PostHeaderIcon Who was Ana T. Calixto?

Behind the question "Who was Ana T. Calixto" is a story about stories and the story itself of story as such.


The Story

There is first this story about the Filipino nation grounded in the Tagalog identity.

This seemingly simple move of equating Filipino to Tagalog, needless to say, efficiently erased all the other groups inhabiting the many islands of our archipelagic nation-state.

While we acknowledge the efficacy of this strategic move toward decolonization, we are also witnesses to the materiality of the need to question the simple equation.


The Other Story/ies


Secondly,therefore, the question is also about some other stories - stories, which although repeatedly told at different times and at different places, were not heard precisely because the first story was already functioning. In other words, the Filipino nation equated with/grounded in the Tagalog as a practical and conceptual knowledge was already functioning.


Fortunately, we can still find some names and dates to satisfy our empirical minds. In August of 1950, a magazine was launched in Bikol calling itself Bikolana. We owe the existence of some copies of the magazine to the pioneering efforts of Bikolnon scholar Maria Lilia F. Realubit, and to Adolfo Camposano, also a published writer of orosipon, who kept issues of the magazine and donated his copies to the UP Main Library (based on an interview with Dr. Camposano in the late 1990's - I do not have my research notebooks with me now, unfortunately).

This magazine published many of the orosipons of "Ana T. Calixto". Eighteen orosipons bearing the name of Calixto published in the Bikolana are extant. Another Calixto orosipon available to us was published in Bicolandia in 1956. Realubit, however, mentions three other titles written by "Ana T. Calixto". It is part of this unheard story that the three (perhaps more) stories are now no longer available to us.

Attempts to ascertain the identity of Ana T. Calixto have failed. The collection of Bikolnon writing Bikol Voices Anthology, a project undertaken by professors at the Bicol University headed by Merito B. Espinas, includes one of Calixto's orosipons Maimon and writes at the back that Calixto "...a native of Bikol, resided for many years in Bacacay, Albay (293)." I looked for Calixto's name in Bacacay's logbooks of birth and death certificates covering several decades in the twentieth century but did not find Calixto's name, with most of names starting with the letter Q following the distribution of surnames in the region. A 1990's telephone directory in the Daraga-Legazpi area lists only one Calixto. This Calixto family, however, regretfully informed me that they were not originally from Bikol. I followed another clue left by
Calixto's orosipon published in Bicolandia: under the title of the orosipon and Calixto's name I found this information - "of Naga City". Unfortunately, based on the search done by the city's Records Section, there is no Ana T. Calixto in their logbooks of death certificates. I was allowed to personally look for Calixto's name in the pages of the baptismal certificates kept by the Archbishop's Palace but still did not find her name.

Our question "Who was Ana T. Calixto" leads us then to another question:
Why are there no records of Ana T. Calixto?

Alas, the word literature, has for a long time, functioned according to the logic of the official story of our nation-state: Filipino is Tagalog. Thus, for example, short story is maikling kwento (which we can see is another act of making one the equivalent of the other). This has meant that writings which did not fall under the criteria set by the terms "literature", "short story", maikling kwento" have been, logically, categorized as non-literary (immature or impoverished are a couple of terms used). Thus national literature, for a long time, remaining trapped in the names "Tagalog" and "literature" continued to look for "literariness' in writings written in languages other than Tagalog, and of course failed. It was, thus only recently that studies on the writings of peoples other than the Tagalogs have begun.

Our Orosipon: Taking our Proper Place

Finally then our question is an engagement with the functioning of stories as such.

And so how do stories function? Kellog and Scholes, scholars of narrative, tell us that a writing is narrative when there is a teller and a tale.

For our purposes here, we will only ask, but who is telling the tale? By asking who the teller is, we are also asking the teller's position. Where is the teller located/positioned? What can she/he see from that specific position? The teller's position implicates the story itself.

Our first practical and conceptual move then, is to seize the position of the teller. We, Bikolnons, will also tell the tale of the nation. We, Bikolnons, will also write about our writings and of our beings thereby taking our proper place in the nation.

PostHeaderIcon Shoes versus Pres. George W. Bush, pelting eggs on a Romanian leader & a pepper spray for a Manila socialite



There is always something to laugh about or be concerned for when we read that a head of state like President George W. Bush got shoes thrown on his face by a hateful angry Iraqi. The outgoing US president has been blamed for almost anything that has gone wrong----from the war Afghanistan, the economy, business, and social security. On his last visit to Iraq, he got insolent treatment.

