A season of words for the soul

There is no lamenting how April 2020 came and went, because while in normal times it would have been widely commemorated as Buwan ng Panitikan following Proclamation No. 968, s. 2015 of President Benigno Aquino III, the lockdown restrictions altered all such plans. Yet the month did not go unnoticed, as the literary community continued to proudly highlight Philippine literature and readership, the main reason for the proclamation, as well as remind us all just how essential books are in everyday lives, and how urgently this kind of aid is as needed as everyday staples.Leading the way was National Artist Virgilio Almario, one of the chief proponents of the National Literature Month as former chair of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, doing what writers are expected to do in quarantined times like this—use the luxury of time to create, to compose. He outdoes himself by writing a poem daily, the surreal times never failing to give him a topic to write on. He has written tributes to the doctors we have lost, the ordinary workers, the many unsung heroes. And because of his rich immersion in local culture, he has written also on fanciful themes, the craft itself, and most recently on this earth that we have violated. Happily, these have been posted on Facebook to reach a wider audience, enriching everyone’s Filipino vocabulary, as it does mine. This poem-a-day “service” cannot but boost one’s interest in poetry.

It must be mentioned that three other writers have been a faithful presence on Facebook. There’s illustrator Robert Alejandro, who keeps up with his daily art sessions for artists of all ages, taking a break only during Holy Week because he did admit to exhaustion; the last lesson I caught was on paper cuts. Prolific children’s book writer Genaro Gojo Cruz announces the start of his near-daily afternoon storytelling sessions “Facebooklatan Kasama si Titser Gene” with a playful “Bukas na ang tindahan,” while Precious Pages/Lampara publisher and author Jun Matias has his “Lock ‘n Roll” interviews with the likes of Ricky Lee, Eros Atalia, and the popular romance writers.

The most ingenious celebration comes from the Ateneo de Naga University Press and the Savage Mind Bookshop. Each Sunday of the month, with every milk tea order through a food delivery service, Hungrily, it has given out newly published mini books on inspiring Bikolanos who have contributed much and are hardly known and appreciated. Other new books handed out were on Bikol towns and cities Buhi, Nabua, Tabaco, Iriga—an attempt to look into the “souls” of those places, it is said. The customers were surprised and appreciative of the gesture. The books were written in Bikol, Filipino, English.

Another popular initiative that the creative and dependable Naga trio of Kristian Cordero, Fr. Wilmer Tria, and Tito Valiente produced are the Himati poetry readings in Bikol by authors and readers from the province. Be impressed with the lineup so far: Jimmy Fabregas reading Luis Dato, Luis Cabalquinto, Marne Kilates; actress Lui Quiambao-Manansala, who read Jun Belgica and Raffi Banzuela, two important poets from Albay; and Enchong Dee, who read Father Tria’s translation of Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” Certainly there are more to come, I am told, even till August, Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa. What a bold move onto the digital platform.

The short recording of one poem belies all the planning and meticulous production it entails each time. Cordero’s filmmaking skills (we know of his literary gifts, but he has directed Nora Aunor!) are evident in the tasteful graphics, the haunting backdrop and soft music, and the minimal text to introduce both reader and poet. I do not speak Bikol, but every line has an English translation that does not detract from the reading. How aptly Jacques Derrida, best known for his theory of deconstruction, puts it: “Every text remains in mourning until it is translated.” These series are easily accessible through YouTube: https://youtu.be/qfUjr8F9pNQ

While appreciating all these, I thought of teachers and the resources they are picking up during this bountiful season of words and imagery. True teachers do that, lockdown or not.—————-Neni Sta. Romana Cruz ([email protected]) is a member of the Eggie Apostol Foundation.