ASIATOPIA’S CHUMPON APISUK (Last part) (April 29, 2013)

VN: What is your role in the history of art in Thailand?

CA: I am a Thai artist working in Thailand. I am proud of my role in Asiatopia and in the performance art movement in Thailand.

VN: Is there a Thai trademark when it comes to performance art? Or art in general?

CA: Thai politics may be. But, I think, we do not have enough a variety school of practices in order to have a trademark. But, it is like noticing that Filipinos walk differently than Thais or Singaporean, etcs. There is something in our culture that makes us eat the way we eat, talk the way we talk, etc.

VN: For you, who are the most important performance artists in the world?

CA: Boris Nieslony, Esther Ferrer, Richard Martel, Randy Gledhill, Seiji Shimoda, Terrence Houle, Shannon Cochrane, Paul Coulliard, Jurgen Fritz, Sinead O’Donnell, Alastaire McLennon, Lee Wen, Arahmaiani, Iwan Wijono, Yuan Mor’O, Mideo Cruz, Hong O Bong, etc… But I am also inspired by works of Joseph Beuys, John Cage, Marina Abramović, etc. I found all these people are very important in performance art development in the world. Both East and West. They inspired young people. They invented their own form of performance art. They organized performance art gatherings.

VN: What can you say about the performance art festivals in other countries?

CA: I don’t feel that I have seen enough better performances to say the bad ones.

VN: Do you use art to change society?

CA: I think art is about freedom of movement, creativity. It is about human rights. It is something we need besides TV, music, movies, dinner, etc… Art is good to go with good wine or good whiskey. It makes us think about freedom.

VN: What is Empower Foundation all about?

CA: Empower Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organization founded by my wife -- Noi Chantawipa Apisuk -- and it is for and by sex workers in Thailand. It views art in the context of freedom and humanity.

VN: How do your wife and daughter see you as an artist?

CA: My wife sees me as a husband, a lover, and a man who makes performances, I hope. My daughter used to say that she was surpised to know what I do was art. (Laughter.) But she gets used to it by now

VN: What about as a husband and as a father?

CA: I don’t feel much as a worried father now. My daughter is 34 years old. She is very much on her own. But I respect her for her works. She is a classical pianist.

As a husband, I am very proud of my wife. She is strong and independent. She is very strict with me many times. She is one of the most important woman activists in Thailand, and in the world, I think. She is a great thinker. She always has her new ideas about feminism. She is a great human rights fighter, on and off stage. And I think she is the best woman I’ve ever met.

ASIATOPIA’S CHUMPON APISUK (Third of four parts) (April 22, 2013)

Vim Nadera: Personally, what happened since you first performed in 1996?

Chumpon Apisuk: My popular international participation in performance was in Bali in 1986. However, I already did several action art with friends like Surapol and Kamol before that.

VN: What is you most memorable performance? Why?

CA: I have a few performances that I keep on repeating like Standing wherein I stood holding an umbrella with an empty chair and Hearts where I burst several heart-shaped balloons. I like them so much. Standing is good for outdoor action, and Hearts was good for indoor, especially a room with good resonance. I like simple action that makes good impressions to people. Most of my performances do not have much action. Not complicated. Most of the time it is the site that really inspires the piece.

I normally repeat my performance for a few times until I find it enough or satisfactory. I learn a few things or find a new piece from it. I never get bored of repeating Standing and Hearts. I will never get bored doing it. And because of its interactive nature, both pieces often inspire me to think of newer ideas.

VN: Newer ideas like Concrete House? Why did you put it up in 1993?

CA: In Bangkok, even before the early 90s, there were only a few commercial art galleries. No not-for-profit type of art centers. It was harder when The Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art went out of business in 1988. Artists who used to hang out at The Bhirasri had no place to go to where they can get together. We just trooped to our friends’ pubs. Organizing art exhibitions in pubs was not really a bad idea. However, the pubs at the time were not built as alternative spaces. So, this is where the Concrete House fit in. My wife and I bought a building for us to have our own space for work. The building was huge. So we began what we called ARTIVITIES which was good for such a big space.

We had Alwin Reamillo from the Philippines and Juliet Lea from Australia who were the first couple to be our artists-in-residence. Then the Yellow Man from Singapore, Lee Wen, came in and a few international artists including German Helmut Lemke, Singaporean Koh Nguan How, and Veronica whose surname I forgot since she later ended up in Hanoi for a long time. They jammed with our group composed of Vasan Sitthiket, Surapol Panyawacheera, Paisan Plienbangchang who all participated with other Thai artists.

VN: You have been curating ZOOM? What is it all about?

CA: I was invited by Jurgen Fritze, the organizer of ZOOM, to Hildeshiem, Germany. I was just then curating artists from South East Asia to his festival. It was great event in a small town. The performance space was an old church. The acoustic and natural daylight of the place were wonderful. There were a few Thai people living there and they came to make somtum or papaya salad for us everyday.