The journalist who threw the shoes has been charged for endangering the life of a head-of-state. Since December 14, 2008, Muntadhar al-Zeidi complains of having been rough-handled and beaten by authorities. According to his brother, the apology he made for the crime was forced; he liked doing it again to the delight of his supporters.



Shoe-throwing-by Filipinos

The shoe-throwing incident in Baghdad had mixed reception in all cultures of the world. Many took it as a prank worthy of a loud laugh. The intelligence community thought of it as a security breach, an insult to visiting dignitaries. Overseas Filipinos (OFW’s) took the event as an occasion to display their own displeasure of Gloria M. Arroyo (GMA,) the president whose administration had been bugged by rising scandalous corruption. They too pulled angry shoe-throwing displays, making GMA’s photos as the apt target.



Egg-throwing in Romania

In the ceremony marking the people revolution of 1989, irate Romanians pushed, jeered, and pelted eggs on Ion Iliescu, the leader who replaced Nicolae Ceausescu. The latter was Romanian's dreaded communist dictator who was violently ousted and executed in an uprising two decades ago.

A three-time elected leader of Bucharest, Iliescu was blamed for failing to go into the bottom of the deaths of more than 1,000 people during his predecessor’s bloody regime. A 79-year old aggrieved man who lost a son was arrested for throwing eggs.

Pepper-Spray Scandal in Manila

A brawl of two flashy socialites resulted to eye injuries which led Neny Montinola to visit the emergency room of a swanky hospital in the Philippines. According to reports, at a party in the “Embassy,” in November, Patricia Panilio-Cu-Unjieng, a Filipina of alleged upscale breed and wealth, angrily pumped pepper-sprays on her rival’s face to vent rage---at the acme of her “jealousy.’

Controversies which passed the ears of their patrons ensued until the two women decided to end their catty dispute. They chose to bury the scandal’s dagger in the spirit of Christmas. Supposedly bred in some exclusive schools in Manila, the two war-weary ladies reconciled. A public apology was reportedly issued, though no one seemed to have paid attention. The people of the country were too focused in their own mundane concerns.

THE AFTER-THOUGHT

This is the world we are in. People can just attack someone without thinking of the consequences. Anyone can make an apology whose sincerity is up for questions. Whether they are justified in their actions isn’t much of an importance. Violence in whatever form must not be condoned.

We better watch out. There are legitimate ways to protest and redress wrongs in civilized cultures. But it appears the avenues to get justice are threatened by the fraying of ethical traditions and the warping of our own moral beliefs. (Photo Credits: www.ChinaDaily.com; http://lakwatsera1.com; Luky-luke; Bo Madsen=0=



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PostHeaderIcon UP Lantern Parade 2008



On Wednesday, December 17, 2008 the University of the Philippines (UP) staged its Christmas lantern parade to the delight of the students and the entire school. The show of lanterns did not come with the usual multi-sided illuminated stars, the traditional symbols of the light which brought the three wise men to Jesus in the manger. Instead, attractive parols like luminous heavenly bodies in the sky thrilled the crowd.

“This is the best of them all,” says former school president Jose Abueva of the annual holiday event. He explains the significance of the exhibition which marks the end of the school’s colorful centennial year.

The gleaming display materialized from the modern-day artistic imagination of Diliman's educational hub--- better known as the government-funded people's “national university.” Stunning bright contraptions under the cover of the evening’s shadows ignited the pageantry. In the backdrop of trees and "the oblation" the occasion drew elated on-lookers as the night set in.

Hordes of dolled-up merry-makers wearing garish masks and eclectic gaudy costumes came. They clowned, danced, and laughed to mark another distinctive Filipino Christmas. Fireworks, music, and lights entertained those who attended. (Photo Credit: Lynnzy; Lynnzy; Lynzzy)=0=





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Don't Quit Poem by Anonymous)

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must; but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

≈≈≈≈≈

This was the favorite poem of the late Og (Thor) Aldea of Ligao, Albay. Those who knew him well are familiar with his naughty disposition and his brand of humor, including his propensity for rearranging songs to suit his comic intentions. But whether he was in a light or somber mood, he repeatedly recited this poem – with gestures to match – until it was coming out of one’s ears. He always emphasized the last stanza, especially the last two lines.

In these tough times, this poem takes on added meaning and urgency. It is hoped that its message of courage against the odds would bring some light to those of us who are on a journey through the long, dark road of our borrowed life.
AGELESS IN THE SHADOW OF MAYON
by barbara barquez ricafrente


For those of us who grew up in a town as laid back as my own, there are plentiful anecdotes to be told and observations worth exploring.

