Does Bert remember that ʻthe world is an appleʼ?
The following story, reported by
Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre, is about a literary giant in his twilight years who is probably finding it (if he ever does) difficult to remember that, to quote the title of his best known work, the world is an apple. He’s none other than Alberto “Bert” S. Florentino whose daughter Leila once played Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway.
Yes, Edmund, I agree with you that Bert does have connections to the world of TV, stage and movies — “A very famous playwright who’s wellloved and respected even here in the US, one of the smartest and most brilliant but humblest and warmest people I have ever met. His wife Eva San Jose is equally brilliant and down-to-earth.”
According to Edmund, Bert was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in early 2012 and has been suffering from depression ever since. “Formerly based in New York City, the five-time Carlos Palanca Award winner is now residing at an assisted-living facility in Portland, Oregon. Eva lives in a nearby apartment and regularly checks on him,” said Edmund.
Now 81, Bert (born on July 28, 1931) is a prolific author and playwright who shot to fame in the 1950s with his work, The
World is an Apple, one of the most performed plays in the Philippines. It also gave him his first Palanca Award in 1954 when he was just 23. He is a contemporary of Nick Joaquin, Jose Garcia Villa and NVM Gonzalez.
Also known as the main scriptwriter of the award-winning TV drama series Balintataw in the ’60s and ’70s, he has written 100 plays for television and cinema, and more than 50 for stage, besides having published several collections of his own plays and more than 70 titles by other Filipino authors.
He became a TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee for literature in 1960, an honor he shared with then Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. (for public service). In 2008, Bert was given a Presidential Medal of Merit for being a distinguished literary giant.
“Today,” added Edmund, “the former UP professor is no longer writing. He spends most of his time reading books at Laurelhurst Village, a senior care community in Portland.”
In an interview Edmund did for Funfare on Christmas Day, Eva said, “He loves to buy books on sale and get the old ones thrown by libraries. ‘Yun na lang ang kaligayahan niya sa ngayon.
He has no friends here (Oregon) because we just moved here and most of his surviving friends are either in New York or Manila.”
Eva is herself a writer, art curator and retired university professor. The couple relocated to Portland to be close to their daughter Lisa, a voice teacher who has a private studio there.
Eva recalled that Bert’s depression set in when his doctor informed him he’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis was a result of a medical test after Bert got lost twice and couldn’t find his way home from his regular trip to a coffee shop.
“Bert couldn’t accept the fact that he has Alzheimer’s which he knows is a progressive disease that has no cure,” shared Eva. “He used to be so good at computers but he couldn’t write anymore and his depression only worsened. He started acting strange and even became suicidal, threatening to jump from a building.”
At one point, Eva told Edmund, Bert reportedly requested
for an assisted suicide, which is legal in Oregon, as long as it is self-administered. But Eva said the doctor told him he’s not qualified to receive it since he has Alzheimer’s which, by definition, robs its victims of good judgment and the capacity to understand consequences and ultimately the ability to carry out their own deaths.
Bert’s condition has taken its toll on the family, according to Eva, which was aggravated by the sudden passing of one of their daughters, Sonya, 52, a poet, who was found dead in her Manhattan apartment in November last year. The cause of death was pneumonia.
“We all try to be strong for each other,” Eva said, “especially me. I already had quadruple bypass. I cannot die. Not now.
Hindi ako puwede mamatay because my husband needs me. I thank God we’re holding up well and my whole family is my source of strength. Like this Christmas, all of our children and grandchildren are here with us. Even our daughter Leila, who is based in Paris, flew in with her daughter Tess to be with us again.”
Leila, now a voice teacher, took over the role of Kim on Broadway’s Miss
Saigon from Lea Salonga in the early 90s. The Florentinos have a fourth daughter, Angeli, who is a social worker in New York City.
At present, Bert is under medication and has been seeing a psychologist every other week.
“He’s okay as long as he taking his medication religiously,” Eva said. “Aside from reading, he goes to concerts and watches movies. Like the other day, we watched the movie Lincoln and he loved it. We talked about the movie. He hasn’t lost cognition. He still remembers people and events. He stays in my apartment during weekends, but it’s better that he’s in the assisted-living facility where he is closely monitored.”
“When I talked to Bert on the phone recently, he sounded coherent and even talked about his illness,” said Edmund. “He told me, ‘The doctor told me I have Alzheimer’s... and I’m battling this terrible depression. But I’m aware of what’s going on around me. I feel fine and I feel normal. I know you... and I know all of my friends. Just pray for me.’ I assured Bert that I would.”
(Note: Edmund said that those who want to get in touch with Bert Florentino may e-mail Eva at evasjflorentino@aol.com.) (E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more
updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)