang panlalamig, isang frisson aesthetique.

Naabot ng panulat ni Guillermo ang malawak na madla hindi lamang

sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang mga rebyu sa diyaryo at magasin kundi sa
maraming teksbuk na tinulungan niyang mabuo. Katuwang na awtor siya
178 ng Art: Perception and Appreciation na inilimbag ng University of the East
(UE) noong 1976. Hanggang ngayon,
ang naturang teksbuk ay obligadong
babasahin para sa kursong Art
Appreciation na itinakda ng Komisyon
ng Lalong Mataas na Edukasyo o CHED
(Paulino 2019, 18). Kasamang awtor din
siya ng A Portfolio of 60 Philippine Art
Masterpieces, 1984, na sangguniang
materyal para sa mga kurso sa sining.
Noong 1981, muling inilimbag ng
Department of Humanities ng UP
(ngayon ay Department of Art Studies)
ang sanaysay niyang “Ang Sining Biswal
sa Pilipinas” sa Art, Man and Nature:
Selected Readings in the Humanities.
Pinalawak pa niya ang pahapyaw na
kasaysayan ng sining na Pilipino sa
Pablo Baens Santos, Malumbay si Ina, 1983
mas komprehensibong pagsusuri ng
sining sa Pilipinas sa kaniyang mga
akdang Tuklas Sining: Sining Biswal,
1989; Art in Social Change, 1993; at
ang CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine
Art, 1994 (Paulino 2019, 1997). Naging
katuwang na awtor din siya ng tekbuk
na inilimbag ng UP Department of Art
Studies noong 1988, 1991, at 1997.

Higit pa sa kaniyang mga sarbey na

historikal, natatangi si Guillermo sa
kaniyang pagbasa ng mga imahen
na malawak ang naging ambag sa
pagtuturo ng sining. Sa introduksiyon
ng kaniyang aklat na Image to
Meaning, 2001, na pinamagatang
“Reading the Image” (Ang Pagbasa sa
Imahen), inilatag niya ang apat na antas
ng pagsusuri, isang instrumentong
analitiko kung papaanong ang
materyalidad at mga elemento ng
isang akdang-sining ay nakalilikha ng
kahulugan. Sinasakop ng apat na antas
na ito ang analisis mula sa pagtatasang
pormalistiko sa antas na semyotiko
at ikoniko patungo sa pamantayang
kontekstuwal, at panghuli sa antas ng
Jose Tence Ruiz, Mga Ninong ni Neneng, 1985
GUILLERMO ebalwasyon, kung saan sinisipat ang nilalamang aksiyolohiko na binubuo ng
mga pagpapahalaga. Kahit na isinulong niya ang partikularidad ng materyal
ng likhang sining na kritikal sa pag-unawa at pagtatasa nito, kinilala rin
niya ang mga limitasyon ng pormalismo at ang likas na pagkamabuway ng
semyotika. Pinaghugpong ng kaniyang pagdulog ang mga aksis na diyakroniko
at singkroniko sa pagbibigay ng diin hindi lamang sa halaga ng sining bilang
obheto kundi sa kontekstong historikal din nito. Para kay Guillermo, mahalaga
ang kontekstong historikal dahil inilulugar nito sa realidad ang likhang sining.
Patuloy na kinikilala ang impluwensiya ng “Reading the Image” sa pag-aaral
ng sining at lagi itong bahagi ng silabus ng mga unibersidad na katulad ng UP,
Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila, Pamantasang De La Salle, at Unibersidad ng
Santo Tomas ( Paulino 2019, 19).

Dakilang manunulat si Guillermo. Madulas, magara, at lirikong prosa ang

nililikha ng kaniyang panulat. Pinabulaanan niya ang nosyon na nakababagot
at mahirap mawawaan ang akademikong pagsulat. Pero hindi rin naman
pinurol ng dulas ng kaniyang pagsulat ang talas ng kaniyang kritika. Sa
pagkikritika niya sa isang likhang sining, ipinahayag niya: “one would wish
Antipas Delotavo, for more audacity. His treatment, sectional and closed, seems to be in need of
Itak sa Puso ni loosening up in a style that has well approached its limits” (“sana’y naging higit
Mang Juan, 1987 na matapang [ang likhang-sining]. Sarado at seksiyonal ang pagkakaayos nito.

180
Wari’y kailangan nang baguhin ang estilong umabot na sa takdang
hanggahan nito…”) (Guillermo sa Frisson 2019, 43). Hindi nagbabanta
ang panulat ni Guillermo, kundi humihingi ng emosyonal na pagtugon
mula sa kaniyang mambabasa sa pamamagitan ng matulain niyang
wika. Ganito ang pahayag niya sa likha ni Danilo Santiago:

“The edges of the landscape-vignettes may freeze

into frames of solid crystalline space. Sharp and
brittle, they reflect the moving colors of the universe.
A section of landscape may be bordered by a
rainbow’s arc or an unfurling ribbon of quicksilver.
Even the sky itself enters into play when its cerulean
depths may astonishingly thin out like a scroll curling
around the edges.”

(Ang mga gilid ng mumunting larawang-tanawin

ay maaaring maging mga kuwadro ng matigas
na kristalinang espasyo. Matalas at marupok,
repleksiyon ng gumagalaw na mga kulay ng Isang antolohiya ng
uniberso. Ang isang seksiyon ng larawang tanawin mga talambuhay at
ay maaaring lagyan ng hanggahan ng arko ng likha ng mga artista
bahaghari o kaya ng bilis o bagal ng agos ng tubig.
Kahit ang matinding pagkabughaw ng kalangitan
ay numinipis din tulad ng tumiklop na gilid ng
balumbon) (Guillermo sa Frisson 2019, 94).

Sa katumpakan ng kaniyang paglalarawan at paggamit ng talinghaga

bilang kasangkapang retoriko, gumawa si Guillermo ng isang pagbasa
na kasinglalim at surreal ng likhang sining mismo. Tunay na nagbibigay
ng kilabot ang pagbasa ng kaniyang mga akda, isang frisson, tagos sa
gulugod.

Dahil sa lalim at lawak ng kaniyang oeuvre, natamo ni Guillerno

ang maraming gawad at pagkilala sa buong buhay niya. Noong
1976, natanggap niya ang gawad sa kritisismo sa sining mula sa
Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) dahil sa kaniyang mga
mapanuring rebyu ng mga lokal na alagad ng sining at ng kanilang
mga likha. Noong taong 1979, nanalo siya ng ikalawang gantimpala sa
Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature para sa kaniyang sanaysay na
“Ang Kaisipang Pilipino Batay sa Sining Biswal.” Naging national fellow
siya para sa sanaysay ng UP Sentro ng Malikhaing Pagsulat noong
1987-1988. Noong 1999, ginawaran siya ng Sentrong Pangkultura
ng Pilipinas ng Centennial Honors for the Arts. Noong 2014, ang
Metrobank Art and Design Excellence o MADE, isang kompetisyon sa
pagsulat sa kritisismong pansining, ay pinangalanang Alice Guillermo 181
Art Criticism Award.
 Selected Works
Mga Piling Akda
Art: Perception and Appreciation (co–author), 1976; “Ang Kaisipang
Pilipino Batay sa Sining Biswal,” 1979; Mobil Art Awards, 1981; Social
Realism in the Philippines, 1987; Blanco: The Blanco Family of
Artists, 1987; Images of Change, 1988; The Covert Presence, 1989;
Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tuklas Sining monograph
and video series: Sining Biswal: An Essay and Documentary on
Philippine Visual Arts, 1989, Alfredo Carmelo: His Life and Art, 1990;
Philippine Sculpture: From Anito to Assemblage, 1990; The National
Museum Visual Arts Collection and Cebu: A Heritage of Art, 1991;
Ang Sining sa Kasaysayang Filipino (Art in Philippine History), 1991
(co-author); Color in Philippine Life, 1993; Sining Biswal IV: An Essay
and Documentary on the American Colonial and Contemporary
Traditions in Philippine Visual Arts, 1993; Art and Society (co-author),
1997; Image to Meaning: Essays in Philippine Art, 2001; Protest:
Revolutionary Art in the Philippines, 1970-1990, 2001; Inscapes: The
Art of Agnes Arellano, 2008; and Enter His World: Raul Lebajo, 2018.

Use your gadget

to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
 Nestor
Horfilla
CULTURAL WORK AND RESEARCH

185
 Citation

As a cultural worker, Nestor Horfilla combined

knowledge learned through formal education with
wisdom drawn from the experience of working with
colleagues in social movements, and people from
indigenous communities of Mindanao, to create a
theater practice that aimed to transform self and society.

For generously offering his artistry and talents to

Mindanao Lumad groups so that these communities
could tell their unique stories using their own ways
of expression, thereby evolving an aesthetics that is
indigenous and original, and contributes to the rich
tapestry of Philippine art;

For offering his considerable artistic talents to the

Mindanao Cultural Arts Movement that broke the
culture of silence in the 1970s and, together with the
national movement against the dictatorship, toppled
down martial rule in the mid-1980s, showing the power
of art for cultural assertion and social change;

For his selfless efforts at mentoring, inspiring, motivating,

and guiding many of his fellow artists and a succeeding
generation of younger artists who have helped to make
their countrymen conscious, articulate, and committed
to social issues;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Nestor T.

Horfilla this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

186
 Pagkilala

Bilang manggagawang pangkultura, naipagsama ni Nestor Horfilla ang

kaalaman mula sa pormal na edukasyon at ang diwa mula sa pakikipag-
ugnayan sa mga kasamahan sa kilusang bayan at mga katutubong
pamayanan ng Mindanao, upang makalikha ng gawaing pandula na
nakatuon sa pagbabago ng sarili at ng lipunan.

Para sa kaniyang buhos-loob na paglalaan ng kakayahan sa sining

para sa mga lumad ng Mindanao, upang maibahagi nila ang kanilang
natatanging salaysay gamit ang sariling paraan ng pamamahayag,
bagay na nagbigay-daan sa estetikang katutubo, orihinal na likha, at
ambag sa mayamang habi ng sining ng Pilipinas;

Para sa pag-aambag ng kaniyang natatanging kakayahang pansining

sa Kilusang Sining Pangkultura ng Mindanao/Mindanao Cultural Arts
Movement na bumasag sa kultura ng pananahimik noong dekada
sitenta at nagpabagsak sa batas militar, kasama ng pambansang
kilusan laban sa diktadura noong dekada otsenta, at nagpakita
ng kapangyarihan ng sining para sa pangkulturang paggiit at
pagbabagong panlipunan;

Para sa kaniyang bukas-palad na pagsisikap sa pagtuturo, paghubog,

pagbibigay-inspirasyon, paghikayat, at paggabay sa maraming
kapwa alagad ng sining at kasunod na salinlahi ng mga kabataang
alagad ng sining na patuloy na nag-aambag sa pagpapaunlad ng mga
mamamayang higit na mulat, matatas, at may pananagutan sa mga
usaping panlipunan.

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Nestor T. Horfilla

ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng
Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

187
 Nestor Horfilla Five Decades of
Transforming Social Landscapes
and Lives
Fe M. Remotigue

Nestor Horfilla is a cultural worker who pursued a non-artistic professional path in

his youth, became involved in social movements that saw the use of theatre and arts
as a powerful tool for expression, and practiced a brand of cultural work that aimed
to change society. His works display a kind of artistry that was evolved from his
immersion in people’s lives in the local communities he served. His five decades of
theater and art praxis are a lesson on how cultural work in communities could propel
cultural development on a national level.
Born in Lapulapu City, Cebu, on 8 October 1955, Nestor Tura Horfilla later moved
with his family to Davao City in the mid-1960s. His father wanted Nestor to become
an engineer like himself, as this profession enabled him to rise through the socio-
economic ladder—from a lowly laborer to a middle-class entrepreneur. Horfilla
followed his father’s advice to enroll in the Davao City School of Arts and Trade as a
stepping stone to becoming an engineer. But even then, Horfilla already showed his
leaning towards the arts rather than trade. Serendipitously, his knowledge of carpentry
and mastery of tools learned in that school came in handy when he became a director
and artistic designer later in his career. As a high school student, Horfilla directed and
produced a cultural show, his first significant work in theater.
After finishing high school in 1971, his father sent him off to study at the Mindanao State
University (MSU) in Marawi City to obtain an engineering degree. It was the 1970s
and the echoes of the First Quarter Storm in Manila resonated in the MSU Campus.
188 The young Horfilla was surrounded by a colorful range of artistic expressions. Among
the political plays that caught his interest was Tatlong Manika (Three Dolls), Maharadia
which represented Philippine society’s three fundamental problems— Lawana, Budayaw
Festival, 2017
Imperialism, Feudalism, and Bureaucrat Capitalism. This started his political
education through theatre. He was also exposed to such Western plays as
Boys in the Band and Wait Until Dark during this time. But Nestor at this
time was more interested in joining Heina Decera’s Entourage of Ballet
Dancers, which managed to hold performances in one of the University’s
nooks. Nestor believed that it was not too late for him to be a danseur.
In the early 70s, Nestor moved from MSU, first, to the University of Mindanao,
and later, to Ateneo de Davao University. Davao City then was the center of
mass political actions, in the universities and the countryside. Nestor combined
his interest in academic study with his desire to be part of the theatre scene in
the city. He finally gave up engineering and pursued social science instead.
This academic track provided him with the framework for questioning the
imposition and abuses of martial law, and pushed him to join the student
protest movements in the city.
At the Ateneo de Davao University, Horfilla intensified his theatre education
and practice. He helped organize the Ateneo Mobile Theatre. As a theater
enthusiast, he was a regular audience for the English Drama Course
productions of Ateneo Professor Mr. Rolly Bajo. He made sure not to miss
the theatre seasons of Ms. Aida Rivera Ford. He was a principal performer 189
Siak sa Duha Ka in the theater season plays of Jean Edades’ Philippine Theatre Davao (PTD),
Damgo, Kaliwat and became the rehearsal master for PTD’s outreach performances in the
Theater Collective,
Davao City, 1992
different communities of Davao, including in jails with prisoners as their
audience. As an active member of PTD, Nestor was exposed to the aesthetics
of great playwrights of the West and to standard staging techniques. One play
that moved Nestor was the English translation by Percival Wilde of Hungarian
playwright F. Karinthy’s Refund.
While in Davao, a youth program named Operation Build Up (OBU), organized
among others by Leila Noel, produced and performed by Melchor Morante
(a.k.a. Karl Gaspar) plays in the communities. Horfilla volunteered and joined
their productions. He performed as a dancer in Karl Gaspar plays, such
as Kinsay Imong Gipangita? (Who are you Looking for?), Hukmanan sa
Katapusan (The Final Judgment), and The Bible, where he played the role of
the serpent. This experience gave him exposure to other forms of esthetics and
the dynamics of community theatre.
In Davao, Horfilla was exposed to multiple aesthetic systems coming from
a wide spectrum of world views. On one side were the plays by Western
190 playwrights produced by English Classes and a community-wide professional
theatre group. On the other side were community theatre groups staging plays by Karl

HORFILLA
Gaspar. In addition, Horfilla was already collaborating with theatre artists Agustus
Miclat and Boy Galvez, who formed the first Kulturang Atin at Ateneo de Davao
University. Horfilla co-directed the group’s back-to-back productions of Refund,
Pira-Pirasong Pangarap (Dream in Pieces), and Junto Al Pasig (Beside the Pasig
River). His prolific theater work in Davao brought him back to student activism and
community action, but unfortunately, it did not give him a college degree.
In 1976-82, Horfilla enrolled at the University of San Carlos (USC) to earn the degree
that his family had been dreaming of for him. But Cebu City cradled notable theatre
artists like Orlando Magno, Bien Fernandez, and Ester Ceniza. Ceniza belonged to a
semi-professional theatre group called Entablado. Horfilla auditioned for them and
was chosen for two productions. The first production was the one-act play Vida by
Wilfrido Virtusio, where Horfilla, the lead actor, internalized the principal character Iyo
Selo, a peasant and aging inmate on death row, who still clings to life amid imminent
death. The second production was Kabesang Tales (based on a character in Jose
Rizal’s El Filibusterismo) by Paul Dumol, and directed by Joy Mocon, who was then fresh
from a fellowship in the United Kingdom. As the lead character, Horfilla engineered the
transformation of Tales from a simple farmer to the symbol of the Philippine revolution.
This production showed Nestor the power of dramatic elements in communicating
life-changing messages, and the power of the artist to transform social landscapes
and peoples’ lives. While in Cebu, he was also among the artists who developed a
community theatre group called Dulaang Katilingban Redemptorista (DKR). Horfilla
and other Visayan artists of DKR held a playwrights’ training workshop and convened
a Visayas Festival of Plays. Horfilla’s theatre involvements in the professional stage and
the community theatre in Cebu led to his appointment as the first director of the Office
for Cultural Affairs of the University of San Carlos, but it also earned him an entry in the
surveillance list of the military. In 1982, Horfilla sailed back to
Mindanao, bringing home a bachelor’s degree and a body of
cultural experiences as Artist, Trainer, Organizer (ATOR).
When Horfilla arrived in Davao in 1982, the cultural work
in Mindanao and the cultural scene that he left in 1976 had
grown by leaps and bounds, and were part of what was
internally called the Mindanao Cultural Arts Movement. The
Mindanao community theatre practices had spread around
the island, and artists everywhere had been using their praxis to
consolidate a theory of theater practice for more than ten years.
These Mindanao theatre groups met at the First Mindanao
Community Theatre Forum in 1982 in Midsayap, Cotabato, and
then again at the First Mindanao Festival of Culture and Arts in Cecilia Benetiz as Potli in DAPAT-
1984, dubbed Kalasikas-Mindanao (Rustle from Mindanao). Dabaw’s production of Sinalimba, 1987
The theoretical and organizational consolidation of these
groups culminated in the First Mindanao Community Theatre
Congress in 1985. 191
 At the heart of the alliance of all Mindanao cultural groups was a consortium secretariat
formed by four sub-regional cultural institutions and one Mindanao-wide cultural
HORFILLA

institution called Kulturang Atin Foundation, Inc. (KAFI). KAFI was organized in 1981
with Jehovenn Honculada as its founding executive director. Horfilla came and joined
KAFI as a training officer in 1982, fresh from a robust cultural practice in the Visayas. By
then, Mindanao was implementing a training module originally developed by PETA-
CITASA, but adapted to Mindanaoan cultures and conditions at a trainers training in
Butuan City in 1979. In that and in other workshops, Mindanao cultural workers worked
with PETA artists Manny Pambid, Gardy Labad, Nanette Matilac, Weni Gamboa, and
others, with Alan Glinoga, and Al Santos staying on for some time to work with KAFI.
Horfilla was a refreshing addition to the network, with his Cebu experience as Actor,
Trainer, Organizer. Reared as a theatre artist in his early years in Mindanao and now a
seasoned professional actor and community theatre organizer from Cebu, Horfilla and
his colleagues in KAFI were ready to propel the Mindanao community theatre into new
heights, especially after Horfilla took over as executive director of KAFI in 1983.
The Mindanao Community Theatre Network (MCTN) became the next platform for
Horfilla. Working in synergy with a core of cultural workers of Mindanao, he embarked
on an aesthetic experiment that he called “learning plays.” In
1986-89, Horfilla collaborated with performers, playwrights,
musicians, movers, and artists from other artistic disciplines,
to evolve original Mindanaoan plays depicting a Mindanaoan
dramaturgy. Horfilla would inspire poets to write plays that
draw material from and adopt forms of expression from
indigenous communities. From this process emerged two
plays. The first was Sinalimba (Flying Boat), 1986, co-written
by Fe Remotigue and Don Pagusara, depicting the stories
and heroes from tales gathered from Bukidnon communities.
The second was Lawig Balanghai (Sail, Community), 1987,
by Remotigue, inspired by the highly civilized, proto-Manobo
and riverine pre-Spanish kingdom of Butuan, as unearthed by
the National Musem. Both plays were bolstered by intensive
research involving the entire cast and production crew.
The research output was not only the play, but the cultural
education of the whole cast and crew. The CCP gave both
plays a touring grant.
Inspired by the success of the emerging artistic forms,
Horfilla collaborated with a band of actors, musicians, writers,
researchers, dancers, and visual artists and formed the Kaliwat
Theatre Collective. This phase of Nestor’s practice represented
a higher form of engagement with the source of the material.
His group lived with the communities, and immersed
Geej Williams in Lem-a-feu, themselves in the people’s lives. As a result, the art forms and
Kaliwat Theater Collective, 1992 pieces that were created were no longer by the artists alone
 Kalasikas, Budayaw
Festival, 2017

but by them and the communities. From 1988 onward, Horfilla facilitated the Kaliwat
Theatre Collective. In the tradition of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (TOP),
this team adopted a pedagogy where the theatre artists offered arts and theatre as tools
for the communities for them to use in communicating their stories and everything
about their lives.
By the early 1990s, there emerged what might be called a Kaliwat aesthetics and
a movement to promote it. Horfilla was at the center of this movement. Landmark
plays, monologues, two-character plays, dance narratives, story-telling performances
carried these aesthetics. One popular work that emerged from the Kaliwat experience
was Bakwit (Evacuation), a two-person play developed and performed by Horfilla
and Richard Belar, incorporating the struggles of the farming settler communities
in Matalam and Kidapawan, Cotabato. Another artwork was the dance piece, Agila
(Eagle), with music by Joey Ayala. This moving dance piece, the product of Nestor’s
dance experience and his years of aesthetic practice fighting for the ancestral domain
claims of the indigenous peoples, encapsulates the learnings of the Kaliwat artists from
the Manobo communities of Arakan Valley. Horfilla calls these pieces his Learning
Plays. But the consolidation of Kaliwat’s worldview, aesthetics, and dramaturgy drawn
from a decade of cultural immersion and action in the communities of the Cotabato
Arakan was the trilogy, Siak sa Duha ka Damgo (Crack in Two Dreams). This play,
which Horfilla considers as the play of all Learning Plays, was presented in the open
air at the First CCP National Theatre Festival in 1992 in Manila.
The Kaliwat Theater Collective also served as a masteral course for artists who wanted
to study a Mindanao brand of aesthetics, dramaturgy, and cultural practice. These
pioneer artists included the likes of Marilie Fernandez from Mati, Davao Oriental, Eden
Espejo from Zamboanga del Sur, and Richard Dian Vilar, Anoy Catague, and Roland 193
Fortun from Butuan City. Younger generations of artists, who followed suit, are now
Budayaw practicing artists, bringing with them the aesthetics of the Kaliwat Theatre
Festival, 2017  Collective.
At the turn of the 21st century, Horfilla leveled up his cultural action pedagogy.
He immersed into the Subanen culture in Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur. This
time he did not bring theatre nor artworks into the community. He was an artist
delving into and learning from the indigenous people’s creative processes and
practices which aim to sustain their natural resources. What came out of this
experience was the inscription of the indigenous ritual buklog as an Intangible
Heritage of Humanity in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by the UNESCO.
By around 2010, Horfilla brought his aesthetics to the mainstream society.
Serving as a cultural worker for the Tagum Local Government Unit and the
city’s Tourism Authority, Horfilla used his curatorial and directorial skills
for government programs at the city and provincial levels. These programs
included mainstream festivals like Musikahan sa Barangay (Music Festival in
the barangay), a citywide festivity that continues up to this day. In 2015, Horfilla,
together with Lutgardo Labad and other cultural workers, implemented for the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts a Cultural Mapping program.
Horfilla also designed an ecopark that showcased the diversities of folk
cultures.

194
In 2017 and 2019, Nestor was artistic director of Budayaw, a biennial festival of cultures

HORFILLA
in the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asian
Growth Area) region. Working through the NCCA for the Philippines (the convenor
and host for 2017), he provided the celebration’s principal design and structure. He
performed the same role for the same festival in 2019 in Sarawak, Malaysia. This year,
Horfilla’s brainchild, the 2021 digital Cultural Hub, was launched in Davao.
In the end, Horfilla acquired a traditional university education yet spent more time in
non-formal and informal education provided by the rich Philippine artistic and cultural
heritage. His journey mirrors the journey of a country seeking its cultural identity.
Without sacrificing his parents’ dream, Horfilla added value and meaning to his
formal degree by doing meaningful cultural work, earning for himself a special place
in society. Nestor Horfilla sums up his cultural work as an “instrument in transforming
social landscapes and transforming lives.”

References
Interview/Conversations with Nestor Horfilla, multiple
dates, including quotes from social media chats.
Interview with Richard Dian Belar, July 1, 2021
Interview with Malou Tiangco, April 17, 2021
“Tribal Fever: On the Philippine Island of Mindanao,
Popular Theatre Seeks to Reclaim the Ancestral Land
and Traditional Ways of Living. - Free Online Library.”
www.thefreelibrary.com/
Share, et al. “Focus on PH Intangible Cultural Heritage
Now on View.” Www.pna.gov.ph, www.pna.gov.ph/
articles/1131890.
Region 1, Philippine Information Agency. “Tagalog News:
Mga Katutubo Sa Norte Nakilahok Sa Art Exhibit.”
PIA Region 1, 21 Feb. 2013, piaregion1.wordpress.
com/2013/02/21/tagalog-news-mga-katutubo-sa-
norte-nakilahok-sa-art-exhibit/.
“All Systems Go for Musikahan 2012 in Tagum City.”
Davao Today, 20 Feb. 2012, davaotoday.com/main/
blog/all-systems-go-for-musikahan-2012-in-tagum- Poster of Madonna Brava ng
city/. Mindanao, Tanghalang Pilipino, 2009

CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, epa.culturalcenter.

gov.ph/7/60/2992/.

195
 Nestor T. Horfilla Limang
Dekada ng Pagbabanyuhay ng
Kaligirang Panlipunan at Buhay
Fe M. Remotigue
Salin ni Glecy C. Atienza

Si Nestor Horfilla ay isang manggagawang pangkultura. Katulad ng maraming

alagad ng sining, tinahak niya ang isang landas-propesyunal na hindi sining noong
kaniyang kabataan, naging bahagi ng kilusang bayan, ginamit ang teatro at sining
bilang isang makapangyarihang kasangkapan sa pamamahayag, at isinabuhay ang
gawaing pangkulturang nakatutok sa pagbabago ng lipunan. Taglay ng lawas ng
kaniyang mga likha ang isang uri ng sining na hinubog ng pakikipamuhay sa mga
komunidad na kaniyang pinaglilingkuran. Ang kaniyang limang dekada sa teatro at
sining ay maningning na aral ng gamit ng gawaing pangkultura sa komunidad para sa
pagsusulong ng kaunlarang pangkalinangan sa buong bansa.

Ipinanganak si Nestor Tura Horfilla sa Lapulapu City, Cebu noong 8 Oktubre 1955.
Kasama siya ng kaniyang pamilya nang lumipat sila sa lungsod ng Davao noong
dekada sisenta. Pangarap ng ama ni Nestor na maging tulad niya ang kaniyang
anak. Palibahasa’y nagbigay-daan ang kaniyang propesyon sa pag-angat ng
kabuhayan—mula sa pagiging isang hamak na piyon tungo sa isang panggitnang-
uring mangangalakal. Pinakinggan ni Horfilla ang payo ng kaniyang ama at nag-
enrol sa Davao City Arts and Trade bilang tuntungan sa pagiging inhenyero. Ngunit
noon pa man, nagpamalas na ng pagkiling sa sining si Horfilla at hindi sa kalakalan.
Sa kabutihang palad, napakinabangan ang kaniyang katatasan at kasanayan sa
pagkakarpintero nang maging artistic director siya at direktor ng tanghalan. Nasa
antas sekundarya siya nang pangunahan at pamahalaan niya ang isang kultural na
pagtatanghal, ang kaniyang unang produksiyon sa teatro.

Matapos ang high school noong 1971, ipinadala si Horfilla ng kaniyang ama sa Mindanao
196 State University sa Marawi City upang tapusin ang kursong inhenyeriya. Dekada
sitenta noon at umaalingawngaw ang Unang Sigwa ng Maynila sa MSU Campus.
Napaligiran ang batang Horfilla ng makulay na hanayan ng makasining na Maharadia
pamamahayag. Ilan sa mga dulang politikal na nakapukaw sa kaniya ay ang Lawana,
Tatlong Manika na kumakatawan sa tatlong pundamental na suliranin ng Budayaw
Festival, 2017
lipunang Pilipino—imperyalismo, piyudalismo, at burukrata kapitalismo. Dito
nasimulan ang kaniyang edukasyong pampolitika sa pamamagitan ng teatro.
Sa kabilang banda, nakilala rin niya ang mga dulang Kanluranin tulad ng
Boys in the Band and Wait Until Dark. Ngunit higit na napukaw ang pansin ni
Horfilla ng Entourage of Ballet Dancers ni Heira Decera, na nakapagpalabas
sa isa sa mga sulok ng unibersidad. Inakala niyang hindi pa huli para maging
isang mananayaw.

Noong 1972-1975, lumipat si Horfilla mula sa MSU tungo sa University of

Mindanao at paglaon ay sa Ateneo de Davao University. Noon, sentro ng
kilusang bayan ang Davao, sa mga unibersidad at maging sa kanayunan.
Napagsama ni Horfilla ang kaniyang interes sa pag-aaral at ang kagustuhan
niyang maging bahagi ng teatro sa siyudad. Iniwan na niya ang inhenyeriya at
nagpatuloy ng pag-aaral ng agham-lipunan. Ang landas akademikong ito ang
naging balangkas niya sa paghamon sa pagpataw ng batas militar at ang mga
pang-aabuso nito. Ito rin ang nagtulak sa kaniyang sumali sa mga kilusang
protesta ng mga mag-aaral sa siyudad.

Sa Ateneo de Davao University, lalong napalakas ni Horfilla ang kaniyang

pag-aaral at praktika ng teatro. Tumulong siya sa pagbubuo ng Ateneo
Mobile Theater. Dahil sa kaniyang pagkahumaling sa teatro, regular siyang
nanonood ng mga pagtatanghal ng English Drama Course sa pamamahala ng
propesor na si G. Rolly Bajo. Tiniyak niyang lagi siyang nakakapanood ng mga
197
Budayaw Festival, pagtatanghal ni Bb. Aida Rivera Ford. Ginampanan niya ang mga pangunahing
2017 tauhan sa hanayan ng pagtatanghal ng Philippine Theatre Davao (PTD) at
naging punong tagapag-ensayo ng mga pagtatanghal ng PTD sa iba’t ibang
komunidad sa Davao. Kabilang sa mga manonood nila ang mga bilanggo sa
mga piitan ng Davao. Bilang aktibong kasapi ng PTD, nakilala ni Nestor ang
estetika at pamantayan sa pagtatanghal ng magigiting na mandudula ng
Kanluran. Sa panahong ito, isa sa mga dulang nakaantig kay Horfilla ay ang
Refund na isinalin sa Ingles ni Percival Wilde mula sa akda ng mandudulang
Hungarian na si F. Karinthy .

Sa Davao, ang Operation Build Up, isang grupong pangkabataan na inorganisa

ni Leila Noel, ang nagtanghal ng mga dula ni Melchor Morante (a.k.a Karl
Gaspar) sa mga komunidad. Nagboluntaryo at sumali si Horfilla sa proyektong
ito. Naging mananayaw siya sa mga dula ni Karl Gaspar, kabilang na ang
dulang Kinsa’y Imong Ginapangita? (Sinong Hinahanap Nila?), Hukmanan
sa Katapusan (Ang Huling Hatol), at The Bible (Ang Bibliya), kung saan niya
ginampanan ang papel ng ahas. Ang karanasang ito ang naghantad sa kaniya
sa estetika at pakikipag-ugnayan ng dulaan sa komunidad.

Sa Davao rin nakilala ni Horfilla ang maraming uri ng paraaning estetika mula
sa malawak na hanayan ng mga pananaw-pandaigdig. Sa isang banda ay
198 naroon ang mga dulang Kanluranin na itinatanghal ng mga klase sa Ingles
at ng mga komunidad ng mga propesyunal na grupong pandula. Sa kabilang
banda naman ay naroon ang mga dulaang pangkomunidad na nagtatanghal ng mga

HORFILLA
akda ni Karl Gaspar. Dagdag pa rito, may mga kolaborasyon din si Horfilla sa mga
alagad ng teatro tulad nina Augustus Miclat at Boy Galvez, ang mga tagapagtatag ng
unang Kulturang Atin sa Ateneo de Davao University. Naging katuwang na direktor si
Horfilla ng magkakabungkos na pagtatanghal ng Refund, Pira-pirasong Pangarap, at
Junto al Pasig (Sa Tabi ng Ilog Pasig). Ang masigabong gawaing panteatro ni Horfilla
sa Davao ang naging landas sa pagbabalik niya sa aktibismo sa hanay ng mga kabataan
at komunidad. Sa kasamaang-palad, hindi ito ang naging daan sa pagtatapos niya ng
kolehiyo.

Noong 1976-1982, pumasok si Horfilla sa University of San Carlos (USC) upang

makapagtapos ng kolehiyo at upang matupad ang matagal nang pangarap ng kaniyang
pamilya. Nasa kanlungan ng Cebu City ang mga kilalang alagad ng teatro tulad nina
Orlando Magno, Bien Fernandez, at Ester Ceniza.. Kasama si Ceniza sa isang semi-
propesyunal na grupong pandula na tinawag na Entablado. Sumabak sa audition
si Horfilla at napili siyang maging bahagi ng dalawang produksiyon. Ang unang
dula ay ang Vida ni Wilfrido Virtusio. Dito ginampanan ni Horfilla ang pangunahing
tauhang si Iyo Selo, isang matandang magsasakang bilanggo na yumayakap pa rin
sa buhay sa kabila ng napipintong kamatayan. Ang pangalawang produksiyon ay
Kabesang Tales (batay sa tauhan ni Jose Rizal sa El Filibusterismo) ni Paul Dumol at
pinamahalaan ni Joy Mocon, na noon ay katatapos pa lamang ng isang fellowship sa
United Kingdom. Bilang pangunahing tauhan, hinubog ni Horfilla ang pagbabanyuhay
ni Tales mula sa isang payak na magsasaka tungo sa pagiging sagisag ng himagsikang
Pilipino. Sa pagtatanghal na ito, naipamalas kay Horfilla ang kapangyarihan ng mga
sangkap dramatiko sa pagbabahagi ng mga mapagbagong mensahe at gayundin ang
kapangyarihan ng isang artistang baguhin ang kaligirang panlipunan at ang buhay
ng mga mamamayan. Habang nasa Cebu, naging bahagi rin siya ng mga artistang
nagtaguyod ng Dulaang Katilingban Redemptorista, isang dulaang pangkabataan
sa komunidad. Kasama ng iba pang mga mandudula, nagsagawa ng pagsasanay sa
pagsulat ng dula sina Horfilla, kasama ang iba pang mga artista mula sa Visayas at
naisagawa ang Visayas Play Festival. Ang pakikibahagi ni Horfilla sa iba’t ibang gawain
sa teatro sa antas propesyunal at pang-komunidad ang nagbigay-daan para siya ay
itakda bilang unang direktor ng Tanggapan ng Gawaing Pangkultura ng University of
San Carlos. Ito rin ang naging dahilan ng pagkakasama niya sa surveillance list ng mga
militar. Noong 1982, naglayag muli si Horfilla pabalik ng Mindanao, dala ang kaniyang
diploma sa antas batsilyer at ang lawas ng mga karanasan sa gawaing pangkultura
bilang artista, tagapagsanay, at organisador.

Nang makabalik si Horfilla sa Davao noong 1982, malaki na ang iniunlad ng gawaing
pangkultura sa Mindanao na iniwan niya noong 1976. Tinawag itong Mindanao Cultural
Arts Movement. Laganap na ang gawaing panteatro sa buong Mindanao at ginagamit
na ng mga artista ang kanilang karanasan upang lagumin ang kanilang mahigit sa
sampung taong karanasan. Ang mga grupong pandulang ito ay nagkasama-sama sa
kauna-unahang Mindanao Community Theater Forum sa Midsayap, Cotabato noong
1982 . Sinundan ito ng kauna-unahang Mindanao Festival of Culture and Arts na tinawag
199
HORFILLA bilang Kalasikas-Mindanao 1984. Ang pagkakaisang teoretikal at organisasyunal
ng mga grupong ito ang nagbigay-daan sa unang Mindanao Community Theater
Congress noong 1985.

Ang puso ng ugnayan ng lahat ng grupong pangkultura sa Mindanao ay kinatawan

ng hinirang na tagapag-ugnay na mula sa apat na institusyong pangkulturang sub-
rehiyonal at isang institusyong pangkulturang sumasakop sa kabuaang Mindanao—
ang Kulturang Atin Foundation Inc. (KAFI). Itinatag ang KAFI noong 1981, sa
pangunguna ni Jehovenn Honculada bilang tagapagtatag na executive director.
Naging bahagi si Horfilla ng KAFI bilang pinuno ng pagsasanay noong 1982, mula
sa mayamang karanasan sa gawaing pangkultura sa Visayas. Sa panahong ito,
ginagamit ng Mindanao ang isang modyul sa pagsasanay na unang pinaunlad
ng PETA-CITASA ngunit iniangkop sa kulturang Mindanao sa pamamagitan
ng isang pagsasanay para sa mga trainor na isinagawa sa Butuan noong 1979.
Sa pagsasanay na ito, at sa iba pang mga pagsasanay, nakasama ng mga
manggagawang pangkultura ng Mindanao ang mga alagad ng teatro mula sa PETA-
CITASA tulad nina Manny Pambid, Gardy Labad, Nanette Matilac, Weni Gamboa, at
iba pa. Sina Alan Glinoga, at Al Santos ay namalagi nang ilan ding panahon upang
makipagtrabaho sa KAFI.