The propensity for name-calling, for instance, may not be unique to this bucolic town in Albay province but it is a phenomenon that continues to fascinate even one who has been away from Oas for many years. About fifty percent of the families even in a small neighborhood are known not only by their actual birth names but more so by the names or bansag their neighbors or friends choose to tag them with. One’s bansag disparages one’s character in a humorous sort of way and, at the same time, indicates close familiarity with a person. For those who have lived forever in Bicol’s small rural towns, name-calling appears to have become a habit that is deeply ingrained in the local culture. It is perhaps part of a worldview that remains unarticulated, and a way of life that involves minding other people’s personal business.

Such terms as kulalapnit – the local name for the fruit bat, linog or earthquake, ragwak which is a derogatory version of the word rigwâ or vomit, bûtug which means bloated, purgas or dog fleas, bungkukan which is a root crop associated with the katngâ or gabi plant, and baktat or that low-flying black bird with a relatively wide wingspan and an ungainly gait that frequented the ricefields of Oas until the late 1970s are but a handful of these so-called bansag. The reasons for tagging people with unpalatable names can range from the truly superficial to the more meaningful. The man called Bûtug, for instance, earned his moniker from constantly engaging in self-aggrandizement. He praised himself so often and was so engrossed in announcing every one of his little accomplishments or non-accomplishments that he never even noticed when people were already making fun of him. Bûtug, in this case, referred to a bloated ego, but the man did not seem to take offense at the teasing. The one called Ragwak was said to throw up so often at drinking sessions that his drinking buddies told him to switch to carabao milk instead. Bungkukan earned his bansag simply because this gabi fruit was his favorite snack and meal. And finally, the man known as Baktat had a very dark complexion, a somewhat pointed face, and a round-eyed and bewildered look about him that reminded everyone of the general appearance of the bird which today is probably bordering on extinction; that is, if its entire species has not completely died out yet. Stuck to their original owners, these names have been passed on to their immediate families and the generations after them. If anyone of these families have been offended at all by the name-calling, none has showed it.

Oas is also known for the proliferation of family names that begin with the letter R. Although this has been diluted in recent decades by the migration of people from other places, it first came about as a result of the zoning measures enforced by the Spaniards who disembarked from their ships at the Legazpi port in Albay and proceeded to take over the rest of the Bicol region with sword and cross in the early decades of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The invaders needed to have a mechanism for determining who lived where, perhaps as a means to keep in check the movements of the indios whom they secretly feared. After all, how could those who had no right to take over another people’s land trust that those they were trying to subjugate (who probably gave them dagger looks, maybe not right away but in subsequent decades) had no criminal intent against them? But that’s another story that probably requires diplomas in History and definitely involves endless hours in sneeze-inducing archives. At any rate, a cursory survey of the tombstones in the town’s Catholic cemetery would show all kinds of R-starters, including such rare names as Reganit, Rapirap, Raro, Riofrio, Resontoc, Restubog, and the like. In the town’s more remote upland areas, these family names are sometimes combined with such unlikely first names as Atorni and Everlasting.

Of course, the Oasnŏn language has its own share of funny terms. This includes the word ispat for flashlight, most likely derived from the bright spot of light emanating from a flashlight when it is focused on a solid area such as a wall or the trunk of a coconut tree especially on pitch-black nights in Bicol in those days when it had no access to electricity and the idea of tapping geothermal power from Mayon Volcano would have been so outlandish as to be lumped together with witchcraft and the concept of human rights. But before one digresses completely, another word is gilyit for blade, obviously taken from the Gilette brand of blades for shaving beards and boil-plagued heads as well as for cutting threads and clearing nails of nail polish when the local stores are out of acetone supply. Words such as these have generated endless bantering and laughter between Oasnŏns and the residents of other Bicol towns.

Not to be left out is the fact that almost every family or clan in Oas, especially in the last century, raised at least one son for the priesthood. Many of these priests were truly celibate, but a number of them were of the pragmatic and worldly sort, engaging in secret love affairs, fathering their own offspring, and even pursuing businesses. These practices were only whispered about and frowned upon in those days, but as the next generation of priests took over and the onset of the Internet age ushered in more new ideas and lifestyles, the line between doctrine and practice significantly blurred.