VN: What is your plan for Nan in particular and other cities in general like Bangkok or Korat or Chiangmai?

CA: When we first organized events like these, we always say that art is like a virus. It spreads through the air and it contaminates by touch. It is incurable. That’s what we are experiencing ever since. First, we do not want to control the art we organize. We would like to see it grow.

But we are not going to do everything that is out of our reach. The event in Korat and Chiangmai happened because of our friends who find an opportunity to do so. So, we support them and all the artists who join us each year. We hope someday they will be able to organize and curate events by themselves. Then we will work together. It is better than working alone or just in one area.

It is similar to Nan. For me, it is favorable because it is my hometown. There are local organizations that are willing to see possibilities of having art festivals in the provinces. So, what we did this year with you was our first try. The result is positive and now we are ready to go ahead with a slightly bigger event next year. Someday, I hope, we will be ready for an International Art Festival in my hometown in Nan.

ASIATOPIA’S CHUMPON APISUK (Second of four parts) (April 15, 2013)

Chumpon Apisuk during the Perfurbance Performance Art Festival in Jogjakarta, Indonesia in 2009

Vim Nadera: How did Asiatopia all begin?

Chumpon Apisuk: The performance artists in Thailand in the early 80s were working together, collectively organizing performances and events in Bangkok’s galleries. I used to have an art center called Concrete House, so the building automatically became a center where we all could meet. There were Surapol Panyawacheera, originally from Korat; Vasan Sitthiket, a versatile artist; Kamol Paosawasdi, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University; and my wife Noi. We were the main active members of the group at the time. Later Paisan Plienbangchang, Jittima Pholsawake, and Mongkol Plienbangchang came in during the beginning of Concrete House in 1993 or 1994. Nopawan Sirivejkul and Padungsak Kotchasumrong came in afterward. But they helped us do Live Art, a platform for performance artists in Thailand. There were artists and artist groups that did something which could be called performance art since early 70s. A group named Bangladesh Band made sound and action art in Korat Technical College in 1972. Some artists did serious campaign against capitalism by throwing real money, around 10,000 baht, into Chao Praya River around the same time. However, there was conscious, or continuous, movement. Things died out when the Civil War broke out between the military government and the communist party in mid-70s. In 1985 the political situation in Thailand got better, the government and the communist reached an agreement to stop fighting. Most intellectuals who joined the communists came back to the city. Thai students who went to study abroad came home. It was the time that we could get back together again. I was working for an art center called Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art, so the center became a hangout for artists, writers, and theatre people. I helped in coming up with an event called Wethi-Samai: Contemp-tre in 1986. It was a collective idea of Vasan Sitthiket, again, and Chatvichai Prommadhattawethi, a secretary of the board of Bangkok Art Centre; and Suvanich Virojanalak who passed away in 1998. Wethi-Samai attempted to introduce performative art form and to combine divided disciplines among the art-related activities. It was crucial in building a strong artist network today. I think the idea of performance art began in Thailand during that time. Around same time, I did a performance outside Thailand in an art festival in Indonesia. The news about my performance in Bali was louder than in Bangkok. Newspapers and magazines wrote about it. In 1987 I did a one-year solo action called Bangkok-Chiangmai. I caught newspaper pages again. Add to that, I was invited to participate in a regional artists’ exchange in Western Australia known as ARX 87 in 1987 and in 1989. So I became recognized as a performance artist by the press then. I have been busy with activities at Concrete House since it was founded. In 1996, I participated in the Nippon International Performance Art Festival. It became the idea of organizing a platform in Thailand.

VN: Is there a need for a performance art? Why?

CA: I was asked this question so many times. In return, I asked them: “Why do we need apples in the market? Why do we need strawberries? Why do we need peaches from China? Why do we need art?” So, if you can think of all that, then naturally the next question could be: “Why do we have to stick on the artforms that we usually have.”

VN: What about a performance art festival? Why?

CA: Festivity seems to be a better word and it does not sound so heavy. It is basically a platform for artists from different places to meet and work together in same situation and same site. In performance art in many countries or areas, artists do not have places to perform that often, or they have to work among themselves, so the festival was a kind of event wherein artists can come together and share what they do. At the same time, the viewers also have a chance to see art and be part of it.

VN: How was it received before? Did the reception change through the years?

CA: Art is not popular or easy for the market to chew. So it always has limited audience. Many art forms like conceptual art or performance art have lesser audience.

For me to organize a performance art event, I do not expect a large number of audience. But I was surprised and happy that each year we have younger and younger people who join our workshops. Especially in 2012, we have more than 50 young students taking part in performance workshops in Bangkok and Korat.

VN: Why did you have a performance art conference in Bangkok? Could you tell us more about it?