Si Horfilla ay nakapagbigay ng bagong sigla sa KAFI. Taglay niya ang kaniyang

karanasan sa Cebu bilang Aktor, Tagapagsanay, at Organisador (ATOR). Ang kaniyang
karanasan bilang alagad ng teatro noong kaniyang kabataan sa Mindanao at ang
kaniyang pagiging bihasa at propesyunal na aktor at organisador ng mga grupong
pandula sa komunidad ang naghanda kay Horfilla, kasama ng mga taga-KAFI,
na isulong ang gawaing panteatro sa komunidad ng Mindanao sa ibayong antas.
Naganap ito nang maging executive director ng KAFI si Horfilla.

Ang Mindanao Community Theater Network (MCTN) ang sumunod na larangan

ng gawain ni Horfilla. Sa malapitang pakikipagtulungan kasama ang ilang
manggagawang pangkultura ng Mindanao, isinulong niya ang isang eksperimentong
pang-estetika na tinawag niyang “learning plays.” Noong 1986-1989, nakipagtulungan
si Horfilla sa mga artista, mandudula, musikero, mananayaw, at iba pang mga alagad
ng sining mula sa iba’t ibang disiplina upang linangin ang mga sariling-likhang dula
ng Mindanao na taglay ang dramaturhiyang Mindanao. Hinimok ni Horfilla ang mga
makata upang magsulat ng mga dulang humahalaw ng mga materyal at anyo ng
pamamahayag na mula sa mga katutubong komunidad. Dalawang dula ang iniluwal
nito. Ang una ay ang Sinalimba (Bangkang Lumilipad), 1986, na isinulat nina Fe
Remotigue at Don Pagusara, na nagsasalaysay ng mga kuwento ng kabayanihan ng
mga komunidad ng Bukidnon. Sinundan pa ito ng Lawig Balanghai (Gaod, Barangay),
1987. Tungkol ito sa mauunlad na sibilisasyong proto-Manobo at ang mga kaharian sa
tabing-ilog ng Butuan noong ika-7-14 dantaon, ayon sa mga nahukay ng Pambansang
Museo sa siyudad ng Butuan. Dumaan sa masinsinang pananaliksik ang mga bahagi
ng dalawang pagtatanghal –mga artista at kagawad ng produksiyon. Nagbunga ito,
200 hindi lamang ng pagtatanghal, kundi ng malawakang pagkatutong pangkultura para
sa mga sumali sa pagtatanghal. Nagawaran ang produksiyon ng touring grant Budayaw
ng Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas upang magtanghal sa iba’t ibang lugar. Festival, 2017

Sa tulak ng tagumpay ng mga napauunlad na anyong pansining, sumabak si

Horfilla sa ibayong pakikipag-ugnayan sa isang banda ng mga aktor, musikero,
manunulat, mananaliksik, mananayaw, at artista ng sining-biswal at binuo ang
Kaliwat Theater Collective. Sa yugtong ito ng gawaing pansining ni Horfilla,
humarap siya sa higit na matalik na ugnayan sa batis ng kaniyang materyal.
Nakipamuhay ang kanilang grupo sa mga komunidad, at bumabad sila sa
buhay ng mga mamamayan kaya’t ang mga likhang sining at akda ay hindi na
lamang likha ng mga alagad ng sining kundi likha ng mga komunidad at ng
mga alagad ng sining. Mula 1988, pinadaloy ni Horfilla ang Kaliwat Theater
Collective. Sunod sa paraanin ng Theater of the Oppressed ni Augusto Boal,
isinagawa ng kanilang pangkat ang pedagohiyang nakatutok sa paglalaan ng
teatro bilang kasangkapan sa pakikipag-unawaan at pagsasasalaysay ng lahat
ng ukol sa kanilang buhay.

Sa pagsapit ng dekada nobenta, umusbong na ang maaaring tawaging

estetikang Kaliwat at ang kilusang nagsusulong nito. Si Horfilla ang nasa
sentro ng kilusang ito. Taglay ng mga panandang dula, monologo, dulang may
dalawang tauhan, sayaw-salaysay, buhay na pagsasalaysay ang estetikang ito.
Isa sa mga kilalang akda mula sa Kaliwat ang Bakwit (Paglikas), isang dulang
may dalawang tauhan. Pinaunlad at ginampanan nina Horfilla at Richard
201
HORFILLA

Budayaw Festival, Belar ang dula, na tumalakay sa mga pagsisikap ng mga magsasakang
2017 settler sa Matalam at Kidapawan, Cotabato. Isa pang akda ay ang sayaw na
Agila, sa saliw ng musika ni Joey Ayala. Ang nakatitigatig na sayaw na ito, na
kumakatawan sa karanasan ni Horfilla at sa ilang taong karanasan sa sining
na nagtatanggol sa yutang habilin ng mga katutubo, ay nagtataglay ng mga
aral ng Kaliwat mula sa mga Manobo ng Arakan Valley. Gayumpaman, ang
kabuuang ng pananaw-pandaigdig, estetika, at dramaturhiya ng Kaliwat
mula sa sampung taong pakikipamuhay at pagkilos sa komunidad ng
Manobo ay makikita sa dulang Siak sa Duha Ka Damgo (Siwang sa Pagitan
ng Dalawang Pangarap). Itinuturing ni Horfilla ang dulang ito bilang “the play
of all learning plays” (dula ng lahat ng dula ng pagkatuto). Itinanghal ang dula
sa may liwasan ng Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, bilang bahagi ng Unang
Tagpo National Theater Festival 1992 sa Kamaynilaan.

Naging kursong masteral ang Kaliwat Theater Collective para sa mga

alagad ng sining na nais matuto ng uri ng estetika, dramaturhiya, at gawaing
pangkultura ng Mindanao. Kabilang sa mga nangungunang artista sa
hanay na ito sina Marili Fernandez ng Mati, Davao Oriental, Eden Espejo ng
Zamboanga del Sur, Richard Dian Belar, Anoy Catague, at Roland Fortun ng
Butuan City. Ang higit na nakababataang henerasyon ng artistang sumunod
sa tahak na ito ay aktibong manlilikha ng sining, taglay ang estetika ng Kaliwat
Theater Collective.
202
Sa pagpihit ng ika-21 dantaon, iniangat ni Horfilla ang kaniyang pedagohiya sa kultural

HORFILLA
na pagkilos. Nagbabad siya sa kulturang Subanen sa Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur. Sa
pagkakataong ito, hindi niya dinala ang teatro o anumang akdang sining sa komunidad.
Isa siyang alagad ng sining na nakikipamuhay at natututo mula sa malikhaing paraan
at gawi ng mga katutubo para linangin ang kanilang likas na yaman. Nagbunga ang
karanasang ito ng pagtatala ng katutubong ritwal ng buklog bilang Intangible Heritage
of Humanity in Need of Urgent Safeguarding ng United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization.

Sa panahong 2010, dinala ni Horfilla ang kaniyang estetika sa pangunahing daluyan

ng lipunan. Bilang manggagawang pangkultura ng Pamahalaang Lokal ng Tagum
at Awtoridad ng Turismo ng siyudad, ginamit ni Horfilla ang kaniyang kasanayan
sa curation at pagiging tagapamahala para sa mga programa sa antas na lokal at
probinsiya. Bahagi ng mga programang ito ang mga pista tulad ng Musikahan ng
Barangay na hanggang ngayon ay isinagawa pa rin sa buong siyudad ng Tagum. Noong
2015, isinasagawa ni Horfilla, kasama sina Lutgardo Labad at iba pang manggagawang
pangkultura, ang Programang Pagmamapa ng Kultura o Cultural Mapping sa
pagtataguyod ng Pambansang Komisyon ng Kultura at mga Sining (NCCA). Taong
2015 din nang gumawa ng disenyo ng ecopark si Horfilla, na nagpatampok sa iba’t
ibang kulturang bayan.

Noong 2017 at 2019, pinamahalaan ni Horfilla ang Budayaw, isang

pista ng mga kultura ng rehiyong BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-
Indonesia-Malaysia-Pilipinas-East Asian Growth Area Region). Sa
pamamagitan ng NCCA na naging punong-abala para sa taong
2017, nilikha niya ang pangunahing disenyo at balangkas ng
selebrasyon. Ginawa rin niya ito para sa katulad na pista sa Sarawak,
Malaysia. Sa taong 2021, inilunsad ang Digital Cultural Hub ng
Davao. Taglay rin nito ang marka ng isip at kamay ni Horfilla.

Sa pagtatapos, binaybay man ni Horfilla ang kinagawiang landas

ng pamantasan para sa pormal na edukasyon, higit na malaking
panahon ang inilaan niya para sa di-pormal na edukasyon na
handog ng mayamang sining at kulturang habilin ng Pilipinas.
Ang kaniyang tahak ay salamin ng isang bayang naghahanap
ng sariling pagkakakilanlang kultural. Hindi niya iwinaglit ang
pangarap ng kaniyang mga magulang. Dinagdagan pa niya
ng ibayong halaga at kahulugan ang pormal na edukasyon sa
pamamagitan ng makabuluhang gawaing pangkultura, sa piling ng
mga mamamayan. At dahil dito’y tinamasa niya ang isang tampok
na paglulugar sa lipunan. Para kay Nestor Horfilla, ang kaniyang
gawaing pangkultura ay kasangkapan ng pagbabanyuhay ng
kaligirang panlipunan at buhay.

Maharadia Lawana,
Budayaw Festival, 2017
Kaliwat Theater Collective
Selected Works
Mga Piling Akda
As Artist, Dramaturg, Director
Bilang Aktor, Dramaturg, Direktor
Director/dramaturg, Sinalimba, DAPAT Davao,
1986
Director, Lawig Balanghai, EDCADS, Inc. 1987
Director/dancer, Agila, 1990
Director, Siak sa Duha ka Damgo, a Kaliwat
Theatre Collective play, 1990
Researcher/writer/performer, Bakwit, 1991
Researcher/director/dramaturg, Lem-a-feu,
1992
Artistic Designer, Oya Arakan, 1993
Director, Philippine Independence Day
Celebration Pageantry, Luneta Park, Manila
early 2000s
Director, Madonna Brava, CCP-TP’s adaptation
of Brecht’s Mother Courage, 2009
As Trainer Bilang Tagasanay
First Director, University of San Carlos, Cultural
Arts Office, Cebu City, 1978
Director, Mindanao Institute of Culture and Arts
(MICA), 1983
Resource Person on community theatre. Asian
Theatre Forum, PETA-Black Tent Theatre
Collaborative Project, Japan, 1983
Pedagogue, Kaliwat Theatre Collective Cultural
Dialogue for Cultural Action, 1991-97
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
As Organizer Bilang Organisador
Organizer, Dulaang Kabataang
Redemptorista (DKR), Cebu, 1976
Executive Direcktor of Kulturang Atin
Foundation, Inc. (1983)
Organizer, Kaliwat Theatre Collective (from
1991)
As Curator/Designer
Bilang Curator at Designer
Director and Curator, Kalasikas I Festival of
Mindanao Plays, 1984
Director and Curator, Mindulani (Kalasikas II),
Festival of Mindanao Plays, 1990
Facilitator, the inscription of the Subanen’s
Buklog as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity
in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by the
UNESCO, 1998
Curator, Tagum Musikahan Festival, Tagum
City, 1997-2013
Curator, Kalinawan Art Foundation
Indigenous Art Exhibits 1-3, 2013
Implementor, Cultural Mapping Pilot in
selected municipalities, 2015
Designer, Ecopark in Capiz that showcased
the diversity of folk expressions, 2015
Designer and Curator, BIMP-EAGA Budayaw I
Festival, General Santos City 2017
Designer and publisher, documentation of
Budayaw II Festival, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2019
 Integrated
Performing
Arts Guild
CULTURE OF ITS REGION

207
 Citation

From its modest beginnings as a campus theater group in

1978, the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) rose to
become a major performing company of the Philippines,
sustaining an annual season of plays for more than four
decades, with over 40 productions shown in 100 cities in the
country and the world.

For producing works with social relevance, inspired by

Mindanao’s tri-people: the Lumad, the Moro, and the
Christianized population;

For its effort to draw themes and stories from indigenous

sources such as folk tales, myths, and legends, and translating
these into plays reflective of contemporary issues;

For developing a mode of theatrical expression based on

traditional dances, music, rituals, and other artistic expressions,
but distilled and innovated to suit theatrical performance;

For its collaborative work with other Asian performing groups,

linking Philippine living heritage to Asian traditions;

For developing homegrown artists and cultural workers

honed in writing, directing, stagecraft, and management, and
imbued with community development perspective;

For promoting goodwill and pride in Philippine art and culture

through its works, within and outside the country;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on the Integrated

Performing Arts Guild this 7th day of February, in the year 2020,
at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

208
 Pagkilala

Mula sa simple nitong pinagmulan na isang pangkat panteatrong

pampamantasan, umimbulog ang Integrated Performing Arts Guild
(IPAG) bilang isa sa mga pinakamahusay na samahang pantanghalan
sa Pilipinas na may mga obrang kinikilala sa loob at labas ng bansa.

Para sa pagluluwal ng mga produksiyong nagpapahalaga sa lipunan

na hango sa tri-people ng Mindanao: ang Lumad, ang Moro, at mga
binyagang Kristiyano;

Para sa pagpupunyaging makahalaw ng mga tema at istorya mula sa

kaban ng katutubong kamalayan, gaya ng kuwentong-bayan, mito,
alamat, at ang pagsasakontemporanyo ng mga ito gamit ang mga
napapanahong isyu;

Para sa pagpapaunlad ng isang pamamaraan ng pagtatanghal na

lumilinang sa mga tradisyunal na sayaw, musika, ritwal, at iba pang
sining na pinatining at iniangkop sa espasyo ng tanghalan;

Para sa kolaborasyon nila sa mga pangkat panteatro sa Asya tungo

sa sama-samang paglikha, at pag-uugnay ng buhay na tradisyon ng
Pilipinas sa mga tradisyon ng Asya;

Para sa pangangalaga niya sa kaniyang mga alagad sa sining at

kultura na nahasa sa pagsulat, pagdirihe, pamamahala sa entablado
at produksiyon, na puspos ng kamalayang pangkomunidad;

Para sa pagtataguyod ng kabutihan at dangal ng sining at kulturang

Pilipino sa kaniyang mga likha sa loob at labas ng bansa;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob sa Integrated

Performing Arts Guild ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa
Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

209
 Integrated Performing
Arts Guild Four Decades
of Staging Mindanao
Rosalie S. Matilac

From its modest start as a campus theater group, the Integrated Performing
Arts Guild (IPAG) emerged as one of the outstanding performing groups in
the Philippines whose works are appreciated in the national and international
spheres. For more than 40 years, the guild produced over 40 productions
performed in at least a hundred cities in the country and abroad. IPAG
distinguishes itself with theater works inspired by Mindanao’s tri-people: the
Lumad, the Moro, and the Christian settlers who migrated to the south in the
20th century.

Beginnings under Martial Law

The 1970s under martial law was an era of despotism, repression, and armed
conflicts. The most violent encounters happened in southern Philippines,
especially in the areas of the Bangsamoro groups. Lanao in north-central
Mindanao, where the Mindanao State University (MSU) campuses in Marawi
and Iligan are located, was the stage of heavily-armed conflict. The MSU
210 campuses were not spared from strife and violent confrontations.
 Sarimanok, 1982

But what is remarkable in such terrible times is the impetus it gives to artistic Jallaludin Casnor,
expression. The dire conditions in the country stimulated the development Helen Tejero,
of performing artists. Dance groups and theater organizations sprouted and Caironesa
Dimatanday in
and flourished amid the uncertain situation, especially in campuses and The Abduction
communities. In 1974, the MSU saw the birth of the Sining Kambayoka in of Arkat a
MSU-Marawi, led by Frank Rivera, and the Tambuli Cultural Troupe in MSU- Lawanen, directed
Bongao, led by Ligaya Amilbangsa. Then, Vice President Manaros Boransing by Steven P.C.
Fernandez, 1998
of the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) convinced Amilbangsa
to transfer to Iligan during the 1978-79 schoolyear, to organize the performing
arts program. Amilbangsa discovered that there were divergent groups in the
campus and united them under the name “MSU-IIT Integrated Performing Arts
Guild.” She then invited the Philippine Educational Theater Association to hold
an integrated arts workshop. As IPAG’s founder, Amilbangsa’s contribution
was the drafting of its constitution, the training of its members in the pangalay
movement vocabulary, and the introduction of creative theater devices such
as hand and shadow puppetry. Her role as MSU-IIT consultant lasted until the
end of the schoolyear in 1979, but her support for IPAG continued through the
years. Moreover, pangalay became IPAG’s dominant choreographic language.
211
Anna Mae
Obach and
Faisar Mambuay
in Kuwadro
Paraiso, directed
by Steven P.C.
Fernandez,
Faisar Mambuay,
and Anita
Sescon, 1998

One of the founding members of IPAG was musician-writer-director Steven

Patrick C. Fernandez, then a faculty member, who would become IPAG’s artistic
director for the succeeding decades, and into the new millennium. Fernandez
steered the guild to become, possibly, the most active performing group outside
Metro Manila.

The goal of IPAG in its early phase was to promote art and culture in MSU-IIT and
Iligan City through a regular theater season. IPAG mounted five productions for
its first season in 1978-79: a satire, Ito Ba Ang Iligan? (Is this Iligan?); a dance-
drama, A Star is Born; a dance-variety show; a comedy; and a hand puppet
play. Despite the meager institutional support and lack of a big audience, IPAG
launched its second season in 1979 with Fernandez’s original play, Makina
(Machine); and translations of one-act plays into the regional language: Ang
Hawla (The Cage) by Nonilon Queaño and Kastilyo ni Kardo (Kardo’s Castle) by
Jose Ibarra Angeles.

IPAG’s turning point came in 1981, brought about by a tragic incident. A week
before the premiere of the dance-drama Sarimanok for the third season in 1980,
grenades exploded during a singing contest in the city plaza, killing innocent
civilians. All activities with large crowds were then forbidden. Providentially, the
show’s cancellation saved IPAG from certain failure. Otherwise, they would have
presented a work that was still under-rehearsed. The suspension on gatherings
gave IPAG a whole year to expand and refine the script, music, and choreography.
Sarimanok was a success when it was shown in 1981. The allegorical tale about
a bird wanting to soar beyond borders, named after the mythical bird in Maranaw
folklore, resonated with the MSU-IIT audience. It was brought to the Luce
212 Auditorium, Silliman University, where it was warmly received, with good reviews.
Sarimanok toured the country with a CCP grant until 1989.
A Repertory on Mindanao’s Tri-People

IPAG
and Asian Cultural Heritage
IPAG’s productions drew from indigenous sources as well
as contemporary experiences of the Lumad, the Moro, and
the Christianized majority. Perhaps the best example that
demonstrates the style and content of IPAG is Sinulog: Isang
Pagdiriwang (Sinulog: A Celebration), 1991, which was
retitled Buhay, Pag-ibig, at Kamatayan: Mga Kuwentong
Mindanao/Tales from Mindanaw (Life, Love, and Death:
Tales from Mindanao) in CCP’s Unang Tagpo, 1st National
Theater Festival in 1992. The episodic play presents several
stories on the tri-people’s situation, including ancient myths
and rituals. The anthology mainly uses pangalay combined
with creative movements, traditional dances like dugso and
binanog, and martial traditions like saut, eskrima, and sagayan.
The play’s open structure provides the flexibility in creating
new episodes that may be included to suit specific audiences
and production requirements during the play’s national and
international tours from 1996 to 2018.

The proximity of the MSU-IIT campus to indigenous

communities, which allowed members to immerse in local life,
engendered empathy for the indigenous peoples (IPs) such
as the Maranaw, Maguindanaw, Higaonon, Iliganon, and the
Manobo. The historical struggles of the IPs offer a rich source
of material for storytelling. Datu Matu, 1995, is a historical
fiction on the Moro resistance against American colonialism,
with scenarios depicting actual events such as the battles of
Bud Dajo, 1906, and Bud Bagsak, 1913, both in Sulu; and the
battle of Bayang, 1902 and 1917, in Lanao. Datu Mankalasi,
2017, essays the life and death of Datu Mankalasi, an Agusanon
Manobo who fought against a logging firm supported by the
military in the 1980s.

Myths and legends are valuable sources of materials for

original plays. Ranaw: Isang Alamat (Ranaw: A Legend),
1986, dramatized the adventures of Bato Lakungan, the epic
hero considered as the ancestor of the peoples of north-
central Mindanao. The Abduction of Arkat a Lawanen, 1998, Leilani Fernandez in Gaia, directed
is a dance-drama based on the Darangen epic, focused on by Steven P.C. Fernandez, 2011
the abduction of Bai Lawanen by Salindagaw, the enemy of
Datu Bantugan. How the Women of Joaquin Met Lawanen,
2000, compares the women characters of Nick Joaquin with 213
IPAG

JV Espenido in Madal Tahaw,

choreography by Wilven Pinili, from the
scenario of Steven P.C. Fernandez, 1998

214
the women of Lawanen, from the Maranaw epic. Uwahig (Water), 2006, combines the

IPAG
Maguindanaw-Maranaw epic on Indarapatra and Sulayman with a diluvian legend of
the Bukidnon. Hapoy daw Waig (Fire and Water), 2012, dramatizes the adventures of
the Ilianon/Iranun epic hero Agyu.

IPAG produced plays about socio-cultural realities on personal and societal levels:
MingMing, 2004, a Palanca first-prize winner for Fernandez, depicts conflicts within
three generations of a Moro clan. Reviving Subalternity, 2004, a collaboration with
groups from Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong tackled how globalization diminishes
certain groups in society using the pangalay, robam boran, Khmer puppets, and kung
fu. Suhi (Breech Birth), 2010, is an adaptation of Oedipus Rex, set in Maguindanao
Province. Orpheus: The Trilogy, 2017, explores a modern adaptation of the classic
Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, translated into daily living situations.

Plays written by the fellows in the Iligan National Writers Workshop were fleshed
out by IPAG’s directors, actors, and theatrical staff. They produced two plays in 2013:
Makahiya (Bashful Plant) is about a young convict who plans to get even with the
person who murdered his grandparents. Banwa (Nation) depicts the ideological
conflicts between NPA cadres suspecting each other of treachery. They launched two
more productions in 2015: Maratabat explores the Maranaw concept of honor and
integrity different from the common concept of justice. Dalawang Gabi (Two Nights)
is about a tryst between a female teacher and her student, with a feminist perspective.

IPAG’s explorations with dance, music, and various media have resulted in productions
like SugaTula (Crossing Poetry), 2009, using poems by writers from southern
Philippines, interpreted through dance, music, and images. Tighod (Tides of Times),
2019, was a multimedia production utilizing dance and chants, about water beings
brought into a new realm of existence with no turning back.

Perhaps the most elaborate production of IPAG is Sita: The Ramayana Revisited, 2015,
a retelling of the Ramayana epic in a Philippine setting. In 2019, it was presented in
Ayodha, the birthplace of Rama, after performances in Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi,
Kolkata, and Mumbai from 2016 to 2019.

From 1994 to 2019, IPAG promoted goodwill within and outside the country by
representing the Philippines in major festivals and world summits: the Singapore
International Festival of the Arts, 1994; Schagen International Festival and Holten
International Folkloric Festival in Netherlands and Stockton International Street
Theater Festival in the United Kingdom, 1996; Festival de L’Ephemere Remiremont in
France, 1997; Ourenze International Folkloric Festival in Spain and Metz International
Festival in France, 1998; Changhua International Art Festival in Taiwan, 2001; World
Cup International Kid Festival Daejeon in South Korea, Murcia 35th International
Mediterranean Festival in Spain, Command Performance for Prince Albert in Monaco,
all in 2002; Asia Meets Asia Festival in Tokyo, Japan, 2004; Taipei Arts Festival, 215
2007; APB Drama Festivals in Taiwan, 2012, Vietnam, 2013, Shanghai, 2014 and
IPAG
2017, Singapore, 2015, and Hanoi, 2019; the Philippine Independence Celebration in
Vietnam, 2013; the India-ASEAN Summit in New Delhi, 2018; the ASEAN Plus Festival
in Bangkok, 2017; the Mumbai Ramayana Festival, 2019; the US-Philippine Centennial
in Hawaii, 2006; and the US Migrant Heritage in Virginia, 2018.

The performances outside the country gained international awareness and

appreciation for Philippine art and culture.

Developing Homegrown Artists and Art Managers

MSU-IIT has a student population of 10,000. Apart from being IPAG’s avid audience,
the student populace is the wellspring of artist-leaders and theater artists for IPAG.
For several decades, the company sustained its momentum of producing two new
plays every year with 11 to 17 performances during theater runs, and an average of
50 performances nationwide, excluding presentations abroad. These activities were
made possible by IPAG’s reliable pool of writers, directors, choreographers, dancers,
actors, production designers, stage managers, and production administrators. IPAG’s
resident artists as of 2020 include Allyson Jane M. Dantes, Andrew Salazar, Arlem
M. Abanes, Hernenigildo M. Dico, Jan Christian Pagarigan, Jeannie M. Darantinao,
Jet J. Almosera, Junah Lacasan-Nagba, Kassandhra Evana Suazo, Kenn Erwin
Velasquez, Kim Indino, Leilani M. Fernandez, Lilybeth Maraon, Louchelle Terese D.
Dano, Melvin Pascubillo, Meshaq G. Dangel, Ricky Duran, Sasha Blanche Asuncion,
Vanesa Grace Casanes, Vicmar Paloma, and Victor Arlan.

IPAG’s goal in human resources is to develop a “responsive organization of highly-

motivated artists and cultural workers that produce works with the highest standard.”
To achieve this, the guild is structured according to Artistic, Research, Administration
and Personnel, and Technical Production groups. The business and finance systems
are under Marketing, Sales and Promotion. Training, education, and publication are the
functions of the IPAG–Artist Resource Management Inc. (IPAG-ARM), an organization
that spearheaded the Culture and Arts Studies Program in MSU-IIT.

Apart from producing plays, the group’s mission is to train people for community
development through theater work. IPAG has trained hundreds of individuals to
achieve this goal. Meanwhile, through the IPAG-ARM, those who want to gain artistic
and technical skills may undergo apprenticeship. IPAG also offers short courses in
directing, arts management, choreography, and performance. It conducts lectures on
the humanities, stagecraft, and art appreciation.

Through the strategy of training and education, IPAG has developed its homegrown
talents honed in various artistic expressions and with a perspective of community
service, creating theater that is relevant to the needs of society.
216
 IPAG
Reaping Distinctions and Awards Reviving
Subalternity,
Ultimately, the perseverance and collective work of IPAG artists and directed by
Steven P.C.
apprentices resulted in the success and artistic achievements of its productions, Fernandez, 2004
leading to many awards and recognitions. In 1986, Patas was cited as the CCP
Playwriting Workshop’s outstanding play. In 1989, its version of Ang Paglilitis
ni Mang Serapio (The Trial of Old Serapio) won the 1989 CCP National Drama
Competition for Mindanao. Other plays which received recognitions are Datu
Matu, given a CCP Grant Award in 1992, and Sarimanok, with a UP Likhaan
citation in 1986.

The City Government of Iligan declared IPAG as the Most Outstanding Culture
and Arts Group in 1996. In 2002, Tales from Mindanao received the grand
prize in the Concourse de Chanson Internationaux. Also in the same year, it
was chosen as the most awarded group in the 13th International Folkloric
Festival in Port Sur Saone, France. In 2013, it was elected as a member of
the UNESCO–International Theatre Institute Asia Pacific Bureau of Theatre
Schools. In 2015, the group received the Gawad Pedro Bucaneg. In 2014,
Steven Patrick C. Fernandez was given the Gawad Pambansang Alagad
ni Balagtas by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. In 2020, the IPAG
and Fernandez were given the CCP Gador Award, and IPAG received the
Gawad CCP para sa Sining. 217
 Integrated Performing Arts Guild
Apat na Dekada ng Pagtatanghal
ng Mindanao
Rosalie S. Matilac
Salin ni Jerry C. Respeto

Mula sa simple nitong pinagmulan na isang pangkat panteatrong pampamantasan,

umimbulog ang Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) bilang isa sa mahuhusay
na samahang pantanghalan sa Pilipinas na may mga obrang kinikilala sa loob at
labas ng bansa. Sa mahigit na 40 taon, nakagawa ang IPAG ng 40 produksiyon na
naitanghal humigit-kumulang sa isandaang siyudad sa Pilipinas at ibang bansa.
Pinanghahawakan ng IPAG ang kakanyahan nito sa pagtatanghal ng mga dulang may
paksang hango sa tri-people ng Mindanao: ang Lumad, ang Moro, at mga Kristiyanong
lumikas at nanirahan sa Timog noong ika-20 siglo.

Mga Simulain sa ilalim ng Batas Militar

Ang dekada 1970 sa ilalim ng Batas Militar ay panahon ng despotismo, represyon, at
armadong tunggalian. Naganap ang pinakamarahas na engkuwentro sa katimugan
ng Pilipinas, partikular na sa mga kinaroroonan ng grupo ng Bangsamoro. Sityo ng
matinding labanan ang Lanao sa gitnang-hilaga ng Mindanao, na kinaroroonan ng
mga kampus ng Mindanao State University (MSU) sa Marawi at Iligan. Hindi nakaligtas
ang mga kampus na ito sa mga marahas na bakbakan at komprontasyon.
Subalit ang kapansin-pansin sa gayong nakagigimbal na panahon ay ang siglang
ibinigay nito tungo sa masining na paglikha. Isinulong ng mapanganib na kaligiran
sa bansa ang pagyabong ng mga artista sa tanghalan. Namulaklak at namayagpag
ang mga pangkat at organisasyon sa mga larang ng dulaan at sayaw sa mga paaralan
at komunidad sa panahong walang kasiguruhan. Noong 1974, nasaksihan ng MSU
218 ang pagsilang ng Sining Kambayoka sa MSU-Marawi, na pinangunahan ni Frank
Rivera, at ng Tambuli Cultural Troupe ng MSU-Bongao, sa pangunguna ni Kenn Erwin
Ligaya Amilbangsa. Hinikayat ni Bise Presidente Manaros Boransing ng MSU- Velasquez sa
Tales from
Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) si Amilbangsa na lumipat sa Iligan Mindanao:
noong taong akademiko 1978-79 upang ayusin ang programa para sa sining ng BirdFish,
pagtatanghal. Natuklasan ni Amilbangsa na may iba’t ibang pangkat sa kampus, direksiyon ni
kaya pinagbuklod niya ang mga ito sa ilalim ng pangalang “MSU-IIT Integrated Steven P.C.
Performing Arts Guild.” Kasunod nito, inanyayahan niya ang PETA upang Fernandez, 1991
magbigay ng isang palihan para sa dula at kaugnay na sining. Ang kontribusyon
ni Amilbangsa bilang tagapagtatag ng IPAG ay ang pagbalangkas ng konstitusyon
nito, ang pagtuturo sa wika at galaw ng pangalay sa mga kasapi, at ang malikhaing
paggamit ng papet sa teatro gamit ang kamay at anino. Nanatili siyang tagapayo
ng MSU-IIT hanggang sa pagtatapos ng taong akademiko 1979-80, at nagpatuloy
ang suporta niya sa IPAG sa mga sumunod pang taon. Bukod dito, nangibabaw
ang pangalay bilang pangunahing koryograpiya nila sa mga pagtatanghal ng
sayaw. Isa sa mga miyembrong nagtatag ng IPAG ay ang musikero, manunulat,
at direktor na si Steven Patrick Fernandez, na guro na noon at magiging direktor
pansining ng IPAG sa mga susunod na dekada hanggang sa pagsapit ng bagong
milenyo. Si Fernandez ang pumatnubay sa IPAG upang maging pinaka-aktibong
pangkat panteatro marahil sa labas ng kalakhang Maynila.
Ang layunin ng IPAG nang magsimula ito ay ang simpleng pagtataguyod ng sining
at kultura sa MSU-IIT at sa siyudad ng Iligan sa pamamagitan ng pagtatanghal ng
dula bawat taon. Nakabuo ng limang produksiyon ang IPAG sa unang taon nito
noong 1978-79: ang dulang satiriko na Ito ba ang Iligan?; isang dance-drama, 219
 A Star is Born; isang dance variety show; isang komedi; at isang dulang
gumagamit ng papet. Bagaman kakarampot ang nakukuhang suporta sa
paaralan, bukod sa dahop pa ito sa manonood, nairaos ng IPAG ang ikalawang
taon nito ng tagdula noong 1979 sa pagtatanghal ng dulang orihinal na sinulat
ni Fernandez, ang Makina; at mga dulang may isang yugto na isinalin sa
wikang rehiyunal: Ang Hawla ni Nonilon Queaño at Kastilyo ni Kardo ni Jose
Ibarra Angeles.
Nagmarka ang taong 1981 sa IPAG dahil sa isang kalunos-lunos na aksidente.
Isang linggo bago ang unang pagpapalabas ng dance-drama musical
na Sarimanok para sa ikatlong taon ng IPAG noong 1980, binomba ang
plaza sa bayan kung saan nagaganap ang isang paligsahan sa pagkanta na
ikinasawi ng maraming mamamayan. Dahil sa pangyayaring ito, ipinagbawal
ng pamahalaan ang malalaking pagtitipon. Sadyang mapalad at nausad
Venus Tan, Jean ang unang gabi ng pagtatanghal ng Sarimanok dahil naiwasan nito ang
Graciela Penola, makapagpalabas ng isang dulang hindi pa naensayo nang ganap at tunay na
at Hobart Savior napaghandaan. Kaya sinamantala ng IPAG ang buong taon upang busisiin
sa Mingming, at pagbutihin ang iskrip, musika, at koryograpiya ng dula. Bunga nito, naging
direksiyon ni
Steven P.C. matagumpay ang pagtatanghal ng Sarimanok noong 1981. Kinawilihan
Fernandez, 2004 ng mga taga MSU-IIT ang alegorya ng isang ibong naghahangad na
pumailanlang nang lagpas sa kaniyang hangganan na ang pangalan ay hango

220
sa mitikal na ibon ng kuwentong Maranaw. Itinanghal ang dula sa Luce Auditorium,

IPAG
Unibersidad ng Silliman kung saan kinalugdan din ito ng manonood at umani ng mga
papuri. Naipalabas ang Sarimanok sa buong bansa sa tulong na ipinagkaloob ng CCP
hanggang 1989.

Ang Mga Dula Tungkol sa Tri-People ng Mindanao

at Pamanang Kultural ng Asya
Ang mga produksiyon ng IPAG ay halaw sa mga katutubong sanggunian at
kontemporanyong karanasan ng mga Lumad, Moro, at nakararaming Kristiyano.
Marahil ang pinakamainam na halimbawa ng istilo at nilalaman ng mga pagtatanghal
ng IPAG ay matutunghayan sa Sinulog: Isang Pagdiriwang, 1991, na ang naging
bagong pamagat ay Buhay, Pag-ibig, at Kamatayan: Mga Kuwentong Mindanao/
Tales from Mindanaw para sa Unang Tagpo ng CCP sa Unang Pambansang Pestibal
ng Dula noong 1992. Ang dulang ito ay binubuo ng mga episodyong naglalaman ng
mga kuwento tungkol sa kalagayan ng tri-people at mga sinaunang mito at ritwal.
Ginamit dito ang pangalay na pinagyaman ng malikhaing galaw, tradisyunal na sayaw
gaya ng dugso at binanog, at tradisyunal na laban gaya ng saut, eskrima, at sagayan.
Sinadyang bukas ang balangkas ng dula sa paglikha ng mga bagong episodyo na
maaaring idagdag upang makaangkop sa sensibilidad ng manonood at tumugma sa
mga pangangailangan ng dula habang ipinapalabas ito sa loob at labas ng bansa mula
1996 hanggang 2018.

Ang maikling distansiya ng kampus ng MSU-IIT sa mga komunidad ng katutubo ang

nagbukas ng pagkakataon para maranasan nila ang pamumuhay ng mga lokal at
magkaroon ng malalim na pagkaunawa sa kalagayan ng mga katutubo o indigenous
peoples (IPs), gaya ng mga Maranaw, Maguindanaw, Higaonon, Iliganon, at Manobo.
Bukal ng mayamang teksto para sa paghabi ng kuwento ang makasaysayang
pakikibaka ng mga IPs. Ang Datu Matu, 1995, ay isang kuwentong hango sa kasaysayan
na naglalaman ng pagtutol ng mga Moro sa pananakop ng Amerikano at mga eksena
ng mga tunay na pangyayari, gaya ng mga labanan sa Bud Dajo, 1906, at Bud Bagsak,
1913, na parehong naganap sa Sulu; at sa Bayang, 1902 at 1917 sa Lanao. Ang Datu
Mankalasi, 2017, ay pagsasadula ng buhay at kamatayan ni Datu Mankalasi, isang
Agusanong Manobo na lumaban sa isang magtotroso na suportado ng militar noong
dekaka 1980.

