‘Ningning at Liwanag’ back cover
“December is the toughest month of the year. Others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, October, August, and February.” – Mark Twain
Was the eminent American author Mark Twain, famously known as humorist, being facetious or satirical in his statement? Mark Twain’s journey across Christmas seasons may give us a clue.
In 1896, Twain’s second child, Susan or “Susy,” died of spinal meningitis at 24 while he and his wife Olivia were traveling abroad. Susy, Twain’s muse, began writing a biography of her famous father at the age of 13. Most of what she wrote Twain would incorporate in his autobiography years later. He grieved over her death the rest of his life.
Susy was three when Mark Twain wrote a Christmas morning letter for her from the Palace of Saint Nicholas in the Moon in 1875. Twain as Santa Claus wrote: “I have received and read all the letters which you and your little sister have written me…I can read your and your baby sister’s jagged and fantastic marks without any trouble at all. But I had trouble with those letters which you dictated through your mother and the nurses, for I am a foreigner and cannot read English writing well…”
Santa continued: “I will go to the moon and get those things and in a few minutes, I will come down the chimney that belongs to the fireplace that is in the hall—if it is a trunk you want—because I couldn’t get such a thing as a trunk down the nursery chimney, you know…If I should leave any snow in the hall, you must tell George (the butler) to sweep it into the fireplace, for I haven’t time to do such things. George must not use a broom, but a rag—else he will die someday…If my boot should leave a stain on the marble, George must not holystone it away. Leave it there always in memory of my visit; and whenever you look at it or show it to anybody you must let it remind you to be a good little girl.”
That was a sweet and loving glimpse of Mark Twain’s devotion to his family, especially during Christmas, which unfortunately was not always devoid of grief and sorrow.
On Christmas Eve in 1909 a heartbroken Twain penned a eulogy for his youngest daughter, who had died just hours earlier. Jane “Jean” Clemens [1880–1909] drowned in a bathtub in her father’s home following a heart attack thought to be related to her epilepsy. Twain’s real name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He wrote: “Jean lies yonder, I sit here; we are strangers under our own roof; we kissed hands good-by at this door last night—and it was forever, we never suspecting it. She lies there, and I sit here—writing, busying myself, to keep my heart from breaking. How dazzlingly the sunshine is flooding the hills around! It is like a mockery.”
Mark Twain’s essay, The Death of Jean, would mark the beloved author’s last substantial writing. It was a heart-rending lamentation about Jean’s death as well as that of his wife Olivia, who died in 1904, his eldest son Langdon who died at age 19 months, from diphtheria, and daughter Susy. Twain would pass away in 1910, leaving his third child Clara, who passed away at 88 in 1962.
If Mark Twain had his tough December, I had mine in September. Of so many songs written about September, a real heartbreaker is September When It Comes, sung by Rosanne Cash with her famous father Johnny Cash. It was the final track that the two of them recorded together and released in 2003. Singing about loss and grief, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as her father passed away in September of that year: “When the shadows lengthen/And burn away the past/They will fly me like an angel to/A place where I can rest/When this begins, I’ll let you in/September when it comes.”
If Mark Twain had his tough December, I had mine in September…September 29 of this year was the 23rd anniversary of my beloved daughter Maningning’s passing
September 29 of this year was the 23rd anniversary of my beloved daughter Maningning’s passing. In 2001, on her first death anniversary, Beauty for Ashes: Remembering Maningning (Anvil Publishing) was launched by the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI), which was founded five months before the anniversary. The book is a compilation of poems and prose by top poets and writers in the land that “are virtually deep meditations on a beloved’s joyful coming into our world and her deliberate exit into the other.”
‘Beauty for Ashes–Remembering Maningning’
The editors of the book, Maningning’s father Mario Ignacio Miclat and Romulo Baquiran, Jr., wrote that Beauty for Ashes “is the first book to pay tribute to Maningning Miclat’s talent and memory. That she has done so much in a relatively short time shows her manifold talents, challenging every artist, poet, and painter alike, not to take their talent for granted because life can be short. They must give their heart and soul to the call of their gift, even as they grab in the other hand the sharpest of whips.”
In my acknowledgments in the book, I wrote: “Mark Twain referred to the death of his favorite daughter Susy as a ‘thunderstroke,’ which a parent can only mysteriously survive. In the same manner, the death of my daughter Maningning struck me dead. I died many times over. Yet mysteriously, I’m still alive.” I thanked her for her paintings that graced the cover of the book and the inside pages, “for a life well lived, for lending her body, soul and spirit to us, her family, in her 28 years of simply being our Maningning.”
