Tag: November 21, 2007

To contribute to the writing of better fiction in the University of Santo Tomas, the Varsitarian Fiction Workshop was established. Now on its third year, the workshop was held at the St. Raymund’s Building last September 9 and 16. Vicente Groyon and Jose Dalisay, Jr. were the panelists for fiction in English while Eros Atalia, Abdon Balde, Jr., and Jun Cruz Reyes were the panelists for fiction in Filipino.

VINCENT Espiritu recalled seeing orbs of light back when he was seven. At that moment, his entire house was engulfed in darkness due to a brownout, making it hard for him to fall asleep. Hours passed until the hands of the clock, illuminated by the minute amount of light from the candle he refused to blow out, indicated that it was already early morning. His eyes moved to the direction of the wooden ceiling, where only dancing shadows occupied its blankness.

IN A NATION simmering with apathy and disunity, one writer has tempered his craft into a harmonious marriage between personal expression and a drive toward national solidarity.

This year’s Parangal Hagbong recipient, Cirilo F. Bautista, reminds today’s writers of the Philippines’ need for an “evolving consciousness.” The Parangal Hagbong, which started in 1997, is the Varsitarian’s way of recognizing Thomasian paragons in Philippine literature. The word hagbong, which in the province of Quezon means an old headdress representative of one’s social status, pertains to a laurel wreath or an adornment of woven leaves that is placed on the head of one who has attained or shown prowess in the arts and letters.

INDUSTRIAL Design juniors have come up with 74 ways to keep the handicapped agile and the old quick-witted.

Marveleux (a French word which stands for “physical,” “quickly,” and “fantastic”), an exhibit at the Beato Angelico Main Gallery last September 25 to 29, featured 74 clever and creative board games made out of synthetic, organic, industrial, and recycled materials. The games are playful but therapeutic creations to engage the old and the disabled.

“We want to show how Industrial Design touches the lives of many people through the practicality and usefulness of its products,” said Myna Suñico, professor and department head of Industrial Design.

Toy power

OCTOBER is considered the month of the Holy Rosary, but despite the prominence of the devotion, only a few truly understand the purpose of the chain which supposedly binds Christian families together.

Cognizant of the need to emphasize the relevance of the Holy Rosary amid the changing times, the UST Museum of Art and Sciences merged aesthetics and faith in an exhibit sought to glorify and clarify the rosary, titled The Rosary: Into the Garden of Paradise, last October.

Aside from commemorating the month of the Holy Rosary, the exhibit coincided with the centennial celebration of the connonical coronation of the La Naval de Manila.

“The exhibit is a small step for Philippine Christianity to gain a better understanding of the rosary through art,” said Regalado Trota Jose, the curator of the exhibit.

ONE ELEMENT that unifies art works together is expression so that young and promising art aficionados called Kulay Malaya have banded together to cultivate their art and individual styles.

“We may not be able to send our message by words, but we could convey it through our paintings.” said Eleazar Orobia, a College of Fine Arts and Design professor. “While our group is still focused on personal topics, we would also like to paint about socially relevant issues.”

In the last three months, Kulay Malaya has successfully executed their infant steps toward the pursuit of their vision, largely through exhibits.

Dream catchers

Awakening the sleeping emotions and interest of its spectators through striking paintings, Kulay Malaya’s art exhibit, Tulog, evoked the significance of sleep and dreams.

AFTER over four centuries of existence, La Naval de Manila, the Philippines’ and Asia’s first canonically crowned Marian image, remains the Mother of all Marian icons for its miraculous reputation and its rich history.

The book, The Saga of La Naval: Triumph of a People’s Faith (Dominican Province of the Philippines, 2007), seeks to chronicle La Naval’s place in Philippine Church, culture and society. The 361-page coffee-table book was launched last Oct. 7 at the Santo Domingo Parish in Quezon City to mark the centennial of the canonical coronation of La Naval.

THE CANONICAL coronation is a special privilege bestowed only on a very special Marian image.

This is what Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco pointed out in his homily before the solemn re-enactment of the canonical coronation of La Naval de Manila, which was canonically crowned on orders of Pius X in 1907 in the first ever canonical coronation of any Marian image in the Philippines and Asia.

The ceremonial coronation was made during a High Mass celebrated by Ongtioco and 15 other bishops from across the country last Oct. 4 at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City.

“Our saga as a nation has always been intertwined with divine faith and the story of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” Ongtioco said. “The venerated image of Our Lady of the Rosary of La Naval has through the years proven itself as a source of inspiration, and a symbol of faith and hope in times of despair.”

NO OTHER Marian image in the Philippines compares with the historical and spiritual richness of La Naval de Manila, whose divine interventions have been well-acknowledged from time immemorial.

Our Lady of La Naval continues to influence lives of Marian devotees as it did in the almost desperate but triumphant battles of Filipino-Spanish forces against the Dutch armada in the 1600s. After four centuries of devastating wars, natural calamities, and rampant sacrilegious Church robberies, La Naval has gained and received immense devotion from Filipinos, being the country’s patroness.

“We are full of gratitude because we have been bountifully blessed by God’s grace through the intercessions of Mary,” Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said in his homily during the centennial of the canonical coronation of Our Lady of La Naval.

AS I STARED at the white casket serenely adorned with white orchids, I saw my dead grandmother.

Still, things did not sink in even as I sat at the back row, staring at the people present in the wake. My aunt was crying beyond consolation, and so are my cousins. I looked away and sighed. I just didn’t understand. Why are they crying? And why don’t I feel anything?

The day of the burial came. We walked under the scorching heat of the sun, in the dusty road leading to the cemetery. It was a slow, agonizing walk and everyone around me was crying.