CA: The performance art conference organized regularly by an artists organization called the Art Service Association or ASA run by Boris Nieslony from Cologne, Germany. He organized the conference many times in many countries before. Rolf Hinterecker, another artist from Cologne, helped Boris organize the Bangkok Conference. At the time, Concrete House was the only artist-run center in Thailand. We used to be the only space for performance art. I think this is the connection. 

During the conference, artists can present their work by talking about them, showing video or perform, etc. And it was all for and about artists, not for public. There were a few hundred artists from all over the world who attended. It was great event. And I learned a lot and I enjoyed a lot.

ASIATOPIA’S CHUMPON APISUK (First of four parts) (April 08, 2013)

Asiatopia's Chumpon Apisuk (left) and his wife Noi Chantawipa Apisuk who founded Empower Foundation

Chumpon Apisuk invited us to the Sex Workers of ASEAN (SW-ASEAN)

Art Exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) in Thailand.

Last week we were supposed to take part not as a sex worker, of course, but as a performance artist – though the two are at times akin.

But we had to beg off because of the 52nd University of the Philippines National Writers Workshop in Baguio just to be with this year’s fellows in Charmaine Carreon, Thomas David Chavez, Ralph Semino Gálan, Richard Gappi, Anna Maria Harper, Gabriela Alejandra Lee, Jim Libiran, Chuckberry Pascual, Rommel Rodriguez, Beverly Siy, Emmanuel Velasco, and John Jack Wigley as well as panelists in Gemino Abad, National Artist Virgilio Almarion,Romulo Baquiran, Jr., Jose Dalisay, Jr., J. Neil Garcia, National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera, Charlson Ong, Jun Cruz Reyes, and Rolando Tolentino!

Add to that, because of the annual Araw ni Balagtas celebration last 2 April: first, the early morning wreath-laying ceremonies the Balagtas Shrine in Pandacan with Manila mayor, Alfredo Lim, and his cultural attache, Gemma Cruz Araneta, collaborating with Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas’ Secretary General, Dr. Mike Coroza and Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo represented by R.R. Cagalingan, Kriscell Largo Labor, and Atty. J.C. Cuñada, among others, and, for the first time, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino whose new Chair is National Virgilio Almario volting in with dynamo Director General Roberto Añonuevo; second, the KWF’s commemoration of Balagtas’ 225th birth anniversary through the revitalized Talaang Ginto crowning Joselito De Los Reyes as the Makata ng Taon 2013 followed by other firsts in honor of the two Tungkung-Kalan pillars who with Rio Alma modernist in Filipino poetry in the 60s: Rogelio Mangahas who delivered the Panayam Balagtas and the Lamberto Antonio who was awarded with Dangal ni Balagtas!

Anyway, why did Chumpon choose us?

During our stay in his parents’ ancestral home which he named Mae Kumpaeng House in Nan, he learned about our research on the effect of Poetry Therapy on Persons with AIDS back in 1999 at the San Lazaro Hospital's Bahay Lingap in Manila.

Last year, we were able to talk about it when Tupada Action and Media Arts’ Rommel Espinosa sent us to represent the Philippines to the 14th Asiatopia Performance Art Festival which he founded.

Indeed, we are happy and honored to be the only Filipino to be accepted to its 1st South East Asia Artists Exchange when it opened in his hometown in Baan Namkrog Village where we shaved our head as a monk for our Kiping ritual.

From 5 to 25 November, we were in for twists and turns with a couple of couples such as Singaporean renaisance man Lee Wen and his Japanese wife Satoko Lee as well as the Thai terrific tandem in Paisan Plienbangchang and Jittima Pholsawake.

Completing this very diverse batch was Changmai’s pride, sculptor Boonsong Rodtap, who helped us like their entire “Dream Team” composed Mr. Yang, Xao, Pranee, and the DASTA (Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration) staff.

In Bangkok, he assisted us in our Cold War performance where we broke a big block of ice at the BACC. When we moved to Korat -- with Australian Adonis Yiorgos Zafiriou, Burmese ruby Zoncy Phyu, Singaporean rocker Arif Ayub, another Thai power partner Mongkol Plienbangchang and Aor Nopawan -- he was so consistent in being a Good Samaritan so we gave him our props and costumes we brought from Manila as a token of our appreciation. Same thing we did to generous trio of Toyting Chularat, Kun Permpooka, and Sittichai Petchtalay. They, too, were instrumental in extending their hands to young art students, who collaborated with us in collecting garbage and all, for our art project called baZOOra.

Eventually, this endeavor evolves into e-baZOOra after we -- representing Foundation AWIT (Advancing Wellness, Instruction, and Talents) presided by our lifetime partner Dinah Palmera Nadera -- collaborated with Integrated Recycling Industries’ Lee Salvatore Echiverri and Commission on Information and Communication Technology’s Toni Torres who has mobilized her i-school links with state universities and colleges in time for the International Mother Earth Day celebration on 22 April.