Ang mga mito at alamat ay mahahalagang kaban ng sanggunian para sa paglikha

ng mga orihinal na dula. Itinanghal sa Ang Ranaw: Isang Alamat, 1986, ang
pakikipagsapalaran ni Bato Lakungan, ang bayaning epiko at itinuturing na ninuno
ng mga naninirahan sa gitnang hilaga ng Mindanao. Ang The Abduction of Arkat a
Lawanen, 1998, ay isang dance-drama na hango sa epikong Darangen, at nakatuon sa
pagkadakip kay Bai Lawanen ni Salingdagaw, na kaaway ni Datu Bantugan. Inihambing
ng How the Women of Joaquin Met Lawanen, 2000, ang mga babaeng tauhan
ni Nick Joaquin sa kababaihan ng Lawanen mula sa epikong Maranaw. Sa Uwahig, 221
IPAG 2006, ginamit ang isang alamat ng mga taga-Bukidnon tungkol sa pagkagunaw ng
mundo sa epiko ng Maguindanaw-Maranaw na Indarapatra at Sulayman. Isinadula
ng Hapoy daw Waig, 2012, ang pakikipagsapalaran ng bayaning epiko ng Liano/Iranun
na si Agyu.

Nakapagtanghal ang IPAG ng mga dulang tumatalakay sa sosyo-kultural na kaligiran

na kinakaharap ng indibidwal at lipunan: ang MingMing, 2004, na isinulat ni
Fernandez at nagwagi ng unang gantimpala sa Palanca ay nagsasadula ng hidwaang
naganap sa isang angkan ng Moro sa loob ng tatlong salinlahi. Ang Reviving
Subalternity, 2004, na isang kolaborasyon ng mga pangkat buhat sa Cambodia, Taiwan,
at Hongkong ay pagsasadula ng nagaganap na panghihina ng mga tiyak na institusyon
sa lipunan dahil sa globalisasyon, na gumagamit ng pangalay, robam noran, papet ng
Khmer, at kung fu. Ang Suhi, 2010, ay isang adaptasyon ng Oedipus Rex sa probinsiya
ng Maguindanao. Ang Orpheus: The Trilogy, 2017, ay isang modernong adaptasyon ng
klasiko at Griyegong kuwento nina Orpheus at Eurydice, na iniangkop sa pang-araw-
araw na sitwasyon at buhay.

Ang mga isinulat ng mga fellow ng National Iligan Workshop ay isinasadulang mabuti ng
mga direktor, aktor, at miyembro ng IPAG. Dalawang dula ang naipalabas noong 2013:
ang Makahiya (Bashful Plant) ay tungkol sa isang batang preso na nagbalak maghiganti
sa taong pumaslang sa kaniyang lolo at lola. Tinalakay ng Banwa ang tunggaliang
ideolohikal sa pagitan ng dalawang kadre ng NPA na kapwa naghihinala ng pagtataksil
sa bawat isa. Dalawa pang produksiyon ang naipalabas noong 2015. Sinuri ng Maratabat
ang konsepto ng dangal at integridad ng Maranaw, na kaiba sa karaniwang konsepto
ng hustisya. Ang Dalawang Gabi ay tungkol sa ugnayang namagitan sa isang babaeng
guro at kaniyang estudyante, na gumagamit ng peministang pananaw.

Ang patuloy na paglinang ng IPAG sa sayaw, musika, at iba-ibang midya ay nagluwal ng

mga produksiyong gaya ng SugaTula, 2009, na gumamit ng mga tula ng mga makatang
tagatimog na itinanghal sa pamamagitan ng sayaw, musika, at imahen. Ang Tighod,
2019, na isang produksiyon na gumamit ng iba-ibang midya at sinangkapan ng sayaw
at tagulaylay ay tungkol sa mga nilalang sa tubig na pumaroon sa isang bagong mundo
sa kasunduang hindi na sila maaaring magbalik sa pinanggalingan.

Marahil ang pinakabonggang produksiyon ng IPAG ay ang Sita: The Ramayana

Revisited, 2015, isang pagsasalaysay muli ng epikong Ramayana na ang tagpuan ay
sa Pilipinas. Naitanghal ito noong 2019 sa Ayodha, kung saan ipinanganak si Rama,
matapos ang pagtatanghal nito sa Singapore, Bangkok, New Delhi, Kolkata, at Mumbai
mula 2016 hanggang 2019.

Mula 1994 hanggang 2019, itinaguyod ng IPAG ang pagkakawanggawa sa loob at labas
ng bansa bilang kinatawan ng Pilipinas sa mga pangunahing pestibal at pandaigdigang
pagtitipon: ang Singapore International Festival of the Arts, 1994; ang Schagen
222 International Festival and Holten International Folkloric Festival sa Netherlands, at
ang Stockton International Street Theater Festival sa United Kingdom, 1996; Michael John
ang Festival de L’Ephemere Remiremont sa Pransiya, 1997; ang Ourenze Lagura (Rama),
Trixcel Emborong
International Folkloric Festival sa Espanya at ang Metz International Festival sa (Hanuman), at
Pransiya, 1998; ang Changhua International Art Festival sa Taiwan, 2001; ang Gaspar Cortes, Jr.
World Cup International Kid Festival Daejeon sa South Korea, ang Murcia 35th (Lawana) sa Sita:
International Mediterranean Festival sa Espanya, ang Command Performance The Ramayana
para kay Prince Albert ng Monaco, na naganap lahat noong 2002; ang Asia Revisited, direksiyon
ni Steven P.C.
Meets Asia Festival sa Tokyo, Japan, 2004; ang Taipei Arts Festival, 2007; ang Fernandez, 2015
APB Drama Festivals sa Taiwan, 2012, Vietnam, 2013, Shanghai, 2014 at 2017,
Singapore, 2015, at Hanoi, 2019; ang Philippine Independence celebration sa
Vietnam, 2013; ang India-ASEAN Summit sa New Delhi, 2018; ang ASEAN
Plus Festival sa Bangkok, 2017; ang Mumbai Ramayana Festival, 2019; ang
US-Philippine Centennial sa Hawaii, 2006; at ang US Migrant Heritage sa
Virginia, 2018. Higit na nakilala at hinangaan ang sining at kultura ng Pilipinas
dahil sa mga pagtatanghal na ito.

Pagpapahusay sa Mga Artista at Tagapamahala

sa Sining ng IPAG
May 10,000 estudyante ang MSU-IIT. Hindi lamang ito mga masugid
na manonood ng IPAG, bagkus bukal din ang populasyong ito ng mga
lider at artista ng tanghalan para sa IPAG. Sa mga nakalipas na dekada, 223
Left to right: Lara napangatawanan ng IPAG ang paglikha ng dalawang bagong dula bawat
Maglinao, Wenna taon na naipalalabas nang 11 hanggang 17 beses sa loob ng mga buwan ng
Balaido-Damulo,
Farrah Fabriga,
pagtatanghal nito, at humigit-kumulang sa 50 beses na pagtatanghal sa
William Shakespeare buong bansa, bukod pa ang pagpapalabas sa ibang bansa. Naisakatuparan
Lavina, Prosfe ito ng IPAG dahil sa mga pinagkakatiwalaan nitong kalipunan ng manunulat,
Yee, Onnah Pierre direktor, koryograper, mananayaw, aktor, tagadisenyo ng produksiyon,
Talle, and Leilani tagapamahala ng entablado, at tagapamahala ng produksiyon. Ang mga
Monterola-Fernandez
in How the Women residenteng artista ng IPAG hanggang noong 2020 ay sina Allyson Jane
of Joaquin Met M. Dantes, Andrew Salazar, Arlem M. Abanes, Hernenigildo M. Dico, Jan
Lawanen, directed Christian Pagarigan, Jeannie M. Darantinao, Jet J. Almosera, Junah Lacasan-
by Steven P.C. Nagba, Kassandhra Evana Suazo, Kenn Erwin Velasquez, Kim Indino, Leilani
Fernandez, 2000
M. Fernandez, Lilybeth Maraon, Louchelle Terese D. Dano, Melvin
Pascubillo, Meshaq G. Dangel, Ricky Duran, Sasha Blanche Asuncion, Vanesa
Grace Casanes, Vicmar Paloma, at Victor Arlan.
Kaugnay sa pagtataguyod ng kasapian, nilalayon ng IPAG na linangin ang
isang “responsive organization of highly-motivated artists and cultural workers
that produce works with the highest standard” (organisasyong binubuo ng
mga masikhay na artista at manggagawang pangkultura na lumilikha ng
mga obrang mataas ang pamantayan). Upang maisakatuparan ito, nahahati
ang kasapian ng IPAG sa mga pangkat Pansining, Pananaliksik, Pamamahala
at Tauhan, at Produksiyong Teknikal. Ang gawaing kaugnay sa negosyo
at pananalapi ay nasa ilalim ng Pamimili, Pagbebenta at Promosyon. Ang
pagsasanay, edukasyon, at publikasyon ay tungkulin ng IPAG-Artist Resource
Management Inc. (IPAG-ARM), isang organisasyon na pinangungunahan ng
224 programa ng Kultura at Araling Pansining ng MSU-IIT.
Bukod sa pagtatanghal ng mga dula, misyon din ng IPAG ang makapagbigay ng

IPAG
kasanayan sa mga mamamayan tungo sa ibayong pagpapaunlad ng komunidad sa
pamamagitan ng teatro. Nakapagbigay na ng kasanayan ang IPAG sa daan-daang
indibiduwal para makamit ang layong ito. Samantala, maaaring mag-aprentis ang
mga indibidwal na nais matuto ng mga kaalamang artistiko at teknikal sa teatro
sa pamamagitan ng IPAG-ARM. Nagbibigay rin ng mga maiksing kurso ang IPAG
para sa pagdirihe, pamamahala sa sining, koryograpiya, at pagtatanghal. Gayundin,
nagsasagawa ito ng mga panayam sa larang ng humanidades, mga kaalamang pang-
entablado, at pagpapahalaga sa sining.
Sa pamamagitan ng mga pagsasanay at edukasyon, naitaguyod ng IPAG ang mismong
mga miyembro nito upang maging hasa sa iba’t ibang aspekto ng sining na nakatuon
sa paglilingkod sa komunidad at lumilikha ng dulaang tumutugon sa pangangailangan
ng lipunan.

Pag-ani ng Mga Pagkilala at Gantimpala

Bunga ng tiyaga at kolektibong pagpupunyagi ng mga artista
at aprentis ng IPAG, nakamit nito sa wakas ang tagumpay
at mataas na antas ng kahusayan sa sining sa kaniyang
mga produksiyon, na naging dahilan ng pag-ani nito ng
mga parangal at pagkilala. Noong 1986, kinilala ang Patas
na pinakamahusay na dula sa CCP Playwriting Workshop.
Noong 1989, ang kanilang bersiyon ng Ang Paglilitis ni Mang
Serapio ay nanalo sa 1989 National Drama Competition
sa Mindanao. Ang iba pang mga dula na nakatanggap ng
pagkilala ay ang Datu Matu, na nabigyan ng CCP Grant Award
noong 1992, at ang Sarimanok, na nakatanggap ng pagkilala
buhat sa UP Likhaan noong 1986.

Idineklara ng Pamahalaang Panlungsod ng Iligan ang IPAG

bilang Pinakamahusay na Pangkat sa larang ng Kultura at
Sining noong 1996. Noong 2002, nakamit ng Tales from
Mindanao ang grand prize mula sa Concourse de Chanson
Internationaux. Noon ding taong iyon, sa 13th International
Folkloric Festival sa Port Sur Saone, France, napili ang IPAG
bilang isang pangkat na may pinakamaraming gantimpala.
Noong 2013, nahalal ang IPAG bilang miyembro ng UNESCO–
International Theatre Institute Asia Pacific Bureau of Theatre
Schools. Noong 2015, ibinigay sa pangkat ang Gawad Pedro Danielle Salaan sa
Datu-Mankalasi, direksiyon ni
Bucaneg. Noong 2014, ipinagkaloob kay Steven Patrick C. Steven P.C. Fernandez, 2017
Fernandez ang Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas
ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. Noong 2020,
ipinagkaloob sa IPAG at kay Fernandez ang CCP Gador Award, 225
at natanggap ng IPAG ang Gawad CCP Para sa Sining.
 IPAG in USA, 2006

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Selected
Productions
Mga Piling
Produksiyon
Ito Ba ang Iligan?, 1978
A Star is Born, 1978
Makina, 1979
Ang Hawla, 1979
Kastilyo ni Kardo, 1979
Bunga’t Singot, Not for Adults Only,
Ang Manok at ang Lawin, A Hand-and
Shadow Puppet Show, 1979
Sarimanok, 1981
Bayan-Bayanan, 1982
Kwadradong Paraiso, 1982
New Yorker Kuno, 1982
Sistema ni Tuko, 1983
Ang Paglilitis kay Mang Serapio, 1983
May Isang Sundalo, 1983
Ang Mundo ni Tao, 1984
Oli Impan, 1984
Pagsambang Bayan, 1985
Kasalan sa Likod ng Simbahan, 1985
Ranaw: Isang Alamat, 1986
Patas, 1986
Batang Pro, 1987
Kawing, 1988
Dalawa, 1988
Sinulog: Isang Pagdiriwang, 1991
Buhay, Pag-ibig, at Kamatayan:
Mga Kuwentong Mindanao/
Tales from Mindanaw, 1992
Datu Matu, 1995
The Abduction of Arkat a Lawanen, 1998
How the Women of Joaquin Met Lawanen,
2000
MingMing, 2004
Reviving Subalternity, 2004
Uwahig, 2006 Gintong Alab sa Silangan, 2017
Babuyan Island, 2006 Datu Mankalasi, 2017
Welcome to Intelstar, 2007 Tribes For Peace, 2018
Of Cocks and Roces, 2007 Tighod, 2019
SugaTula (original title: Tula Tugma sa
Sayaw at Dula), 2009
Suhi, 2010
Full-length Comic Stand-Up Concerts
Mga Konsiyertong Nakakatawa sa
Hapoy Daw Waig, 2011
Anyo ng Dula na Ganap ang Haba
Banwa, 2013
Makahiya, 2013 Are You Serious?, 1987
Sita: The Ramayana Revisited, 2015 You Are Serious, Steven P.,1988
Maratabat, 2015 Deliriously Serious, 1989
Dalawang Gabi, 2015 Heart Attack, 1992
Orpheus Trilogy, 2017 Couple’s Choice, 1994
227
Junyee
VISUAL ARTS

229
 Citation

Junyee’s art has contributed immensely to our nation. In

creating installations for the ordinary citizen, rising in public
spaces, and featuring indigenous materials, he has stirred the
bayanihan spirit, the sense of fellowship animating both small
communities and the greater nation, as well as our own Filipino
identity, while affirming the need to protect the ecologies of
both nation and world for those who stand next in line.

For creating original installations which incorporate materials

drawn from both nature and the environment, blending
sculpture and architecture, and quite evocative of a unique
aesthetics—ephemeral even as it is organic, intimately
experienced, ever-changing, cyclical, widely reproducible,
not shaped by or reliant on imported Western materials, and
attuned to the landscape, to natural light, air, and the myriad
sounds of the world around us;

For rejecting the view where art is mounted merely on the

art gallery’s walls, within edifices where only the rich enter;
for insisting that art becomes more deeply rewarding when
installed in open spaces accessed by ordinary citizens as they
pass by;

For creating art as political action, resisting oppressive trends

and trades while imbuing it with hope, to convey ideas and
feelings that advance the welfare of both society and nature;

For teaching and disseminating a new philosophy and

aesthetics through his indigenous practice, passed on to both
common folk and a new generation of artists;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Junyee this 7th

day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

230
 Pagkilala

Malaki ang naging kontribusyon ng sining ni Junyee sa bansa. Ang

paglikha niya ng mga instalasyong gumagamit ng katutubong materyales
at itinatayo sa labasan para sa karaniwang mamamayan ay nagpasigla
sa diwa ng bayanihan, ng pakikipagkapwa sa komunidad at bayan, at sa
pagkakilanlang Pilipino, habang iginigiit ang halaga ng pangangalaga sa
ekolohiya ng bayan at ng mundo para sa susunod na henerasyon.

Para sa paglikha niya ng orihinal na instalasyong gumagamit

ng materyales mula sa kalikasan at sa kapaligiran, mga obrang
pinagsamang eskultura at arkitektura na may sariling estetika—
pansamantala dahil organiko, dinadanas, nagbabago, nauulit, natutularan
kung saan-saan, hindi umaasa o hinuhubog ng imported na materyales
mula sa Kanluran, at iniaayon sa tanawin, liwanag, hangin, at tunog ng
kapaligiran;

Para sa pagtalikod niya sa konsepto ng sining na sinasabit sa dingding

ng art gallery na nasa loob ng mga gusali na maykaya lamang ang
nakakapasok at sa paggigiit niya na ang likhang-sining ay dapat itayo
sa mga publikong lugar na nadaraanan at nakikita ng karaniwang
mamamayan;

Para sa paglikha niya ng sining bilang politikal na pagkilos, na

sumasalungat sa kalakaran at kalakalang mapang-api sa taumbayan,
ngunit puno naman ng pag-asa dahil nakatuon sa pagpapahayag ng
mga kaisipan at damdamin na nagsusulong sa kapakanan ng bayan at
kalikasan;

Para sa pagtuturo niya at pagpapalaganap ng makabagong pilosopiya,

estetika, at praktis na katutubo, sa susunod na henerasyon ng mga artista
at karaniwang taumbayan;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Junyee ngayong

ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas,
Maynila, Pilipinas.

231
 Junyee Likhang-Sining
Mula sa Kalikasan, Para
sa Bayan at Kalikasan
Imelda Cajipe-Endaya

Sa pagnanais niyang buwagin ang pamantayang kanluranin sa paglikha ng

kontemporanyong sining, nanguna si Junyee sa paglikha ng makabagong estetikang
katutubo. Tinalikuran niya ang paggamit ng mamahaling imported na materyales
at ginamit ang mga labi ng kalikasan sa kanayunan at sa mga gubat. Inilabas niya
mula sa art gallery ng maykaya ang likhang-sining at inilagay ito sa liwasang daanan
ng karaniwang mamamayan. Para kay Junyee, ang sining ay politikal na pagkilos,
sumasalungat sa kalakaran at kalakalang mapang-api, ngunit puno ng pag-asa, dahil
pumupukaw ng isip at damdamin ng mamamayan para pangalagaan ang bayan at
kapaligiran.

Ipinanganak si Junyee sa Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte noong 1942 sa isang Tsinong
ama at Bisayang ina na nagmahal at nag-aruga sa kaniya. Ngunit salungat si Junyee sa
pangarap nilang siya’y maging negosyante, at sila naman ay hindi sang-ayon na siya’y
maging artist. Sa edad na 17, lumayas siya upang maghanapbuhay habang nag-aaral,
nagyao’t-dito sa Cebu, Surigao, at Cabadbaran. Natutuhan niyang mamuhay nang
simpleng-simple. Ang buhay niya’y nagkaroon ng ritmong lagalag, walang iniingatang
ari-arian, sanay mag-alsa-balutan, walang pinoproblemang bagahe, at malayang
nagpapalipat-lipat ng tirahan—hanggang sa makapagtapos siya sa Unibersidad ng
232 Pilipinas (UP) Kolehiyo ng Sining Biswal sa pagkupkop, pagtataguyod, at pagtuturo ng
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Napoleon V. Abueva. Malaki ang naging Isang Daan,
kompiyansa ni Abueva kay Junyee sa pagbuo ng mga proyekto sa eskultura, at Sentrong
maging sa paghubog ng putik, plaster o semento para lumikha ng mga pigura, Pangkultura ng
Pilipinas, 1998
pagwewelding ng mga bakal, at pag-ukit ng matitigas na kahoy at bato.
Ang huwarang eskultura ay natatanaw mula sa iba’t ibang anggulo, matigas,
matayog, at permanente.

Pero eskultura man ang matibay na pundasyon ng kaalaman ni Junyee,

ang imahinasyon at paniniwala niya sa katutubong proseso ng paglikha
ang nanaig sa kaniyang pagkatao. Binigyang-diin niya ang kahalagahan ng
danas bilang elemento ng kontemporanyong sining biswal. Kalakip nito ang
tuloy-tuloy na pagbabago ng gamit na materyales. Sa mga panahong iyon,
siya’y naging makabayang aktibista, nakibaka kasama ng mga pesante, at
nanirahan sa bundok nang may tatlong taon. Ang karanasang ito ng pakikiisa
at pagsisilbi sa kapwa ang nag-udyok sa kaniya na likhain ang Balag noong
1970 sa kampus ng UP. Ayon sa kaniyang patotoo, gumapas siya ng ilang
puno ng kawayan sa paligid ng kampus, tinalian ang mga ito at nagtindig ng
pangkaraniwang balag na may walong piye ang taas. Ito’y nagsilbing munting
tagpuan ng ilang mag-aaaral na dito nagtalakayan, umawit, nagsabit ng
233
 mga tula, sipi, kendi, love letters, at mga palamuti. Bagaman wala pa ang
“instalasyon” sa bokabularyo ni Junyee noon, ito ang naging simula ng
walang-maliw na pagtahak niya sa landas ng sining na konseptuwal, sining
na may malalim na pananaw sa kapwa, pansamantala ang saysay, maaaring
ilipat-lipat, nakatuon sa danas, maaaring magtagal sa alaala, o maaari ding
malimutan.

Ang kanluraning sining ay kasangkapan ng kalakalan ng mayayamang

bansa—patuloy pa ni Junyee— mula sa paggawa nito kung saan ang gamit ay
mga mamahaling kulay, oleo, pinsel, kambas, papel, at teknolohiya, hanggang
sa pagtatanghal ng mga ito upang magsilbing palamuti, pamantayan ng
pananalapi, at sagisag ng kapangyarihan ng naghaharing uri. Bagama’t
si Junyee’y premyadong eskultor at bihasang pintor, tinalikuran niya ang
paggamit ng imported na materyales. Sa halip, mga tira-tira ng gubat sa
paanan ng Bundok Makiling ang ginamit niya sa paglikha. Mula noong 1975
nang tumira siya sa UP Los Baños, nakaugalian niyang maglinis sa likod-bahay
at sa mga puwang ng gubat at mamulot at mag-imbak ng mga basurang
natural na pakikinabangan pa. Naniniwala siyang ang tradisyunal na likhang
hango sa katutubong kultura ng bansa at ng mga umuunlad na nasyon sa Asya
ang makatutulong sa pagbangon nila mula sa lugmok na kalagayan.

Sa panahong masigabo ang pagtatayo ng mga engrandeng palatandaang

Extinct Future, gusali at pamimili ng sining para sa magarbong palabas ng diktadurang
Sining Kamalig, 1983 Marcos sa IMF-Word Bank Meeting sa Maynila, at habang pinagtatatakpan

234
ng gobyerno ng puting dingding at ng mga Kulay Anyo murals ang barong-barong ng

JUNYEE
mga maralitang tagalungsod, nilikha ni Junyee ang Malabayabas, 1976, sa Rizal Park.
Iyon ay eskulturang binubuo ng maiikling piraso ng troso, sinalansan pataas mula sa
kuwadradong lay-out, upang maging serye ng modular na mga kolum. Eskultura ito
dahil matigas at may permenenteng sangkap, ngunit maaaring hawakan, napapagalaw,
dinadanas, at naililipat-lipat upang maiba ang ayos at anyo. Makalipas ang ilang
buwan, ang mga piraso ng kahoy ay ipinamigay na lamang sa mga nangangailangan
nito. Ito ang mapayapang protesta ni Junyee sa sistemang umiiral.

Napakahusay humubog ni Junyee ng mga organikong bagay, maglala ng mga

natatanging hugis sa mga espasyo, at magtagni-tagni sa mga ito para maging
palaisipan o kanlungan. Ang mga tema niya ay hango sa katutubong diwa, mula sa
espiritu ng kabundukan. Hindi siya tumigil sa paggawa ng mga bagay na bunga ng
kaniyang pantasya. Nakagawian na niyang gamitin ang mga tangkay, baging, saha,
balatbunga ng akasya, kawayan, yantok, at iba pang labi ng halaman. Ang ilan ay may
sangkap na tunog—pagkat may buto, bato o butil, na tumutunog pag naaalog ng ihip
ng hangin. Sa pagbugkos-bugkos ng mga dahon ng saging, na tinalian ng tangkay at
tinusukan ng tuyong supot ng kapok, nakalikha siya ng mga tila insektong nakatutusok
at gumagapang. May isang talampakan ang haba ng bawat isa, naisasabit at naisasayos
ang mga ito sa iba’t ibang paraan. Wood Things, 1980, ang naging bantog na pangalan
ng mga likhang sining na ito.

Ito na rin ang naging pamagat ng eksibisyong solo niya na Wood Things, 1981, sa
Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas (CCP) Small Gallery noong 1981. Nang dalhin niya
ang mga likhang labi ng gubat sa mga espasyo sa loob ng CCP, ang instalasyon ay
nagsilbing paalala sa tumitingin na may matiwasay na kagubatan sa labas ng siyudad
na kailangang pangalagaan. Sa paggamit ng mga laglag at lagas na halaman, ang
pumanaw na ay nabibigyan ng bagong saysay. Mula sa mga labi ng pagkabulok at
kamatayan, ang mga instalasyon ay nag-uusbong ng bagong buhay. Bagong kariktan at
kaisipan ang pumupukaw sa haraya’t damdamin ng tumitingin dito. Ito ang pahiwatig
ng Wood Things, 1982, na siya ring kumatawan sa Pilipinas sa ika-12 Paris Biennale
noong 1982.

Nang ginawaran siya ng CCP Thirteen Artists Award noong 1980, nagpasya si Junyee
na imbis na tanggapin ang gawad para sa sarili, gagamitin niya ang pondo para sa
proyektong kolaborasyon sa paggawa ng organikong sining biswal, na itatayo sa mga
espasyo ng gubat ng Makiling. Tinawag niya itong “Los Baños Site Works Festival.” May
sandosenang kilalang artista at piling mag-aaaral ng Philippine High School for the
Arts ang kaniyang binigyan ng workshop upang lumikha ng indibidwal na likhang
sining at makilahok sa bayanihang pagbuo ng instalasyong pangkapaligiran. Nabuo
sa ganitong paraaang collaborative ang Los Baños Site Works, 1981, Works on Site,
1983, at Site Works II, 1984, sa UPLB. Dahil dito, malaki ang naging impluwensiya
niya sa mga estilo at praktis ng mga artistang nagsilahok. Bukod dito, itinatag niya sa
mga panahong ito ang Sining Makiling, nag-iisa at unang art gallery sa kampus ng UP 235
Los Baños. Ang mga artistang lokal ay nabigyan ng oportunidad na pagyamanin ang
 JUNYEE paglikha at pagpapalabas ng kanilang sining para sa komunidad. Siya’y
nanilbihan sa art gallery nang walang sahod sa loob ng apat na taon.

Kung sariwang kariktan ang pahiwatig ng mga nakaraang instalasyon,

karimlan naman ang nadama sa instalasyong Extinct Future, 1983,
sa Sining Kamalig, kung saan ang gallery ay tila naging libingan na
pinagmumultuhan, dahil kinalatan ng mga tuyong buto, bao ng niyog, at
balatbunga ng acacia. Nakakabalisa ang tanawing ito na nagbababala sa
tumitingin, na salot ang kahihinatnan ng pagtalampasan na ginagawa
natin sa kalikasan. Ang kapanglawan nito’y sinilayan ng mumunting
pag-asa na dulot ng mga palawit na yari sa binungkos na tuyong dahon,
tulad ng mga obheto ng Urban Series, 1983, at ilang Wood Things na
nasa pader.

Ang Unpath, 1984, sa Pinaglabanan Galleries ay instalasyon sa

maaliwalas na modernong hardin, isang payak na latag ng mga bao ng
niyog, mga Wood Things, at balatbunga ng kapok. Ito’y pinagitnaan ng
lean-to o nakahilig na kanlungan, tulad ng karaniwang ginagamit ng mga
Ayta at Dumagat. Ang instalasyon ay paanyayang magbalik-katutubo, o
magbalik-organiko tayo sa ating pang araw-araw na pamumuhay.

Ang Bagong Binhi, 1986, ay eskulturang nanalo ng Grand Prize sa Art

Association of the Philippines (AAP). Nakakagitla ang pagkapanalong
ito at makasaysayan, dahil ito’y patunay na naging katanggap-tanggap
na sa mga hurado at art community ang paggamit ng organiko, libre, at
di-permenenteng materyales para sa eskultura.

Pabalat ng Wood "ings, 2017
236
Nang nanirahan siya sa Fukuoka, Japan nang may anim na taon kasama
ang kaniyang kabiyak na si Tess Gatchalian-Yee, na noo’y iskolar ng
Ph.D. doon, naipabatid ng mag-asawa sa mga institusyon ng siyudad
ang kadalubhasaan ni Junyee sa kontemporanyong sining. Kinilala ng
Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka Art Museum, at Fukuoka Prefectural
Museum ang kaniyang kahusayan sa sining instalasyon na hinahango
sa natuyong kalikasan. Noong 1991, naatasan siyang gumawa ng
inaasahang engrandeng obra tungkol sa ekolohiya, na itatanghal sa
kalagitnaan ng Fukuoka Park. Nabaligtad ang akala ng institusyon
na papuri sa kapaligiran ang bubuuin ni Junyee. Progresibo at kritikal
pala ang balak niyang konsepto. Ngunit hindi nila hinadlangan ang
mapagpunang layon ng instalasyon. Ang tinuunan ng pansin ni Junyee
ay ang nakababahalang epekto sa ekolohiya ng mabilis na pag-unlad
ng teknolohiya at ekonomiya ng bansang Hapon. Ibig niyang ipahiwatig
na ang karangyaan ng karaniwang mamamayang Hapon ay hahantong
sa lagim na iluluwal ng krisis sa klima ng mundo. Sa ordinaryong araw,
karaniwang ang kapitbahayan sa siyudad ay nagtatapon na lamang
sa harap ng bahay nila ng maayos pang bisikleta, refrigerator, radyo,
telebisyon, at mga appliance o gadyet
na ibig palitan ng bago. Kinolekta ni
Junyee ang ilan sa mga ito, binalot sa
itim na supot ng plastik, pinagdugtung-
dugtong sa isang lambat, pinalamutian,
at pinamagatang City Things, 1991,
instalasyong nakakabagabag sa
konsensiya ng mamamayan at ng mga
makapangyarihan sa negosyo’t politika.

Ang kabanatang kasunod nito ay ang

Breeding Ground, 1993, sa First Asia
Pacific Triennial, Brisbane, Australia,
na itinanghal sa labas ng Queensland
Cultural Center. Malalaki at klarong
plastik bag na may lamang katiting
na basura ang kinolekta ni Junyee sa
komunidad. Hinipan niya at binusog
sa hangin ang mga ito hanggang sa
magmukhang busilak na mga unan,
at pinagpatong-patong sa liwasan ng
museo. Kahali-halina ang malaulap
na mga unan. Ngunit sa kalaunan ng
eksibisyon, ang mga ito’y nagbago.
Namawis at inamag ang basura sa loob,
umimpis ang lobo. Kasama sa konsepto
ng kaniyang likhang-sining ang
prosesong ito, na nagpapahayag na dapat tanggapin ang pagrupok ng buhay, Unpath,
lalo na kung ang kalikasan ay inaabuso ng modernong teknolohiya. Pinaglabanan
Galleries, 1984
Kahit noong sa Japan siya nakatira, bumabalik si Junyee sa Los Baños at
Manila upang ituloy ang kaniyang adbokasiya. Ito ang mga prinsipyong
isinasabuhay niya: Lumikha ng sining na ang gamit ay yagit ng kagubatan,
pansamantala dahil organiko, dinadanas, nagbabago, nauulit, natutularan
kung saan-saan, at hindi nagpapakasangkapan sa mapang-aping kalakalan.
Pormal niyang inihayag ang prinsipyong ito sa manipesto noong 1993 sa
Sali’ng Lahat, Saling Tanggap, ang kumperensiyang pinamunuan niya at ni
Virgilio Aviado, sa pagtatangkilik ng CCP at ASEAN Committee for Culture
and Information (ASEAN COCI), kasama ang mga internasyonal na artista na
hawig kay Junyee ang pananaw at praktis.

Tunay na obra-maestra ang If Rain You Are, I’ll Bathe the Earth With You,
1998, na nilikha para sa Japan National Bamboo Festival sa Oita, Japan.
Ang instalasyon ay hinangaan ng mga Hapon at ng mga internasyonal na 237
dalubhasa sa kawayan. Dalawang daan at limampung tubo ng kawayan,
 na may 15-35 metrong haba ang
bawat isa ang inayos ni Junyee
para maging malasantuwaryong
instalasyon. Ang pinakamahabang
kawayan ay kinayas niya upang
maging matayog na rainstick,
istrumentong musikal na may
tunog-ulan kapag ikinilos pataas
at pababa, at may mga bandera sa
magkabilang dulo. Ang payak na
bantayog ay nagsilbing dambana
ng papuri’t pasasalamat sa
pagpapala ng kalikasan.

Bilang premyo sa kompetisyon ng

National Centennial Commission,
naatasan si Junyee na likhain
ang Isang Daan, 1998, para sa
Dantaong Anibersaryo ng Kalayaan
ng Pilipinas laban sa Espanya. Ang
kahanga-hangang instalasyon ay
itinindig niya sa sang-ektaryang
If Rain You Are, I’ll liwasan sa harap ng CCP sa Roxas Boulevard. Sandaang kawayan na may
Bathe the Earth tatlong dosenang piye ang haba ng bawat isa ang pinakiling niya sa mga
with You, Japan patungan na wari’y kanyon, ngunit nagmukhang mahahabang sundang o
National Bamboo
Festival, 1998 bukawi (kawayang bukawing may matulis na dulo, na ginamit bilang sibat
sa panahon ng rebolusyon) dahil payat at matulis. Ang mga ito’y nagsilbi
ring tagdan na pinagwagaywayan ng mga pulang watawat ng Katipunan.
Ang instalasyon ay waring nagsasaad na ang demokrasya ay kailangang
ipaglaban pa rin sa kasalukuyan, at humaharap pa ito sa mahabang pakikibaka
upang matamo ang soberaniya ng bansa. Ito na marahil ang paglalagom ng
malaking ambag ni Junyee sa sining at identidad ng Pilipino. Ukol sa mga
obra niya noong taong iyon, sinabi niya: “For our centennial, I choose to re-
declare our inherent freedom and dance joyfully through my work… We have
everything we need to be triumphant.” (Alang-alang sa ating sentenaryo,
minarapat ko na muling ipahayag ang ating likas na kalayaan… Nasa atin na
ang lahat ng kailangan natin para magtagumpay.”) Bagama’t sinabi niyang
siya’y hindi nasyonalista, maliwanag na idineklara naman niyang siya’y
makabayan; at malalim ang pagkakaiba ng dalawa. Ang nasyonalismo
ay damdamin lamang at maaaring maging makasarili at mapang-api; ang
pagiging makabayan ay kumakatawan sa diwa ng paglilingkod sa taumbayan.

Si Junyee ay naging inspirasyon at guro sa ilang mga kumperensiya at pista

238 ng sining instalasyon na inorganisa ng mga nakababatang artista, tulad ng
sa Bagasbas Beach International Eco Arts Festival sa Daet, Camarines Norte
sa Bicol noong 2003, sa Sugbu Biennial sa Cebu noong 2005, at sa VIVA Excon sa

JUNYEE
Cebu noong 2010. Di lamang mga alagad ng sining ang nabigyan niya ng inspirasyon
na humango ng mga yagit ng kaikasan sa likod-bahay; maging mga ordinaryong
mamamayan ay nakumbinse niyang maging malikhain sa araw-araw na buhay.
Karaniwan ngayon ang makatagpo ng taong naglalala o nag-iimbento ng kani-
kanilang bagay o kaayusang Junyee.

Ang Angud, A Forest Once, 2007, ay proyekto ni Junyee para sa kampanyang pang-
ekolohiya para sa Earth Day na itinanghal sa harapan ng CCP. Kalakip sa prosesong
ito ang pag-ipon ng mga punong nabuwal sa kalawakan ng CCP Complex noong
nakaraang bagyo, ngunit ang mga kahoy na ito ay pinag-agawan na para gawing
panggatong ng mga naninirahan sa malapit sa CCP. Kaya kinailangang maghanap
muli si Junyee ng mga retaso ng troso. Pamilyar si Junyee sa maraming angud o
bungo, na iniwan ng mga illegal logger sa Nakar, Quezon. Ang angud ay tapyas ng
kahoy, na pinutol sa dulo ng troso, mala-ulo ang laki, may butas na parang mata, na
dating kinakabitan ng lubid para mahila ang mga nakaw na torso mula sa bundok.
May sampung libong nabubulok na angud ang hinakot at inilatag niya sa harapang
liwasan ng CCP. Bawat isa’y tinalian ng mahahabang lasong pula. Nagmistulang
libingan ang anyo ng liwasan. Tila puntod ng gubat na sinalanta ng illegal loggers. Ang
instalasyo’y dagdag pang patunay sa deklarasyon ni Junyee na siya’y social realist at
environmentalist, at ang sining niya ay aksiyong politikal.