And in the prologue, Maningning’s baby sister, Banaue, wrote: “In this book are few of the proofs that Maningning lived a full life. Through some of the contributions, we are able to ask forgiveness for not being there when she needed us. Through this book…we will realize that she is not asking for an apology, but reminding us that she fulfilled a lifetime of dreams. And that she lives.”
It’s been over two decades since the launching of that book of remembrance, and the memory of Maningning continues in the Maningning Poetry Awards and Art Awards we alternately hold, the former during odd-numbered years and the latter during even numbered years.
This year in September, another book was launched by MMAFI titled Ningning at Liwanag: Antolohiya ng 10 Nagwagi sa Gawad Maningning Miclat sa Tula (2003-2021). Published by MMAFI and Erehwon Artworld Corporation with a publication grant from the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the hardbound book is an anthology of Filipino poetry by 10 grand winners of the biennial Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards. The poets are Joselito D. Delos Reyes, Joseph de Luna Saguid, T. Delos Reyes, Kristian Sendon Cordero, Enrique S. Villasis, Phillip Yerro Kimpo, Reparado Galos III, Kid Orit, Ralph Fonte, and Genesis Historillo. Maningning’s painting, The Tree is Awakened by the Memory of Her Leaves, graces the cover, while 10 color photographs by her father, poet and writer Mario I. Miclat, mark the collections. Poet and artist Fidel Rillo designed the book and cover, while Eilene Narvaez copyedited the book.
Ningning at Liwanag, the book
National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario wrote in his introduction: “Ang rebeldeng gampanin ng pagtula sa koleksiyon ng mga nagwagi sa Timpalak Maningning Miclat ay isang misyon na binuksan ni Balagtas noong ika-19 siglo at pinag-alab ng pagsulat nina Rizal, Plaridel, Bonifacio, at Jacinto. Sinasabing naglaho ito at napangibabawan ng Amerikanisasyon nitóng ika-20 siglo. Posibleng napangibabawan; ngunit hindi naglaho. Ang diwang mapagpalayà sa Himagsikang 1896 ay buháy at higit na masugid magsuri, masikap magbigay ng makabuluhang patnubay, at tumutuklas ng mga mabisàng paraan at anyo ng pahayag upang matigib sa bagong kamaláyan ang pusò’t isip ng madlang Filipino.”
(My translation: “The rebellious role of poetry in the collection of the Maningning Miclat Award winners is a mission initiated by Balagtas in the 19th century and heightened by the writings of Rizal, Plaridel, Bonifacio and Jacinto. It was said that this faded away when Americanization became dominant in the 20th century. It may have been dominated, but it did not fade away. The spirit of freedom of the 1896 Revolution is alive and even more ardent in introspection, in the endeavor to give meaningful guidance, and in discovering effective means and ways of expression to fill the hearts and minds of the Filipino masses with new awareness.”)
The launching of the book was only one of the 4-in-1 one-day art and poetry event mounted by MMAFI at FEU on September 27 in collaboration with the Far Eastern University Center for the Arts headed by Martin Lopez, Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts under Dean Isaiah Israel Susi with faculty member Jerry Macatuno, Institute of Arts and Sciences under Dean Diego Jose R. Abad with Department Head Emmanuel Gonzales, and FEU Tams Bookstore Manager Gwenn Galvez.
The event titled Ningning at Liwanag, just like the book, started with a poetry workshop participated in by eight fellows from FEU and five from other universities, including two who traveled all the way from the Cordilleras—Tristan Buenaflor and Jovener Soro. The workshop with lectures by the facilitators, UP professor and director of Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing Romulo Baquiran, Jr., and the president of Cavite Young Writers Association (CYWA) Karl/Kid Orit, was the first such workshop at FEU and elicited an animated and fruitful discussion enlivened by enthusiastic observers.
The event titled ‘Ningning at Liwanag,’ just like the book, started with a poetry workshop participated in by eight fellows from FEU and five from other universities
The morning session was a fitting prelude to the afternoon art exhibit opening, book launch, and poetry awarding attended by National Artists Virgilio Almario and Ramon Santos, and luminaries of the art and literary world. It was a beautiful day blessed with fine weather. And how serendipitous that just a day before the event, FEU was declared a National Cultural Treasure for six of its buildings and artworks by National Artists Botong Francisco and Vicente Manansala, as well as Antonio Dumlao.
Rio Alma with Ei Narvaez, the author, Marj Evasco, Susan Lara, Grace Monte de Ramos, and Banaue Miclat
The exhibit of artworks by previous winners of the Maningning Art Competition, including the first winner in 2004, Dexter Sy, as well as Nikko Pelaez, Joen Sudlon, Kristoffer Tolentino, and Marius Black and also some select FEU faculty and students, was held at the Gallery Hall of NRH Building. National Artists Almario and Santos were joined by eminent artists Danny Rayos Del Sol, Cid Reyes, Riza Matibag Muyot of Shambala Silang, and Dr. Orestes P. Monzon in cutting the ribbon.