At the Technology Ratchamongkol University in Korat, as in Silpakorn University in Bangkok, these energetic “environmental artists” like Tungmay Chompoosee and her friends became our “classmates” during the workshops offered by the indefatigable Irish Sinead O’Donnell and the ageless Swiss mister and misses Ruedi Schill and Monika Gunther, who conducted workshops like the American action drawing master Morgan O’Hara whom we met in Osaka, Japan during the Nippon International Performance Art Festival two years ago.

Everything was made possible by Chumpon and his wife Noi Chantawipa, our newfound role models.

As born organizers, they are unstoppable as awesome twosome since last year’s Asiatopia or this year’sSW-ASEAN symposium at the BACC Auditorium.

Or, surely, in the upcoming 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok this November.

With or without their Empower Foundation, the Apisuks will always be remembered for their love.

Not only for the arts but for humanity.

Vim Nadera: What is Asiatopia?

Chumpon Apisuk

 Asiatopia is a performance art festival I started with friends and colleagues in Thailand way back in 1998.

RIO ALMA’S ON FIRE (Last part) (March 25, 2013)

Rio Alma in red with another National Artist, Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera (second from right), during a Francisco Balagtas Day celebration last April 2 at the Balagtas Shrine in Pandacan, Manila

Vim Nadera: Under you, Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa must be more eventful?

Virgilio Almario: Sa Agosto 19, 20, at 21 -- magkakaroon ang KWF ng Kongreso sa Wika. Gaya ng dati, magkakaroon ng Ulat ng Tagapangulo ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino ukol sa aking mga nagawang hakbang ng KWF sa nakaraang anim na buwan at iba pa. Siyempre, sa ika-31 ng Agosto, ang taunang kongreso ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. Taon-taon, nagbibigay ang UMPIL ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, Gawad Paz Marquez Benitez, at Gawad Pedro Bucaneg sa mga pinakamahusay na manunulat, guro, at samahang pampanitikan. Para sa 2013, ang ating paksa ay iikot kay Andres Bonifacio na magdiriwang ng ika-150 anibersaryo sa Nobyembre.

VN: Good thing, you have the support of your Lupon ng mga Komisyoner?

VA: Oo. Unang-una, sa unang pagkakataon, ngayon lang nagkaroon ang KWF ng Lupon ng mga Komisyonder na nominado ng iba’t ibang organisasyong pangwika at pampanitikan. Aktibo ang mga Komisyoner, lahat may kani-kaniyang proyektong dapat alagaan sa kanilang mga rehiyon. Kaya ngayon palalakasin namin ang mga sentrong pangrehiyon ng KWF. Ang tinatawag na Sentro ng Komisyon ay hindi lang dapat sentro ng wika kundi sentro ng kultura.

VN: By the way, what ever happened to the UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino published during your term as the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino director?

VA: Basta ang plano ko ay maglabas ng ikatlong edisyon sa susunod na taon.

VN: How would you call it?

VA: Diksiyonaryo Almario?

VN: Any other publication?

VA: Balak ko ring maglabas ng serye ng publikasyon na tatawagin kong Aklatan ng Bayan. Dito ko ilalathala ang huling limbag ng mga aklat sa wika at panitikan na wala na sa sirkulasyon. Gayundin ang mga bagong pag-aaral at ehemplo ng mahusay na panitikan na puwedeng gamitin ng mga bata sa paaralan. Nasa pipeline, halimbawa, ang isang koleksiyon ng mga alamat na Maranao. Nakahanda na rin ang isang panitikang-bayan ng Cordillera. Gusto ko ring magkaroon ng pagpili at pagsasalin sa Filipino ng mahuhusay na panitikan sa loob at labas ng Filipinas.

VN: You have been launching at least a book every year. Could you tell us more about Ang Romansa ng Pagsagip sa Osong Marso that you launched last 8 March, the day before your birthday, at the UP Vargas Museum?

VA: Ang Romansa ng Pagsagip sa Osong Marso ay ang aking eksperimento na maaaring ang kauna-unahang speculative poetry kung hindi man dito ay sa buong daigdig. Lahat ng bagay sa aklat ay naganap sa “Third Universe” matapos magunaw ang unang dalawa. Ang paniwala ko lang naman ang lahat ng sci-fi, gaya ng Star Wars or Star Trek, ay mga panitikang alegorikal. Kahit pang-hinaharap, nandoon pa rin ang mga problema sa kasalukuyan. Ganoon din ang sa akin. Sa kaso ng libro ko, ang suliranin ay espirituwal.

VN: Are you saying that Rio Alma is getting spiritual?