Saloobin naman at gawain ng magbubukid ang pinaghugutan ni Junyee ng payak na

konsepto para sa Dissecting Space with Sound and Silence, 2013, sa UP Diliman.
Pinagkabit-kabit niya sa mahabang pisi ang maraming papel na tila puting layag
na pumapagaspas. Naglagay siya ng ilang basyong lata ng ebaporadang sinidlan ng
munting palakpak na tumutunog sa hihip ng hangin. Ang ideya ay hango sa panakot-
uwak ng mga magsasaka. Ito’y halimbawa na ang pangkaraniwang labi, maging
sa kalikasan o iba pang lokal na materyal, ay maaaring buuin para maging likhang
sining na bumabagay sa paligid, liwanag, at hangin, likhang sining na may hatid na
palaisipan.

Sa Kwarantin, 2020, sa UP Vargas Museum, binigyang daan at diin ni Junyee ang

pagdinig sa tinig ng bayan na tumututol sa nangyayari sa kasalukuyan. Ito’y binuo
niya katulong ang mga nakababatang Pito-pito Art Group ng Cavite. Ang instalasyon
ay padaplis na batikos sa paghihigpit at panggigipit sa taumbayan sa panahon ng
pandemya. Gamit ay kawayan, gumawa siya ng mga platapormang pinaligiran ng mga
balustreng sari-sari ang haba, at sa espasyong ito ay naglagay ng mga itim na bilog na
simbolo ng virus. Ang instalasyon ay “pugad” ng talakayan sa paghahanap ng solusyon
sa pandemya.

Malaki ang kontribusyon ng sining ni Junyee sa bansa. Masining ang paglikha

niya ng mga makabagong instalasyong nakaugat sa saloobin ng diwang katutubo,
nagpapasigla sa diwa ng bayanihan sa komunidad at bayan, at nangangalaga sa 239
kagubatan para sa kapakanan ng bayan, ng mundo at ng susunod na henerasyon.
 Junyee Art from Nature,
For Nation and Environ
Imelda Cajipe-Endaya
Translation by D.M. Reyes

In defying Western standards while creating his art today, Junyee paves the way for
contemporary indigenous aesthetics. He has steered clear from expensive imported
materials, favoring, instead, quaint natural debris gathered from forests and faraway
villages. He has seized the work of art from the confines of rich-owned and managed
art galleries, only to install it right down paths trod by everyday citizens. For Junyee,
art is political action, bravely rejecting oppressive trends and trades. Yet his practice
bristles with hope, moving the citizen’s heart and mind to unite with both nation and
the natural world.

Junyee was born in 1942 in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, to a Chinese father and a
Visayan mother who loved and nurtured him. He dashed their hopes for a son turned
rich enterpriser; in turn, they hindered his dream to be an artist. He ran away at 17,
working while going to school, sailing from Cebu to Siargao, then back to Cabadbaran.
The spartan life never fazed him even as he followed the wanderer’s rhythm, devoid of
possessions, quick to drift with the wind, bereft of baggage, and heedless in calling any
place home. He graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Fine
Arts—welcomed, supported, and taught by the National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva. He
gained Abueva’s nod in creating sculptural projects, molding figures out of clay, plaster,
or cement, welding iron, or sculpting while using hardwood or stone. For him, one must
be able to approach the ideal sculpture from any angle—firm, towering, and permanent.

While Junyee’s strengths rest on sculpture, he counts on both the imagination and
indigenous ways of creating. Moreover, he singles out lived experience as something
essential to contemporary visual arts. Consequently, this inspires constant change in
the art materials that he wields.

Back in the day, Junyee started as an activist, waging the collective struggle with
peasants. For some three years, he roamed the mountains. Such humble service
and show of solidarity led him in 1970 to create Balag (Trellis) at the UP Campus. He
remembers cutting off some bamboo from the campus groves. Tying these together,
he set up a trellis about 8 feet tall. His work quickly attracted some students. Under it,
they exchanged ideas, sang, hanged an array of poems, slogans, sweets, love letters,
and even ornamental trifles. Although he had yet to become acquainted with the word
240 “installation,” the experience sent Junyee in tireless pursuit of conceptual art. This is art
conveying a profound vision, mindful of others while projecting something ephemeral,
drifting from place to place as it affirms experience, taking in what could either Wood "ings move-
dwell in memory or fade into oblivion. over exhibit from the
CCP, Metropolitan
Museum of Manila,
Junyee thinks that Western art is a central element in the trade of rich nations— 2017
from its production using expensive colors, oils, pencils, canvas, paper, and
technology to its exhibition, where it ends up as mere artifice, regarded as
the peg in terms of what money can buy while preening as the symbol of
ruling-class hegemony. Though a distinguished sculptor and accomplished
painter, he shuns the use of imported materials. Instead, he prefers picked-
up pieces from the forest at the foothills of Mount Makiling, integrating them
into his creations. Living inside the University of the Philippines campus in Los
Baños (UPLB) since 1975, he has acquired the habit of scouring his backyard,
going as far as the forest ground, in search of recyclable natural debris. For
him, traditional works drawn from the nation’s indigenous cultures and
Asia’s developing nations could help these sectors bounce back from dismal
conditions.

In 1976, Junyee created Malabayabas for the Rizal Park, while the Marcos
regime was in a frenzy to construct landmark edifices and buy art for lavish
241
 spectacles staged during the IMF-World Bank Meeting in Manila. Hastily,
the same government put up white-washed walls painted with Kulay-Anyo
murals to hide the shanties of poor city-dwellers. His sculpture consisted of
modest pieces of logs, rising from a square layout. He styled them to rise as a
series of modular columns. The installation worked as sculpture, its hard and
permanent substance ready to be held, swinging to motion, palpable, closely
felt, moveable, its form and order easily reconfigured. And yet, a few months
later, Junyee had no qualms in giving away his logs to whoever needed them.
This was his peaceful rally against the pervading system.

Junyee is exceptionally skilled in molding organic things, integrating

unique shapes into various spaces, and fusing them to offer refuge or pose
a conundrum. His themes emerge from indigenous thought, echoing the
mountain’s spirit. He never really tires from crafting things prompted by his
own fancies. His works show the deft fusion of branches, vines, soft fleshy
trunk, acacia bark, bamboo, rattan, and other botanical materials. A few
are meant to be heard—encased with seeds, pebbles, or grains that make a
Angud, A Forest
Once, Cultural sound once shaken or stirred by the sudden breeze. As he folds banana leaves
Center of the secured by stalks, spiking them with dried kapok seed pods, he creates the
Philippines, 2007 eerie likeness of insects crawling and advancing. Each one about a foot long,
these objects can be mounted
or arrayed in different ways.
This famous work of art came
to be known as Wood Things,
1980.

Wood Things also served as

the title of his solo exhibition
at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) Small
Gallery in 1981. With forest
remnants moved to the CCP,
the installation reminded
viewers of a peaceful forest
thriving outside the city,
requiring our protection. In
using withered and uprooted
plants, he gives new meaning
to the truth of death. From such
specter of death and decay,
new life paradoxically springs
from his installations. And
those beholding his works
242 experience fresh charm and
scintillating thought. Wood
Things reiterated these same concepts while representing the country during the 12th

JUNYEE
Paris Biennale in 1982.

Upon receiving the CCP Thirteen Artists Award in 1980, Junyee thought that instead
of holding on to the prize money, he would fund a collaborative project creating
organic visual art. Consequently, he set it up inside the Makiling forest, calling it the
Los Baños Site Works Festival. To enable participants to create individual works of
art, he arranged a workshop for a dozen established artists and selected students from
the Philippine High School for the Arts, allowing them to take part in a collaborative
ecological installation. This paved the way for the Los Baños Site Works, 1981, Works
on Site, 1983, and Site Works II, 1984, in UPLB. These also enabled him to exert felt
influence on the style and practice of participating artists. Around the same time, he
opened Sining Makiling, the first and only art gallery inside the UP Los Baños campus.
It gave local artists the chance to enhance their practice and to exhibit their art to the
community. Without any compensation, he served the gallery for four years.

If his previous installations inspired refreshing grandeur, the viewers could not deny
the dark vision informing Extinct Future, 1983, installed at Sining Kamalig. The gallery
was turned into a haunted graveyard, littered with dried bones, coconut shells, and
acacia bark. It was an uncanny spectacle, hinting ominously at the menace caused by
our roughshod trampling of nature. Perhaps to counter such bleakness with a tinge of
hope, Junyee decked out bunches of dried leaves, reminiscent of the objects in Urban
Series, 1983 while those mounted on the wall evoked more of the familiar Wood
Things.

Unpath, 1984, which opened at the Pinaglabanan Galleries, involved a neat modern-
garden installation with a stark spread of empty coconut shells and more of the familiar
Wood Things objects, including kapok bark. At its center stood a lean-to shelter,
reminiscent of that used by the Dumagat or Aytas. The installation enticed spectators
to consider a timely return to the indigenous, or better yet, to uphold organic practice in
everyday life.

The sculpture Bagong Binhi, 1986, took home the Grand Prize from the Art Association
of the Philippines (AAP). This was quite historic and astonishing, proving that both
judges and the art community now welcomed the use of organic, accessible, and
ephemeral materials for sculpture.

While Junyee lived for six years in Fukuoka, Japan, with his wife Tess Gatchalian-Yee,
then a PhD scholar, the couple briefed various city institutions about his engagement
in contemporary art. The Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka Art Museum, and Fukuoka
Prefectural Museum promptly recognized his skills in making installation art from
desiccated natural objects. In 1991, he was commissioned to do the much-awaited
grand ecological centerpiece for the Fukuoka Park. Junyee defied the institution’s
expectations about a piece triumphantly lauding nature. Instead, he proceeded to 243
JUNYEE craft a progressive and critical concept piece. Still, the organizers posed no bitter
objection to this trenchant installation. He highlighted the alarming ecological effects
of the swiftly developing Japanese technology and economy. The work took note of
how the ordinary Japanese citizen’s sense of comfort might trigger something grim,
worsening the climate crisis already felt the world over. He saw how on any given day,
people from the urban neighborhood would junk still-working bicycles, refrigerators,
radios, television, and other gadgets and appliances in front of their house, eager for the
newest models. Junyee picked up some of these discarded objects. He wrapped them
in black plastic bags, assembling them in a net, calling his project City Things, 1991.
The installation appealed to the conscience of the citizens and those in command of
business and politics.

Following this event is Breeding Ground, 1993, installed in front of the Queensland
Cultural Center during the First Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, Australia. Junyee
collected clear, huge plastic bags, inserting some pieces of trash taken from the
community into each one of them. He blew on each one, until the bags ballooned like
silken pillows, piling them on top of each other in front of the museum. The cloud-like
pillows looked enticing this way. Yet as the exhibition days wore on, the individual
pieces went through some visible change. Moisture formed inside each bag, the trash
coating with mold even as the balloons shriveled one by one. The work did not hedge
from revealing a dreadful process, asserting how we must face life’s grim disintegration,
more so when nothing prevents modern technology from undermining nature.

Even when he was based in Japan, Junyee made it a point to return to both Los Baños
and Manila in aid of his advocacy. He espoused the following principles: to create art
using forest remnants, ephemeral because they are organic, intimately felt, constantly
transforming, cyclical, widely reproducible, and resistant to oppressive transactions. He
made a formal declaration of this principle in a 1993 manifesto released during Sali’ng
Lahat, Saling Tanggap, a conference which he chaired with Virgilio Aviado. Gracing
this event were international artists who shared his vision and practice, supported by
the CCP and the ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information (ASEAN COCI).

If Rain You Are, I’ll Bathe the Earth with You, 1998, is an authentic masterpiece that
he created for the Japan National Bamboo Festival in Oita, Japan. The installation
earned the admiration of the Japanese people and a host of international experts on
the bamboo. Junyee arranged some 250 bamboo tubes, each one about 15-35 meters
long, conjuring a sanctuary-like installation. The longest node served as a rainstick, a
musical instrument that produces the sound of falling rain when turned upside down.
He also attached flags to both ends of the rainstick. This simple monument served as
an altar of praise and thanksgiving to natural forces of plenty.

In winning the competition sponsored by the National Centennial Commission, Junyee

earned the right to create Isang Daan, 1998, marking the Centennial of Philippine
244 Independence from Spanish rule. This imposing installation stood at the one-hectare
park fronting the CCP in Roxas Boulevard. He used a hundred bamboo poles, Acid Rain, Alliance
each one measuring about 36 feet long. He made the poles lean on a parapet, Française de Manille,
mounted to look like cannons. At the same time, they seemed like elongated 1989
daggers or bamboo spears—pointed and thin—reminiscent of the bukawi
spears used during the Revolution. They also served as poles for hoisting the
Katipunan’s red revolutionary banners. His installation seemed to convey
that, even at present, democracy requires vigilant defense. A long struggle
lies ahead, in our desire to secure this nation’s true sovereignty. Perhaps, this
one work best sums up Junyee’s monumental contribution to art and Filipino
identity. Of his work that year, Junyee said: “For our centennial, I choose to re-
declare our inherent freedom and dance joyfully through my work ... We have
everything we need to be triumphant.” While denying that he is a nationalist,
Junyee positions himself as a patriot, arguing how a world of difference sets
the two apart. Nationalism is a sentiment that can be selfish and oppressive at
times. But patriotism conveys the spirit of service to the people.

Junyee was both the inspiration and guru for several conferences and art-
installation festivals organized by younger artists, such as Bicol’s Bagasbas
Beach International Eco Arts Festival held in Daet, Camarines Norte in 2003,
245
 the Sugbu Biennial held in Cebu in 2005, and the Cebu VIVA Excon in 2010.
He has inspired not only artists to use natural debris taken from their backyard;
he has also convinced ordinary citizens to pursue creativity in their daily lives.
These days, it is not unusual to meet someone creating something, following
Junyee’s principle.

Angud, A Forest Once, 2007, was Junyee’s project for an Earth-Day ecological
campaign staged at the CCP front yard. In the wake of a devastating typhoon,
the project required gathering felled trees from around the CCP Complex. Yet
settlers living near the area were quick to cart away those trees for firewood.
This prompted Junyee to scout for log trimmings, instead. He set his eyes
on angud or the skull-like remnants left behind by illegal loggers in Nakar,
Quezon. Angud is timber’s pointy end, huge as a human head, bored with eye-
like holes that are fastened with ropes for a smooth drag down the mountain.
Junyee collected some ten thousand pieces of decaying angud, laying them in
front of the CCP. Tying each one with a scarlet ribbon, he transformed the CCP
park to look like a graveyard, yet another forest ravaged by illegal loggers. The
installation further sealed Junyee’s declaration that he is both a social realist
and environmentalist, his art commanding political action.

Kwarantin, In Dissecting Space with Sound and Silence, mounted at UP Diliman in

UP Vargas 2013, Junyee drew from the farmer’s thoughts and labor. With a long piece of
Museum, 2020 string, he strung together many pieces of paper, fluttering like white sails in the

246
wind. He also lined several empty milk cans attached with small clappers that would

JUNYEE
rattle periodically against the blowing wind. The idea was reminiscent of the farmer’s
scarecrow. It demonstrated how commonplace debris, coming from either nature or
other local materials, could yield art that complements the world around us—the light,
the air—riddling our minds at the same time.

In Kwarantin (Quarantine), 2020, held at the UP Vargas Museum, Junyee stressed

the need to listen to the people’s clamor, as they contend with the current situation.
He forged the piece with help from the younger Pito-pito Art Group of Cavite. The
installation took a swipe at how autocratic forces restrain and bear down harshly on
the people during this time of the pandemic. Using bamboo, he set up platforms ringed
with columns of various heights. On the surface spaces between nodes, he left a black
circle symbolizing the virus. The installation turned into a nesting place, provoking a
discussion among those searching for a cure to the pandemic.

Junyee’s art has contributed immensely to the nation. With great prowess, he has
created contemporary installations echoing the promptings of the indigenous spirit. In
both small communities and the greater nation, they stir the bayanihan spirit, while also
securing the forest for the sake of the nation, the world, and generations yet to come.

References
Flores, Patrick D, ed. 1998. Alab ng Puso. Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines.
Exhibition catalogue.

Guillermo, Alice. 1993. “Junyee.” First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.
Queensland Cultural Center, Brisbane, Australia. Exhibition catalogue.

Junyee. 2018. Art2Art. Interview by Lisa Macuja. DZRH AM 666kHz & DZRH News
Television, 19 August. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u3-
HIKdc0k.

Kwarantin Exhibition Opening advertisement. 23 July 2020. Retrieved from

https://vargasmuseum.wordpress.com/2020/07/23/kwarantin-junyee/.

Sali’ng Lahat, Saling Tanggap. 1993. A Report on the ASEAN Conference and Workshop,
Association of Southeast Asian Nations Committee on Culture and Information,
Manila, Phillippines, 24-26 May 1993.

Tence Ruiz, Jose. Wood Things: Installation Junyee (2016). Yonzon Associates Inc.,
Philippines.

Toledo, Eva. 1984. “Junyee.” Ugat-Suri, edited by Rod Paras Perez. ASEAN Institute of
Art for the Inter-Gallery Group, Manila, Philippines. Exhibition catalogue.
247
 Selected Installation Works
Mga Piling Sining Instalasyon
Use your gadget Balag. University of the Philippines Diliman, 1970
to scan the QR code
for a video about Malabayabas. Rizal Park, Manila, 1976
this awardee. Abortion. Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Gallery, 1979
Autumn Machine. Cultural Center of the Philippines Small Gallery, 1981
Site Works I. University of the Philippines Los Baños, 1981
Wood Things. Cultural Center of the Philippines Small Gallery, 1981
Wood Things. Paris Biennale, 1982
Wood Song. Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Gallery, 1982
Sacrifice of the Twigs. University of the Philippines Los Baños, 1982
Extinct Future. Sining Kamalig, 1983
Works on Site. University of the Philippines Los Baños, 1983
Black Tarmac. Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Gallery, 1984
Unpath. Pinaglabanan Galleries, 1984
248
 Wormhole, 2012

Site Works II. University of the Philippines Los Baños, 1984

Ancient Bloom. Development Academy of the Philippines, Tagaytay, 1986
Bagong Binhi. Art Association of the Philippines National Art Competition, 1986
Acid Rain. Alliance Francaise Manila, 1989
City Things. Fukuoka City Park, Fukuoka, Japan, 1991
Apat na Buwan. Fourth Havana Biennale, Havana, Cuba, 1991
Breeding Ground. First Asia Pacific Triennial, Queensland Cultural Center- grounds,
Brisbane, Australia, 1993
Isang Daan. Cultural Center of the Philippines - harapang sulad, 1998
Alab ng Puso. Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 1998
If Rain You Are, I’ll bathe the Earth with You. Japan National Bamboo Festival,
Oita, Japan, 1998,
Angud, a Forest Once. Cultural Center of the Philippines-harapang sulad, 2007
Baler on My Mind. University of the Philippines Bulwagan ng Dangal, 2010
Dissecting Space with Sound and Silence. University of the Philippines
Diliman, 2013
Balag Dos. University of the Philippines Diliman, 2015
Kwarantin. University of the Philippines Vargas Museum, harapang sulad, 2020
249
 Liwayway
DEVELOPMENT OF PHILIPPINE CULTURE
 Citation

As a cultural institution, Liwayway was no passive witness to

history, content to merely reflect the passage of time. At key
points and in the exigencies of culture, society, and history, it
produced, with courage and steadfastness, significant texts
which held up a mirror to the nation’s difficult journey from the
American period until the present.

For making sure that the novels and the short stories in Filipino
would continue to flourish despite the inhospitable climate
which privileged English texts;

For introducing and sustaining the energy and insights

generated by the komiks, thus enabling the rise of iconic
figures and riveting narratives that have now become part of
popular culture;

For its timely interventions at crucial moments in history to

allow younger writers freedom to re-imagine the world in
darker but more creative and truthful ways;

For spreading and making the Filipino language a means

to create a community of readers with shared values and
common aspirations for change, thus contributing to nation-
building;

For being a steady outlet where the most significant Filipino

writers, including three National Artists and countless award-
winning writers, were given the power to engage with social
themes through a remarkable variety of narratives that
resonated with the people;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Liwayway this

7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center of
the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

252
 Pagkilala

Bilang institusyong pangkultura, hindi lamang naging kiming

saksi sa kasaysayan ang Liwayway para isalaysay ang paglipas ng
panahon. Tumugon din ito sa mga pangangailangan ng kultura,
lipunan, at kasaysayan. Buong tapang at sigasig nitong kinatha sa
mahahalagang sandali ang makabuluhang teksto na sumalamin sa
mga pagpupunyagi ng bayan mula panahon ng Amerikano hanggang
kasalukuyan.

Para sa pagtitiyak nito na yumabong ang nobela at maikling katha sa

wikang Filipino sa kabila ng di-pantay na larangang may pagkiling
sa tekstong Ingles;

Para sa pagpapakilala nito at pagpapayaman sa sigla at pananaw ng

komiks na nagluwal sa makabuluhang mga tauhan at maririkit na
naratibo na naging bahagi na ng kulturang popular;

Para sa napapanahong pakikisangkot nito sa mahalagang sandali

ng kasaysayan na nagpalaya sa batang manunulat para likhain ang
haraya ng daigdig na mas madilim ma’y tunay namang malikhain at
makatotohanan;

Para sa pagpapalaganap nito at pagbibigay-daan sa wikang Filipino

para makalikha ito ng komunidad ng mambabasa na naging
kaagapay sa pagpapahalaga at pagnanasa para sa pagbabago, at sa
gayon ay malaki ang naging ambag sa pagbubuo ng bayan;

Para sa pagiging walang-patid na daluyan na nagbigay-puwang

sa mahahalagang manunulat sa Filipino kabilang na ang tatlong
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining upang isulong ang temang panlipunan
sa pambihirang halayhay ng mga naratibong minahal ng taumbayan;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob sa Liwayway

ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng
Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

253
 Liwayway Magazine
A Century of Enlightenment
and Entertainment
Soledad S. Reyes

Liwayway is a popular magazine that has been intertwined with Philippine

history and culture for almost a century, even as its numerous writers have
enabled the readers to navigate the shoals of life from the first quarter of the
American colonial period until the 21st century. Its growth into a powerful
institution is best contextualized against the specificities of culture and history.

In 1922, Don Ramon Roces decided to change the format of the tri-lingual
Photo News into a magazine in Tagalog called Liwayway (Dawn), little did
he know how the fledgling magazine would impact society and generations
of readers. This was the period when various cultural forms thrived after
the easing of censorship under the new colonizer, America. Theatrical
presentations were mesmerizing countless audiences. The novels and short
stories had hordes of readers. Poems were being published and performed in
public. As importantly, newspapers and magazines were cultural fares that
offered news and critiques of the American regime. It was into this robust,
dynamic, and competitive milieu that Liwayway was born.

Liwayway did not appear in a vacuum. Two decades earlier, the reading public
had enthusiastically welcomed the Tagalog novel with its reinterpretations
of the Spanish past and its depiction of a society undergoing massive
transformation. The readers tacitly subscribed to the novelists’s goals to teach
and to provide pleasure through colorful plots, engaging characters, and
themes that ranged from the personal to the socio-political. Lope K. Santos,
Faustino Aguilar, Roman Reyes, Inigo Ed. Regalado, Severino Reyes, to name
a few, were already immensely popular. Their novels were either serialized
in newspapers or published in book form. Together with the short story, the
novel had found its niche in popular consciousness as a source of insight and
pleasure.

254 Don Ramon Roces capitalized on this new literary phenomenon in a nation
starved for texts other than the lives of saints with a grim vision of life on
255
Lope K. Santos, earth, and the ubiquitous awit and korido with their excursions into fantasy
Juan Arsciwals, and and romance. He invited Severino Reyes, the sarsuwelista of Walang Sugat
Fausto Galauran
fame, and a novelist, to be the editor of the new magazine. The magazine’s
first few years featured the novels of older writers, like Valeriano Hernandez
Peña, Iñigo Ed. Regalado, Jose Maria Rivera, Juan Lazaro Rivera, and Rosalia
Aguinaldo, who wrote popular novels tackling domestic issues, exploring
familiar conflicts, ruing the slow erosion of traditional values, and depicting
the vagaries of unrequited love and the effects of poverty.

Liwayway then launched a contest to encourage younger writers to

contribute to the new magazine. The novels submitted by these younger
writers included Teofilo Sauco’s Ang Magmamani (The Peanut Vendor),
1924, Gregorio Coching’s Nanay Ko! (Oh, Mother!) and Sanggumay, 1925,
Fausto J. Galauran’s At Sa Wakas! (And In the End), 1928, Deogracias
Rosario’s Bulaklak ng Bagong Panahon (Flower of the New Era), 1926,
Lazaro Francisco’s Ama (Father), 1929, and the novels of Teodoro Virrey and
Venancio Azcal, among others. Mostly in their twenties (Galauran published
his first novel when he was eighteen years old), the new breed of novelists,
without the benefit of creative writing classes, trod a path initially pioneered
by the first generation of writers.

Under their new slogan “Liwayway, ang lingguhang kagiliw-giliw,

nakapagtuturo at nakaaaliw” (Liwayway, the weekly that delights, teaches
and entertains), the weekly published a remarkably varied repertoire of texts
that combined various genres. Apart from the above-mentioned novels and
short stories that followed specific conventions, the magazine came out with
Severino Reyes’s hugely popular and long-running Mga Kuwento ni Lola
Basyang (Stories of Grandma Basyang) and the poet Jose Corazon de Jesus’s
Sa Dakong Silangan (In the East), a political narrative in verse. The magazine
256 would subsequently publish modern versions of the awit and korido penned by
Clodualdo del Mundo and Nemesio Caravana. In that early period, verisimilitude was

LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE
not a norm in Liwayway, although the tradition of social realism, earlier exemplified
in the writings of Faustino Aguilar and Lope K. Santos, manifested itself later in Lazaro
Francisco’s novels.

On 11 January 1929, Liwayway introduced a character and his cohorts unique for their
unerring ability to capture the varied sounds and scenes of a country caught between
tradition and modernity. Kenkoy, a man-about-town, forever crafty and seizing the
moment, was the brainchild of Antonio Velasquez, a writer and illustrator. The series
Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy (The Antics of Kenkoy) took the country by storm and
regaled millions of readers with the antics of Kenkoy and his friends such as Nanong
Pandak, Talakitok, the ever-fashionable Ponyang Halobaybay, and Kenkoy’s love,
Rosing. Humor—quaint, irrepressible, sarcastic, bombastic—exploded in the pages
of Liwayway in full color, thanks to the artistry of Romualdo Ramos, Velasquez’s
collaborator.

Liwayway’s longest-running komiks series reflected the changes in the nation’s

history and culture—the effects of Americanization, including the imposition of English
and the parody of the colonizers’ language by ordinary people (the phenomenon of
“carabao English”), the clash between modern and traditional values, and the slavish
imitation of American fashion. Kenkoy and his friends continued to amuse the
audience even during World War II. And when Kenkoy had become a grandfather
in the 1970s, the series was coopted to promote government programs—the Green
Revolution, beautification, relocation of squatters.

In the 1930s, Liwayway began to publish other komiks series. J. M. Perez created his
own versions of the enterprising Chinese street peddler in Huapelo and Ablitat ni
Akong (Street-smart Akong) and the perpetually fighting couple in Pamboy at Osang
(Pamboy and Osang). Deo C. Gonzales began his series Isang Dakot na Kabulastugan
(A Fistful of Foolishness) that amused the readers for decades. Jose Zabala detailed
the exploits of the titular anti-hero, Lukas Malakas, the young braggart. As foils to the
characters who lived in the here and now, and survived through cunning, Francisco
Reyes created Kulafu, a native hero, and Pedrito Reyes introduced Hagibis, the warrior
that roamed the nation’s forest in search of adventures in the dim and distant past. In
this teeming komiks world, the readers followed a series of narratives, acted out by
different characters, confronting various situations that elicited laughter, wonder, pain,
and delight.

Soon the immense popularity of the komiks in Liwayway was translated into a more
profitable business venture. No longer gathered together within the magazine, most
komiks stories were given separate outlets with the founding in the post-war years of
Pilipino Komiks, Hiwaga Komiks, Espesyal Komiks and Tagalog Klasiks. With these
komiks magazines, the veterans Tony Velasquez, Francisco V. Coching, Jesse Santos,
Federico Javinal, Deo Gonzales, and Clodualdo del Mundo were joined by another
generation of komiks writers and illustrators. The thousands of stories they created
solidified the komiks’ dominant position as texts through which the audience viewed 257
LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE the world. When films were churned out based on the komiks serials in the 1940s until
the 1980s, the komiks further widened its influence.

By the 1930s, Liwayway was the most powerful magazine, attracting thousands of
readers. It easily bested its competitors like Hiwaga and Sampagita. Fausto Galauran,
Teodoro Virrey, Jose Esperanza Cruz, Gregorio Coching, Lazaro Francisco, Cirio Galvez
Almario, Susana de Guzman, among others, continued to write novels that reworked
familiar themes of unrequited love, doomed ambition, parental conflict, the perils of
prostitution, the vast gap between the rich and the poor, to name a few favourite themes.

To ensure the dissemination of its contents throughout the country, Don Ramon
Roces founded Liwayway’s sister magazines in different vernaculars—Bisaya
(1932) Hiligaynon (1934), Bikolnon (1935), and Bannawag (1940). Not only did the
magazines follow a structured format—fiction, komiks, news, movie, and housekeeping
columns. More importantly, with a few exceptions, the magazine’s writers collectively
reinterpreted the world in conventional ways.

By the mid-1930s, a younger group of writers had begun to challenge the death-like
grip that older writers-turned-editors had on the magazine, where the young writers
were forbidden entry. In 1935 Panitikan, a literary movement, was born. Calling
themselves “sakdalista at aristokrata” (rebels and aristocrats), the young writers
positioned themselves as the progressive “Other” of the entrenched conservative
writers. Teodoro A. Agoncillo and company denounced the sentimentality, endless
moralizing, the flowery language, the flat characters in the older writers’ work that
came out in the magazines. Where Tagalog texts were perceived as popular with the
common people but suffering from excesses, the short stories in English published in
Philippine Magazine and Graphic and penned by writers from the University of the
Philippines such as Manuel Arguilla, Arturo B. Rotor, Francisco Arcellana, to name a
few, were being praised for their subtlety, deft use of technique, and high level of artistry.

In response to these plaints, Liwayway allowed Panitikan stalwarts Clodualdo del

Mundo and Alejandro G. Abadilla to select the best works through their columns
“Mula sa Parolang Ginto” (From the Golden Lighthouse) and “Talaang Bughaw” (The
Blue List), respectively. As a further response to the calls for more openness to modern
ways of writing, Liwayway, under the auspices of the Manila Shimbun-sha during the
Japanese occupation, launched a contest for the best short stories of 1943. The Board
of Judges included Agustin C. Fabian, Antonio B. L Rosales, Arsenio Afan, Clodualdo
del Mundo, Buenaventura Medina, and Teodorico Santos. All of them were younger
than the first generation of novelists and more aware of new literary developments in
the West.

The winners of the contest were anthologized in Ang 25 Pinakamabuting Kathang

Pilipino ng 1943 (The 25 Best Philippine Stories of 1943), 1944. This was a kind
of “flowering” as younger fictionists (some of them having shifted from English to
Tagalog) explored themes of love of country, the agony of romantic love, the impact
258 of a dysfunctional family, the painful journey towards progress, the conflict between
259
 society’s rigid structures and personal freedom, among others,
in fresh and innovative ways that demonstrated mastery of new
literary techniques. The writers’ collective ability to render
familiar themes but revealing facets of lived life gradually,
almost imperceptively, and with great restraint are seen
in such award-winning stories as Narciso Reyes’ “Lupang
Tinubuan” (Native Country), Macario Pineda’s “Suyuan sa
Tubigan” (Love in the Rice Field), Liwayway Arceo’s “Uhaw
ang Tigang na Lupa” (Thirsty is the Parched Earth), N. V. M.
Gonzalez’s “Lunsod, Bayan, Dagat-Dagatan” (City, Country,
Lake), and Lucila V. Castro’s “Mga Yabag na Papalayo”
(Receding Footsteps), among others.

But this “brief shining moment” that lit up the cultural

landscape under extremely difficult circumstances caused by
a destructive war and the banishment of English, also ended
with the war. By 1946, conditions returned to what they were
before, although a number of the young writers managed to
deploy similar fictive devices in subsequent novels and short
stories that came out from time to time in the magazine in
the post-war years. These writers included Macario Pineda,
Liwayway Arceo, Gloria de Guzman Lingat, Lina Flor, Genoveva
Edroza Matute, and Brigido Batungbakal. Agustin Fabian,
better known as an English writer and Graphic’s literary editor,
eventually tried his hand at writing Tagalog novels where
character delineation, narrative construction, the deployment
of unsentimental and often acerbic tone showed a formidable
and fearless mind at work.

The magazine regained its popularity after the war and

secured its position as the weekly with the most far-reaching
impact. In those post-war years, a number of novelists looked
back and put the recently concluded war on center stage, its
impact defying attempts to quantify its devastating effects on
the people’s psyche—the massacre of soldiers and civilians,
destruction of the infrastructure, the wound in the collective
psyche, the chaos unleashed, the pitiful conditions of widows
and orphans, and other consequences. Such provocative
novels as Lazaro Francisco’s Sugat ng Alaala (Wound in the
Memory), 1947, Macario Pineda’s Isang Milyong Piso (One
Million Pesos), 1951, Jose Gonzalez’s Panagimpan (Reverie),
1957, to name a few, examined the effects of war as trauma.
Other novelists such as Susana de Guzman, Carlos Padilla,
Mateo Cruz Cornelio, Alberto Segismundo Cruz trained their
Rosario de Guzman Lingat,
Macario Pineda,and sight on the war and the sufferings it caused.
Liwayway Arceo
From the 1950s to 1970s, the magazine continued to serialize the novels of Fausto

LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE
Galauran, Gervasio Santiago, Nemesio Caravana, Adriano P. Laudico, Alfonso Sujeco,
Jose Esperanza Cruz, Rosario Jose, among others, offering a dose of tragedy, comedy,
romance, the marvellous and fantastic, the mystical, as it has done for several decades.
For his part, Francisco V. Coching, Liwayway’s preeminent komiks writer and illustrator,
the “Dean of the Filipino Komiks,” retrieved the past and the heroes who walked tall as
he explored their exploits in Palaris, 1952, El Indio (The Native), 1953, Dimasalang,
1969, and El Vibora, 1972, to name a few.

But a strong tradition that dated back to the early 1900s refused to go away. Liwayway’s
writers of the 1960s and 1970s, contrary to the common but incorrect view that they
deliberately shied away from uglier aspects of life, did not turn their eyes away from
the interconnected socio-political issues that plagued the country then—the broken
political system, widespread corruption, the rise of political dynasties and private
armies, the worsening agrarian problem and the government’s impotence, rampant
smuggling, and the economy spiralling out of control.

During the terms of Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961) and Diosdado Macapagal (1961-65),
the pages of Liwayway appeared to groan under the weight of consequential topics,
such as those explored in Amado V. Hernandez’ Mga Ibong Mandaragit (Birds of
Prey), 1960, and Luha ng Buwaya (Crocodile Tears), 1962, Brigido Batungbakal’s
Mapagpalang Lupa (Benevolent Land), 1960, Agapito Joaquin’s Kuweba ng Anak-
Lindol (The Cave of Anak-Lindol), 1963, Andres Cristobal Cruz’s Ang Tundo Man
May Langit Din (Even Tundo Has a Heaven), 1959, and Ulirang Pangarap (Orphaned
Dream), 1960, and Lazaro Francisco’s Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig (The World Is Still
Beautiful), 1955, and the apocalyptic Daluyong (Tidal Wave), 1962.

Almost two decades after the “brief shining moment” of World War II, a similar
movement meant to shake the establishment and show another way of crafting fiction
took place. Forever astute and forward-looking, the editor and writer, Agustin Fabian
decided to make a bold move to make sure that literature would not atrophy. To discover
brave young talents, he delegated Liwayway Arceo to open a section for aspiring
writers called “Bagong Dugo”(New Blood), which ran from 1959 to 1963. Further,
Fabian asked Arceo to conduct a series of workshops for the young writers (most of
whom were hardly out of their teens) who came from Manuel L. Quezon University, Far
Eastern University, University of the East, and University of Santo Tomas. Well-read
and deeply interested in studying and creating literature, these young writers not only
read Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Ignazio Silone, Dostoyevsky, among others, but
were passionately invested in the country’s socio-political problems and their iron grip
on a devastated society. In retrospect, their collective writing systematically welded
aesthetics and politics.

