Some of Rio Alma’s books
The invitation was short and sweet: “Sa Marso 9 ay 80 anyos na ako at gusto kong ipagdiwang ang umiikli ko nang búhay sa piling ng ilang pili at itinatanging kaibigan. Sana libre ka para dumalo …” (I’ll be 80 on March 9 and I’d like to celebrate my life which is getting shorter with some chosen and cherished friends. Hope you’re free to attend …)
But of course, such an invite from a national treasure who has a mind-boggling body of literary works—about 100 books of poetry, literary criticisms, anthologies, dictionary, children’s stories, comprehensive translation into Filipino of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo—is humbling. And heartwarming!
Virgilio S. Almario, known as Rio Alma, was conferred the Order of National Artist for Literature way back in 2003. The citation reads that he “is a poet, literary historian and critic, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of poetry, which include the seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. In these works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the dramatic to the incantatory, in his often severe examination of the self, and the society.”
The citation adds that he has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed, and paved the way for its discussion in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies.
The citation takes note of the many writers who have come under Rio Alma’s wing in the literary workshops he founded, the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). He has also long been involved in children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. And he has been a constant presence in national writing workshops, and galvanizes member writers as chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).
The citation concludes, “But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to the Filipino writer in the country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths, hypocrisy, injustice, among others.”
For the last 21 years, since he was conferred the highest state honor, he could have rested on his laurels. But Rio Alma proved even more productive and prolific. He has produced more books, given more lectures and speeches, and became dean of Arts and Letters at UP Diliman (2003-2009), chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino/KWF (2013-2019), and chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts /NCCA (2017-2019).
The pandemic, which brought untold misery and death, and clamped down on the creativity of artists and writers, however, provided time and impetus to Almario to continue to write. And write profusely he did, churning out a poem a day upon the start of lockdown in March 2020. The poems were posted in Rio Alma FaceBook page and reached a vast audience here and abroad. His insights and articles were posted in Filipino Ngayon FB page under his column, Sari-Samot.
Almario with translator-poet Marne Kilates and Alma Cruz Miclat
The poems on various subjects became the bulk of the latest poetry anthology of the prolific National Artist published by NCCA and with Introduction by Sen. Loren Legarda. Lemlunay: Pagunita sa Gunita (A Reminder for Memory), according to the translator of the Filipino poems into English and himself a renowned poet in English, Marne Kilates, is “a new landmark work by Rio Alma. In it he is the Rio Alma that lures us with the sparkle and grit of his poetic language and grips us with his penetrating insights… This grip on our senses … continues unabated through such poems as Dead Coral where the sea is receptacle to waste and pollution, and Alas! The plastic womb is pregnant.
Lemlunay is a T’boli word, which means paradise, or Edenic place; the abode of the gods. A beautiful coffeetable book with outstanding photographs by its art director Roel Hoang Manipon, the book and cover design was done by Mervin Concepcion Vergara. Eilene Antoinette G. Narvaez is editor and publication director.
Ever an advocate of Filipino as national language, Almario penned the books Filipino ng mga Filipino (1993; 2009), Tradisyon at Wikang Filipino (1998), Patnubay sa Masinop na Pagsulat (1981), and UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino (2001; 2010), which is considered as the most comprehensive monolingual dictionary on Filipino. He added in 2023 Ang Wikang Pambansa at Amerikanisasyon: Isang Kasaysayan ng Pakikihamok ng Filipino Para Maging Wikang Pambansa, published by Ateneo Press. This book, according to UP Press director Galileo S. Zafra, shows the Filipino perspective in looking at the history of the national language. He mentioned two main contexts in the situation of our language today: the Philippines is a multi-lingual country, and education has a bilingual policy. In forming a national linguistic plan, care should be given on the languages of the indigenous peoples and putting in order the implementation of the bilingual policy in education.
With all the creative and poetic outpourings and voluminous researches occupying the mind of Rio Alma, does he still have a life, if we mean life as the worldly meaning of the word? Who is Rio Alma?
‘Through thick and thin talaga, malalim ang pinagsamahan nila—sa panulaan, and even in their respective love life’—Fe Mangahas
Historian Fe Mangahas remembers the friendship between her better-half, the late poet Rogelio G. Mangahas, and Rio Alma. The two with Lamberto Antonio are considered the “Tungko” or triumvirate of modernist Tagalog poets in the 1960s. Roger was the editor of the Filipino section of the University of the East campus paper, Dawn, when young Almario submitted a poem for publication. The editor liked it immensely, and more poems followed and were published. It was the start of a life-long friendship, which Fe describes as the true meaning of friendship. “Through thick and thin talaga, malalim ang pinagsamahan nila—sa panulaan, and even in their respective love life.” Fe adds that “matapat na kaibigan si Rio. Matatag, tunay na kaibigan kapag kaibigan ka niya (Rio is a loyal friend. Solid, true friend if you are his friend).”
The author interviewing Almario in Beijing in 1984
Alma and Mario Miclat with Almario in a file photo
When Rio and his UMPIL delegation, that included the poets Teo Antonio, the late journalists Mike Bigornia and Vet Vitug, visited Beijing in 1984, my husband Mario and I were able to interview them for Radyo Peking, where we were working then. When we got back to the Philippines after the 1986 People Power Revolution, Mario became active in UMPIL while teaching at UP Asian Center. Rio encouraged him to continue to write and wrote Introductions for some of Mario’s books.