VA: Para sa akin, ang pagiging maka-tao, ang pagiging maka-kalikasan ay hindi problemang materyal. Problema iyon ng espiritu ng tao. Hindi ito mauunawan kung wala kang pagbabagong espirituwal. Kaya, iyon ang ginawa ko, sasakupin nila ang isang planeta, miminahin nila, uubusin nila lahat ng kayamanan, at saka dudurugin hanggang sa mawala sa uniberso. Kung noon ay maraming kuwento sa namamatay na araw, ngayon wala akong ginawa kundi magtanong: Ito kayang araw na ito ay magkakaroon ng resureksiyon? 

VN: What is your dream project?

VA: May dalawa talaga akong malalaking pangarap. Una, ang pagsasalin ay mabigyan ng pagpapahalaga. Kung maaari ay ma-professionalize ito ng aking administrasyon. Sana nga, magkaroon tayo ng isang Kawanihan sa Pagsasalin. Ito ay upang mapaunlad ang pagsasalin at mabigyan ng lisensiya ang mga tagasalin. Ikalawa, ibig kong makapagpatayo ng isang gusali para sa KWF. Sa ngayon, para kaming sardinas sa aming tanggapin. Palagay ko, ito ay sintomas ng pagtrato ng pamahalaan sa wikang Filipino.

VN: How do you manage to be always one step ahead?

VA: Marami kasing dapat gawin. Napansin ko sa pag-aaral ko ng panitikang Filipino na ang daming nasayang na panahon sa Siglo 20. Ang ating talino tuloy hindi nakasabay sa pangangailangan ng panahon. Ang babaw ng nalikhang panitikan sa Filipinas. Ang ginagawa ko lang ngayon ay ulitin ang mga posibilidad na hindi nangyari noon. Noong una, inulit ko na ang mga ginawa nila. Kininis ko. Ngayon, ang ginagawa ko na ang mga bagay na hindi nila ginawa, nakalimutan nilang gawin, o kaya wala talaga sa kanilang kamalayan. O ayaw nila. Halimbawa, ang isa ko pang ilalabas na libro ay Libog at Lunggati. Ito ang unang libro ng panulaang erotiko sa Filipino. Siguro, ilalabas ko ito dalawang buwan mula ngayon. Masusundan pa ito ng pagpapaliwanag ko ng Bagong Formalismo na may pamagat na Ang Tungkulin ng Kritisismo sa Panitikan ng Filipinas. Hunyo ang target ko para dito.

VN: Wow. All in one year?

VA: Alam mo, naplano ko na ang buhay ko limang taon na ang nakakaraan. Kaya, ang lahat ng iyan, ang nasimulan na noong pang 2008. Kaya, kung ano ang unang matapos, inilalabas ko lang. Mayroon pa akong nakahanda na 10 pa! Malapit nang mabuo ang Orasyonal. May tinatapos din akong nobela. May koleksiyon ako ng maikling kuwentong fantastiko.

VN: It seems that you have written all the literary genres. What about scriptwriting?

VA: Ayaw ko namang subukan iyon. Dula na lang. May opera ako. Ang titulo nito ay San Andres B. Nilapatan ito ng musika ni Chino Toledo. Ididirihe ni Floy Quintos. Itatanghal ito sa Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater sa tulong ng National Commission for Culture and the Arts at National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Kaya abangan ninyo ito sa ika-30 ng Nobyembre ngayong taong ito – ang seski-sentenaryo ni Bonifacio!

RIO ALMA’S ON FIRE (Third of four parts) (March 18, 2013)

Tagapangulong Virgilio S. Almario, wearing his trademark fedora hat, and the new Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino's Kalupunan ng mga Komisyoner. Standing from left: Com. John Barrios, Com. Orlando Magno, Com. Jimmy Fong, Com. Jerry Gracio, Com. Abdon Balde. Seated, from left: Com. Ma. Crisanta Flores, Com. Lucena Samson, Com. Lorna Flores,  Com. Purificacion de Lima, and Com. Noriam Ladjagais. (Photo by Kriscell Largo Labor)

Vim Nadera: Sir, what’s in store for May?

Virgilio Almario: Sa Mayo, kung saka-sakali, ipagdiriwang namin ang pagkamatay ni Vicento Sotto dahil sa buwang iyon siya yumao. Kaya magkakaroon tayo ng forum sa ngalan ni Vicente Sotto para sa peryodismo o pamamahayag. Si Sotto kasi ay isang peryodista pero siya rin ang itinuturing na Ama ng Panitikang Bisaya. Hindi lamang siya ang tagapagsulong ng Panitikang Sebuwano kundi siya rin ang kauna-unahang kinatawang Bisaya sa noo’y Surian ng Wikang Pambansa. Ito ay pagpapatunay lamang sa aking pagdakila sa mga katutubong wika sa Filipinas. Hindi ako pro-Tagalog. Napakaraming bagay ang matutuhan natin sa mga panitikan at kultura mula sa iba-ibang katutubong wika natin sa Filipinas. Kaya dapat natin silang makilala at mapag-aralan lahat.