Liwayway’s effort bore fruit with the subsequent publication of the writers’ award-
winning texts. In the contest conducted by Liwayway in 1963-68, and despite the
stringent contest rules, an exciting group of writers emerged that would eventually
inundate what they perceived, perhaps unjustly, as the desert of Philippine literature. 261
Lapu-Lapu at Magellan by Francisco V. Coching, 1973
The writers included Efren Abueg, Edgardo M. Reyes, Rogelio Sicat,
Eduardo B. Reyes, Levy Balgos de la Cruz, Dominador Mirasol,
Rogelio Ordonez, Ave Perez Jacob, among others. At this time, the
short stories of Lualhati Bautista, and the novels of Mercedes Jose
and Rosario de Guzman Lingat also began to appear in Liwayway.

In a confluence of forces, as the nation teetered on the brink

of disaster under Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986), Liwayway
appeared to have exploded with passion and rage as established
writers such as Celso Carunungan, Clodualdo del Mundo, Fausto
Galauran, Gervasio Santiago, to name a few, collaborated on
powerful novels that fearlessly depicted the political turbulence of
the era. At the same time, Mercedes Jose’s Madilim ang Langit
sa Bayan Ko (Darkness Has Descended on My Land), 1970,
Liwayway Arceo’s Canal de la Reina, 1972, Rosario de Guzman
Lingat’s Ano Ngayon, Ricky? (What Now, Ricky?), 1970, and Coching’s self-portrait, 1952
Dominador Mirasol’s Magkabiyak na Larawan (A Portrait Torn
In Two), 1974, among others, provided powerful commentaries
against the violent and repressive status quo.

Liwayway would continue to exist under a new management and

with younger editors and writers long after martial law had ended
in 1986. In his old age, Don Ramon Roces had sold Liwayway to
Hans Menzi of the Manila Daily Bulletin. For various reasons, it
was resold two more times until Manila Daily Bulletin decided to
buy it back. It became a fortnightly in the last half of 2019 and a
monthly beginning January 2020.

In 2022, Liwayway will turn a hundred years old. Its longevity and
popularity can be attributed in part to the dedication of the men
who helmed it through good times and bad. The editors-in-chief
who have run the magazine include Severino Reyes, 1922-32, Jose
Esperanza Cruz, 1932-41, Pedrito Reyes, 1945, Catalino Flores,
1945-54, Jose Domingo Karasig, 1954-60, Gervasio Santiago,
1960-79, Bienvenido Ramos, 1979-82, Rodolfo Salandanan,
1982-2004, and Chris Icban Jr., 2004-present.

In its long, complicated history, there were at least three moments

when Liwayway showed its pioneering spirit. First, it took over the
responsibility not only of publishing novels and short stories, but
just as importantly, of taking a risk on the komiks in the late 1920s.
Second, when literature was languishing, Liwayway welcomed
writers who could reinterpret the world in innovative ways that
challenged traditional writing. Finally, when literature needed
to be deployed in the service of the people, Liwayway opened a
space wide enough to allow profoundly realistic and social novels 263
to flourish in the 1960s and early 1970s.
264
Liwayway
Dantaon ng Aliw at
Pagbibigay-Liwanag
Soledad S. Reyes
Salin ni D. M. Reyes

Popular na magasin ang Liwayway, matalik na kaugnay sa halos isandaang taon ng

kasaysayan at kultura ng Pilipinas. Umagapay sa madlang mambabasa ang mga
manunulat nito para tawirin ang dagat ng buhay mula sa unang kapat ng panahon ng
pananakop ng mga Amerikano hanggang sa ika-21 dantaon. Ngunit matataya lamang
ang paglago ng Liwayway bilang makapangyarihang institusyon kung isasaalang-
alang ang partikularidad ng kultura at kasaysayan.

Nang baguhin ni Don Ramon Roces ang format ng tatluhang-wikang Photo News
noong 1922, wala sa hinagap niya na tatatak itong baguhang magasin sa kamalayan
ng lipunan at sa maraming salinlahi ng mambabasa. Namayagpag sa panahong iyon
ang samot-saring anyong pangkultura matapos magluwag ang sensura sa ilalim ng
Amerika, ang bagong mananakop. Sadyang mangha pa rin ang manonood sa dulang
pang-entablado. May tiyak na mambabasa naman ang nobela at maikling katha.
Maraming tula rin ang nalathala at binigkas sa mga umpukang pangmadla. Singhalaga
ng nabanggit, lumutang ang peryodiko at magasin bilang amenidad na pangkultura.
Hindi lamang balita ang hatid nila kundi puna sa rehimeng Amerikano. Isinilang ang
Liwayway sa ganitong masigla, maungos, at kompetitibong kaligiran.

Hindi sumulpot ang Liwayway sa isang kawalan. Sumikat ito dalawang dekada
matapos tangkilikin ng bumabasang madla ang nobela dahil sa reinterpretasyon nito
sa karanasan ng pananakop ng mga Kastila at paglalarawan sa lipunang humaharap
sa malawakang pagbabago. Tinanggap ng mambabasa ang layunin ng nobelista na
magdulot ng aliw at aral sa pamamagitan ng makulay na kuwento, nakahahalinang
tauhan, at tema na pumapaksa sa usaping personal hanggang sosyo-politikal. Ilan
lamang sina Lope K. Santos, Faustino Aguilar, Roman Reyes, Iñigo Ed. Regalado, at
Severino Reyes sa tinitingalang manunulat noon. Kung hindi man naisaaklat na,
de-seryeng lumalabas ang nobela nila sa peryodiko. Kasabay ng maikling katha, 265
nakatagpo ang nobela ng puwang sa kamalayang popular bilang bukal ng aliw at aral.
LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE Sa bayang salat sa teksto, liban sa naglipanang buhay ng santo na mapanglaw ang
tanaw sa buhay sa mundong ito at sa palasak na awit at korido na labis naman ang
pagkiling sa pantasya at romansa, namuhunan si Don Ramon Roces para isulong
itong bagong penomenong pampanitikan. Kinuha niya si Severino Reyes, sikat na
sarsuwelista ng Walang Sugat at nobelista para maging patnugot ng bagong magasin.
Sa mga unang taon, itinampok ng magasin ang nobela ng naunang mga manunulat
tulad nina Valeriano Hernandez Peña, Iñigo Ed. Regalado, Jose Maria Rivera, Juan
Lazaro Rivera, at Rosalia Aguinaldo. Inakda nila ang nobelang popular na nakatuon
sa isyung pantahanan, sumusuysoy sa pamilyar na tunggalian, ipinagdaramdam
ang pagkalusaw ng mga tradisyunal na pagpapahalaga at naglalarawan ng
pakikipagsapalaran sa larangan ng di-masukliang pag-ibig at sa epekto ng kahirapan.

Naglunsad rin ang Liwayway ng timpalak para ganyakin ang nakababatang manunulat
na maglathala sa bagong magasin. Kabilang sa nalathala ang Ang Magmamani, 1924,
ni Teofilo Sauco, Nanay Ko at Sanggumay, 1925, ni Gregorio Coching, At Sa Wakas!,
1928, ni Fausto J. Galauran, Bulaklak ng Bagong Panahon, 1926, ni Deogracias
Rosario, Ama, 1929, ni Lazaro Francisco at maging ilang akda nina Teodoro Virrey at
Venancio Azcal. Pumapalo lamang sa edad na 20 anyos itong mga bagong nobelista
(18 anyos lamang si Galauran nang malathala ang una niyang nobela). Hindi sila aral
sa malikhaing pagsulat, gayunman lakas-loob na tinalunton ang landas na dati nang
pinangunahan ng unang henerasyon ng manunulat.

Sa ilalim ng bagong islogan na “Liwayway, ang lingguhang kagiliw-giliw, nakapagtuturo

at nakaaaliw” inilathala nitong magasin ang malawak na repertoryo at kombinasyon
ng iba’t ibang anyong pampanitikan. Liban sa nabanggit nang mga nobela at maikling
katha na umaayon sa espesipikong porma, inilabas din ng magasin ang popular at
walang-katapusang akda ni Severino Reyes na Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang at
ang Sa Dakong Silangan, bersong politikal ni Jose Corazon de Jesus. Nalathala rin sa
magasin ang modernong bersiyon ng ilang awit at korido sa muling-pagsasalaysay
nina Clodualdo del Mundo at Nemesio Caravana. Sa panahong iyon, hindi pa uso
sa Liwayway ang verisimilitud bagaman paglaon, lilitaw sa mga nobela ni Lazaro
Francisco ang tradisyon ng realismong panlipunan na malaon nang pinasimulan nina
Faustino Aguilar at Lope K. Santos.

Noong 11 Enero 1929, ipinakilala ng Liwayway ang tauhan at mga amuyong nito na
naging katangi-tangi dahil walang-mintis ang abilidad nila sa paghagip sa mga tunog
at tanawin ng bayang napagitna sa tagisan ng tradisyon at modernismo. Kathang-isip
ng manunulat at ilustrador na si Tony Velasquez si Kenkoy—isang binatang maporma,
matinik, at bida sa bawat pagkakataon. Pumatok sa buong bayan ang seryeng Mga
Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy. Inaliw nito ang milyong mambabasa dahil sa mga pakulo ni
Kenkoy at ng mga kaibigang Nanong Pandak, Talakitok, ang pustoryosang si Ponyang
Halubaybay, at ang giliw ni Kenkoy, si Rosing. Bumida sa mga pahina ng Liwayway ang
katatawanan—kakaiba, hindi maawat, sarkastiko at may patutsadang humahaginit—
sa makulay na guhit ni Romualdo Ramos na katambal ni Velasquez.
266
 Amado V. Hernandez, Lazaro Francisco, at Andres Cristobal Cruz

Sinalamin ng mga komiks na matagal na panahong lumabas sa pahina ng Liwayway ang

maraming pagbabago sa kasaysayan at kultura ng bayan—ang epekto ng Amerikanisasyon
kabilang na ang sapilitang pagpapataw sa wikang Ingles at ang panggagagad ng
karaniwang tao sa wikang dayuhan (na tatawaging “carabao English”). Sinalamin din nito
ang salpukan ng tradisyunal at modernong pagpapahalaga at ang walang-lubay nating
pagkopya sa modang Amerikano. Patuloy na inaliw ni Kenkoy at ng kaniyang mga kaibigan
ang madla kahit pa nga sa panahon ng Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig. At nang maging
lolo na si Kenkoy noong dekada 1970, naipilit pa rin ng pamahalaan na gamitin ang serye
sa pagpapalaganap sa mga programa nito tulad ng Green Revolution, ang pagpapaganda sa
lungsod ng Maynila, at ang relokasyon ng mga iskuwater.

Pagdating ng dekada 1930, nalathala rin sa Liwayway ang iba pang serye ng komiks. Sa
Huapelo at Ablitat ni Akong, kinatha ni J.M. Perez ang bersiyon ng maabilidad na Tsino
na naglalako sa lansangan, at sa pamamagitan nina Pamboy at Osang, ang mag-asawang
walang-lubay ang bangayan. Sinimulan naman ni Deo C. Gonzales ang seryeng Isang Dakot
na Kabulastugan na nagbigay-aliw sa mambabasa sa loob ng maraming taon. Idinetalye ni
Jose Zabala ang pakikipagsapalaran ng haragang si Lukas Malakas, ang batang bulastog.
Bilang panangga sa mga tauhang nabubuhay sa kasalukuyan at nakakaraos sa katusuhan,
kinatha ni Francisco Reyes ang katutubong bayaning si Kulafu. Ipinakilala naman ni Pedrito
Reyes si Hagibis, isang mandirigmang-gubat na nakikihamok sa madilim at malayong
kahapon. Sa ganitong hitik na daigdig ng komiks, masugid na sinubaybayan ng mambabasa
ang mga naratibo na binigyang-buhay ng tauhang nakipagbuno sa sari-saring sitwasyon,
pinatatawa ang mambabasa, hatid ang bighani, kirot sa puso, at lugod.

Paglaon, naging mapagkakakitaang negosyo ang popular na komiks sa Liwayway.

Matatagpuan ito hindi na lamang sa loob ng magasin. Pagkatapos ng digma, nagkaroon ng
sariling daluyan ang kuwentong pangkomiks nang buksan ang Pilipino Komiks, Hiwaga
267
268
Komiks, Espesyal Komiks, at Tagalog Klasiks. Dahil dito, nakasabayan nina Tony

LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE
Velasquez, Francisco V. Coching, Jesse Santos, Federico Javinal, Deo Gonzalez, at
Clodualdo del Mundo ang isa pang henerasyon ng manunulat at ilustrador ng komiks.
Pinagtibay ng libong kuwento nila ang pangunahing posisyon ng komiks bilang teksto
kung saan dinadalumat ng mambabasa ang daigdig. Mula 1940 hanggang 1980, lalo
pang lumawak ang impluwensiya nito nang magsimulang humango ng maraming
pelikula mula sa komiks.

Pagtuntong ng dekada 1930, naging pinakamatagumpay na magasin ang Liwayway

sa hatak nito sa libo-libong mambabasa. Madali nitong idinapa ang mga kasabayan
tulad ng Hiwaga at Sampagita. Patuloy naman na nagsulat sina Fausto Galauran,
Teodoro Virrey, Jose Esperanza Cruz, Gregorio Coching, Lazaro Francisco, Cirio Galvez
Almario, at Susana de Guzman ng mga nobela na muling bumalangkas sa pamilyar
na tema ng di-masukliang pag-ibig, bigong pangarap, suliranin sa di-makasundong
magulang, mga panganib ng prostitusyon, at ang malawak na agwat na naghihiwalay
sa mayaman at aba bilang ilan sa paboritong tema ng nobela.

Para palaganapin ang laman ng magasin sa buong bansa, binuksan ni Don Ramon
Roces sa iba’t ibang bernakular ang mga kapatid na magasin ng Liwayway—ang
magasing Bisaya, 1932, Hiligaynon, 1934, Bikolnon, 1935, at Bannawag, 1940. Hindi
lamang sumunod itong mga lathalain sa format na masinsin—katha, komiks, balita, at
mga pitak tungkol sa pelikula at masinop na pamamahay. Binigyang interpretasyon
din ng halos lahat ng manunulat ng magasin ang daigdig sa kombensiyunal na paraan.

Sa gitnang bahagi ng dekada 1930, hinamon ng nakababatang pangkat ng manunulat

ang nakasasakal na impluwensiya ng matatandang tinali. Nagsilbing patnugot ng
magasin ang matatanda at naging hadlang para makapuwesto ang mga bata. Isang
kilusang pampanitikan ang isinilang noong 1935. Binansagan nila ang sarili na
“sakdalista at aristokrata” at nakipagtapatan bilang progresibong “Kaiba” nitong mga
nakapuwesto at konserbatibong manunulat. Itinatuwa ni Teodoro A. Agoncillo at ng
mga kapanalig niya ang sentimentalidad, walang-habas na pangangaral, mabulaklak
na wika, at maninipis na tauhang patuloy na lumalabas sa magasin. Inamin nila na
sadyang popular sa karaniwang tao ang tekstong Tagalog ngunit malabis at puno ang
kanilang papuri sa maikling katha sa Ingles na nalathala sa Philippine Magazine
at Graphic, akda ng manunulat mula sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas tulad nina Manuel
Arguilla, Arturo B. Rotor, at Francisco Arcellana. Pinuri nila itong mga katha sa Ingles sa
pagiging matimpi, pino ang teknik, at may mataas na antas ng kasiningan.

Bilang sagot, pinayagan ng Liwayway ang mga bigating sina Clodualdo del Mundo at
Alejandro G. Abadilla na tukuyin ang pinakamahusay na akda sa magkahiwalay nilang
kolum na “Mula sa Parolang Ginto” at “Talaang Bughaw”. Dagdag sa tawag na maging
bukas sa modernong paraan ng pagsusulat, inilunsad ng Liwayway ang timpalak para
sa pinakamahusay na kuwento noong 1943, sa pamamagitan ng Manila Shimbun
noong panahon ng Hapon. Binuo nina Agustin C. Fabian, Antonio B.L. Rosales, Arsenio
Afan, Clodualdo del Mundo, Buenaventura Medina, at Teodorico Santos ang lupon ng 269
inampalan. Hamak na bata sila sa unang henerasyon ng mga nobelista; pero higit na
bihasa rin sila sa bagong kagawiang pampanitikan mula sa Kanluran.
LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE Nalimbag ang mga akdang nanalo sa timpalak na ito sa antolohiyang Ang 25
Pinakamabuting Kathang Pilipino ng 1943, 1944. Maituturing itong pamumulaklak
kung saan tinunton ng nakababatang manunulat (ilan sa kanila ang nagpasiyang
lumipat ng pagsulat mula Ingles patungong Tagalog) ang tema ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang
lupa, mga hinaing ng romantikong pag-ibig, epekto ng pamilyang di-karaniwan at
maligalig, ang hirap na makamit ang pag-unlad, at ang tagisan sa pagitan ng mahigpit
na estruktura ng lipunan at personal na kalayaan. Tinalakay nila ito sa paraang sariwa,
makabago, at tiyak ang hagod sa bagong teknik na pampanitikan. Sa mga premyadong
katha tulad ng “Lupang Tinubuan” ni Narciso Reyes, “Suyuan sa Tubigan” ni Macario
Pineda, “Uhaw ang Tigang na Lupa” ni Liwayway Arceo, “Lunsod, Nayon, at Dagat-
Dagatan” ni N.V.M. Gonzalez, at “Mga Yabag na Papalayo” ni Lucila V. Castro, makikita
ang kolektibong abilidad ng bagong manunulat sa pagbibigay-buhay sa mga temang
pamilyar ngunit may dimensiyong nagpapakita sa pang-araw-araw na buhay sa
paraang matimpi at banayad.

Dagling pinutol ng digmaan itong maningning na sandali na nagtanglaw sa larangang

pangkultura, sa kabila ng mabibigat na perwisyong dala ng digma at pagsikil sa
wikang Ingles. Pagsapit ng 1946, agad na nagbalik sa dating gawi ang lahat; may
ilang batang manunulat na nagtagumpay sa pagsusulong nitong bagong kagawian sa
pagkukuwento sa mga susunod nilang nobela at maikling kuwento. Lumabas ang ilang
akda nila sa babasahing nagsulputan matapos ang digma. Kabilang dito sina Macario
Pineda, Liwayway Arceo, Gloria Villaraza Guzman, Lina Flor, Genoveva Edroza Matute,
at Brigido Batungbakal. Hindi naglaon, nagsimulang magsulat si Agustin Fabian, isang
kilalang manunulat sa Ingles at patnugot ng Graphic sa wikang Tagalog. Inakda niya
ang mga nobela na nagpamalas ng matalas at matapang na kaisipan sa pagbibigay-
buhay sa tauhan, pagbalangkas sa naratibo, at pagsusulong ng tonong matalim at hindi
sentimental.

Matapos ang digmaan, mababawi ng Liwayway ang popularidad nito at posisyon bilang
pinakaimpluwensiyal na lingguhang lathalain. Sa panahong iyon, magbabalik-tanaw
ang ilang nobelista para itampok sa panulat nila ang katatapos na digmaan. Hindi
maarok ng anumang pagtataya nila ang perwisyong dulot ng digmaan sa kamalayan
ng tao—ang pagmasaker sa mga kawal at mamamayan, pagkagiba ng impraestruktura,
sugat sa kolektibong kamalayan, di-masawatang kaguluhan, kahabag-habag na lagay
ng mga balo at ulila, at iba pang pamana ng digmaan. Ilan sa mapang-udyok na nobela
na nagsiwalat sa trauma na dala ng digmaan ang Sugat ng Alaala, 1947, ni Lazaro
Francisco, Isang Milyong Piso, 1951, ni Macario Pineda, at Panagimpan, 1957, ni Jose
Gonzalez. Ibinaling naman ng ibang nobelista gaya nina Susana de Guzman, Carlos
Padilla, Mateo Cruz Cornelio, at Alberto Segismundo Cruz ang tanaw nila sa digmaan
at sa paghihirap na dulot nito.

Mula dekada 1950 hanggang 1970, walang-palyang inilabas ng magasin ang

seryalisadong nobela nina Fausto Galauran, Gervasio Santiago, Nemesio Caravana,
Adriano P. Laudico, Alfonso Sujeco, Jose Esperanza Cruz, at Rosario Jose. Dulot nila
270 ang trahedya, komedya, romansa, pantasya at mga salaysay na kataka-taka at mistikal
gaya ng nakagawian sa nagdaang mga dekada. Sa sarili niyang paraan, tinahak Mga 1955 edisyon
ni Francisco V. Coching, pangunahing manunulat sa komiks at ilustrador na ng Liwayway
binansagang Dekano ng Komiks na Pilipino, ang landas ng lumipas at ng bayaning
magiting ang bawat hakbang sa pakikipagsapalaran nina Palaris, 1952, El Indio,
1953, Dimasalang, 1969, at El Vibora, 1972.

Ngunit hindi rin maawat ang isang magiting na tradisyon na umiiral na mula
pa noong 1900. Taliwas sa karaniwan ngunit lihis na pananaw na umano’y
tahasang iniwasan ng manunulat ng Liwayway noong dekada 1960 at 1970 ang
di-kaaya-ayang aspekto ng buhay, hindi sila nagpikit-mata sa magkakaugnay
na isyung sosyo-politikal na nagpapahirap sa bayan—sa bulok na sistemang
politikal, talamak na katiwalian, pagsulpot ng mga dinastiya at pribadong hukbo,
lumalalang suliraning pansakahan at walang-silbing pamahalaan, malawakang
pagpupuslit ng mga kargamento, at ekonomiyang di-mapigil ang pagbulusok.

Sa panahon ng panunungkulan nina Carlos P. Garcia, 1957-1961, at Diosdado

Macapagal, 1961-65, matunog na umalingawngaw sa mga pahina ng Liwayway
ang mabibigat na paksang sinuysoy nina Amado V. Hernandez sa Mga
Ibong Mandaragit, 1960, at Luha ng Buwaya, 1962, Brigido Batungbakal sa
Mapagpalang Lupa, 1960, Agapito Joaquin sa Kuweba ng Anak-Lindol, 1963,
Andres Cristobal Cruz sa Ang Tundo Man May Langit Din, 1959, at Ulirang
Pangarap, 1960, at Lazaro Francisco sa Maganda Pa Ang Daigdig, 1955, at sa
apokaliptikong Daluyong, 1962.
271
 Efren Abueg, Dominador Mirasol, at Edgardo M. Reyes

Dalawang dekada matapos ang maningning sa sandali ng Ikalawang Digmaang

Pandaigdig, isang kilusan ang muling yuyugyog sa institusyon at magpapamalas ng
naiibang paraan ng pagsasalaysay sa katha. Sadyang matalas kung mag-isip at may
mata sa hinaharap, malaki ang nagawa ng patnugot at manunulat na si Agustin Fabian
para hindi tuluyang maluoy ang panitikan. Para tumuklas ng mahuhusay na batang
manunulat, itinalaga niya si Liwayway Arceo na magbukas ng bagong pitak; tinawag
itong “Bagong Dugo” at tumakbo mula 1959 hanggang 1963. Inatasan rin niya si Arceo
na magdaos ng serye ng palihan para sa mga batang manunulat (halos nasa kasibulan
pa silang lahat), na galing sa Manuel L. Quezon University, Far Eastern University,
University of the East, at University of Santo Tomas. Marami silang nabasang akda at
mayroong malalim na interes sa pag-aaral sa at paglikha ng panitikan. Hindi lamang
nila nabasa sina Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Silone, at Dostoyevsky. Tutok din
ang interes nila sa kalagayang sosyo-politikal ng bayan at mahigpit ang gagap sa
pagkalansag nito. Kung babalikan, matibay na nakahinang sa kolektibong panulat nila
ang estetika at politika.

Nagbunga ang pagsisikap ng Liwayway matapos malathala ang premyadong akda ng

mga manunulat. Mahigpit man ang panuntunan, isang kapana-panabik na pangkat
ang umungos sa taunang timpalak noong 1968-69. Makatarungan man o hindi ang
pananaw nila, nagsilbi silang agos sa disyerto ng Panitikang Pilipino. Kabilang dito
sina Efren Abueg, Edgardo M. Reyes, Rogelio Sicat, Eduardo B. Reyes, Levy Balgos de
la Cruz, Dominador Mirasol, Rogelio Ordoñez, at Ave Perez Jacob. Sa panahong ito,
nagsimula ring malathala ang maikling katha ni Lualhati Bautista at mga nobela nina
Mercedes Jose, at Rosario de Guzman-Lingat.

Habang nanganganib ang bayan dahil sa pamumuno ni Ferdinand Marcos, may

pagsasanib din ng mga puwersa na nagpasiklab ng matinding damdamin at galit
272 sa mga pahina ng Liwayway. Nagtuwang ang mga batikang manunulat gaya nina
Celso Carunungan, Clodualdo del Mundo, Fausto Galauran, at Gervasio Santiago sa
paglikha ng makapangyarihang nobela na hindi nangiming ilarawan

LIWAYWAY MAGAZINE
ang maligalig na kalagayang politikal ng panahon. Kasabay nito ang
maanghang na komentaryo laban sa karahasan at mapaniil na status
quo mula sa Madilim ang Langit sa Bayan Ko, 1970, ni Mercedes Jose,
Canal de la Reina, 1972, ni Liwayway Arceo, Ano Ngayon, Ricky?,
1970, ni Rosario de Guzman-Lingat, at Magkabiyak na Larawan, 1974,
ni Dominador Mirasol.

Lalawig pa ang buhay ng Liwayway sa ilalim ng bagong pamunuan;

isusulong ito ng mas batang patnugutan at manunulat. Magpapatuloy
ito, lampas sa pagwawakas ng Batas Militar noong 1986. Pagtanda
niya, ipagbibili ni Don Ramon Roces ang Liwayway kay Hans Menzi ng
Manila Daily Bulletin. Dala ng ilang dahilan, dalawang ulit nagpasalin-
salin ang pagmamay-ari ng Liwayway hanggang muli itong bawiin ng
Manila Daily Bulletin. Sa huling hati ng 2019, tuwing makalawang
linggo na lamang ang labas ng Liwayway; pagdating ng Enero 2020,
minsan isang buwan na lamang kung lumabas ito.

Sa darating na 2022, isang daang taon na ang Liwayway. Sa isang

banda, lumawig ang buhay nito at naging popular dahil na rin sa
dedikasyon ng mga taong namuno dito sa pabagu-bagong panahon.
Kabilang sa mga punong-patnugot na nagkandili sa magasin sina
Severino Reyes (1922-32), Jose Esperanza Cruz (1932-41), Pedrito
Reyes (1945), Catalino Flores (1945-54), Jose
Domingo Karasig (1954-60), Gervasio Santiago
(1960-79), Bienvenido Ramos (1979-82),
Rodolfo Salandanan (1982-2004), at Chris Icban
Jr. (2004 hanggang sa kasalukuyan).

Sa mahaba at masalimuot nitong kasaysayan

may tatlong pagkakataon na naging masigasig
na lider ang Liwayway. Una, hindi lamang nito
inako ang responsibilidad sa paglalathala ng
mga maikling katha at nobela, ngunit nangahas
rin na isulong ang komiks sa dulong bahagi ng
dekada 1920. Ikalawa, sa panahong nagdarahop
ang panitikan, tinangkilik ng Liwayway ang mga
manunulat na may kapangyarihang bigyan ng
makabagong interpretasyon ang daigdig para
hamunin ang tradisyunal na paraan ng pagsulat.
Huli, sa panahong marapat paglingkuran ng
Panitikan ang taumbayan, nagbigay-puwang
ang Liwayway para mamayagpag ang mga
akdang realistiko at nobelang panlipunan mula
1960 hanggang sa unang hati ng dekada 1970. Liwayway, Enero 19, 2015
 Selected Novels and Komiks
Mga Piling Nobela at Komiks
Teofilo Sauco, Ang Magmamani, 1924; Gregorio Coching, Sanggumay,
1925; Deogracias Rosario, Bulaklak ng Bagong Panahon, 1926; Fausto
J. Galauran, At Sa Wakas!, 1928, and Ang Monghita, 1929; Lazaro
Franciso, Ama, 1929; Antonio Velasquez and Romualdo Ramos, Mga
Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy, 1929; Ang 25 Pinakamabuting Katha ng 1943,
1944; Macario Pineda, Ang Ginto sa Makiling, 1945; Agustin Fabian,
Ang Timawa, 1953; Francisco V. Coching, El Indio, 1953, Dimasalang,
1969, and El Vibora, 1972; Andres Cristobal Cruz, Ang Tundo Man
May Langit Din, 1959; Amado V. Hernandez, Mga Ibong Mandaragit,
1960, and Luha ng Buwaya, 1962; Nemesio Caravana, Prinsesang
Kalapati, 1962; Lazaro Francisco, Maganda Pa ang Daigdig, 1955,
and Daluyong, 1962; Mars Ravelo, Trudis Liit, 1963; Agapito Joaquin,
Ang Kuweba sa Anak Lindol, 1963; Agustin Fabian, Ana Malaya,
1964; Rogelio Sicat, Dugo sa Bukangliwayway, 1965; Domingo
Vargas, Dambanang Putik, 1966; Edgardo M. Reyes, Sa Mga Kuko
ng Liwanag, 1967; Efren Abueg, Dilim sa Umaga, 1968; Pedro Ricarte,
Pagtakas sa Estero, 1969; Rosario de Guzman Lingat, Kung Wala Na
ang Tag-araw, 1970, and Ano Ngayon, Ricky?, 1971; Mercedes Jose,
Madilim ang Langit sa Bayan Ko, 1970; Clodualdo del Mundo and
Gervasio Santiago, Ito ang Rebolusyon!, 1972; Liwayway Arceo, Canal
de la Reina, 1972; Dominador Mirasol, Magkabiyak na Larawan,
1974; and Benjamin Pascual, May Lalaki sa Ilalim ng Kama Ko, 1974.

Use your gadget

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this awardee.
Nonon
Padilla
THEATER

277
 Citation

Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr. is a theater director whose works have

become important additions to the Philippine theater canon,
providing important insights into the Filipino psyche, culture,
and history, and inspiring succeeding generations of Filipino
theater artists.

For his vision of true Philippine national theater that helps

to shape the Filipino national identity and his exceptional
leadership in pursuing that identity when he served as artistic
director of Tanghalang Pilipino and the Philippine Educational
Theater Association;

For his belief in the artistic genius of Filipino artists cultivated

through methodical education and constant acting practice,
best exemplified by the actors training syllabi he developed and
his establishment of the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company,
the country’s only full-time permanent acting company;

For his ability to discover and hone artistic talents in theater,

from actors to designers and backstage personnel, many of
whom are now leading artists and performing arts managers in
the country;

For his unique directorial artistry demonstrated by a body

of consistently outstanding productions, many of them now
considered landmarks of Philippine theater which enrich and
promote theater production and performance in the Philippines;

For all his outstanding achievements and contributions to

Philippine theater as a director and a true Filipino artist;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Felix “Nonon”

Padilla Jr. this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

278
 Pagkilala

Si Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr. ay isang direktor sa teatro, na lumikha ng mga akdang
pawang mahahalagang kontribusyon sa kanon ng dulaang Pilipino, naghatid ng
mga mahalagang pagkaunawa sa pagkatao, kultura, at kasaysayang Pilipino, at
nagsilbing inspirasyon sa mga kasunod na henerasyon ng mga artistang Pilipino
sa teatro.

Para sa kaniyang bisyon ng isang tunay na pambansang dulaang Pilipino na tutulong

sa paghuhubog ng pambansang identidad na Pilipino at sa tanging pangunguna
niya sa paghanap sa identidad na ito habang naglilingkod siya bilang artistic
director ng Tanghalang Pilipino at Philippine Educational Theater Association;

Para sa kaniyang pagtitiwala sa henyo ng mga artistang Pilipino, na maaaring

linangin sa pamamagitan ng sistematikong edukasyon at patuloy na
pagsasanay sa pagganap, na naitampok sa mga nilikha niyang silabus ng
pagsasanay para sa mga aktor at sa pagtatatag niya ng Tanghalang Pilipino Actors
Company, ang nag-iisang full-time na permanenteng kompanya para sa artista sa
bansa;

Para sa kaniyang kakayahang tumuklas at maghasa ng mga talentong panteatro,

mula sa mga aktor, at designer hanggang sa mga kawani sa likod ng tanghalan,
na ang marami’y naglilingkod na ngayon bilang mga pangunahing artista at
tagapamahala sa sining pantanghalan ng bansa;

Para sa kaniyang natatanging kasiningan sa pagdidirihe ng dula, na nasaksihan

sa mga namumukod na akdang naitanghal niya, na ang karamiha’y itinuturing na
panandang-bato sa dulaang Pilipino na nagpayaman at nagpa-unlad sa paglikha at
pagtatanghal ng dula sa Pilipinas;

Para sa lahat ng kaniyang nagawa at kontribusyon sa dulaang Pilipino bilang isang

direktor at tunay na alagad ng sining na Pilipino;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr.
ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas,
Maynila, Pilipinas.

279
 Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr.
Creating a "eater of Light
and Delight for the Filipino
Dennis Marasigan

Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr. was the youngest of siblings who were regular
participants in the annual school productions in Ateneo de Manila. Even
before he became part of the productions, he was already watching
plays produced by Mariano Singson at the Ateneo Grade School,
Onofre Pagsanghan at the Ateneo High School, and Rolando Tinio at
the College of Liberal Arts. In grade school, he would finally be a part
of the productions, together with his classmates, including Tony Perez
and Barge Ramos. In high school, Padilla and his classmates continued
putting up plays, with Padilla often as the director of his classmates’
works. In their senior year, they participated in the first Dulaang Sibol,
with Padilla directing Hoy Boyet, Tinatawag Ka Na, Hatinggabi Na’y
Gising Ka Pa Pala (Hey, Boyet, They’re Calling You Now, It’s Already
Midnight but You’re Still Awake), written by Perez. After graduating
from high school, he was asked by another Ateneo student, Paul Dumol,
to help in the staging of the same play in Fort Santiago for a summer
theater workshop of the Philippine Educational Theater Association
280
(PETA) that Dumol and Perez were attending. After that production, Padilla Ulilang Tahanan,
was asked by PETA founder Cecile Guidote Alvarez to join the subsequent Tanghalang Pilipino,
1996
PETA productions, and he became really hooked on theater.

With PETA, Padilla served, among others, as a music composer for PETA’s
production of Larawan, a translation of Nick Joaquin’s A Portrait of the Artist
as Filipino, as a mask-maker for Kalbaryo (Calvary), and as stage director and
actor for some episodes of the television show Balintataw (The Mind’s Eye).
Along with Guidote, Dumol, and Rene Grefalda, he attended the Nancy Theatre
Festival and observed French theater through the auspices of the International
Theater Institute Paris Center.

In PETA, he directed Dumol’s Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio (The Trial

of Old Serapio), Nestor U. Torre’s Indio or One Swallow in its Summer, and
Isagani R. Cruz’s Halimaw (Monster). When Guidote Alvarez went abroad
in 1973, Padilla was appointed artistic director. He was in his early twenties,

281
Ang Pagpatay just graduated with a degree in mass communication from the University of
kay Antonio the Philippines. He went on to direct Jose Rizal’s Junto al Pasig (Beside the
Luna,
Tanghalang
Pasig), Perez’s Si Monico at ang Mga Higante (Monico and the Giants), and
Pilipino, 2001 Dumol’s Kabesang Tales (Cabeza Tales), experimenting in various styles of
production, often mixing elements such as puppets, martial-arts movements,
masks, and live percussion instruments, maximizing the possibilities afforded
by the open stage of the Rajah Sulayman Theater in Fort Santiago. In 1976,
he established the acting curriculum for PETA Acting Workshops that has
served as a foundation for later iterations. Even then, he had a desire to create
a repertory company of actors.

Leaving PETA in 1975 to work for the government, he concentrated on

printmaking. He had received the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
Thirteen Artists Award in 1973. He had several one-person shows: Prints by
Nonon Padilla, 1978, at the CCP Small Gallery; Cartograficas, 1980, at Gallerie
Dominique; Watercolors, 1981, at Sining Kamalig; and Phonomelogias, at

282
 PADILLA
CCP, 1982. He also participated in an exhibition of prints by
the World Print Council in San Francisco, USA, and was the
only participant in a show called Secret Images, 1980. His
works were purchased by the Fukuoka Art Museum in 1981,
becoming the first Filipino artist to be so honored. He taught
at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Fine Arts
and the Humanities Department from 1981 to 1985.

His return to the theater was marked by his direction of Dumol’s

Felipe de las Casas at the Puerta Real in 1983 and Perez’s
Biyaheng Timog (Trip to the South) for CCP’s Bulwagang
Gantimpala in 1984. He was invited to be the CCP Museum
Director in 1985 and then Coordinator for Visual Arts. In 1987,
he was invited to form a new CCP resident theater company,
Tanghalang Pilipino, and directed its inaugural production,
the sarsuwela Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden), while
concurrently serving as CCP Coordinator for Dramatic Arts.