In his Introduction to Mario’s book, Pinoy Odyssey 2049 (UP Press, 2005), an anthology of stories in English and Filipino, Rio wrote:
“Bahagi ang Pinoy Odyssey ng mahapdi ngunit makasaysayang pagsisikap upang makausad tayo mula sa mahabang bisperas ng rebolusyon. Sinasabi nito na pagkaraan ng lahat, hindi naman baril o mga palatapormang pampulitika kundi ang katotohanan ang magpapalaya sa atin.”
(Pinoy Oyssey is part of painful but historical endeavor to move on from a very long eve of revolution. It says that after all is said and done, it’s not arms nor political platforms, but truth, that will set us free. – My translation)
In Mario I. Miclat’s lecture at UP ICW Likhaan in 2009 regarding his novel, Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions, Almario in his Reaction expounds:
“Ang buong paraan ng pag-apuhap sa tila pira-pirasong gunita ay tila isang pagtatanghal sa pait at kirot na idinudulot ng paggunita. Ang pagpiprisinta sa mga gunita sa paraang nakakatawa –may mga bahaging halos itanghal ng gumugunita ang sarili bilang katatawanan—ay isang maskara sa pighating dinadanas ng puso. Halos nahihindik ang may-gunita sa nabubuong larawan ng nagdaan at umiimbento siya ng mga balatkayo upang ilihim ang dapat sana’y balde-baldeng pagluha. Mahal niya kasi ang ginugunita. Matalik na bahagi ng kanyang laman. Sagradong dambana ng kaniyang paniniwala’t pananalig. At ngayo’y kailangan niyang isiwalat ang nararamdamang kahungkagan.”
(The whole method of grasping the bits and pieces of memories is akin to a show presenting the bitterness and pain brought by remembering. Presenting memories in a hilarious way—there are parts when the one remembering presents himself as a laughing stock—is a mask hiding his anguish. The one remembering is almost shocked by the shaping image of the past and he invents disguises to hide buckets of tears. Because he loves that one that he’s remembering. An intimate part of his flesh. Sacred shrine of his faith and beliefs. And now he needs to disclose the emptiness he feels. – My translation)
When Mario passed away in April 2021 due to COVID pneumonia exacerbated by his comorbidities, we published a memorial edition of his books of poetry, essays and novel. Again, our dear Rio Alma, whom Mario worked with as assistant director when Rio was the director of Sentro ng Wikang Filipino of the UP System before he himself became director of the Center, wrote an Introduction to his poetry book, Kailan Diwata at 70+ na Tula, titled Kung Minumulto ng Diwata:
“Taglay ng libro ni Mario ang lahat ng kaniyang siphayo, pighati, at dusa kalakip ng kaniyang masayahin at magandang kalooban hanggang kamatayan. Kapag binasa mo ang kaniyang libro ng tula, manghihinayang ka na may buhay na tulad niya at napakarami nating hindi nakabasa sa kaniyang libro noong buhay pa siya.
(Mario’s book carries all his anguish, sorrow, and suffering imbued with cheerful and good heart till the end. When you read his book of poems, you’ll regret that there was a human being like him and there are so many of us who were not able to read his book when he was still alive. – My translation)
And finally, when the Maningning Foundation book, Ningning at Liwanag, an anthology of the winners of the biennial Maningning Miclat Poetry Award in Filipino from 2003 to 2021 was published last year with grant from the National Book Development Board (NBDB), National Artist Virgilio S. Almario wrote in his Introduction:
“Pambihira ang isang Maningning Miclat. Kaya dapat maging pambihira ang Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Competition. Bukod sa timpalak ito sa pagsulat ng tula sa tatlong wika, timpalak din ito para sa mga kabataang makata na edad 28 pababa.”
(Maningning Miclat is remarkable, which is why the Maningning Miclat Trilingual Poetry Competition should achieve a comparable standard. In addition to being a competition where participants write poems in three languages, it also is a competition for young poets aged 28 and below.)
“Napakahalagang ilathala ngayon bilang aklat ang koleksiyong ito. Para totoong pakinabangan ng madlang Filipino. Igigiit ko pa, ang aklat na ito ay dapat bilhin ng mga paaralan at isama sa leksiyong pampanitikan ng mga kabataan.”
(It is very important that this collection be published as a book so it can truly benefit the Filipino people. I emphasize the need for schools to acquire this book and incorporate it into their literary curriculum.)
Front, Almario and Raja; behind, from left, NCCA chairman Ino Manalo, Fe Mangahas, Alma Miclat, Lynn Almario, Banaue Miclat
Nina Lim-Yuson, Lynn and Ani Almario, Virgilio Almario, Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Karina Bolasco
On his 80th birthday celebration, National Artist Almario with, from left, Randy David, National Artist Gemino Abad, National Artist Alice Reyes
Almario (fourth from right) with friends: from left, Vim Nadera, Butch Dalisay, Manny Baldemor, Jeanette and Mike Coroza, Mo Ordonez, Teo and Sol Antonio
Almario with ‘Lemlunay’ editor and publication director Ei Narvaez
Almario (far right) with friends, from left, Marne Kilates, PT Martin, Joey Baquiran, Mike Coroza and Roger Mangahas
How can we not love Rio Alma? Indeed, his friendship is real, solid, loyal, just as Fe Mangahas avows. And our family feels blessed that in our lifetime we were able to meet and work and be with him. After all, his name already includes the two of us—May Mario na, may Alma pa! Thank you very much, Rio Alma, for your life! Mabuhay!