Still, the town generally continues to resist change. It seems content to trudge along, as if caught in a time warp. The third largest territory in the province of Albay, Oas is like an ageless creature whose feet are irreparably glued to the ground. It has withstood the foul moods of typhoons that have drowned its rice fields and have hurled away or messed up its rooftops, the sudden swirling floods that race from Mount Mayon and have taken lives and have deposited several feet of silt in its homes in their wake, and the unremitting onslaught of time that has left the town progressively faded and much older, reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s town of Macondo as it approached its one hundredth year of solitude. But Bûtug remains so full of himself, Ragwak has not given up his regular dose of gin-bulag despite his advancing age, and the now-hypertensive Baktat looks as bewildered as ever. In some perverse way, thus, this town probably takes pride in its obstinacy in the face of multifarious changes.

Perhaps therein lies its enduring charm.





* * *

PostHeaderIcon Marfo Manibay's photo share & some Christmas thoughts through the years...

"Let's stop this nonsense of calling Christmas as a plain holiday. Don't they look around? It's the dazzling season of Jesus, the greatest guy who ever lived."---AFM

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."---Norman Vincent Peale



"Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display-so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again."-- Anonymous



"Christmas--that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance--a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved."-- Augusta E. Rundell



Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends." ---Margaret Thatcher

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
---Charles Dickens (1812-1870)from 'A Christmas Carol'.

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MARFO & FE MANIBAY



One of the most enduring advisers of Our Lady of Penafrancia Devotees Association of the Tristate Area (OLPDA) is Marfo Manibay of Buhi, Camarines Sur and New Jersey. Shown with OLPDA officer Genevieve del Rosario in the photo, Marfo and supportive wife Fe, a UPian, take behind-the-scene responsibilities of honoring Ina which makes UP Ibalon truly grateful and proud.

At the recently concluded Bicolano Christmas party on December 20, 2008 in Jersey City, Marfo took over the music. It's no wonder why OLPDA's Christmas and other celebrations seem easy---happy and meaningful---occasions truly worth remembering.=0=

RELATED BLOG: "OLPDA brings joy to Bicolanos & friends in a New Jersey X’mas party" posted by mesiamd at 12/22/2008

PostHeaderIcon A Rawitdawit on the 1814 Mayon Volcano Eruption

In 1962, while visiting the town of Budiao, Bishop Teotimo C. Pacis recorded an old rawitdawit (poem) on the eruption of Mayon Volcano in 1814 (Realubit 1983: 336). Bikolnon scholar, Maria Lilia F. Realubit included this rawitdawit in her book Bikols of the Philippines (1983). Here is the untranslated rawitdawit:


Kan taon 1814 pag-oran nin bato
Kaaldawan Martes dos de Febrero
Alas siete an aga oras campanario
Iyo si pagsimba kan gabos na tawo.

Aso madali na magpoon an misa
An poro kan bukid natatahoban na
Nin asong malibog makakangalas na
Ining horog-dorog makakatakot na.

Oras alas nueve an gabos na tawo
Sa lawog simbahan riribok nang gayo
An padi nagtaram dai magluwas kamo
Ta kun magpirit igua nin peligro.

Iyo nang pagpoon pag-oran nin bato
Di na nakaluwas an gabos na tawo
Duman sa simbahan huli ta sirado
Alagad an padi nagluwas secreto.

Na kan mapara an pag-oran nin bato
labing ciento ochenta nagadan na tawo
Gaba si simbahan sagkod campanario
Huling darakula naghugpa na bato

Iyo nang pagpoon nin pagdurulugan,
Si pagsadiri ninda saindang binayaan;
May nagpasan baol, estampa kung minsan
Iguang nagpapandong anit nin karabaw.
Digdi na natapos an sakong pagsaysay
Huli ta dai na akong naisipan
Alagad an iba kun may naaraman
Idagdag na sana ining kasaysayan.
(Realubit 1983: 175)

The word "mayon" is said to be from the word "magayon" which means beautiful in the Bicol language. Indeed, Mayon volcano is renowned for its almost perfect inverted cone shape. Its beauty, however, is matched by the ferocity of its eruptions. The worst recorded eruption occurred in February 1, 1814 which buried almost the entire town of Cagsawa. The poem above tells how the people tried to find safety inside the church of Cagsawa. However, as the picture above shows, the whole church was buried except for the tower. The rawitdawit above, narrating the events of the 1814 eruption, is by now almost 200 years old.

PostHeaderIcon OLPDA brings joy to Bicolanos & friends in a New Jersey X’mas party







Our Lady of Penafrancia Devotees Association of Tristate Area, Inc. (OLPDA,) held this year’s fun-filled Christmas celebration at Our Lady of Victory Church in New Jersey last Saturday on December 20, 2008. With the able leadership of Amado (Boy) Cabaero, OLPDA’s current chairman, the occasion brought warmth to Bicolanos and friends who came for the event from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.