Padilla served as the first artistic director of Tanghalang

Pilipino (1987-2002), directing many of its productions in its
early years. Marked by strong visual images in their scenery
and staging, these have become recognized landmarks
in Philippine theater, with original works now considered
essential entries in the Philippine theater canon. Among the
productions he directed are the sarsuwelas Paglipas ng Dilim
(After the Darkness) and Dularawan ng Pating (Image Play of
the Sharks), an adaptation of another sarsuwela Sa Bunganga
ng Pating (At the Mercy of Sharks), and Pilipinas Circa 1907;
the original musicals Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo,
Ilustrado: Ang Buhay ni Rizal (Educated Native: The Life of
Rizal), Aguinaldo 1898, and Ang Pagpatay Kay Luna (The
Murder of Luna); the premier of original Filipino plays such as
Francisco Maniago, Sa North Diversion Road (On the North
Diversion Road), Oktubre, Noong Tayo’y Nagmamahalan Pa
(October, When We Were Still In Love) Nobyembre: Noong
Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita (November, When I Thought I Loved
you), Pinoy Agonistes, restagings of Mac Malicsi TNT,
Ulilang Tahanan (Forsaken House), and Bituing Marikit
(Beautiful Star); and translations of classics such as Taga
sa Panahon (Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons); Sigalot Romeo and Juliet, Bunkamura, 1998
sa Venetia (Carlo Goldoni’s Le Baruffe Chiozzotte), Ang
 PADILLA Sinungaling (Carlo Goldoni’s Il Bugiardo); Hedda Gabler (by Henrik Ibsen), Tatlong
Parusa sa Isang Sentensiya (Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s Las Tres Justicias en Una),
and Ang Negosyante ng Venecia (Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice). Some of these
productions were invited to perform in other countries, with Paglipas ng Dilim doing
a Canadian tour and Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo touring Japan. Noli Me
Tangere was also performed in an International Rizal Conference in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. Padilla also directed Biyaheng Timog as A Small Matter of Sacrifice at the
Theatre Royal, New York, in 1986 and in Singapore for the Company Theater Works in
1991.

Padilla formed the Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company (AC), which serves as
resident pool of actors that it trains in-house. The AC’s scholars, apprentices, and
members continually train under a program that includes classes in voice, movement,
script analysis, and other disciplines. Actors who have been part of the company have
become known not only in theater but also in film and television. Among those who
were part of the AC during Padilla’s term as TP Artistic Director were Irma Adlawan,
Diana Alferez, John Arcilla, Raul Arellano, Alan Bautista, Nonie Buencamino, Shamaine
Centenera, Connie Chua, George de Jesus III, Ony de Leon, Jay
Españo, Angela Garcia, Sherry Lara, RJ Leyran, Garry Lim, Ian
Lomongo, Olga Natividad, Paolo O’Hara, Alan Paule, Bodjie
Pascua, Joey Paras, and Gilleth Sandico,

Since leaving Tanghalang Pilipino, Padilla has directed

Belong Puti (White Veil), a play originally from Wilfrido Ma.
Guerrero’s The Woman with a White Veil, 2007; and Haring
Lear (Shakespeare’s King Lear), 2012, for PETA; and Christian
Vallez and Paul Dumol’s Lorenzo, 2013; Mario O’Hara’s
Palasyo ni Valentin (Valentin’s Palace), 2015; Mga Misteryo
ng Liwanag (Mysteries of the Light), a contemporary site-
specific interpretation of the Passion of Christ, 2016; Makbet
(Shakespeare’s Macbeth), 2017; Padilla’s own play Ang
Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a) (Portrait of the Filipino
as Artist), 2018, and Ang Dakilang Teatro ng Daigdig (a
fusion of Calderon de la Barca’s El Gran Teatro del Mundo
and Perez’s Hoy Boyet), 2019.

Throughout his directing career, Padilla’s productions have

Ricky Davao in Palasyo ni Valentin,
Benilde Theater Arts, 2015
been praised for the “bold, stylish vision” and careful detail
to “movement and tonality.” With his designers, particularly
National Artist Salvador Bernal, who designed many of his
productions, he often presents to the audience visual images
that work on various levels of meaning, reinforcing the
metaphor he desires to communicate to his audience. For the

284
musicals Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, for example, the set design Ang Dakilang
consisted of gears that serve to underline the theme of the Philippine revolution Teatrong Daigdig,
Benilde Theater
being underway. He has continued to experiment with various elements, with Arts, 2019
his latest productions sometimes using mixed-media, including live video
footage and monitors.

Padilla won third prize for his three-act play Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang
Artist(a) in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 1988. In 2004,
he was awarded the Patnubay ng Sining st Kalinangan for Theater by the City
of Manila. In 2013, he received the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group
Natatanging Gawad Buhay Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award for
Theater. He won Best Stage Director for a Musical for Lorenzo at the 2014 Aliw
Awards. In 2020, he was named recipient of the Gawad CCP for Theater.

Padilla still wishes for a truly national theater company that will have its own
theater, not renting venues or sharing a venue with other performing groups.
“Every region should have its own theater, if not every province, so that theater
is not only concentrated in Manila. Right now, we are a bit immature because of
this mentality that we can make do with what we have.”

Future directors should have a passion for drama and a passion for theater,
according to Padilla. “For any kind of art, you need to have a passion for it. You
need to study your craft, your metier. The only way to do that is through literature,
if you cannot become part of a group or a movement.”
285
 Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr.
Lumilikha ng Tanghalan
ng Liwanag at Lugod
para sa Filipino
Dennis Marasigan
Salin ni Romulo Baquiran, Jr.

Si Felix “Nonon” Padilla Jr. ang pinakabata sa magkakapatid na lagi

nang lumalahok sa maraming taunang pampaaralang produksiyon ng
Ateneo de Manila. Bago pa man siya maging bahagi ng mga produksiyon,
nanonood na siya ng mga dulang itinatanghal nina Mariano Singson sa
Ateneo Grade School, Onofre Pagsanghan sa Ateneo High School, at
Rolando Tinio sa College of Liberal Arts. Sa elementarya, naging bahagi
siya ng iba pang produksiyon, kasama ang mga kamag-aral na sina Tony
Perez at Barge Ramos. Sa hayskul, nagpatuloy si Padilla at mga kamag-
aral sa pagtatanghal ng mga dula; madalas, si Padilla ang direktor ng
mga akda ng kaniyang mga kamag-aral. Sa huling taon niya sa hayskul,
sumali sila sa unang paligsahan ng Dulaang Sibol. Idinirihe niya ang
Hoy Boyet, Tinatawag Ka Na, Hatinggabi Na’y Gising Ka Pa Pala (Hey,
286
Boyet, They’re Calling You Now, It’s Already Midnight but You’re Still Awake) Paglipas ng Dilim,
ni Perez. Sa pagtatapos niya sa hayskul, nahilingan siya ng isa pang mag- Tanghalang Pilipino,
aaral ng Ateneo, si Paul Dumol, na tumulong sa pagtatanghal ng dula ring 1991
iyon sa Fort Santiago para sa isang summer workshop sa teatro ng Philippine
Educational Theater Association (PETA) na dinaluhan nina Dumol at Perez.
Pagkaraan ng produksiyon, inimbita si Padilla ng tagapagtatag ng PETA na
si Cecile Guidote Alvarez na sumali sa mga produksiyon ng PETA, at hindi na
siya nakaalis sa teatro mula noon.

Sa PETA, nagsilbi si Padilla sa maraming pagtatanghal, bilang kompositor

sa produksiyon ng Larawan (salin sa Filipino ng A Portrait of the Artist as

287
 Filipino ni Nick Joaquin), tagagawa ng maskara para
sa Kalbaryo, at direktor pantanghalan at aktor ng
ilang episodyo ng palabas sa telebisyong Balintataw.
Kasama nina Guidote, Dumol, at Rene Grefalda, dumalo
siya sa Nancy Theatre Festival sa France at nagmasid
ng teatrong Pranses sa pagtataguyod ng International
Theater Institute Paris Center.

Sa PETA, naging direktor siya ng Ang Paglilitis ni

Mang Serapio ni Paul Dumol, Indio or One Swallow in
its Summer ni Nestor Torre, Jr., at Halimaw (Monster)
ni Isagani Cruz. Nang mangibang-bayan si Guidote
Alvarez noong 1973, itinalaga si Padilla bilang artistic
director ng PETA. Mahigit edad beinte lamang siya
noon, at katatapos lamang ng digri sa mass
communication sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP).
Sunod niyang dinirihe ang Junto al Pasig (Sa Tabi ng
Ilog Pasig) ni Jose Rizal, Si Monico at ang Mga Higante
(Monico and the Giants) ni Perez, at Kabesang Tales
ni Dumol. Sa mga produksiyong ito, nag-eksperimento
siya sa paggamit ng sari-saring estilo ng pagtatanghal,
na madalas ay pinagsasama ang mga elemento gaya
ng mga papet, galaw ng martial-arts, maskara, at
mga live percussion instrument, at kung ano pa ang
maaaring gawin sa malawak na tanghalan ng Dulaang
Kasuotan para sa Tibag, Rajah Sulayman sa Fort Santiago. Noong 1976, binuo
Tanghalang Pilipino, 1999 niya ang kurikulum para sa pagganap para sa mga
Acting Workshop ng PETA, na nagsilbing batayan para
sa mga kasunod na bersiyon nito. Noon pa man, nais
na niyang bumuo ng kompanyang repertory para
sa mga aktor. Para sa kaniyang mga produksiyon,
nagawaran siya ng Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP) Thirteen Artists Award noong 1973.

Nang lisanin niya ang PETA noong 1975, para

maglingkod sa gobyerno, inasikaso na rin niya
ang printmaking. Nagtanghal siya ng ilang solong
eksibit: Prints by Nonon Padilla, 1978, sa CCP
Small Gallery; Cartograficas, 1980, sa Gallerie
Dominique; Watercolors, 1981, sa Sining Kamalig;
at Phonomelogias, sa CCP, 1982. Lumahok din siya

288
 PADILLA
sa eksibisyon ng mga print na itinanghal ng World Print Council sa San
Francisco, USA, at tanging kalahok siya sa isang pagtatanghal na tinawag
na Secret Images, 1980. Binili ng Fukuoka Art Museum noong 1981 ang
kaniyang mga likha, kaya siya ang unang Filipinong artista na tumanggap ng
karangalang ito. Nagturo siya sa UP College of Fine Arts at Departamento ng
Humanidades sa UP mula 1981 hanggang 1985.

Bumalik siya sa teatro nang idinirihe niya ang Felipe de las Casas ni Dumol sa
Puerta Real noong 1983 at ang Biyaheng Timog ni Perez para sa Bulwagang
Gantimpala ng CCP noong 1984. Naanyayahan siyang maging Direktor ng
Museo ng CCP noong 1985 at Coordinator for Visual Arts noong 1986. Noong
1987, inanyayahan siya na magtatag ng bagong residenteng kompanya
sa teatro sa CCP, ang Tanghalang Pilipino (TP). Idinirihe niya ang unang
produksiyon nito, ang sarsuwelang Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden),
habang nagsisilbi bilang Coordinator for Dramatic Arts para sa CCP..

Naglingkod si Padilla bilang artistic director ng Tanghalang Pilipino mula

1987 hanggang 2002. Idinirihe niya ang maraming produksiyon ng grupo Julio Diaz sa Tibag,
sa mga unang taon nito. Namukod-tangi ang mga produksiyong ito dahil Tanghalang Pilipino, 1999

289
PADILLA

gumamit ng malakas na imaheng biswal sa mga tagpuan

at pagtatanghal at kinilala bilang mga produksiyong
panandang-bato sa teatro ng Pilipinas, na ang ilang
orihinal na dula ay naging bahagi na ng kanon ng teatro
sa Pilipinas. Kabilang sa mga produksiyong idinirihe niya
ang mga sarsuwelang Paglipas ng Dilim at Dularawan ng
Pating (adaptasyon ng isa pang sarsuwela Sa Bunganga ng
Pating), at Pilipinas Circa 1907; ang orihinal na mga dulang
musikal na Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, Ilustrado:
Ang Buhay ni Rizal, Aguinaldo 1898, at Ang Pagpatay Kay
Luna; ang mga orihinal na dulang tuluyan, gaya ng Francisco
Maniago, Sa North Diversion Road, Oktubre, Noong Tayo’y
Nagmamahalan Pa, Nobyembre: Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal
Kita, Pinoy Agonistes; ang mga muling pagtatanghal ng
Mac Malicsi TNT, Ulilang Tahanan, at Bituing Marikit; at
mga salin ng mga klasikong dula, gaya ng Taga sa Panahon
(A Man for All Seasons ni Robert Bolt); Sigalot sa Venetia
(Le Baruffe Chiozzotte ni Carlo Goldoni), Ang Sinungaling
(Il Bugiardo by Goldoni); Hedda Gabler (ni Henrik Ibsen),
Tatlong Parusa sa Isang Sentensiya (Las Tres Justicias en
Una ni Pedro Calderon de la Barca), at Ang Negosyante ng
Venecia (Merchant of Venice ni Shakespeare). Naimbitahang
itanghal sa ibang bansa ang ilan sa mga produksiyong ito: ang
Paglipas ng Dilim sa Canada at ang Noli Me Tangere at El
Filibusterismo sa Japan. Naitanghal rin ang Noli Me Tangere
sa International Rizal Conference sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Idinirihe ni Padilla ang Biyaheng Timog bilang A Small
Matter of Sacrifice sa Theatre Royal, New York noong 1986,
at sa Singapore para sa Company Theater Works noong 1991.

Itinatag ni Padilla ang Actors Company (AC) na nagsilbing

residenteng pangkat ng mga aktor na sinasanay ng TP. Patuloy
ang pagsasanay ng mga iskolar ng AC, mga aprentis, at kasapi
sa programang may mga klase sa boses, galaw, pagsusuri ng
iskrip, at iba pang larangan. Nakilala ang mga aktor na naging
bahagi ng kompanya hindi lamang sa teatro, kundi maging
sa pelikula, at telebisyon. Kabilang sa mga naging miyembro
ng AC sa panahon ng paglilingkod ni Padilla bilang artistic
Dante Balois bilang Mabini director ng TP sina Irma Adlawan, Diana Alferez, John Arcilla,
sa Tonyo, Pepe, Pule, Raul Arellano, Alan Bautista, Nonie Buencamino, Shamaine
Tanghalang Pilipino 1990 Centenera, Connie Chua, George de Jesus III, Ony de Leon,
 PADILLA
Jay Españo, Angela Garcia, Sherry Lara, RJ Leyran, Garry Lim, Ian Lomongo, Aguinaldo 1898,
Olga Natividad, Paolo O’Hara, Alan Paule, Bodjie Pascua, Joey Paras, at Gilleth Tanghalang
Pilipino, 1998
Sandico.

Nang lisanin na niya ang Tanghalang Pilipino, idinirihe ni Padilla ang Belong
Puti (White Veil), dulang orihinal na nagmula sa akda ni Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
na The Woman with a White Veil, 2007; at Haring Lear (King Lear ni
Shakespeare), 2012, para sa PETA; at Lorenzo nina Christian Vallez at Paul
Dumol, 2013; Palasyo ni Valentin (Valentin’s Palace) ni Mario O’Hara, 2015;
Mga Misteryo ng Liwanag (Mysteries of the Light), isang kontemporanyong
interpretasyon ng Pasyon ni Kristo na may tiyak na tagpuan, 2016; Makbet
291
PADILLA

(Macbeth ni Shakespeare), 2017; ang sarili nyang dula, Ang Larawan

ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a), 2018, at Ang Dakilang Teatro ng Daigdig
(pagsasanib ng El Gran Teatro del Mundo ni Calderon de la Barca at
Hoy Boyet ni Perez), 2019.

Sa buong panahon ng kaniyang karera bilang direktor, pinuri ang mga

produksiyon ni Padilla dahil sa “mapusok, ngunit pulidong pananaw” at
maingat na pagsasaayos ng detalye ng “galaw at himig.” Katulong ang
kaniyang mga designer, partikular ang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
Salvador Bernal na nagdisenyo ng marami sa kaniyang produksiyon,
madalas na itinatanghal niya ang mga imaheng biswal na marami ang
sapin-saping kahulugan, na naglilinaw sa metaporang nais niyang
maiparating sa mga manonood. Halimbawa, sa mga musikal na Noli
Me Tangere at El Filibusterismo, binuo ang disenyo ng tanghalan na
may malalaking makina na tumutukoy sa pagsisimula ng himagsikang
Filipino. Nagpatuloy siya sa pag-eeksperimento gamit ang sari-saring
Florante at Laura,
Tanghalang elemento. Sa pinakahuli niyang produksiyon, gumamit siya ng mixed
Pilipino, 1993 media na may live video footage at mga monitor.
Nagwagi si Padilla ng ikatlong gantimpala para sa dulang may tatlong yugto na Sherry Lara in
Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a) sa Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Nuno sa Punso,
BFF, Benilde
Literature noong 1988. Noong 2004, ginawaran siya ng Patnubay ng Sining at Theater Arts, 2018
Kalinangan para sa Teatro ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Noong 2013, ipinagkaloob
sa kaniya ng Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group ang Natatanging Gawad
Buhay Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award para sa teatro. Napanaluhan
niya ang tropeo para sa Pinakamahusay na Direktor sa Tanghalan para sa
Musikal na Lorenzo sa Aliw Awards ng 2014. Noong 2020, ipinagkaloob sa
kaniya ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining, larangan ng dulaan.

Pangarap pa rin ni Padilla na magkaroon ng tunay na pambansang kompanya

ng dulaan na may sariling gusaling panteatro, na hindi nirerentahan o ginagamit
din ng ibang pangkat. “May sariling teatro sana ang bawat rehiyon kundi man
ang bawat lalawigan, para hindi lamang nakasentro sa Maynila ang dulaan…. Sa
ngayon, waring musmos pa rin tayo dahil sa kaisipang magkasya na lamang sa
kung ano ang mayroon tayo.”

May rubdob sana para sa drama ang mga direktor sa darating na panahon at
rubdob para sa dulaan, pahayag ni Padilla. “Para sa anumang uri ng sining,
kailangan ng rubdob. Kailangang pag-aralan ang sining mo, ang propesyon
mo. Sa literatura lamang magagawa iyan, kung hindi ka makalalahok sa isang
pangkat o kilusan.” 293
Selected Works
Mga Piling Obra
As "eater Director Bilang Direktor
Hoy Boyet, Tinatawag Ka Na, Hatinggabi
Na’y Gising Ka Pa Pala (Hey, Boyet, They’re
Calling You Now, It’s Already Midnight but
You’re Still Awake), 1967
Ang Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio
(The Trial of Old Serapio), 1968
Indio or One Swallow in its Summer, 1969
Halimaw (Monster), 1971
Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig River), 1973
Si Monico at ang Mga Higante
(Monico and the Giants), 1975
Kabesang Tales (Cabeza Tales), 1975
Felipe de las Casas, 1983
Biyaheng Timog (Trip to the South), 1984
Biyaheng Timog (Tony Perez’s
A Small Matter of Sacrifice), 1986/1991
Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden), 1987
Super Pulis (Slawomir Mrozek’s The Police),
1987
Taga sa Panahon (Robert Bolt’s A Man for All
Seasons), 1987
Francisco Maniago, 1988
Florante at Laura (Florante and Laura), 1988
Sa North Diversion Road (On the North
Diversion Road), 1988
Larawan (Nick Joaquin’s
Portrait of the Artist as Filipino), 1989
Tonyo, Pepe at Pule (Tonyo, Pepe and Pule),
1990
Ang Memorandum (Vaclav Havel’s
The Memorandum), 1990
Lusak (Maxim Gorky’s Na Dne)¸1990
Paglipas ng Dilim (After the Darkness), 1991
Julio Cesar (Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar),
1991
El Filibusterismo (The Filibuster), 1991
Mac Malicsi TNT, 1992
Pilipinas Circa 1907 (Philippines Circa 1907),
1992
Ibon ng Lawa (Anton Chekhov’s Chayka), 1992
Sigalot sa Venetia (Carlo Goldoni’s
Le Baruffe Chiozzotte), 1992
Oktubre, Noong Tayo’y Nagmamahalan Pa
(October, When We Were Still In Love), 1993
Teresa, Gregoria at Teodora
(Teresa, Gregoria and Teodora), 1993
Nobyembre: Noong Akala Ko’y Mahal Kita
(November, When I Thought I Loved You), 1994
Hedda Gabler (by Henrik Ibsen), 1995
Ulilang Tahanan (Forsaken House), 1994
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), 1995
Bituing Marikit (Beautiful Star), 1995
Tatlong Parusa sa Isang Sentensiya
(Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s Las Tres
Justicias en Una), 1996
Ang Paglilitis at Pagkamatay ni Rizal: Mga
Teksto at Komentaryo (The Trial and Death
of Rizal: Text and Commentary), 1996
Ilustrado: Ang Buhay ni Rizal
(Educated Native: The Life of Rizal), 1996
Piglas (by Mikhail Bulgakov), 1997
Pantagleize (by Michel de Ghelderode), 1998
Aguinaldo 1898, 1998
Sawi (Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero’s Frustrations),
1999
Dularawan ng Pating (Image Play of the
Sharks) based on Sa Bunganga ng Pating, 1999
Dakilang Hokus-Pokus (Eduardo de Filippo’s
Le Grande Maggia), 2000
Wilderness of Sweets, 2000
Pinoy Agonisters, 2001
Isaandaang Awit ni Mary Helen Fee/One
Hundred Songs of Mary Helen Fee, 2001
 Haring Lear, Philippine Educational Theater Association, 2012

Ang Pagpatay Kay Luna

(The Murder of Luna), 2002
As Playwright Bilang Mandudula
Ang Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a)
Ang Sinungaling (Carlo Goldoni’s (Portrait of the Filipino as Artist), 2018
Il Bugiardo), 2002
Ang Negosyante ng Venecia
(Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice). 2003 One-man Exhibits Solong Eksibit
Belong Puti (Wllfrido Ma. Guerrero’s Prints by Nonon Padilla, 1978,
The Woman with a White Veil), 2007 CCP Small Gallery
Saan Ba Tayo Ihaharid ng Disyembre Cartograficas, 1980, Gallerie Dominique
(Where Will December Lead Us), 2009
Watercolors, 1981, Sining Kamalig
Haring Lear (Shakespeare’s King Lear), 2012
Phonomelogias, 1982, CCP
Lorenzo, 2013
Palasyo ni Valentin (Valentin’s Palace), 2015
Mga Misteryo ng Liwanag
(Mysteries of the Light), 2017
Ang Larawan ng Pilipino Bilang Artist(a)
(Portrait of the Filipino as Artist), 2018 Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
Ang Dakilang Teatro ng Daigdig (a fusion for a video about
of Calderon de la Barca’s El Gran Teatro del
Mundo and Perez’s Hoy Boyet), 2019
this awardee. 295
Raul M.
Sunico
MUSIC
 Citation

Raul M. Sunico is a world-class Filipino concert pianist who

merged his role as performer, educator, administrator, cultural
worker, and philanthropist to contribute to the propagation of
Philippine music and the formation of a modern Filipino cultural
identity.

For his memorable local performances, including the rendition

of Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos in a single night and
Tchaikovsky’s three piano concerts in another, which have
educated the Filipino audience and set the bar of excellence for
younger generations of pianists he inspires;

For upgrading the Filipino piano repertoire through his dazzling

piano arrangements and recordings of Filipino folksongs and
kundimans, and improvisations that transform the people’s
songs into stylish masterpieces that combine his Filipino roots
and the Western classical tradition;

For enriching music education in the Philippines through his

textbook series Musika at Sining for grades 3 to 6 and Horizons
for grade 10, for supporting the advanced studies of gifted
musicians abroad through grant-giving foreign institutions and
his own scholarship foundation, and for actively upgrading the
education and training of future music professionals through
his teaching and management of music schools and colleges in
several universities and the Cultural Center of the Philippines;

For introducing, through his brilliant performances in

international concerts and festivals, the outstanding orchestral
and piano works of Filipino composers as well as his own
Filipino musical artistry to the world;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Raul M. Sunico

this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the Cultural Center
of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

298
 Pagkilala

Si Raul M. Sunico ay isa sa nangungunang concert pianist na Pilipino, na gumamit

ng kaniyang mga papel bilang musikero, guro, administrador, manggagawang
pangkultura, at pilantropo, upang makapag-ambag sa pagpapalaganap ng musika
ng Pilipinas at sa pagbuo ng isang modernong pagkakakilanlang kultural na
Pilipino.

Dahil sa kaniyang hindi malilimutang mga pagtatanghal, kabilang ang pagtugtog

niya ng apat na piano concerto ni Rachmaninoff sa iisang gabi, at ng tatlong
piano concerto ni Tchaikovsky sa isa pa, na nagbigay ng pagkatuto sa madlang
tagapakinig at nagtakda ng mataas na pamantayan ng kahusayan para sa
nakababatang henerasyon ng mga piyanistang humahanga sa kaniya;

Dahil sa pagpapayabong niya ng repertoryo ng piano sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan

ng kaniyang mataginting na mga areglo at pagsasaplaka ng mga awiting bayan
at kundimang Filipino, at ng mga improbisasyong nagbibigay ng bagong anyo sa
mga awiting pangmadla para maging mga obra maestra na salikupan ng kaniyang
pinag-uugatang tradisyon at ng tradisyong Kanluranin at klasiko;

Dahil sa pagsusulong niya ng edukasyong pangmusika sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan

ng kaniyang serye ng teksbuk na Musika at Sining para sa ikatlo hanggang ikaanim
na baitang at Horizons para sa ikasampung baitang, sa pagtataguyod niya sa mga
musikerong may talento upang makapagpatuloy sa mas mataas na antas ng pag-
aaral sa ibayong dagat, sa pamamagitan ng mga grant mula sa labas ng bansa at
sa sarili niyang scholarship foundation, at sa aktibo niyang pagsusulong ng pag-
aaral at pagsasanay ng mga susunod na propesyunal sa musika, sa pamamagitan
ng pagtuturo at pangangasiwa sa mga paaralan at kolehiyong pangmusika sa loob
ng maraming pamantasan at ng Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas;

Dahil sa pagpapakilala niya sa mundo, sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang natatanging

mga pagtatanghal sa mga pandaigdigang konsiyerto at festival, ng napakahusay na
likhang piano at orkestra ng mga kompositor na Filipino, gayundin ng sarili niyang
kasiningan sa musikang Filipino;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Raul M. Sunico ngayong ika-
7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

299
 Raul Sunico Bringing
Filipino Music and
Artistry to the World
Arwin Q. Tan

Raul Sunico’s memorable performance of the four piano concertos of Sergei

Rachmaninoff in a single night at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) on 14 September 2003 is a testament
to how a combination of extraordinary talent, impeccable memory, steadfast
discipline, and an unwavering passion for music can conquer uncharted
paths in the challenging world of concert pianists. His goal in presenting
Rachmaninoff’s four technically demanding piano concertos was simply to
introduce the less popular works of the composer—first and fourth concertos—
to the public by offering them with the more familiar and well-loved second and
third concertos. Dismissing the organizers’ suggestion to perform the concertos
in two nights due to concerns over his stamina and overall wellbeing, Sunico’s
decision to play all four in a single night speaks of his courage, preparedness,
good planning, and determination as an artist. The historic premiere of the third
concerto, which Rachmaninoff himself played on 28 November 1909 in New
York, exhausted the composer’s energy rendering him incapable of playing an
encore even with a great clamor from the American audience (France.musique,
2018). Sunico reserved the second concerto right before the intermission and
the third concerto as the finale to keep the audience enthralled, and to ensure
that the energy-exhausting cadenza of the third concerto’s first movement
and the strength and speed required in playing the last movement would not
jeopardize any succeeding piece.

300 This spectacular concert in 2003, with the University of Santo Tomas (UST)
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herminigildo Rañera, remains to be a feat
that no other established concert pianist in the world has ever done. In fact, Sunico with
Sunico performed it not only once but twice. At 70, he mesmerized everyone the Philippine
Philharmonic
by repeating the same program with equal agility and fiery spirit, accompanied Orchestra,
by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) at the same theater on the 26th Romancing the
of January 2019. PPO’s principal conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and resident Classics, CCP, 2018
conductor, Rañera, shared the task of leading the orchestra in that concert.

The enormous demand of the Western classical world on its famous piano
stars requires that the necessary qualities—talent, memory, discipline, and
passion—be honed as early as one’s childhood years. Only determined,
hardworking, and gifted pianists earn a chance to be among the few
distinguished celebrated stars of the classical world. The Filipino nation
is privileged to have as one of her sons a conscientious and astoundingly
talented pianist in the person of Raul Sunico. His illustrious life as a musician
is even more special because his greatness is tempered with a humble heart,
immense generosity, and an inherent love for the Filipino nation.

Raul Morales Sunico was born on the 29th of February, 1948 in Santa Cruz,
Manila. He is the eldest son of Faustino Peña Sunico and Julita de la Cruz
Morales. His earliest musical training was with Marina Diokno, his piano
teacher, from the age of five until 17. Upon his entry to the University of the
Philippines (UP) College of Music, he studied under Benedicta Macaisa
who nurtured him until he earned his teacher’s diploma in piano in 1969. He
completed his Bachelor of Music, major in piano, graduating magna cum laude 301
Sunico delivering in 1970. He also completed a Bachelor of Science in Math degree in 1972. A
his speech at the year later, he finished his Master of Statistics degree, also in UP. While studying
University of
Santo Tomas,
mathematics and statistics, he became a scholar at the UST Conservatory of
College of Music Music. He continued learning piano under Benjamin Tupas from 1971 to 1974.
graduation rites,
2014 While working at a bank one day in 1973, he got a call from Luis Valencia,
the orchestra conductor scheduled to perform Lucino Sacramento’s Piano
Concerto no. 2 (Maharlika) for then-President Ferdinand Marcos’ birthday
celebration at Malacañan Palace the following day, 11 September 1973.
Valencia asked Sunico to replace the original pianist, Benjamin Tupas, who
got ill. Receiving the score on that same afternoon, he learned the piano part
upon reaching home. By the next day, he played the entire piece without a
score in front of the President and the First Lady, Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.
A week later, Mrs. Marcos invited Sunico for a private performance, which
was a “quasi-audition of sorts” (R. M. Sunico, personal communication, July
9, 2021). This event eventually led to a scholarship from the former First Lady
through the Young Artists Foundation of the Philippines, which allowed him to
pursue his Master of Music degree at the prestigious Juilliard School in New
York and study under Sascha Gorodnitzki from 1975 to 1979. While studying
in New York, he also received the Juilliard Honorary Scholarship, Fordham
University Scholarship (for his mathematics studies), and Amon Foundation
Grant. A New York University Scholarship allowed him to pursue his doctorate
studies under Joseph Villa from 1983 to 1985. In 1993, he completed his Doctor
of Philosophy in Piano Performance from the University of New York. Several
302 years later, in 2006, Sunico was conferred a Doctor of Humanities degree
(honoris causa) by the Far Eastern University.
Perhaps these opportunities to pursue advanced studies through the generosity of

SUNICO
scholarship foundations eventually motivated him to establish the Sunico Foundation
for Arts and Technology (SFAT)—an education program that supports young and gifted
scholars—upon his return to stay for good in Manila in 2002. In addition, he continues
to serve as an officer and member of the board in numerous other foundations with the
same goal, such as the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines, Performing Arts
Recreation Center Foundation, Klassikal Music Foundation, and the Society for Cultural
Enrichment, among others. These are in addition to his positions as Dean of the UST
Conservatory of Music from 2002 to 2016, as Vice President and Artistic Director of
the CCP in 2009, and later as President from 2010 to 2017. Upon his retirement from
UST and CCP, he helped establish the Doctor of Musical Arts Program of Saint Paul
University College of Music and Performing Arts (CMPA), which he has chaired since
2019. In 2020, he became the Dean of Saint Paul University CMPA.

Sunico recognizes the wealth of musical talent among the Filipino youth and finds
great fulfillment when he can be instrumental in their pursuit for further studies,
especially in the prestigious music academies of Europe and the USA. In an interview
for the Steinway Gallery Singapore in 2019 as one of the meticulously chosen Spirio
Artists, Sunico iterated that “I would like to be remembered for what I do for people.
It is as simple as returning the blessings that was afforded to me. I’ve had a deluge of
blessings so I try, as much as possible, to do something in return—help people, schools,
and organizations” (in Steinway & Sons, 2019). Indeed, he considers his role as a
supporter of young people in the arts as his most significant achievement and from
which he derives great satisfaction.

But just how Raul Sunico developed into a pianist-par-excellence that would make
him one of the most respected and admired Filipino musicians of our time? He credits
the international piano competitions he
participated in to have significantly changed
his outlook, improving his self-confidence and
giving him a more positive attitude towards
paying attention to details. He also believes
that competitions make one strive for a higher
degree of excellence (Steinway Gallery
Singapore - b, 2019). The years 1977 to 1983
were Sunico’s competition period. His first
success in the international competition scene
was landing as a semifinalist at the Munich
International Piano Competition in Germany in
1977. This was followed by becoming the silver
medalist at the 1979 Viotti International Piano
Competition in Vercelli, Italy; a finalist at the
1979 Busoni International Piano Competition
in Bolzano, Italy; and the winner of the
Henry Cowell Prize at the 1980 University
303
SUNICO of Maryland International Piano Competition
in the USA. In 1981, he landed as a semifinalist
at the Jaen International Piano Competition in
Spain, followed by a semifinalist finish at the
Palma de Mallorca Chopin International Piano
Competition, also in Spain in 1983.

Sunico’s recollection of the Busoni competition

provides a glimpse at how his strength of
character, presence of mind, and attention to
detail, along with his technical perfection and
sensitivity in playing music, helped him to be
one of the last men standing. According to
Sunico, there were four rounds of competition;
the contestants played a different program per
round with no provision for rehearsals. The most
nerve-wracking was the fourth round; only a
few finalists from the original hundred aspirants
were to play an entire program designed by the
contestants themselves. As a finalist, Sunico
played Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp
minor, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in
C-minor, op. 111, Scriabin’s Sonata no. 5 in
F-sharp major, op. 53, Chopin’s “Etude op. 25
no. 10,” Liszt’s “Transcendental Etude no. 10,”
and Rachmaninoff’s “Etude Tableau op. 39 no.
5.” His choice of pieces marks his calculated
assessment combining the required technical
difficulty that could display his fingers’ dexterity,
impressive representation of styles that exhibited
rhythmic dynamism, and sensibility to allow
music to do its magic. Hurdling such a formidable
challenge was one exercise that undoubtedly
improved his self-confidence and positively
changed his outlook in life.

As a New York-based concert pianist,

opportunities to perform in solo recitals and as
a featured soloist of orchestras abounded. His
successful career brought him to the beautiful
concert halls of Austria, Belgium, England,
France, Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, USA, Mexico,
304 Lebanon, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Australia,
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines to give

SUNICO
solo recitals. In addition, Sunico has also been the featured soloist of many orchestras
around the world, such as the Cluj Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania, Ho Chi
Minh Symphony Orchestra and Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra in Vietnam,
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia, Ottawa Chamber Orchestra in Canada,
Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland, Taipei Symphony Orchestra and Taiwan
Normal University Wind Orchestra in Taiwan, Tokyo Sinfonia in Japan, Towson
Community Orchestra in Maryland, USA, and the following Filipino orchestras: Manila
Philharmonic Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, Metro Manila Community
Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, UP Symphony Orchestra, and UST
Symphony Orchestra.

His extensive concertizing worldwide is also paralleled with an impressive repertoire

that includes a wide range of piano concertos and other pieces, all played by Sunico
without scores. His exceptional memory results from a methodical study of the parts
and the application of great retention techniques, enhanced by brain-stimulating games
and hobbies he fondly plays before retiring at night. Sunico adds that, “my memory is
a combined product of my math background, ear training, harmonic pattern analysis,
improvisatory experience, and a relatively strong photographic retention” (R.M.
Sunico, personal communication, July 9, 2021). Through the years, his major orchestral
performances have made him work on the most beautiful and the most challenging
piano concertos of the Classical, Romantic, and contemporary periods. The incredibly
long list of concertos he had played includes Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn,
Brahms, Grieg, Liszt, Saint Saens, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Busoni, Rachmaninoff, De Falla,
Poulenc, Bartok, Prokofieff, Gershwin, and Bernstein. He is credited for introducing
never-before-played concertos to the Philippine audience, such as Franz Liszt’s Piano
Concerto no. 3 in E-flat major, Bela Bartok’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in G major, Ferruccio
Busoni’s monumental Piano Concerto in C major, and Leonard Bernstein’s Age of
Anxiety. His innovative and breathtaking programming also feted his audience with
semi-magical musical experiences that almost borders on the impossible. Foremost
of these is his phenomenal performance of Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos in
a single night. In a similar vein, he also programmed Tchaikovsky’s first three piano
concertos in one concert, which he played with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
under Rañera in 2015.