VN: Any more language heroes you want to honor?

VA: Sa aking talumpati para sa Ambagan 2009 sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, maaalala mong pinamagatan ko itongMga Unang Bayani Ng Wikang Pambansa. Ilan sa mga una kong binanggit ay sina Felipe Jose, Wenceslao Vinzons, Tomas Confesor, Hermenegildo Villanueva, at Norberto Romualdez. Sino nga ba sila? Sila ang mga delegado sa 1934 Kumbensiyong Konstitusyonal. Doon kasi opisyal na ipinanganak ang Wikang Pambansa -- batay sa isang wikang katutubo ng Filipinas at ang mga pangalang inilista ko ay lima lámang sa mga bayaning nagpanukala, nagtanggol, at nagtrabaho alang-alang sa mithiing ito. May iba pa, at mababanggit ko sa aking talakay, ngunit nais kong mag-umpisa sa lima. Sa pamamagitan nilá lilinaw kung bakit ganito ang Seksiyong 3, Artikulo XIII sa 1935 Konstitusyon. Dahil dito, aming bubuksan sa Hunyo ang Publikong Talakayan sa ngalan naman ni Norberto Romualdez hinggil sa Araling Pangkultura. Lingid sa kaalaman ng marami, siya kasi ang gumawa ng batas na lumikha ng Surian ng Wikang Pambansa. Kung si Pangulong Manuel Luis Quezon, na isang Tagalog, ang Ama ng Wikang Pambansa, si Romualdez, na isang Waray, ang maituturing na Arkitekto ng Wikang Filipino! Sino nga ba siRomualdez? Siya ay isang dating mahistrado sa Korte Suprema, miyembro ng National Assembly, iginagálang na pilolohista. Siya ang bumuo sa batas upang isagawa ang tadhana ng 1935 Konstitusyon. Nasa likod siya ng National Assembly ng 1936 kung kailan nagkaroon ng Commonwelt Act No. 184. Mas kilala ito bilang National Language Law na bumuo ng National Language Institute (NLI) at ng Wikang Pambansa. Ang totoo, siya rin ang nakipag-usap kay Jaime C. de Veyra -- ang kaniyang kaibigan at kapuwa Waray -- upang maging unang tagapangulo ng NLI nang buksan ito noong 1937. Wala pang isang taon, inirekomenda ng NLI ang Tagalog bilang batayan ng Wikang Pambansa. Noong 1937 din, pinirmahan ni Quezon ang Executive Order No. 134 na nagpoproklama sa “isang wikang pambansa batay sa diyalektong Tagalog bilang wikang pambansa ng Filipinas.” Hanga ako sa sipag ni Romualdez sa pagsusulong ng Commonwealth Act No.184 sa kongreso. Pati kay de Veyra na nakaupô noong tagapangulo ng kagawaran sa Espanyol sa UP. Magkasáma rin kasi sila sa samahang Waray. Gayunman, tulad ni Romualdez, pinilì ni de Veyra na maglingkod para sa Wikang Pambansa. Hindi naging sagwil ang interes sa Waray upang kilalanin ang Tagalog bilang higit na karapat-dapat na batayan ng Wikang Pambansa.

Dagdag pa rito, si Romualdez ay maraming saliksik tungkol sa katutubong musika, instrumento, at iba pang kung tawagin ngayon ay Cultural Studies. Kaya, angkop lamang na dakilain siya sa Hunyo sa pagkakaroon sa KWF ng kauna-unahang Norberto Romualdez Publikong Talakayan sa Araling Kultura sa Filipinas.

VN: What about July?