National Artists Virgilio Almario and National Artist Ramon Santos cutting the ribbon, with Cid Reyes, Rayos del Sol, the author, Riza, Dean Susi, Dr. Resty, Banaue Miclat
Meanwhile, the book launch at the University Conference Center started with a beautiful and meaningful invocation by noted sculptor Julie Lluch, who designed and executed the exquisite Maningning trophy. Yours truly introduced the book which we co-published with Erehwon headed by Rafael Benitez. NBDB, which provided the 2023 publication grant, was represented in the occasion by Dean Alfred Narra, Vincent Paolo Naval, Julie Ann Campolio, Mitch Balladares, and Anthony John Balisi.
The fourth part of the day-long event was the 2023 Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards, which handed Jan Dennis Destajo the Grand Prize for English poetry, Vince Agcaoili, 1st Honorable Mention, and Regine Cabato, 2nd Honorable Mention. Citations were read by competition judges and poets Lawrence Ypil, Grace Monte de Ramos, and Marjorie Evasco. A poem from the winning collection was beautifully read by FEU Center for the Arts senior director Martin Lopez.
Judges and MMAFI Trustees with 2023 Grand Winner for English Poetry Dennis Jan Destajo
In the Filipino category, Arlin Grace Bajala took the Grand Prize, followed by Rowell delos Santos Ulang and Emmanuel Jayson Bolata, 2nd and 3rd Prize respectively. The jury composed of poets and academicians Michael M. Coroza (represented by his wife, Jeanette Job Coroza), Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, and Luna Sicat Cleto read the citations for the three winners. A poem from the winning collection was read by UP professor, singer, and theater actor Banaue Miclat, who also emceed the program. The FEU Bamboo Band rendered Filipino music during intermission and the Philippine National Anthem at the beginning of the program.
Banaue Miclat, Virgilio Almario, Alma Miclat, Erehwon’s Benitez
The auspicious event also paid tribute to Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. trustee and treasurer Leonardo M. Ramos, who passed away last year after serving MMAFI gratis et amore for 21 years since its founding in 2001. MMAFI Board of Trustees’ efforts to mount activities like the Poetry Awards and Art Awards and the publication of art and poetry books are all a labor of love in honor of Maningning Miclat, whose legacy continues to encourage young poets and painters to hone their craft and keep on with their art.
Julie Lluch and the author with the Ramos family
September in the last 23 years has been a bittersweet homecoming for the consummate and passionate artist and poet Maningning. Indeed, she has fulfilled a lifetime of dreams. And she lives!
Back to December, meanwhile, which is supposed to be the most celebrated and happiest season of the year in our country. Sad to say, I still can’t wrap my head around it and have not even touched our box of Christmas decors from the storage since my husband Mario passed in April 2021. Losing two beloveds is heart-wrenching, which renders any celebration tepid. However, there’s still so much to be thankful for, foremost of which is the reason for the season. Perhaps I need to step back a bit and get a glimpse of some Christmases past to appreciate what we have?
National Artist Nick Joaquin wrote in Almanac for Manileños (Mr & Ms Publishing Company, 1979): “Gloomiest December in Philippine history is that of 1941, when on December 8 in the morning, we learned that the Japs had bombed Baguio, Davao, Aparri and Tuguegarao, as well as Pearl Harbor, and that we were at war. ‘But,’ we told each other as we flashed the V-sign, ‘this is going to be a war of weeks and those poor Japs will never know what hit them!’ Well, we did know what hit us.”
Joaquin continued, “On Christmas week Manila was declared an Open City—and began to burn…As the dreadful month ended at last, a city that thought that the enemy was still being repulsed faraway in the north learned in shock that the barbarian was at the gates.”
Joaquin also wrote that the happiest December in Philippine history “is that of 1896, when, for a moment, the Philippine revolution appeared triumphant. The previous November had been grim with desperate war. ‘But,’ exulted Aguinaldo, ‘when the smoke of battle had cleared, God revealed that all Cavite had been liberated from Spain.’”
Joaquin wrote: “As the happy month drew to a close, Aguinaldo was advancing on Pateros and Taguig—and from Manila came disturbing news: 40,000 troops—the cazadores—had sailed from Spain for the war in Cavite.”
The rest was history, with the smiling and happy Filipinos being subjugated again and again by foreign powers. Was Ralph Waldo Emerson right when he said: “The hard soil and four months of snow make the inhabitants of the northern temperate zone wiser and abler than his fellow who enjoys the fixed smile of the tropics”? Food for thought this Christmas season in the midst of war in our troubled world, hopefully something which can be refuted for the sake of our young generation and their future.