Reversing the flow, Sunico capitalized on his fame as an endeared exceptional pianist
from the orient in introducing the works of Filipino composers to the European and
American audiences. With his fingers, he gave them a taste of the splendor of Philippine
culture. In 1994, he presented Antonino Buenaventura’s Piano Obligato to Mindanao
Sketches to the Russian audience at the Bolshoi Hall, in a concert where the Moscow
Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied him. Sunico also premiered Jeffrey Ching’s
Ricercare no. 3 at the Sydney Town Hall in Australia in 1995.

He premiered two of Lucino Sacramento’s works for the Filipino audience: Piano
Concerto no. 2 (Maharlika) in 1973 and Piano Concerto no. 3 (Bituin) in 1974. 305
SUNICO In the 1990s, he also premiered Jeffrey Ching’s Sonata no. 6 for Piano; Toccata
Contrappuntistica for 4 Pianos; and Piccola Toccata Contrappuntistica no. 4 for
2 Pianos. In 2007, he played for the premiere performance of Chino Toledo’s Piano
Concerto – Ekontra:Kongruo:Iunctum with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra.

Sunico has enhanced the Filipino piano routine with his virtuoso improvisational
skill. He has recorded several albums of Filipino folksongs arranged in a “more
technical setting . . . supported by [the] interpretative and analytical ways of Classical
compositions” (Steinway Gallery Singapore - a, 2019). With these works, he fulfills
his self-imposed goal to be an exponent of Filipino music in which he is able to add
a particular sophistication to the piano repertory that makes it at par with that of the
West. His impressive piano arrangements of Filipino folksongs and renditions of
kundimans are immortalized in recording albums such as Balikbayan, Cariñosa,
Cavatina, Kataka-taka, Lambingan, Pahimakas, Pahiwatig, Sungdo ni Ayat, and
Usahay/Classically Filipino.

In addition to these recordings, he also published collections of Filipino songs and

several educational books for the Department of Education, aiming to propagate
Philippine music. His four-volume collection of Philippine Folk Songs, Himig, the
two-volume songs of the Philippine revolution, Mga Awit ng Himagsikan, and the
collection of songs with words or music by Jose Rizal, Kundiman ni Rizal, are meant to
make these pieces more familiar to the Filipino people, and are also a way to introduce
Filipino music to the world.

As a recently named Steinway Spirio Artist, he gets to play and record his music with
the new technologically-designed grand pianos of the famous piano-making
company, and he acknowledges that,

it is possible to extend my piano playing and recording to any part of

the world and whatever I can create and arrange for future generations
will hopefully be appreciated by people around the world, not only [by]
the Filipino communities, but people who may not be as familiar with
Filipino music and would like to know more about them (Steinway
Gallery Singapore - c, 2019).

For these noble intentions to make our music be known, played, and resonate in the
many spaces of the modern world, including the virtual world of the Internet, that Raul
Sunico stands out as a Filipino musician. In the long years of constantly innovating on
his artistry, he has exemplified how a Filipino can be an exceptional concert pianist
at par with the best in the world. Apart from the numerous accolades he has received
for his impressive track record of performing the most challenging piano works with
the world’s great orchestras, his legacy of ensuring the continuity of such an important
tradition brings Sunico to the forefront of Philippine music development in the modern
era. He is able to accomplish this by extending the much-needed financial support to
306 aspiring Filipino musicians so that they can also fulfill their aspirations to be world-
class musicians. Indeed, the Philippines is privileged to have been graced by CCP meeting, 2014
the life and artistry of Raul Sunico: a Filipino pianist for the world; and a world-
class pianist for the Filipinos.

References
France Musique. (2018, June 19). “Rachmaninoff: Everything you need
to know about the piano concertos.” France.musique.fr. https://www.
francemusique.fr/en/rachmaninoff-everything-you-need-know-about-
piano-concertos-20442.

Steinway & Sons. (2019, March 27). “The Life and Craft of Steinway Artist Raul
Sunico. Steinway Boutique.” https://www.steinway-boutique.com.ph/
news/the-life-and-craft-of-steinway-artist-raul-sunico/.

Steinway Gallery Singapore - a. (2019, May 7). Playing Back a Legacy

– Documentary ep. 1 Pioneering Pianists of Southeast Asia. [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDbPZIttffM

Steinway Gallery Singapore - b. (2019, May 15). Recording Milestones

– Documentary ep. 3 Pioneering Pianists of Southeast Asia. [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dvHDssbAeI

Steinway Gallery Singapore - c. (2019, May 21). Passing on the Touch and
Virtuosity – Documentary ep. 5 Pioneering Pianists of Southeast Asia.
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ0Wg6wvHqg
307
 Raul Sunico Hatid sa
Mundo ang Musika at
Kasiningang Filipino
Arwin Q. Tan
Salin ni Jethro Niño P. Tenorio

Ang di-malilimutang pagtatanghal ni Raul Sunico ng apat na piano

concerto ni Sergei Rachmaninoff sa loob ng isang gabi sa Tanghalang
Nicanor Abelardo ng Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas (CCP) noong
14 Setyembre 2003, ay pagpapatotoo na kapag nagsalikop ang
katangi-tanging talento, matalas na memorya, mahigpit na disiplina,
at di-nagmamaliw na pagmamahal sa musika, nagagawa ang mga
di-pa-kailanman nagawa sa loob ng mapanghamong mundo ng
mga concert pianist. Sa pagtatanghal ng apat na napakateknikal na
piano concerto ni Rachmaninoff, ninanais lamang niyang ipakilala sa
madla ang mga di-tanyag na likha ng kompositor - ang una at ikaapat
na concerto - sa pamamagitan ng pagtatampok sa mga ito, kasama
ng mas kilala at kinagigiliwan nang ikalawa at ikatlong concerto.
Sa hindi niya pagtalima sa mungkahi ng mga organisador na hatiin
ang pagtatanghal sa dalawang gabi bilang pagsasaalang-alang sa
kaniyang lakas at kalagayan, ipinapamalas ni Sunico ang kaniyang
tapang, kahandaan, matalinong pagpaplano, at determinasyon bilang
alagad ng sining. Sinasabing ang makasaysayang unang pagtatanghal
308 ng ikatlong concerto na tinugtog mismo ni Rachmaninoff noong
28 Nobyembre 1909 sa New York ay labis na nakapagpapagod sa
kompositor kaya hindi na niya nagawang magtanghal ng encore sa kabila ng Sunico kasama si
Hubert Soudant at
pagpupumilit ng Amerikanong madla (France.musique, 2018). Sinadyang
ang Taipei Symphony
tugtugin ni Sunico ang ikalawang concerto bago matapos ang unang bahagi ng Orchestra,CCP, 2011
pagtatanghal, at ang ikatlong concerto bilang pagtatapos, upang mapanatili ang
mga tagapakinig, at upang masiguro na walang piyesang madedehado kung
isusunod pa sa ubos-lakas na cadenza ng first movement ng ikatlong concerto
at ng hinihinging tindi at bilis sa pagtugtog naman ng last movement nito.

Wala pang ibang kilalang concert pianist sa buong mundo ang nakagawa
ng tulad ng kamangha-manghang konsiyertong iyon noong 2003 na
kinatampukan ng University of Santo Tomas (UST) Symphony Orchestra, sa
gabay ng pagkumpas ni Hermenigildo Rañera. Sa katunayan, hindi lamang
ito naitanghal nang isang beses kundi dalawa. Pitumpung-taong gulang na
noon si Sunico nang muli niyang pahangain ang lahat noong ulitin niya ang
konsiyertong ito nang may ganoon ding liksi at rubdob, sa tanghalan ding iyon
noong 26 Enero 2019, kasama naman ang Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
Magkasamang pinangunahan nina Yoshikazu Fukumura, pangunahing
tagakumpas ng PPO, at ni Rañera, residenteng tagakumpas, ang orkestra sa 309
konsiyertong iyon.
Sunico at Sa tindi ng hinihingi ng daigdig ng Kanluraning klasiko sa kaniyang mga
Josefino bantog na bituin ng piano, kailangan na mahubog sa murang edad pa lamang
“Chino” Toledo
ang mga tiyak na katangian sa isang piyanista — talento, memorya, disiplina,
at rubdob ng damdamin. Tanging ang mga pursigido, matiyaga, at may-
talentong piyanista ang nabibigyan ng pagkakataong mapabilang sa iilang
pinagpipitaganang bituin sa mundo ng mga musikang klasiko. Mapalad ang
Pilipinas sapagkat nagluwal siiya ng isang anak na may mabuting kalooban at
nag-uumapaw na talento — si Raul Sunico. Ang bantog niyang buhay bilang
concert pianist ay lalo pang pinagniningning ng kadakilaang may katambal
na pagpapakumbaba, pagiging bukas-palad, at likas na pagmamahal para sa
sambayanang Pilipino.

Isinilang si Raul Morales Sunico noong 29 Pebrero 1948 sa Santa Cruz,

Maynila. Panganay siyang anak nina Faustino Peña Sunico at Julita de la
Cruz Morales. Una siyang nagsanay sa pagtugtog sa ilalim ng paggabay ni
Marina Diokno na guro niya sa piano mula edad lima hanggang labimpitong
taong gulang. Nang makapasok sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (UP) Kolehiyo ng
Musika, nag-aral siya sa ilalim ni Benedicta Macaisa, na gumabay sa kaniya
hanggang matanggap niya ang kaniyang teacher’s diploma sa piano noong
1969, at hanggang matapos niya ang Batsilyer sa Musika, medyor sa piyano,
na may pagkilalang magna cum laude noong 1970. Nakapagtapos din siya ng
kursong Batsilyer ng Agham sa Matematika noong 1972, at noong sumunod
310 na taon, ay nakapagtapos din sa UP ng kursong Masterado sa Estadistika.
Habang nag-aaral ng matematika at estadistika, naging iskolar naman siya ng

SUNICO
UST Conservatory of Music, at nagpatuloy na magsanay sa piyano mula 1971
hanggang 1974 sa ilalim ni Benjamin Tupas.

Isang araw noong 1973, nagtatrabaho siya sa isang bangko nang makatanggap
ng tawag mula kay Luis Valencia, ang kukumpas sa orkestrang nakatakdang
tumugtog ng Piano Concerto no. 2 (Maharlika) ni Lucino Sacramento para sa
pagdiriwang ng kaarawan ng dating pangulong Ferdinand Marcos sa Palasyo
ng Malacañan kinabukasan, 11 Septyembre 1973. Ipinakiusap ni Valencia
na halinhan ni Sunico ang orihinal na piyanista na si Benjamin Tupas dahil
nagkasakit ito. Nang matanggap niya ang piyesa noong kinahapunan, inaral
niya ito pag-uwi, at kinabukasan ay natugtog niya ang buong piyesa nang
walang tinitingnang kopya, sa harap ng Pangulo at ng Unang Ginang Imelda
Romualdez-Marcos. Pagkalipas ng isang linggo, inimbitahan ni Gng. Marcos
si Sunico upang magtanghal sa isang pribadong pagtitipon, na “waring quasi-
audition na nga” (R.M Sunico, personal na komunikasyon, Hulyo 9, 2021).
Ibinunga ng pagpapaunlak niyang ito ang pagtanggap niya ng scholarship
mula sa dating Unang Ginang, sa pamamagitan ng Young Artists Foundation
of the Philippines, na nagbigay-daan naman sa kaniya para kumuha ng
kursong Masterado sa Musika sa prestihiyosong Julliard School sa New York,
at mag-aral sa ilalim ng paggabay ni Sascha Gorodnitzki mula 1975 hanggang
1979. Habang nag-aaral sa New York, nakatanggap din siya ng Juilliard
Honorary Scholarship, Fordham University Scholarship (para sa pag-aaral
ng matematika), at Amon Foundation Grant. Dahil sa New York University
Scholarship, nakapag-aral siya ng kursong doktorado sa ilalim ni Joseph
Villa mula 1983 hanggang 1985. Taong 1993
nang matapos niya ang Doktor ng Pilosopiya
sa Piano Performance mula sa University of
New York. Makalipas ang ilang taon, noong
2006, ginawaran si Sunico ng Doktorado sa
Humanidades (honoris causa) ng Far Eastern
University.

Marahil itong mga pagkakataong

makapagpursige sa pag-aaral bunga ng
kabutihang-loob ng mga scholarship
foundation ang kalaunang nag-udyok sa
kaniya na itatag ang Sunico Foundation for Arts
and Technology (SFAT) - isang programang
pang-edukasyon na nagbibigay-suporta sa
mga may-talento at batang iskolar - nang
bumalik siya noong 2002 para manirahan
nang permanente sa Maynila. Bukod dito,
patuloy siyang nanunungkulan bilang opisyal 311
SUNICO at miyembro ng lupon ng marami pang ibang
foundation na may katulad na adhikain,
tulad ng Friends for Cultural Concerns of the
Philippines, Performing Arts Recreation Center
Foundation, Klassikal Music Foundation,
Society for Cultural Enrichment, at iba pa.
Karagdagan ito sa mga tungkulin niya bilang
dekano ng UST Conservatory of Music mula
2002 hanggang 2016, ikalawang pangulo
at direktor-pansining ng CCP noong 2009,
at paglaon ay pangulo mula 2010 hanggang
2017. Sa pagreretiro niya mula sa UST at
CCP, tumulong siya sa pagtatatag ng kursong
Doktorado sa Musical Arts ng Saint Paul
University College of Music and Performing
Arts (CMPA), na kaniya ring pinaglingkuran
bilang tagapangulo mula 2019. Noong 2020,
naging dekano siya ng Saint Paul University
CMPA.

Kinikilala ni Sunico ang mayamang bukal ng

talento ng kabataang Filipino, at kaligayahan
para sa kaniya ang maging instrumento sa
pagpupursigi nila na makapag-aral, lalo na
sa mga prestihiyosong paaralan ng musika sa
Europa at Estados Unidos. Sa isang panayam
niya para sa Steinway Gallery Singapore
noong 2019 bilang isa sa piling nahirang na
Spirio Artist, ipinahayag ni Sunico na “Gusto
kong maalala ako sa mga nagawa ko para
sa mga tao. Ibinabalik ko lamang ang mga
biyayang ipinagkaloob sa akin. Napakarami
kong natanggap na biyaya, kaya sinusubok
ko hanggang makakaya, na makaganti ng
kabutihan - at tumulong sa mga tao, sa mga
paaralan, at mga samahan” (sa Steinwey &
Sons, 2019). Kung kaya naman, itinuturing
niyang pinakamalaking tagumpay at
kaligayahan niya ang pagtulong sa kabataang
nasa sining.

Subalit paano ba narating ni Sunico ang

kahusayan bilang piyanista at ang pagkilala
312 bilang isa sa mga iginagalang at hinahangaang
musikero ng ating panahon? Para sa kaniya, ang mga nilahukan niyang

SUNICO
pandaigdigang paligsahan sa pagtugtog ng piyano ang nagdulot ng malaking
pagbabago sa kaniyang pananaw. Binigyan siya nito ng kumpiyansa sa sarili at
ng higit na pagpapahalaga sa pagbibigay-tuon sa mga detalye. Naniniwala rin
siyang itinutulak ng mga paligsahahan ang isang tao para maghangad ng mas
mataas na antas ng kahusayan. (Steinway Gallery Singapore - b, 2019). Ang mga
taong 1977 hanggang 1983 ang panahon ng mga kompetisyon para kay Sunico.
Una niyang naging tagumpay sa mga pandaigdigang paligsahan ang makaabot
bilang semifinalist sa Munich International Piano Competition sa Alemanya
noong 1977. Sinundan ito ng pagkakamit ng medalyang pilak sa 1979 Viotti
International Piano Competition sa Vercelli, Italya; ng pagiging finalist sa 1979
Busoni International Piano Competition sa Bolzano, Italya; at ng pagkapanalo
ng Henry Cowell Prize sa 1980 University of Maryland International Piano
Competition sa Estados Unidos. Noong 1981, umabot siya bilang semifinalist sa
Jaen International Piano Competition sa Espanya, na sinundan din ng pagtatapos
niya bilang semifinalist sa Palma de Mallorca Chopin International Piano
Competition, na idinaos din sa Espanya noong 1983.

Sa pagbabalik-tanaw ni Sunico sa paligsahang Busoni, mababanaagan kung

paanong ang kaniyang tibay ng loob, talas ng isip, at pagbibigay-tuon sa mga
detalye, kasama ng kaniyang kahusayang teknikal at talas ng pandama sa
pagtugtog ng musika, ang nakatulong sa kaniyang manatili hanggang sa huling
yugto ng kompetisyon. Ayon kay Sunico, may apat na yugto ng mga pagsubok
kung saan kailangang tumugtog ang bawat kalahok ng magkakaibang programa
kada salang nang walang panahon para mag-ensayo. Pinaka-nakatitigagal
ang huling yugto na may kakaunting kalahok na lamang mula sa nagsimulang
isandaang kalahok, at tutugtugin nila ang isang buong programang idinisenyo
mismo ng mga kalahok. Bilang finalist, tinugtog ni Sunico ang Prelude and
Fugue in G-sharp minor ni Bach, ang Piano Sonata No. 32 in C-minor, op. 111
ni Beethoven, ang Sonata no. 5 in F-sharp major, op. 53 ni Scriabin, ang “Etude
op. 25 no. 10” ni Chopin, ang “Transcendental Etude no. 10” ni Liszt, at ang
“Etude Tableau op. 39 no. 5” ni Rachmaninoff. Ipinahihiwatig ng kaniyang mga
napiling piyesa na sukát niyang natasá ang pagsasalikop ng mga hinihinging
kasanayang teknikal upang maipamalas niya ang liksi ng kaniyang mga daliri,
ang nakamamangha niyang representasyon ng mga estilong nagtatanghal ng
mga buhay na ritmo, at ang sensibilidad niya na hayaan ang musikang lumikha
ng angkin nitong bighani. Ang pagsuong niya sa hamon na tulad nito ang nag-
angat ng kumpiyansa niya sa sarili at postibong nagpabago ng pagtanaw niya sa
buhay.

Bilang concert pianist sa New York, kaliwa’t kanan ang mga pagkakataong
dumating sa kaniya para makapagtanghal ng mga solo recital at maitampok
na soloista ng mga orkestra. Inihatid siya ng kaniyang matagumpay na karera
sa mga bulwagang pangkonsiyerto ng Austria, Belgium, Inglatera, Pransya, 313
SUNICO Alemanya, Italya, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Estados Unidos, Mexico, Lebanon, Qatar, United
Arab Emirates, Australia, Tsina, India, Indonesia, Japan, Timog Korea, Sri Lank,
at Pilipinas, upang magtanghal ng mga solo recital. Bilang karagdagan, naging
tampok na soloista rin si Sunico ng maraming orkestra sa buong mundo, tulad
ng Cluj Philharmonic Orchestra sa Romania, Ho Chi Minh Symphony Orchestra
at Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra sa Vietnam, Moscow Philharmonic
Orchestra sa Russia, Ottawa Chamber Orchestra sa Canada, Szczecin
Philharmonic Orchestra sa Poland, Taipei Symphony Orchestra at Taiwan
Normal University Wind Orchestra sa Taiwan, Tokyo Sinfonia sa Japan, Towson
Community Orchestra sa Maryland, USA, at ng mga sumusunod na orkestrang
Filipino: Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, Metro
Manila Community Orchestra, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, UP Symphony
Orchestra, at UST Symphony Orchestra.

Kasinlawak ng ginawa niyang pagkokonsiyerto sa buong mundo ang kahanga-

hanga niyang repertoryo ng sari-saring piano concerto at iba pang piyesa, na
tinutugtog niya nang walang tinitingnang ni isang kopya. Ang talas ng kaniyang
memorya ay bunga ng sistematikong pag-aaral niya ng mga bahagi ng concerto,
at paggamit ng mabisang pamamaraan ng pag-alala, na pinag-iibayo pa ng
mga laro at gawaing nagpapasigla ng pag-iisip, na nilalaro niya bago matulog
sa gabi. Dagdag pa ni Sunico, “ang memorya ko ay kombinasyon ng kaalaman
ko sa matematika, pagsasanay ng tenga, pagsusuri ng mga harmonic pattern,
karanasan sa improbisasyon, at matalas na memoryang potograpiko” (R.M.
Sunico, personal communication, July 9, 2021). Sa paglipas ng mga taon,
nabigyang-buhay niya sa kaniyang mga pangunahing pagtatanghal sa orkestra
ang pinakamaririkit at pinakamahihirap na piano concerto ng mga panahong
klasiko, romantiko at kontemporanyo. Kabilang sa napakahabang listahan ng
mga concerto na kaniyang natugtog ang mga likha nina Mozart, Beethoven,
Mendelssohn, Brahms, Grieg, Liszt, Saint Saens, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Busoni,
Rachmaninoff, De Falla, Poulenc, Bartok, Prokofieff, Gershwin, at Bernstein.

Dahil din sa kaniya kaya naipakilala sa mga Pilipino ang mga hindi-pa-natutugtog
na concerto tulad ng Piano Concerto no. 3 in E-flat major ni Franz Liszt, Piano
Concerto no. 2 in G major ni Bela Bartok, ang monumental na Piano Concerto
in C major ni Ferruccio Busoni, at ang Age of Anxiety ni Leonard Bernstein.
Naghatid din ng kagila-gilalas at mala-mahiwagang danas ng musika para
sa kaniyang mga tagapakinig ang mga inobatibo at nakamamangha niyang
pagpoprograma. Nangunguna dito ang penomenal na pagtatanghal niya ng apat
na piano concerto ni Rachmaninoff sa loob ng iisang gabi. Kawangis nito ang
pagpoprograma niya ng unang tatlong piano concerto ni Tchaikovsky sa iisang
konsiyerto, na tinugtog niya kasama ng Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra sa
pagkumpas ni Rañera noong 2015.
314
 SUNICO
Sa kabilang banda, kinasangkapan naman ni Sunico ang katanyagan niya Paglulunsad ng
bilang hinahangaang natatanging piyanista mula sa silangan upang ipakilala Kaisa sa Sining,
CCP, 2014
ang likha ng mga kompositor na Filipino sa madlang Europeo at Amerikano.
Ipinaranas niya ang ganda ng kulturang Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng kaniyang
mga daliri. Noong 1994, itinanghal niya ang Piano Obligato to Mindanao
Sketches ni Antonino Buenaventura para sa mga tagapakinig na Ruso sa
Bulwagang Bolshoi, sa isang konsiyertong kasama ang Moscow Philharmonic
Orchestra. Una rin niyang tinugtog ang Ricercare no. 3 ni Jeffrey Ching sa
Sydney Town Hall sa Australia noong 1995.

Para sa madlang Pilipino, una niyang itinanghal ang dalawa sa mga likha ni
Lucino Sacramento: ang Piano Concerto no. 2 (Maharlika) noong 1973 at
Piano Concerto no. 3 (Bituin) noong 1974. Noong mga 1990, una niya ring
itinanghal ang Sonata no. 6 for Piano; Toccata Contrappuntistica for 4
Pianos; at Piccola Toccata Contrappuntistica no. 4 for 2 Pianos ni Jeffrey
Ching. Noong 2007, tumugtog siya para sa unang pagtatanghal ng Piano
Concerto – Ekontra:Kongruo:Iunctum ni Chino Toledo, kasama ng Metro
Manila Community Orchestra.

315
Noli Me Tangere: Mula sa napakalawak na repertoryong ito, nahubog ni Sunico ang kahusayan
The Opera press niya sa improbisasyon na ginagamit niya para payabungin ang repertoryo
conference, CCP,
2016
ng piyano sa Pilipinas. Naisaplaka niya ang maraming album ng mga
awiting bayang Pilipino, na inareglo nang “mas teknikal…na sinususugan ng
mapagpakahulugan at mapanuring siste ng mga komposisyong klasiko”
(Steinway Gallery Singapore - a, 2019). Sa mga likhang ito, naisasakatuparan
niya ang adhikaing iniatang niya sa kaniyang sarili, na maging tagapagtaguyod
ng musikang Pilipino, kung saan siya nakapag-ambag ng sopistikasyon sa
repertory ng piano, upang makipagsabayan sa Kanluran. Ang mga kahanga-
hanga niyang areglo para sa piano ng mga awiting bayang Pilipino at rendisyon
ng mga kundiman ay mabubuhay sa alaala dahil sa pagsasaplaka ng mga ito
sa mga album na Balikbayan, Cariñosa, Cavatina, Kataka-taka, Lambingan,
Pahimakas, Pahiwatig, Sungdo ni Ayat, at Usahay/Classically Filipino.

Bukod sa mga pagsasaplakang ito, nakapaglimbag din siya ng mga tinipong

awiting Pilipino at ng ilang aklat para sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon, na
naglalayong palaganapin ang musikang Pilipino. Layon ng kaniyang apat na
316 tomo ng mga Awiting Bayang Filipino na Himig, ng dalawang tomo ng mga
awitin ng himagsikang Pilipino na Mga Awit ng Himagsikan, at ng koleksiyon
ng mga awitin na may titik o musika ni Jose Rizal na

SUNICO
Kundiman ni Rizal, na ilapit sa mga Pilipino ang mga
piyesang ito, at ipakilala rin ang musikang Pilipino sa
mundo.

Bilang nahirang na Steinway Spirio Artist kamakailan,

matutugtog at maisasaplaka niya ang kaniyang mga
musika gamit ang mga bagong grand piano na may
disenyong teknolohikal ng bantog na kompanyang
gumagawa ng mga piyano, at naniniwala siyang,
“posible pang maipaabot ang pagtugtog at
pagrerekord ko ng piyano saanmang bahagi ng
mundo, at anumang malilikha at maaareglo ko para
sa mga susunod na henerasyon, harinawa, ay
tangkilikin ng mamamayan ng daigdig, hindi lamang
ng mga Pilipino, kundi ng mga taong maaaring
hindi pamilyar sa musikang Filipino at nagnanais na
makilala ito” (Steinway Gallery Singapore - c, 2019).

Dahil sa dakilang adhikain na ito na ipakilala,

tugtugin, at pag-alingawngawin ang musika natin sa
iba’t ibang espasyo ng modernong mundo, kabilang
na ang mundong birtwal ng Internet, kaya naman
namumukod-tangi si Raul Sunico bilang musikerong
Filipino. Sa mahabang panahon ng patuloy na
paghahasa ng kaniyang sining, naipamalas niya
kung paanong maaaring maging isang mahusay
na concert pianist ang isang Pilipino, na kayang
makipagsabayan sa iba pang mahuhusay sa mundo.
Bukod sa napakaraming parangal na natanggap
niya dahil sa di-matatawarang tagumpay ng
pagtatanghal ng pinakamahihirap na likha kasama
ng pinakamahuhusay na orkestra sa mundo, ang
pamana niyang nagpapatuloy ng napakahalagang
tradisyong ito ang dahilan kung bakit maituturing
si Sunico bilang nangunguna sa pagpapaunlad ng
musikang Pilipino sa kontemporaryong panahon.
Naisakatuparan niya ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng
pagbibigay ng kinakailangang suportang pinansyal
sa mga nangangarap maging musikerong Pilipino,
upang maabot din nila ang kanilang pangarap
na maging de-kalibreng musikero ng daigdig.
Karangalan ng Pilipinas na mabiyayaan ng buhay at
sining ni Raul Sunico: isang piyanista ng bayan para 317
sa daigdig, at piyanista ng daigdig para sa bayan.
Selected Major Liszt Concerto no. 1 in E-flat, with the Manila
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herbert Zipper

Orchestral at Philamlife Auditorium, 1966; Liszt Concerto no. 2

in A, with the UP Symphony Orchestra conducted by

Performances,
Eliseo Pajaro at UP Abelardo Hall Auditorium, 1969;
Sacramento Concerto no. 2 (Maharlika), with the CCP

Recordings, and
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Luis
Valencia at Malacañang Palace, 1973; Ravel Concerto
in G and Concerto for the Left Hand, with the Manila
Publications Symphony Orchestra conduced by Jose Esmilla at the
Metropolitan Theater, 1983; Buenaventura Mindanao

Mga Piling
Sketches, with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Redentor Romero at Bolshoi Hall, 1994;

Pagtatanghal
Busoni Piano Concerto with the UST Symphony
Orchestra conducted by Herminigildo Rañera at the

sa Orkestra,
CCP Main Theater, 2002; Rachmaninoff Concerto nos.
1, 2, 3, 4 with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Rañera at the CCP Main Theater, 2003;
Rekording, at Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto nos. 1, 2, 3 with the PPO
conducted by Rañera at the National Museum, 2015;
Limbag and Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini,
with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra conducted by
Donnie Deacon at the John Macdonald Building on
Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada, 2018.

Maharlika, 1973; Ang Bituin, 1974; In a Classic Mood,

1987; Philippine Songs Set to Classical Piano, 1990;
Classic Filipino Sentiments: A Keyboard Treasury
of Love Songs and Folk Songs, 1999; Ugnayan sa
Tugtugan: A Treasury of Philippine Music, 2003;
Romanza, 2004; Sungdo ni Ayat, 2006; and Complete
Piano Music of Julio Nakpil, 2021.
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code Mga Awit ng Himagsikan: Songs of the Philippine
for a video about
this awardee. Revolution 1896-1898, 1997; and Himig: A Collection
of Filipino Folksongs, 1995-1999.

318
319
Ma. Cristina V.
Turalba
ARCHITECTURE

321
 Citation

Maria Cristina Turalba developed her career creatively and

robustly in design, environmental design, education, construction
management, and real estate. She reached great heights in rallying
her colleagues to study and cherish Philippine Architecture in
all its forms. She is a major player in establishing the heritage
architecture movement in the Philippines through field research,
networking, and writings.

For contributing significantly to the crusade to identify, mark, and

document Philippine heritage structures and sites, thus helping to
launch heritage conservation into a vibrant movement in the 21st
century;

For actively participating in government projects to restore

important heritage structures, like the Bastion de San Diego, as a
legacy for the country and future generations of Filipinos;

For networking professional architects with cultural workers

and their corresponding organizations, to work towards defining
Philippine Architecture through field research, writings, lectures,
and conferences, in the process helping to develop many serious
researchers and writers on Philippine Architecture;

For publishing important studies, documentaries, and inventories

on Philippine architecture in general and on 19th-century houses
and Ivatan culture and houses in particular, all based on careful
and meticulous field research;

For choosing to live and practice architecture among her

countrymen and pushing to fully develop the possibilities of her
profession, craft, art, and real estate ventures, while providing for a
more sustainable environment in the Philippines;

The Gawad CCP para sa Sining is bestowed on Maria Cristina

Valera Turalba this 7th day of February, in the year 2020, at the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.

322
 Pagkilala

Sa paraang malikhain at matatag, napaunlad ni Maria Cristina Turalba ang

kaniyang karera sa mga larangan ng disenyo, disenyo ng kapaligiran, edukasyon,
pamamahalang pangkonstruksiyon, at real estate. Ganap siyang nagtagumpay
sa paghikayat sa kaniyang mga kasamahan na pag-aralan at pangalagaan
ang Arkitekturang Pilipino sa lahat ng anyo nito. Isa siya sa mga nangunguna
sa pagtatatag ng kilusan para sa pamanang pook sa arkitektura ng Pilipinas sa
pamamagitan ng pananaliksik sa pook, networking, at mga publikasyon.

Para sa makabuluhang ambag niya sa masigasig na kampanya upang matukoy,

mamarkahan, at maidokumento ang mga Pilipinong pamanang pook at estruktura,
na nakatulong sa paglulunsad ng heritage conservation o pangangalaga sa
pamana bilang isang masiglang kilusan sa ika-21 siglo;

Para sa aktibong paglahok niya sa mga proyektong pampamahalaan para sa

restorasyon ng mahahalagang pamanang estruktura, gaya ng Bastion de San
Diego, bilang pamana sa bansa at sa mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga Pilipino;

Para sa pag-uugnay niya ng mga propesyunal na arkitekto sa mga manggagawang

pangkultura at kanilang mga kaugnay na organisasyon, para magtulungan ang
mga ito para matukoy ang Arkitektura na Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng pananaliksik
sa pook, pagsulat, panayam, at mga kumperensiya, na nakatulong din sa paglinang
ng mga seryosong mananaliksik at manunulat sa Arkitekturang Pilipino;

Para sa paglalathala ng mahahalagang pag-aaral, dokumentaryo, at mga

imbentaryo sa Arkitekturang Pilipino sa pangkalahatan; at sa mga bahay noong
ika-19 na siglo at sa kultura at mga bahay ng mga Ivatan sa partikular, na lahat ay
nakabatay sa maingat at masinsining pananaliksik sa mga pook;

Sa pagpapasiya na mamuhay at isabuhay ang arkitektura sa piling ng kaniyang

mga kababayan, at sa pagpupunyagi na ganap na mapaunlad ang kaniyang
propesyon, likha, sining, at mga gawaing pang-real estate, habang itinataguyod
ang higit na malusog na kapaligiran sa Pilipinas;

Ang Gawad CCP para sa Sining ay ipinagkakaloob kay Maria Cristina Valera
Turalba ngayong ika-7 ng Pebrero, taong 2020, sa Sentrong Pangkultura ng
Pilipinas, Maynila, Pilipinas.

323
 Ma. Cristina Valera-Turalba
Studying and Creating
Filipino Architecture
Rosario Encarnacion-Tan

Cristina Valera-Turalba was born on 31 October 1943 in Bangued, Abra, the

daughter of a strong-willed Ilongga mother, Fidelia, who loved horse riding
as much as she hated wearing skirts, and a hard-working Ilocano father,
Migdonio Valera, who studied and practiced engineering. Although she was
born during the Japanese occupation, she and her family were saved from the
horrors of war because her grandfather, Fidel Coscoluella Soliven from Vigan,
who had studied dentistry in Japan in the 1930s and spoke fluent Japanese,
was able to convince the Japanese soldiers to allow his family to move to
Manila.

Her education in architecture started early. As a young woman, she would

scrutinize the design and construction of her neighbor’s apartment. Her
engineer father Migdonio and architect uncle, Ben C. Soliven, also exposed
her to engineering and building practices. Soliven was then working for the
Pamantasan ng Maynila, constructing a building inside the campus, and for
this, he got Turalba as an assistant. When Soliven suddenly passed away in the
middle of the construction, the young Turalba took over the construction of the
building till finish.

Gifted with exceptional intelligence, she was recruited to study at the

University of the Philippines (UP)’s Preparatory High School by Dr. Isidro,
along with many brilliant students. After high school, she enrolled in the UP
College of Architecture. By then, she was more than ready to take on UP not
only intellectually but socially as well. Turalba had mastered the art of making
friends, forming lasting bonds amongst a tight group of women classmates
and sisters from the Sigma Delta Phi Sorority. She also cultivated a circle of
male friends, and eventually fell in love with one of them, a classmate, Antonio
A. Turalba. Cristina graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree
324 from UP in 1965 and passed the board, six years ahead of her husband Antonio,
who was still finishing his architecture course
and the two years of civil engineering he initially
completed, also in UP.

As a young graduate, Turalba then apprenticed

under Leandro V. Locsin and Ildefonso P. Santos,
Jr. (both later proclaimed National Artists)
and the office of Arch. Antonio Heredia and
Partners. While apprenticing under Locsin in
the late 1960s when the CCP building was being
designed, Turalba recalled that she was tasked
to design the grand staircase connecting the
lobby to the upper floors. She says she submitted
no less than 100 schemes to Locsin.

While she was working as an apprentice,

Cristina and Antonio decided to get married.
Soon after, the couple made a life-changing
decision to stay in the Philippines rather
than migrate to the USA, which is what they
initially planned. With an acute business sense
and a long work experience starting from when
he was 13 years old, Antonio felt in his guts that
this was the right thing to do. By 1970, the couple
had started their own office and practice as
Turalba and Associates, with Cristina focusing
on design and construction and Antonio on
the industry’s business side. Later in 1975, to
maximize their talents and earning potential, the
couple put up the Active Group of Companies.
The company has been thriving for more than
50 years now.

Turalba further expanded her talents and skills,

obtaining a master’s in environmental planning
in 1974 and earning Ph.D. units for Urban and
Regional Planning, all at the UP, and a post-
masteral degree in housing from the United
Nations Center for Human Settlements. By
1977, she started to teach at the UP College
of Architecture. Under the supervision of UP
Architecture Dean Aurelio Juguilon, Turalba
became a consultant for EDPITAF (Educational
Development Projects Implementing Task
Force) of the Department of Education. The Valera family, ca 1945
Baluarte de consultancy required her to travel all over the Philippines in 1976-1985 in order
San Diego, to supervise the implementation of foreign-assisted development projects, in
Intramuros, coordination with the Department of Education. During this period, she was
Manila, taken in
2012 also commissioned to plan and design two training complexes for both formal
and informal training in Fisheries Technology, Marine Resources, Aquaculture,
Navigation, and Seamanship.

Ten years of traveling all over the Philippines for EDPITAF provided Turalba
with constant and ample exposure to the many indigenous and lowland
cultures of the provinces. With such exposure, she began to question at a
certain point why people were identifying their homes with foreign labels
such as Spanish, Japanese, Italian, and not Filipino. Through keen observation
of the many structures she saw while travelling all over the archipelago, she
had begun to identify something uniquely Filipino in the structures she had
seen over the years. On her own, she then launched a passionate search for
the Filipino identity in our architecture.