VA: Ang Sawikaan: Mga Salita ng Taon ay isinilang sa isang pulong natin sa FIT, o Filipinas Institute of Translation, noong Pebrero 2004. Iminungkahi noon ang pagtataguyod ng isang proyekto para piliin ang pinakamahahalagang salita ng taon. Ito ay inspirado ng proyektong Word of the Year ng American Dialect Society (ADS). “Wang-wang" noong 2012 ang napadagdag sa ating mga napiling Salita ng Taon kasama ng “huweteng" noong 2005, “lowbat" noong 2006, “miskol" noong 2007, at “jejemon" noong 2010. Sa taong ito, magpapahinga muna tayo. Pero, muli, makikipagtutulungan tayong taga-FIT sa Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices (AILAP) at sa Kagawaran ng Filipino ng Paaralan ng Humanidades ng Ateneo de Manila University. Kaya, gaya ng dati, ang mga iskolar, guro, at masusugid na tagapagtaguyod ng wika ay pinagpása natin ng abstrak para sa gaganaping Ambagan 2013: Kumperensiya sa Paglikom ng iba’t ibang Salita mula sa mga Wika sa Filipinas sa ika-25, 26, at 27 ng Hulyo 2013 sa Ateneo. Ito ay ginagawa tuwing ikalawang taon. Una itong ginanap noong 2009 na kinatampukan ng mga panayam ng mga eksperto hinggil sa mga salita mula sa mga wikang Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Ifugao, Kinaray-a, Magindanaw, Maranao, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Tagalog, Tausug, at Waray. Alinsunod ito sa probisyong pangwika sa Artikulo XIV, Seksiyon 6 ng Konstitusyon ng Filipinas na nagsasabing “Ang wikang pambansa ng Pilipinas ay Filipino. Samantalang nalilinang, ito ay dapat payabungin at pagyamanin pa salig sa umiiral na mga wika ng Pilipinas at sa iba pang mga wika.” Kaya, ito ay nag bunga ng isang estratehiya sa pagpapayaman ng wikang Filipino. Kaya tayo humahalaw mula sa kaban ng bokabularyo ng iba’t ibang wika sa Filipinas upang ilahok sa korpus ng wikang pambansa. Noong 15 Pebrero ang takdang panahon para sa pagpapása ng abstrak na hindi lalabis sa 300 salita. Dapat kasing maghanay ang mananaliksik ng mga salitang may natatanging kahulugan sa kultura at kasaysayan ng pinagmumulang etnolingguwistikong pangkat. Dapat maipaliwanag ang metodong gagamitin sa pangangalap, pagpapakahulugan, at pagbibigay ng halimbawang gamit sa pangungusap o karaniwang pag-uusap. Dapat ding mapangatwiranan kung bakit mahalagang maging bahagi ng korpus ng Pambansang Wika ang mga salitang ito. Para sa reserbasyon, maaaring tumawag sa # 547-1860. Hanapin sina Dr. Michael M. Coroza, Direktor ng Kumperensiya, Prof. Romulo P. Baquiran Jr., Pangulo ng FIT, at Ms. Eilene G. Narvaez, pangkalahatang koordineytor ng mga gawain. O bisitahin ang website ng FIT na sawikaan.net at/o magpadala ng mensahe safilipinas.translation@gmail.com.

RIO ALMA’S ON FIRE (Second of four parts) (March 11, 2013)

National Artist Virgilio Almario, with his trademark fedora hat, and the new Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino board of commissioners

Vim Nadera: Sir, what is your master plan for the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino?

Virgilio Almario: Marami. Kung tutuusin ang KWF ay quasi-constitutional. Nasa Saligang Batas ng 1987 na kailangang magtayo ang Kongreso ng isang Commission on Filipino Language. Ito ang dapat mangasiwa sa isa pang probisyon na dapat palaganapin ang isang wikang pambansa, na ang tawag ay Filipino, sa pamamagitan ng pagpapayaman at pagpapaunlad nito sa tulong ng iba’t ibang wika sa Filipinas.

VN: Known before as Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (SWP), KWF boasts of its former directors – such as Jaime C. de Veyra, Lope K. Santos, Julian Cruz Balmaceda, Cirio H. Panganiban, Cecilio Lopez, Jose Villa Panganiban, and Ponciano B.P. Pineda. What ever happened to KWF before you took over?

VA: Mayroon ngang Implementing Rules and Regulation ang KWF pero ito ay depektibo. Wala itong naging plano man lamang sa loob ng 12 taon. Kaya sa loob ng dalawang linggo, wala akong ginawa kundi ayusin ang IRR. Pagkaraan, nagpa-workshop ako para gumawa ng isang medium-term plan para sa anim o pitong taon. Kaya nga lang nahuli na ito dahil nagsimula na ang administrasyon ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III. Kaya tuloy sa ginawang pagbabalangkas ng pamahalaan, walang banggit kung paano palalaganapin ang wika, paano ito payayamanin, paano ito magiging isang modernong wika, paano magiging opisyal na komunikasyon, at paano ito magiging wikang panturo. Katunayan, noong panahon ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, inihabla natin siya. Kinuwestiyon namin ang Korte Suprema tungkol sa E.O. 210 at iba pang regulasyong tulad ng Dep­Ed Order 36 S 2006. Pinapawalang-bisa din natin ito dahil ang EO 210 at DepEd Order 36 paglabag sa Saligang Batas. Kakampi natin dito, bukod sa mga anak mo, sina Dr. Patricia Licuanan, noon ay Presidente pa ng Miriam College; Pambansang Alagad ng Sining na si Bienvenido Lumbera; balae kong sosyologong si Randolf David; ang dating Presidente ng WIKA Inc. na si Isagani R. Cruz; at Efren Abueg, ang writer-in-residence ng De La Salle University. Si Atty. Pacifico A. Agabin, dating dekano ng College of Law ng University of the Philippines, ang ating abogado noon. Natatandaan ko pa nang kausapin ko noon ang dating Punong Komisyoner ng KWF, ang sabi pa nga niya ay tama raw si GMA.