The meaningful gathering of Bicolanos focused on the Filipino-American family in humble imitation of the holy life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It brought recall the message of faith, hope, and charity which characterize the gladness of the year-end religious holiday.

In an evening of fellowship, friendship, and fun, the event opened with the singing of the national anthems with Virgie Jacobson and Ben Silerio on the podium. It was followed by a sacred invocation and prayers led by Msgr. Jeremias Rebanal, JCD, the group’s spiritual adviser.





Genevieve del Rosario and Virgie Jacobson, the emcees of the evening made sure the scrumptious traditional dinner was served with style and excitement. It was capped with moments of merry conversations and dancing which stretched to the late hours of the evening.


Marfo Manibay brought in the trendy Christmas music that filled the air. Rosalyn Sapalico, Cora Velasco, and Dina Cabaero took charge of the family games. Arnel Binlayo headed the kid's group of Jersey City. Santa Claus (Butch los Banos of Albay,) in a fiery red costume of the benevolent man from North Pole, played games and gave away gifts to the delight of innocent children enthralled by the sights and sounds of the occasion.


Braving the pinching cold of the icy slush outside (the wet wind of the blustery weather was still blowing over the freshly laden snow,) Josie Anciano-Mendoza, Peng Pena, Tony Rojano, Annie Binaday, Efren Zagada, Lena Nidea, Marietta Mesia, and other ardent Penafrancia devotees were among the early attendees along with Fe Manibay and Chito Velasco who brought along Allen Nidea with children Angeline and Franco.

Brimming with hospitality, Ben Silerio and wife Thelma made sure the guests were in their comfortable places in the company of old and new friends in that capacious social hall bedecked with bright lights, balloons, and the season’s festive colors. Invaluable support came from Dina Briones, Rudy Alcantara, Nylda Surban, Offie Ante and many more who made the night truly especial.

OLPDA adviser Lita Pena and her affable guests came just in time that Gigette Revilleza, Chi Pilar, Rene and Lily Villegas stepped in to greet their respective friends. Their arrival heightened the festive mood of the affair which antedates the planned grand Bicol National Association (BNA) convention slated in July next year.

Towards the close of the event, an impromptu Christmas caroling was initiated by the group which pulled together the voices of revelers in a burst of songs.

With Totie Mesia at the piano, the community singing heard by God in the heavens had Fr. Joe Saltarin and Genevieve del Rosario stirring the crowd to a rousing rendition of nostalgic favorites like Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, Silver Bells, and O Holy Night.

The winsome music welded the bonds of those present. Vice-chairwoman Carmen Oliver who made sure everyone was happy delivered the remarks that ended the memorable evening, making it among the most cherished in years.

It was clear Carmen like all the rest had nothing in mind but the peace, love, and joy for all. =0=


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!





"O samuyang Diyos, tugutan mo lugod
Na samong mahiling ang totoo mong pagkamoot
Kami kupkupon mo, irayo mo tabi
Sa pagtios sagkod sa paghadit."

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PostHeaderIcon Wintry blast in the Northeast


The first major winter storm came yesterday in the Northeast, blanketing New York with a slushy wet snow of up to about 4 inches. The cold weather marked the onset of a frigid weekend which made street walking inconvenient for the workers and holiday shoppers.

The sky was gray and lusterless without the sun the whole day. A mix of snow and rain battered the city and airports had to cancel about 800 flights, stranding many passengers. On the street in Astoria, the houses seemed to shudder in the biting cold, forcing residents to stay at home to keep warm. The wicked weather was also seen in places like Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, and New England. (Photo Credits: mesiamd; www.nydailynews.com/ Warga/ News) =0=



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PostHeaderIcon Bicol as a medium of instruction



“I imagine some of us resisting the idea of having to learn math and the sciences in Bikol/Filipino instead of English. But do we think that the French students learn math and science in English?”---Raniela Barbaza

The snowy cold Friday afternoon in December 19, 2008 is an excellent time to read Raniela Barbaza’s insightful pitch on the use of English as a medium of instruction for Filipinos. Anywhere in the world, it is a subject of warm debate that doesn’t go away. From New York, Raniela’s message is clear on the subject. Bicol, our language in Maogmang Lugar is just fine as a medium of learning, says our Ibalon scholar-guru holed in the Empire State.

Take a bite on her insightful piece in “The Lure of the Apple: on the question of English as medium of instruction” (12/20/2008, Barbaza, R) (Photo Credit: Iansagabaen; Mr.Bwcat)




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