But the passionate search for that identity had to be tempered first by practical
326 considerations. Upon the advice of her husband, Turalba further worked
 TURALBA
on her skills and trained in construction contracts
administration and management, in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia in 1980.

By the late 1980s, Turalba was wearing many hats.

She was an architect, an environmental planner, a
teacher, an art collector, a successful businesswoman
in real estate, even an advanced open water scuba
diver, and of course, a wife and mother to four. But
there were more hats to wear.

In the 1980s, Dr. Jaime C. Laya, head of the Intramuros

Administration, sought Turalba’s help in restoring the
Baluarte de San Diego in Intramuros, Manila. Being
one of the oldest stone fortifications, Baluarte de San
Diego, an “ace of spades bastion,” was first designed
and built by Jesuit priest Antonio Sedeno from 1586
to 1587. This round fort was restored in 1653-1663;
but was again damaged during the Battle of Manila
in 1945. Turalba skillfully developed her heritage
expertise, spearheading its restoration from 1979 to
1992. By that time, she also became head of the IA’s
Division of Urban Planning and the chairperson of the
Bids and Awards and Technical Committees.

To further hone her skills in heritage conservation,

Turalba took courses at Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven, Belgium, and the Parahyangan Catholic
University, Bandung, Indonesia, both in 1992. With her
new expertise and her passion for conservation, she
and Laya continued to work on heritage projects for
decades. They both envisioned a heritage movement
in architecture in the Philippines.

While Laya was chairman of the National Commission

of Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Turalba discussed
with him, in 1997, the possibility of creating a “listing”
or inventory of Philippine architecture from all over the
country. Such a daring venture would surely validate
the existence of the unique identity of Philippine
architecture. Using her talent for gathering people
and resources, she deftly partnered the NCCA in this
project with the United Architects of the Philippines
(UAP), which at the time was under the leadership Architect Turalba at work
TURALBA of her good friend and college classmate, Arch.
Prosperidad C. Luis.

The two organizations then embarked on documenting

1,500 structures in 16 regions which were important
heritage structures and cultural sites. UAP created the
Sentro ng Arkitekturang Filipino, 2000-2006, and
appointed Turalba as its executive director. Through
the Sentro, Turalba continued to network with heritage
enthusiasts like architects Augusto F. Villalon, Paulo A.
Alcazaren, Joven F. Ignacio, and Rene Luis S. Mata.

From the research unearthed by the project, Turalba,

with Arch. Geronimo V. Manahan and Arch. Maria
Jocelyn Mananghaya, eventually produced a valuable
book called Philippine Heritage Architecture: before
1521 to the 1970s, 2005. A smaller book, Philippine
Heritage Homes: A Guidebook, 2005, also came out,
now co-authored by Jaime C. Laya, Martin I. Tinio, and
Turalba. The book is a sampling of domestic structures,
mainly urban and provincial homes, and mostly built
in the 19th and early 20th centuries that could easily
be accessed by a tourist visiting the Philippines.
And finally, these heritage projects also led to the
publication of two NCCA-UAP-sponsored digital
books comprising 12 volumes, titled NCCA-UAP
Documentation of Philippine Heritage Structures, in
2004. For her contributions to heritage conservation,
Turalba received the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan
Award para sa Arkitektura from the City of Manila in
2006.

In her travels across the country, Turalba became

particularly enamored with the island of Batanes, the
Ivatans, and their life and architecture. Here she invested
in exhaustive field work, including documenting Ivatan
structures in photographs she took herself, which
resulted in several important works. Notably, Turalba
put out a compendium, The Batanes Landscape and
Ivatan Archaeological Landscape, as a six-volume
nomination dossier done in 2004 for UNESCO, which
successfully identified Batanes as a Heritage site. She
also produced the studies titled “The Batanes Ivatan

328
House: Restoration and Conservation” in 2009 and “The Ivatans: Batanes Turalba and
Islands’ Guardian of the Spirit of Place” in 2010. colleagues in
Batanes
Always an art aficionado and patron, Turalba accepted the invitation to serve
as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
(CCP) in 2010-2014. She thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with CCP managers
Chris Millado, Tess Rances, and Nanding Josef. She skillfully helped to
solidify CCP’s infrastructure situation. She pushed for the implementation of a
comprehensive physical plan for the CCP complex. She helped to put together
a detailed road map for the development and maintenance of the architectural
facilities of the CCP for the decades to come. She insisted on developing good
management practices of the infrastructure. She helped commission several
professionals, like National Artist Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr. for this task.

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Turalba’s work was being recognized by
peers, scholars, and admirers alike. As early as 1998, UAP inducted Turalba as
a UAP Fellow, citing her ability to integrate the natural and built environments
and weave into her designs the fundamental imperatives of nature, history, and
culture. UAP also cited her for her service to and leadership in the organization,
having been a member of the organization’s College of Fellows in 2007-2009,
and a chancellor, corporate member, and member of the Council of Elders of
UAP’s Diliman Chapter, starting in 1990. Later, she also received the Balik-
Tanaw Achievers Award, a lifetime achievement award from the UAP in 2018.
329
Mount Malarayat Similarly, she was recognized by the women of her profession. In 2003 she
Golf and Country received the 5th Mariyang Maya Awards from Sigma Delta Phi; 2001, the
Club and Residential
Estates in Lipa,
Outstanding Women in Construction Award from the Women in Construction
Batangas Foundation. These women lauded her for being a force of feminine leadership,
and for contributing greatly to the advancement of design, construction, and
the real estate development industry in the Philippines, without disrupting the
balance in the different areas of her life.

Meanwhile, Turalba and Associates and the Active Group of Companies

continued to grow and flourish, with Turalba’s husband Antonio receiving
many awards himself. The firm and company ventured into the design and
construction of buildings, notably the ACT Tower and Avignon Tower in
Salcedo Village, Makati, with the latter being cited by the UAP. Cristina headed
the design team for these buildings herself, taking pride in the holistic design
of the architecture with internal natural ventilation, superior space planning,
330 and distinct landscaping.
Today, the Active Group has become one of the leading real estate developers

TURALBA
in the country, having built residential subdivisions, office buildings, residential
condominiums, memorial parks, and world-class resort communities. It believes it
has delivered a quality of life that goes beyond shelter for many Filipinos. For example,
they developed subdivisions as environmental havens, such as the Centrale Bacolod
in Bacolod City and the Porto Laiya in San Juan Batangas, where the experience and
views of the existing natural elements such as greenery and trees, mountains, and sea
are maximized.

Perhaps the supreme example of Turalba’s aesthetic brilliance and environmental

sensitivity in architectural design is the Malarayat Golf and Country Club and
Residential Estates, located in Barangay Dagatan, Talisay, Sapac, and Munting Pulo, in
Lipa, Batangas. Started in 1997, the project is a sports and leisure two-hundred-hectare
development composed of a championship golf course (27 holes), golf and country club
with equestrian facilities, complemented by condominiums and residential estates.
The Turalbas invited J. Michael Poellot Golf Design Group, Inc. of Saratoga, California,
USA, IP Santos Landscape Architects, Pensons, Dimanlig, Aleta and Alcazaren, (PDAA),
Ace Dimanlig, and PDAA Landscape Architects to collaborate with them for the total
site and landscape development. Sonia S. Olivares and Associates designed the
interiors. For this project, the UAP handed Turalba a Design Award of Excellence in
Architecture in 2002, enthusing that this world-acclaimed golf course successfully
integrated leisure, recreation, and residential development. Turalba adds that in the
project, hardly any trees were cut, and the slopes of the land were studied carefully so
that water could be directed to the small ponds. She feels the structures and landscape
of the Malarayat project reflected Filipino culture, from the warm approach of the
landscape to the use of indigenous materials.

As a mother, Turalba is extremely proud of her brood. All her children are achievers.
Eldest son Antonio Jr. has taken over the Turalba and Associates. Her other architect
daughter, Anjeanette T. Fuentebella, helps with the company’s financial management.
They have nine grandchildren, and the Turalba couple makes it a point to travel
with the whole clan once a year. And yet, Turalba does not forget to extend her care
beyond the family. Her outreach projects include supporting daycare centers, funding
scholarship programs, and giving free lectures and workshops on urban design, among
others. Turalba is also a TESDA accreditor.

In their extensive travels worldwide, the Turalbas came face to face with architectural
wonders that humbled them. But these did not discourage them but instead challenged
them to create structures they could unveil as a showcase to the world. To achieve this,
Turalba went back, researched, and discovered the resources available and waiting
for them—the country’s heritage and culture. Together with her husband, family,
and company and the many culture enthusiasts, Turalba made use of this resource,
generously shared it with people, incorporated it in her profession of architecture, and
turned it into a lifelong advocacy.
331
 Maria Cristina Valera-Turalba
Pag-aaral at Paglikha ng
Arkitekturang Filipino
Rosario Encarnacion-Tan
Salin ni Wennielyn Fajilan

Isinilang si Cristina Valera-Turalba noong 31 ng Oktubre 1943 sa Bangued, Abra.

Anak siya ni Fidelia, isang Ilonggang matibay ang loob, na mahilig mangabayo pero
walang hilig sa bestida, at ni Migdonio Valera, isang masipag na Ilokanong inhinyero.
Ipinanganak si Turalba sa panahon ng pananakop ng mga Hapon, pero nakaligtas siya
at ang kaniyang pamilya sa kilabot ng digmaan. Iyon ay dahil nakumbinsi ng kaniyang
lolo na si Fidel Coscoluella Soliven ng Vigan, na nag-aral ng dentistry sa Japan noong
dekada 1930 at matatas mag-Hapon, ang mga sundalong Hapon na payagan ang
kaniyang pamilyang lumipat sa Maynila.

Maagang nagsimula ang kaniyang edukasyon sa arkitektura. Noong dalagita pa

lamang siya, inuusisa na niya ang disenyo at pagkakatayo ng apartment ng kaniyang
kapitbahay. Itinuro ng kaniyang amang inhenyero na si Migdonio at ng kaniyang
amaing arkitekto na si Ben C. Soliven ang mga gawaing pang-inhenyeriya at ang
pagtatayo ng mga gusali. Nagtatrabaho si Soliven sa Pamantasan ng Maynila noon.
Nagtatayo siya ng isang gusali sa loob ng kampus at kinuha niyang katuwang para dito
si Turalba. Nang biglang pumanaw si Soliven sa gitna ng proyekto, ipinagpatuloy ito ng
batang Turalba hanggang matapos ang mga gusali.

Dahil sa kaniyang natatanging talino, kasama siya sa magagaling na estudyanteng

hinikayat ni Dr. Isidro na mag-aral sa Preparatory High School ng Unibersidad ng
Pilipinas (UP). Matapos ang hayskul, nag-enrol siya sa Kolehiyo ng Arkitektura ng
UP. Sa panahong ito, hindi lamang siya handang-handa na sa intelektuwal na hamon
ng UP, handa na rin siyang makisalamuha sa ibang tao. Dahil mahusay makitungo
si Turalba, mahigpit ang naging pakikipagkaibigan niya sa mga babaeng kaklase at
332 kasamahan sa Sigma Delta Phi Sorority. Mayroon din siyang grupo ng mga kaibigang
lalaki. Nang lumaon ay umibig siya sa isa sa mga ito—sa kaklaseng si Antonio Antonio A.
A. Turalba. Nakamit ni Cristina ang kaniyang digring Batsilyer sa Arkitektura Turalba, Sr. at
Maria Cristina
mula sa UP noong 1965 at nakapasa rin siya sa board exam. Nauna siya nang V. Turalba, 2018
anim na taon kay Antonio, na noon ay tinatapos pa ang kursong arkitektura,
dahil inuna nitong tapusin ang dalawang taon ng Civil Engineering sa UP rin.

Bilang bagong gradweyt, naging aprentis si Turalba nina Leandro V. Locsin

at Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr. (na nang lumaon ay kapwa kinilala bilang mga
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) at sa opisina ng Ark. Antonio Heredia and
Partners. Nang maging aprentis siya ni Locsin noong dekada 1960 habang
dinidisenyo ang gusali ng CCP, naalala ni Turalba na itinakda sa kaniya ang
pagdidisenyo ng engrandeng hagdanan na nag-uugnay sa lobby sa mga
palapag sa itaas. Ayon sa kaniya, hindi bababa sa 100 plano ang ipinasa niya
kay Locsin.

Habang nagtatrabaho pa siya bilang aprentis, nagdesisyon sina Cristina at

Antonio na magpakasal. Hindi nagtagal, isang panghabambuhay na desisyon
ang napagkasunduan ng mag-asawa. Pinili nilang manatili sa Pilipinas sa
halip na manirahan sa Amerika, na noon pa nila pinaghahandaan. Dahil
sa kaniyang matalas na pagtantiya sa negosyo at mahabang karanasan sa
trabaho na nagsimula noong 13 taong gulang pa lamang siya, alam ni Antonio
mula sa kaibuturan ng kaniyang puso na ito ang tamang pasiya. Pagdating
ng taong 1970, sinimulan na ng mag-asawa ang kanilang sariling serbisyong
pang-arkitektura bilang Turalba and Associates. Si Cristina ang nagpokus sa
disenyo at konstruksiyon at si Antonio naman ang namahala sa mga gawaing 333
 pang-negosyo. Nang lumaon, sa taong 1975, upang higit na
magamit ang kanilang mga talento at mapalawig ang negosyo,
itinayo ng mag-asawa ang Active Group of Companies.
Sa kasalukuyan, higit 50 taon nang namamayagpag ang
kompanyang ito.

Higit pang pinalawig ni Turalba ang kaniyang mga talento at

kasanayan. Nagkamit siya ng digring master sa environmental
planning noong 1974 at ng mga yunit sa digring doktorado
sa urban at regional planning, kapwa mula sa UP, at pati na
ng digring post-masteral sa housing mula sa United Nations
Center for Human Settlements. Noong 1977, nagsimula
na siyang magturo sa Kolehiyo ng Arkitektura ng UP. Sa
pamamatnubay ng Dekano ng Kolehiyo ng Arkitektura ng UP
Turalba sa paglulunsad na si Aurelio Juguilon, naging konsultant si Turalba para sa
ng Philippine Heritage EDPITAF (Educational Development Projects Implementing
Architecture, CCP, 2005
Task Force) ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. Bilang konsultant
kinailangan niyang maglakbay sa buong Pilipinas noong
1976-1985 upang masubaybayan ang pagtatayo ng mga
proyektong pinondohan ng mga banyagang isponsor sa
tulong ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. Sa panahong ito rin,
kinomisyon siya na magplano at magdisenyo ng mga training
complex para sa pormal at impormal na pagsasanay para
334 sa Fisheries Technology, Marine Resources, Aquaculture,
Navigation, at Seamanship.
Bunga ng sampung taong paglalakbay sa buong Pilipinas para sa EDPITAF, patuloy na

TURALBA
lumawak at lumalim ang pagkakilala ni Turalba sa iba’t ibang katutubong kultura sa mga
lalawigan. Dahil sa pagkakilalang ito, nagsimula siyang mag-isip kung bakit tinatawag ng
mga tao ang disenyo ng kanilang mga bahay na Espanyol, Hapon, o Italyano, at hindi Pilipino.
Sa kaniyang masinsing obserbasyon sa maraming estrukturang kaniyang nakita habang
naglalakbay sa buong arkipelago, may natutukoy na siyang mga katangiang Pilipino sa
mga estrukturang nakita niya sa loob ng maraming taon. Mag-isa niyang sinimulan ang
masigasig na paghahanap sa identidad na Pilipino sa ating arkitektura.

Subalit ang masigasig na paghahanap ng nasabing identidad ay kinailangang balansehin

ng mga konsiderasyong praktikal. Sa payo ng kaniyang asawa, hinasa pa ni Turalba
ang kaniyang mga nalalaman at nag-aral ng pangangasiwa at pamamahala ng mga
kontratang pangkonstruksiyon sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia noong 1980.

Sa huling bahagi ng dekada 1980, samut-sari ang mga tungkuling ginagampanan ni

Turalba. Isa siyang arkitekto, environmental planner, guro, art collector, matagumpay na
negosyanteng babae sa real estate, advanced water scuba diver, at siyempre pa, asawa at
ina ng apat na anak. Subalit marami pa siyang tungkuling gagampanan.

Noong dekada 1980, kinuha si Turalba ni Dr. Jaime C. Laya, puno ng Intramuros
Administration (IA), upang tumulong sa restorasyon ng Baluarte de San Diego sa
Intramuros, Maynila. Isa sa mga pinakamatandang batong muog ang Baluarte de San
Diego, ang “pinakamatatag na bastion,” na unang idinisenyo at itinayo ng Heswitang Padre
Antonio Sedeño mula 1586 hanggang 1587. Unang nakaranas ng restorasyon ang pabilog
na moog na ito noong 1653-1663; ngunit muli itong nasira sa labanan sa Maynila noong
1945. Maingat na pinalalim ni Turalba ang kaniyang kaalaman sa heritage conservation
o pangangalaga sa mga pamanang pook. Pinangunahan niya ang restorasyon ng Baluarte
mula 1979 hanggang 1992. Sa panahong ito, siya na rin ang naging puno ng Division of Urban
Planning ng IA at naging tagapangulo ng Bids and Awards and Technical Committees.

Upang lalo pang malinang ang kaniyang kakayahan sa pangangalaga sa mga pamanang
pook, kumuha si Turalba ng mga kurso sa Katholieke Universiteit Leuven sa Belgium at sa
Parahyangan Catholic University sa Bandung, Indonesia noong 1992. Gamit ang kaniyang
bagong kaalaman at sigasig sa pangangalaga sa mga pamanang pook, nagpatuloy sila ni
Laya na magtrabaho sa mga proyektong pamana nang ilang dekada. Kapwa nila hinangad
na magkaroon ng kilusan para sa pamanang pook ang arkitektura sa Pilipinas.

Habang naglilingkod si Laya bilang tagapangulo ng National Commisssion for Culture

and Arts (NCCA), tinalakay ni Turalba sa kaniya kung maaring gumawa ng isang listahan
o imbentaryo ng arkitekturang Pilipino sa buong bansa noong 1997. Ang nasabing
ambisyosong proyekto ay tiyak na magpapatunay na mayroon ngang natatanging identidad
ang arkitekturang Pilipino. Gamit ang kaniyang talento sa pag-oorganisa ng mga tao at ng
mga pondo, gumawa siya ng paraan upang makatuwang ng NCCA sa proyektong ito ang
United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), na noong panahong iyon ay nasa pamumuno
naman ng kaniyang kaibigan at kaklase sa kolehiyo na si Ark. Prosperidad C. Luis. 335
TURALBA Bunga nito, nagsimula ang dalawang organisasyon ng dokumentasyon ng 1,500
estruktura mula sa 16 na rehiyon na itinuturing na mahalagang pamanang estruktura
at pook pangkultura. Nilikha ng UAP ang Sentro ng Arkitekturang Filipino at itinalaga
si Turalba bilang executive director noong 2000-2006. Sa pamamagitan ng Sentro,
ipinagpatuloy ni Turalba ang pagpapalawig ng network ng mga masigasig sa
pangangalaga ng pamanang pook, tulad ng mga arkitektong sina Augusto F. Villalon,
Paulo A. Alcazaren, Joven F. Ignacio, at Rene Luis S. Mata.

Gamit ang mga saliksik na natuklasan ng proyekto, naipalimbag ni Turalba, kasama

sina Ark. Geronimo V. Manahan at Ark. Maria Jocelyn Mananghaya, ang mahalagang
aklat na Philippine Heritage Architecture: before 1521 to the 1970s noong 2005.
Napalimbag din ang isa pang maliit na aklat na may pamagat na Philippine Heritage
Homes: A Guidebook noong 2005. Isinulat ito nina Jaime C. Laya, Martin I. Tinio, at
Turalba. Ipinakilala ng aklat ang ilan sa mga bahay—
ang karamiha’y nasa lungsod at lalawigan at itinayo
noong siglo 19 at unang bahagi ng siglo 20—na madaling
mahahanap ng mga turistang bumibisita sa Pilipinas.
Panghuli, ang mga proyektong ito ang nagbunga ng
dalawang digital na aklat na itinaguyod ng NCCA-UAP,
na binubuo ng 12 tomo na may pamagat na NCCA-UAP
Documentation of Philippine Heritage Structures at
nailathala noong 2004. Para sa kaniyang ambag sa
pangangalaga ng pamanang pook, tumanggap si Turalba
ng parangal na Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan para sa
Arkitektura mula sa Lungsod ng Maynila noong 2006.

Sa kaniyang mga paglalakbay sa bansa, natatangi ang

naging paghanga ni Turalba sa mga isla ng Batanes, sa
mga Ivatan, at sa kanilang pamumuhay at arkitektura. Dito
siya nagbuhos ng panahon para sa masinsinang field work,
kasama na ang dokumentasyon ng mga estrukturang
Ivatan sa mga larawan na siya mismo ang kumuha, na
magluluwal ng ilang mahahalagang akda. Kabilang dito
ang compendium ni Turalba na The Batanes Landscape
and Ivatan Archaelogical Landscape, na binubuo ng
anim na tomo na dossier, na nilikha noong 2004 para
sa UNESCO, na siyang nagpatunay na ang Batanes ay
isang pamanang pook. Isinulat rin niya ang mga pag-
aaral na “The Batanes Ivatan House: Restoration and
Conservation” noong 2009 at “The Ivatans: Batanes
Islands’ Guardian of the Spirit of Place” noong 2010.

Dahil isa siyang masugid na tagahanga at tagapagtaguyod

ng sining, tinanggap ni Turalba ang paanyaya na
The Avignon Tower, Makati maglingkod bilang miyembro ng Board of Trustees ng
 TURALBA
Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas (CCP) noong 2010-2014. Nasiyahan Turalba, Butch
siyang makipagtulungan sa mga tagapangasiwa ng CCP gaya nina Chris Abad, at iba
pang mga
Millado, Tess Rances, at Nanding Josef. Tumulong siya para mapatatag ang taga-Batanes
mga impraestruktura ng CCP. Isinulong niya ang pagpapatupad ng isang
komprehensibong physical plan para sa CCP Complex. Tumulong din siya
sa pagbubuo ng detalyadong plano para sa pagpapaunlad at pangangalaga
ng mga estrktura ng CCP para sa mga susunod na dekada. Iginiit niya ang
pagtakda ng mahusay na pangangasiwa ng mga imprastraktura. Tumulong
siya sa pagkomisyon ng ilang mga propesyonal para sa gawaing ito, gaya ni
Pambansang Alagad ng Sining Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr.

Sa pagtatapos ng dekada 1990 at sa mga unang taon ng dekada 2000,

kinilala ng mga kasamahan, iskolar, at tagahanga ang mga nagawa ni
Turalba. Simula 1998, itinakda ng UAP si Turalba bilang UAP Fellow, dahil
may kakayahan siyang pag-ugnayin ang mga likas at likhang kapaligiran
at ipaloob sa kaniyang disenyo ang mga batayang kahingian ng kalikasan,
kasaysayan, at kultura. Kinilala rin ng UAP ang kaniyang paglilingkod at
pamumuno sa organisasyon, bilang isang miyembro ng College of Fellows
ng samahan noong 2007-2009, at bilang chancellor, corporate member, at
miyembro ng Council of Elders ng Diliman Chapter ng UAP mula noong 1990.
Sa kalaunan, natanggap niya ang parangal na Balik-Tanaw Achievers, isang
panghabambuhay na karangalang ipinagkaloob ng UAP noong 2018.

Kinilala rin siya ng kababaihan sa kaniyang propesyon. Noong 2003

natanggap niya ang Ikalimang Gawad Mariyang Maya mula sa Sigma
337
Mount Malarayat Delta Phi at ang parangal na Pinakamahusay na Babae sa Konstruksiyon
Golf and mula sa Women in Construction Foundation noong 2001. Pinuri ng mga
Country Club
and Residential
samahang ito ang kaniyang matatag na pamumuno bilang babae at ang
Estates in Lipa, kaniyang mahalagang ambag sa pagsusulong ng disenyo, konstruksiyon, at
Batangas pagpapaunlad ng industriya ng real estate sa Pilipinas, habang patuloy na
binabalanse ang iba’t ibang tungkulin niya sa buhay.

Samantala, patuloy na lumalaki at namamayagpag ang mga kompanyang

Turalba and Associates at Active Group of Companies, kasabay ng pagdami
ng mga parangal ng kaniyang asawang si Antonio. Nagsimula na rin silang
magdisenyo at magtayo ng mga sariling gusali tulad ng ACT Tower at pati na
ang Avignon Tower sa Salcedo Village, Makati, na nakatanggap ng pagkilala
mula sa UAP. Si Cristina mismo ang namuno sa pangkat na nagdisenyo sa mga
gusaling ito, na may ipinagmamalaking holistikong disenyo ng arkitektura na
may natural na bentilasyon sa loob, superyor na pagpaplano ng espasyo, at
kakaibang landscaping.

Sa ngayon ang Active Group ay isa na sa mga nangungunang real estate

developer sa bansa dahil nakapagpatayo na ito ng mga subdibisyon, gusaling
pang-opisina, condominium, memorial park, at mga world-class na resort.
Naniniwala ang kompanya na nakapagbibigay sila ng kalidad ng buhay na
mas mataas kaysa basta tirahan lang para sa maraming Pilipino. Halimbawa,
nagtayo sila ng mga subdibisyon na maituturing na kanlungan ng kalikasan,
338 gaya ng Centrale Bacolod sa Bacolod City at ng Porto Laiya sa San Juan,
Batangas, kung saan nagagamit nang mabuti ang mga tanawin ng mga umiiral na

TURALBA
natural na elemento, gaya ng mga halaman, puno, bundok, at dagat.

Masasabing ang pinakamatayog na halimbawa ng kahusayan ng estetika

at sensibilidad na pangkapaligiran ni Turalba sa disenyo ng arkitektura ay
matutunghayan sa Malarayat Golf and Country Club and Residential Estates, na
makikita sa Barangay Dagatan, Talisay, Sapac, at Munting Pulo sa Lipa, Batangas.
Sinimulan noong 1997, sakop ng proyekto ang 200 ektaryang lupain para sa isports
at paglilibang na binubuo ng championship golf course (27 holes), golf and country
club na may mga pasilidad para sa kompetisyon sa pangangabayo, at sinamahan
pa ng mga condominium at residential estates. Inimbitahan ng mga Turalba ang
mga kompanyang J. Michael Poellot Golf Design Group, Inc. ng Saratoga, California,
USA, IP Santos Landscape Architects, Pensons, Dimanlig, Aleta and Alcazaren
(PDAA), Ace Dimanlig and PDAA Landscape Architects upang makipagtulungan
sa kanila sa pagtatayo ng kabuuang proyekto, pati na ang pagsaayos ng landscape.
Ang kompanyang Sonia S. Olivares and Associates naman ang gumawa ng interior
design. Dahil sa proyektong ito, ipinagkaloob ng UAP kay Turalba ang Design Award
for Excellence noong 2002. Naging kapuri-puri sa kanila na ang kilala sa mundong
golf course na ito ay matagumpay na napagsanib ang mga espasyo para sa libangan,
pahingahan, at tirahan. Dagdag pa ni Turalba na sa proyektong ito, halos walang pinutol
na puno, pinag-aralang mabuti ang tarik ng mga lupa upang tuwirang mapadaloy
ang tubig sa maliliit na sapa. Sa palagay niya sinasalamin ng mga estruktura at
landscape ng proyektong Malarayat ang kulturang Pilipino, mula sa masinop na lapit
sa pagdidisenyo ng landscape, hanggang paggamit ng mga katutubong materyales at
iba pang mga detalyeng humango ng inspirasyon sa mga bahay na Pilipino.

Bilang isang ina, lubos na ipinagmamalaki ni Turalba ang kaniyang mga anak.
Lahat sila ay may nakamit sa buhay. Ang panganay na si Antonio Jr. ang humalili sa
ama sa pamumuno ng Turalba and Associates. Ang isa pa niyang anak na arkitekto
na si Anjeanette T. Fuentebella ang tumutulong sa pangangasiwa ng pinansiya ng
kompanya. Mayroon silang siyam na apo at sinisiguro ng mag-asawang Turalba na
sa bawat taon ay nakapaglalakbay ang kanilang buong pamilya. Gayunman, hindi
nakalilimutan ni Turalba na ibigay ang kaniyang pagkalinga sa labas ng kaniyang
pamilya. Kabilang sa kaniyang mga proyektong pangkomunidad ang pagsuporta sa
mga daycare center, pagpopondo sa mga iskolar, pagbibigay ng libreng lektyur at
workshop tungkol sa urban design, at iba pa. Si Turalba ay isa ring TESDA accreditor.

Noo’y waring nanliit ang mga Turalba nang makita nila ang mga kahanga-hangang
arkitektura sa kanilang malawak na paglalakbay sa buong mundo. Ngunit hindi sila
pinanghinaan ng loob; sa halip ay nahamon sila na lumikha ng mga estrukturang
maaari nilang ipagmalaki. Upang makamit ito, binalikan, sinaliksik, at tinuklas ni
Turalba ang mga sangguniang naghihintay sa kanila—ang pamana at kultura ng
bansa. Kasama ng kaniyang asawa, pamilya, kompanya, at mga alagad ng kultura,
ginamit ni Turalba ang mga sangguniang ito, bukas-palad na ibinahagi sa kapwa,
ipinaloob sa kaniyang propesyon sa arkitektura, upang itaguyod nang habambuhay. 339
ACT Tower,
Makati
Selected Works
Mga Piling Likha
Significant Works
Mahahalagang Gawa
Regional Institute of Fisheries Technology/
Regional Fishermen’s Training Complex
Center Cagayan State University Aparri,
Cagayan, 1983;
Regional Institute of Fisheries Technology/
Regional Fishermen’s Training Complex
Center Bicol University, Tabaco, Albay, 1983
J. Moreno Building, 1984; and
Palanca Building, Makati, 1982-1990.
Positions
Mga Tungkulin
Turalba and Associates Principal,
1970-present
Active Group Inc. Founding Director and Vice
Chairperson, 1995-present, President, 2008-
2009, 2012-2014, and Managing Director,
2016-present
Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club, Inc.,
Founding Director, 1994-present, President,
2008-2009, 2012-2014, and Managing
Director, 2016-present
Turalba Foundation, Inc. Founding President
and Trustee, 1987-present
Asian Academy for Heritage Management
(AAHM), Expert, 2007-present
UNESCO-ICCROM (AAHM) and National
Historical commission of the Philippines
Use your gadget
to scan the QR code
for a video about
this awardee.
(NHCPI), member of the Panel of Experts,
2007-present
UP School of Urban and Regional Planning
Alumni and Friends Foundation, Inc.
(UPSAFFI)
Museum Foundation of the Philippines,
President, Trustee, Treasurer, 1994-2012
Opera Guild of the Philippines, Charter
Member and Director, 1992-2010
Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc.
Director, 2010-present
East Asia and Pacific Region Education
Division, The World Bank (IBRD), Consultant
Architect, 1980-1985
Publications and Papers
Mga Publikasyon at Papel
“Bahay na Bato at Iba Pa” (Definitive research
on existing heritage houses circa 1917-1930),
2013, NCCA, Turalba Foundation;
“Intramuros: Potentials and Challenges in
Heritage Conservation within the Cultural
Heritage Core,” 2009. Paper delivered to Lund
University, Sweden at Quezon City, Philippines
“Batanes Ivatan House: Restoration and
Conservation,” 2009. Paper delivered at
Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific,
Thailand
“Housing and Subdivision Developments,
2003. Lecture delivered at De La Salle,
Makati
 Acknowledgment:
Photos and Illustrations
Efren Abueg p. 272
Nunelucio Alvarado p. 173
Lualhati Bautista pp. 41, 48
Cecilia Benetiz p. 191
Rafael Rivera Benitez p. 171
Peggy Bose p. 178
Eric S. Caruncho p. 246
Maria Alexandra I. Chua p. 311
Kenneth Cobonpue pp. 55-69
Trixie Dauz p. 284
Susan S. Dela Rosa p. 302
Mike de Leon pp. 78, 80-81,
83, 85-86, 89-90, 92
Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. pp. 77-81, 83-92
Kiko del Rosario p. 241
Antipas Delotavo p. 180
Danilo Dolor p. 94-121
Imelda Cajipe Endaya p. 238, 245
Edgar Talusan Fernandez p. 174
Steven Patrick Fernandez pp. 211-227
Nonoy Froilan p. 159
Vladimeir Gonzales p. 47
Nestor O. Jardin pp. 156, 164-165
Lenin Carlos Mirasol pp. 256, 260, 272
Radzini Oledan p. 193
Ramon Orlina p. 183
Jez Orbe p. 206
Nonon Padilla pp. 276, 285, 293
Luther Perez p. 129
Alice Reyes pp. 132–133
Rene Robles p. 178
Jose Tence Ruiz p. 179
Hermi Santo p. 228
Pablo Baens Santos p. 179
Luna Sicat-Cleto, photographed by
Piya Constantino Rodriguez p. 16
Raul Sunico p. 310
Nicanor G. Tiongson pp. 131, 142, 153-154, 156,
162, 165, 267, 271, 281-283, 286–289, 291-292
Ian Jay Traqueña p. 326
Pat Valera p. 23
Rodel Valiente pp. 318-319
Ronald Verzo p. 272
Richard Dian Vilar,
photographed by Chiaw Yap p. 204
Geej Williams,
photographed by Chiaw Yap p. 192
Jaime Zobel de Ayala p. 148
Luis E. Yee, Jr.,
photographed by Cesare Syjuco p. 237
ABS-CBN Film Restoration
pp. 24, 27, 35-37, 39-40
Anvil Publishing, Inc.
pp. 21–22, 26, 28, 33-34, 38, 48, 328, 334
Ateneo Art Gallery Collection p. 178
Ateneo de Manila University Press p. 181
Ballet Manila Archives p. 139
Ballet Philippines pp. 122-128, 134, 138,
140-141, 144-146, 154, 157, 160-161
Business Mirror p. 333
C&E Publishing p. 25
Cinemalaya pp. 72, 82
Coching Family pp. 262-263
Dance Theater Philippines Collection
p. 137
Desaparesidos, 2018 PR Team
pp. 28, 43-44
Estate of Alice Guillermo
pp. 166, 171, 175, 177, 183
Estate of Tony Velasquez p. 268
Galleria Duemila Inc. pp. 178, 183, 248-249
Grandchildren of Fausto Galauran p. 256
Kaliwat Theater Collective p. 190
Linangan ng Kababaihan, Inc. p. 31
Liwayway Magazine
pp. 250, 255, 259, 264, 273-274
Metropolitan Museum of Manila
pp. 172, 183
National Commission for Culture and
the Arts pp. 189, 194, 197-203
National Museum of the Philippines p. 183
Pacita Abad Art Estate p. 178
PETA Library and Archives, photographed
by Jonjon Villareal p. 295
Philippine Italian Association p. 177
Pinto Art Museum p. 183
RJ Productions Inc. pp. 303, 317
Star Cinema pp. 27, 35, 39-40
Tanghalang Pilipino p. 195
The Japan Foundation Asia Centre p. 183
Turalba Family
pp. 325, 327, 329, 330, 336-340
Udesigns p. 50
Universal Records pp. 304, 312
University of the East p. 172
University of the Philippines Press p. 171
Vibal Foundation p. 175
Yonzon Associates, Inc. p. 236
343
 Editorial Team
Editor
Nicanor G. Tiongson

Managing Editor Art Director

Ma. Erika Antuerfia Kiko del Rosario

Copyeditor Publication Coordinator

Salvador T. Biglaen Stacy Anne Santos

Proofreaders Publication Assistants

Beverly W. Siy Chrystel Therese V. Darbin
Emmanuel Lopez Sophia E. Eugenio

Writers Translators CCP Intertextual Division

Paulo Alcazaren
Imelda Cajipe-Endaya
Rosario Encarnacion-Tan
Anna Camille Fabella
Nestor O. Jardin
Dennis Marasigan Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez
Rosalie Matilac
Teofila Remotigue
Soledad S. Reyes
Anne Frances Sangil
Maria Luna Sicat-Cleto
Arwin Tan
Nicanor G. Tiongson
Helen Yu-Rivera
Glecy Cruz Atienza
Romulo Baquiran, Jr.
Michael M. Coroza
Gary C. Devilles
Wennielyn Fajilan
Jerry Respeto
D.M. Reyes
Corazon L. Santos
Jethro Niño Tenorio
Nicanor G. Tiongson
Officer-in-Charge
Beverly W. Siy
Marjorie Almazan
Katrina Nova O. Buyco
Justin Andrew N. Cruzana
Abigail F. Esguerra
Ma. Christella Lim
Jeef Marthin Manalo
Mollie Demcille R. Marasigan
Jorich R. Pacamarra
Martina Raine D.L. Rivera
Clarissa Mae B. Sunga
Geraldin Villarin
345
Cultural Center of the Philippines