The Mystery of The Word
To begin with a small personal note: this week marks my 22nd anniversary writing “Penman” for the Philippine STAR, an adventure that began on Aug. 5, 2000 with a piece about my recent writing fellowship in Norwich, England, working on the novel that eventually became Soledad’s Sister (Anvil Publishing, 2008). I’ve kept every column I’ve written since then in my digital files, now numbering over 1,100 pieces; a couple of years ago, I selected what I thought were the ones worth reading again (not every column is, to be perfectly honest) and put 110 of them together in a book titled A Richness of Embarrassments and Other Easy Essays (UP Press, 2020, still available on Shopee and Lazada).
It’s hard to believe that 22 years and 1,100 columns later, I’m still at it, and perhaps even harder yet to believe that I’m enjoying it with the same sense of discovery and delight, looking forward to seeing my text in print with a cub reporter’s enthusiasm. Much of that I should credit to my editors, Millet Mananquil, along with Igan D’Bayan and now Scott Garceau, who have been extremely supportive, sometimes to the point of indulgence (such as when I stray far beyond the normal bounds of art and culture). I’ve since learned to moderate myself, to stay within the zone, and to proactively seek out less known but worthy cultural endeavors to publicize. (The eager beaver in me has made sure that my editors never have to worry about my meeting deadlines; my columns are usually done the week before.)
I began reporting and writing for the old Philippines Herald at age 18, in 1972; at 68, I still remind myself that writing for a national broadsheet, even in this age of Facebook, is a tremendous privilege, so I still respect my editors, my deadlines, and my readers’ intelligence. I can only hope that our younger writers — who now have the freedom and capability to write whatever they like whenever they want on their blogs — will understand that journalism is also a community of shared values (by which I don’t simply mean pakikisama, although there’s a lot of that), and that no matter how brilliant you may think you are, you still have to earn your union card, so to speak, to gain the goodwill and respect of others (and if those things don’t matter to you, then you have a problem, and good luck with that).
Moving on to other fruitful friendships and associations, I was elated to attend the Parangal for our newest National Artists at the CCP Main Theater last month. The eight new laureates were Agnes Locsin for Dance; Nora Villamayor (aka Nora Aunor) and Ricardo “Ricky” Lee for Film and Broadcast Arts; Gemino Abad for Literature; Fides Cuyugan-Asensio for Music; and posthumously, Antonio “Tony” Mabesa for Theater, Salvacion Lim Higgins for Fashion Design, and Marilou Diaz-Abaya for Film and Broadcast Arts.
I was proud to note that I had worked with or for many of them, and was well aware of their exceptional talent and dedication to their craft. I had never met Nora Aunor, but had written a script for her, Ina Ka ng Anak Mo, directed by the late (and also National Artist) Lino Brocka. Lino regaled me with stories about how amazingly good a natural actress Nora was, and I thought so myself, watching her onscreen. I had many issues with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s governance, but I have to credit him for not interfering — unlike many of his predecessors — with the National Artist selection process, particularly in Nora’s case, which everyone knew had been previously held up because of her alleged drug use.
I had worked with directors Tony Mabesa and Marilou Diaz-Abaya, sadly both of them now gone. Tony directed several of my plays and always managed to get just the right tone I wanted to come across. Marilou directed my script which eventually became Ika-11 Utos: Mahalin Mo Asawa Mo (someone else always made up these more marketable titles, for which I had absolutely no talent), a crime and domestic drama that received respectable reviews but didn’t win any prizes. But what I observed in Marilou was her work ethic and her methodical approach to the material. I had been used to churning out one-week wonders for Lino, but with Marilou, the scripting process took months, because she would pause and analyze every scene and snippet of dialogue for its political and philosophical implications.
I was gratified to have made the right call in the cases of Jimmy Abad and Ricky Lee; I had privately predicted, before the results were announced (and with no inside information whatsoever), that the two would be very strong contenders (I also mentioned Lualhati Bautista and Pete Lacaba, among those still living; for the record, I was also nominated, but it was more to make my 94-year-old mom proud and happy, which she was, and so I was). I had known Ricky for a long time, both of us being Lino Brocka’s go-to’s when he needed a script done fast. Ricky, of course, was more than fast; he was good. And while I wandered off into many other kinds of writing, Ricky turned screenwriting into the art and profession it deserved to be, not just for himself but for scores of acolytes. We used to ask each other, half-jokingly, why Pete seemed to get all the choice, festival-bound assignments; and we decided that it was because, by his own admission, Pete was the slowest scriptwriter among us, and therefore got to work on the long-gestating projects.
But I was happiest of all for my former professor and dear friend Jimmy Abad, whom I felt should have received this honor at least 10 years earlier, given his elevated poetry, outstanding scholarship, and generous mentorship to generations of writers. For someone who began by studying to be a farmer at UP Los Baños and who then entered the Jesuit seminary (when he left after three years, he recalls, “The first thing I did was to look for a store and smoke a cigarette!”), Jimmy found his true calling in unraveling the Mystery of The Word, of language and how it shapes our view of life. I can think of no writer more purely dedicated to his art than Jimmy, the classic absent-minded professor who drives up one-way streets and whom I had to remind of his exact age. When it comes to words and their meanings, he is ever-aware, ever-present, and ever-caring. A true National Artist, indeed. Heartiest congratulations to all!
What does it mean to be free, and how can one discover freedom? Renowned filmmaker Quark Henares explores this idea in his latest short film, How to Find Freedom, created in partnership with global smart-device brand Oppo.
Many young people these days find themselves trapped in the mundane cycle of day-to-day life, seeking inspiration or any dose of excitement. Henares puts these people into focus in the three-minute film, empowering viewers to step out of your comfort zone and discover different facets of yourself.
Shot on Oppo’s newest flagship device, the Oppo Find X5 Pro, the short film follows the main character, portrayed by actress Maxene Magalona, going about a tedious routine in her everyday life, uninspired and bogged down by work and memories of a past relationship. After what seems to be a serendipitous interaction online, she pushes herself to enjoy life again by trying new things — from simple activities like visiting an art gallery and adopting a cat, to the more daring, such as singing in front of a crowd of strangers, and even paragliding.
Unveiled earlier this year, the Oppo Find X5 Pro is Oppo’s newest flagship device, codesigned with Hasselblad, the pioneers in photography. With a cutting-edge MariSilicon X Chip powering its 50MP triple camera setup, the Oppo Find X5 Pro has the best and most advanced night photography features found in a smartphone. Now you can capture images in any light, thanks to its industry-leading features like 4K Ultra Night Video, Ultra HDR Video and Ultra Dark Video. And, with its 1 Billion Colour Bionic Display, you can relive your best after-dark moments in spectacular detail.
Running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, the Oppo Find X5 Pro also boasts 80W SuperVOOC Charging, the all-new ColorOS 12.1 software and a sleek, future-ready design. With a streamlined body and frosted matte glass that makes it incredible to touch, the Oppo Find X5 Pro was made to push boundaries in smartphone technology.
Find moments of empowerment and freedom, and capture them in full resolution with the new Oppo Find X5 Pro.
Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7WYbbYBnXM.
The director also took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes images of the shoot, care of the Find X5 Pro. (https://www.instagram.com/p/CfdKIgXPwTf/?hl=en)
To know more about Oppo Find X5 Pro, visit the Oppo Philippines’ official website at https://www.Oppo.com/ph/ or its official Facebook page at Oppo Philippines.