Proudly Eva Estrada Kalaw's grandson
Just like his siblings and cousins, Rodrigo continues the Kalaw legacy begun by his great grandfather Teodoro Kalaw Sr., the writer and public servant and, which had been taken by the other equally prominent Kalaws (by birth or by marriage) including his Lola Eva
This Tuesday, 16 June, is the birth centenary of the late feisty senator and public servant, Eva Estrada Kalaw. Although her term in the senate was interrupted by the declaration of Martial Law, a most trying time for her and her colleagues in the opposition, she continued to pursue the cause of freedom and democracy. Other than the women who formed a substantial part of her constituency, young people too looked up to her as a worthy exemplar.
I had the privilege of meeting Tita Eva for whom I conducted research when she was putting together the materials for her intended biography. As her way of prepping me up for the would-be project proper, she always related to me stories of her youth, her involvement in politics and her personal life. In one Christmas party, I met her two young grandsons by
Tita Chingbee who had earlier tied the knot with sportsman, entrepreneur and intellectual Bobby Cuenca. Tita Eva was telling the group that her grandson, Rodrigo, had just finished “writing” a book, which, of course, it was with its text and illustration telling a story.
Twenty years after (2018) when I met Rodrigo again (having become friends on FB), I told him about the book, which he does not remember, probably because of the many projects he accomplished as a kid. This time, he had graduated from the University of Chicago, keeping true to the promise of his precocious brilliance and ingenuity. He had also founded two digital brands on social media: an international brand, Global Urban Professional; and a local brand, First World Manila. Rodrigo has presented his art works in two art shows; and written and filmed vlogs on Philippine economic development.
Just like his siblings and cousins, Rodrigo continues the Kalaw legacy begun by his great grandfather Teodoro Kalaw Sr., the writer and public servant, and which had been taken by the other equally prominent Kalaws (by birth or by marriage) including his Lola Eva. I asked him his thoughts on his Lola Eva and he gladly shared with me how his Lola’s activism and causes have become part of his identity and advocacy. Daily Tribune (DT): You had the privilege of having conversation with your Lola. Of the many stories about her personal life, politics in this country and the Kalaw Estrada clans, which had an impact on and gave you a better understanding of your country and of your roots?
Ramon Rodrigo Kalaw Cuenca (RRKC): Lola Eva seldom spoke directly about politics to me, but the story of her surviving the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing and still continuing the fight against Marcos always had an impact on me and has encouraged me to be brave and stand up for my convictions. I never really thought about how deeply that event must have impacted her until after her passing, when I found that she still had shrapnel in her body even up until her last days. But she never bragged about it, and that more recently impacted me as well: that there are people in this world who go unnoticed by the public despite the good that they do, and they are perfectly fine with that. DT: What was her advice to you that you keep in your heart and practice? Is it an easy thing to follow given current day realities? RRKC: Lola Eva and my late mother used to tell me when I was younger to stand up for my convictions, whether those convictions are popular or not. It’s something I’ve always kept in my heart and practice as much as I can. In some ways the struggle to stand up for and maintain one’s convictions is more difficult in the present, given the role social media now plays in human society. DT: You must have read your lola’s biography or heard her life story told and retold. Which “chapter” in her life do you enjoy retelling yourself or playing on your mind and why?
RRKC: What always interested me about Lola Eva is the role she played in the Kalaw family legacy. In the generation prior to hers, it was the man (TM Kalaw) standing up to an oppressor (the US colonial authorities) with the woman (Pura Villanueva Kalaw) supporting him behind the scenes. In her generation, it was the reverse: it was the woman
(Lola Eva) standing up to an oppressor (the Marcos dictatorship) with the man (Lolo Ted) supporting her behind the scenes. DT: You are an intellectual and an artist. How would you have related to her today if she were alive and at her prime? RRKC: I would relate to her in the sense of my standing up for my own convictions as well. I run two digital brands on social media: an international brand, Global Urban Professional, and a local brand, First World Manila. When I am not creating art for these brands, I use them as platforms to comment on the news and other topics, as well as highlight my various advocacies.
DT: Of her personal principles and the causes she advocated, which comes closest to your New Illustrado advocacy? Would you like to explain what your concept of New Illutrado is and how does this take inspiration from your Lola Eva in particular and from your Kalaw roots as well?
RRKC: The idea is for Filipinos of all backgrounds to look up to a certain group of ilustrados (Rizal, etc.) and their accomplishments, and make the values of the ilustrados their own. Those ilustrados embraced the concept of a “Filipino,” stood up for their convictions and excelled in various fields. It’s similar to how the Japanese look up to the samurai from their history.
Something that I found sad about Lola Eva’s life was that she spent her last years unhappy about what Philippine society had become. She would look at local programs on TV and say, “What garbage” and sigh, as though she had a greater vision for Philippine society.
I also want Spanish (of the variety that was spoken here, basically Castilian Spanish with Mexican and native words) returned as one of the Philippines’ national languages. Lola Eva’s role in the eventual removal of Spanish from the education system was her only regret in her political career, and I believe she also linked the loss of Spanish to her perceived “decline” of Philippine society. So I also want to redeem her, in that aspect. DT: How do you think would Lola Eva have contributed to Philippine society today if she were 45 to 50 years old which was more or less her age when she became senator?
RRKC: She would probably oppose any politician she would perceive as being authoritarian. She was very much a fighter.