At nang magkaroon nga ng K-12 ang Departamento ng Edukasyon, wala man lang papel na ginampanan ang KWF sa pagbuo ng kurikulum. Dahil dito, hindi nabigyan ng diin ang gagampanan ng Filipino sa pagkakaroon ng bagong basic education program.

VN: So what was your initial reaction?

VA: Sinulatan ko agad si Bro. Armin Luistro ng Dep Ed at si Dr. Patricia Licuanan ng Commission on Higher Education para sabihin sa kanila na ako na ang bagong Punong Komisyoner ng KWF. At, kasabay nito, sinabi ko ring ibig kong makipulong sa kanila. Para malaman ko ang kanilang pagtingin at patakaran tungkol sa paggamit ng Filipino. At kung may maiitulong ang KWF tungkol sa mga bagay na ito.

VN: How did they respond?

VA: Noong Pebrero 27 nagpasabi na ang CHEd na sila ay handang makipag-usap. At nitong Pebrero 28, nang aksidenteng magkita kami ni Sec. Luistro, hindi pa raw niya nababasa ang sulat ko. Kaya sinabi ko na sa kaniya na gusto ko sana na lahat ng bagay na may kinalaman sa Filipino, sana ay isangguni muna sa KWF, para mas mapag-aralan pa bago ito isagawa. At nasa batas ‘yon. Hindi lamang ito tungkulin ng KWF kundi isang kapangyarihan. Kapangyarihan ng KWF ang lahat ng bagay na tulad nito sa lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno. Ito ang nakasaad sa Republic Act 7104. Ang KWF ay may tungkuling tiyakin at itaguyod ang ebolusyon, pagpapaunlad at pagpapayaman pa ng Filipino na wikang pambansa ng Pilipinas, batay sa umiiral na mga wika ng Pilipinas at iba pang wika.

VN: And your next step is…

VA: Kaya ngayong Marso magkakaroon ng National Consultative Forum on Filipino Orthography. Ito ay gaganapin ngayon, Mar.11, hanggang Mar.13, mulang 8 n.u. hanggang 5 n.h. sa Benitez Auditorium, College of Education ng UP Diliman. Ito ay para mapag-usapan na at mabigyan na ng sagot ang lahat ng isyu, o anomalya, tungkol sa ispeling. Lahat na. Magkaisa na. Ngayon, pagkaraan nito, kapag di kayo sumunod dito, di kayo kasali. Ipaiiral namin ito sa lahat, mula sa gobyerno hanggang sa paaralan. May mga inanyayahan kaming mga resource person. Pero bukas ang talakayan sa publiko. Ibig sabihin, kung sino man ang may interes tungkol sa isyu na ito ay puwedeng pumunta at lumahok sa talakayan. Inaasahang magsalita ang bagong Lupon ng KWF na sina Jerry B. Gracio (Samar-Leyte), Purificacion Delima (Iluko), Abdon M. Balde Jr. (Bikol), Noriam H. Ladjagais (Mga wika sa Muslim Mindanao), John E. Barrios (Hiligaynon), Orlando B. Magno (Sebwano), Jimmy B. Fong (Mga wika sa pamayanang pangkultural sa Hilaga), Lucena P. Samson (Kapampangan), Ma. Crisanta N. Flores (Pangasinan), at Lorna E. Flores (Mga wika sa pamayanang pangkultura ng Timog). Pamumunuan ito ng batikang iskolar na si Dr. Galileo S. Zafra, ang direktor ng proyektong Gabay sa Editing sa Wikang Filipino, na galing pa sa Japan. Dadaluhan ng mga manunulat, editor, brodkaster, negosyante, at iba pang propesyonal – kaya puwedeng pumunta ang sino mang ibig makisangkot sa ganitong talakayan.

VN: What about next month?

VA: Ang Abril ay nakalaan sa panitikan -- dahil Araw ni Balagtas ito. Unang-una, ibabalik namin ang prestihiyo ng Talaang Ginto. Makakaasa kayong hihigpitan namin ngayon ang pananalo. Ibabalik namin ang dating pangalan nito. At gagawin naming isang buong araw ang pagdiriwang. Magsisimula ito sa umaga sa pag-aalay ng bulaklak sa Bantayog ni Francisco Balagtas sa Pandacan, Maynila sa tulong ng tanggapan nina Alkalde Alfredo Lim at Gemma Cruz-Araneta. Tradisyon na rin ito para sa Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas at Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo . Tapos magkakaroon nga ng paggagawad ng Talaang Ginto. At ibabalik namin ang Panayam Balagtas. Taon-taon may pipiliin kaming eksperto na magsasalita hinggil sa ano mang aspekto ng panitikan.