‘Ikabod Bubwit’ creator is dead

Dagalandia is mourning.

"Ikabod Bubwit" creator and political cartoonist Se-verino "Nonoy" Marcelo died yesterday at the age of 60 due to complications arising from diabetes at the Chinese General Hospital in Manila.

Considered one of the pillars of Philippine cartooning, Marcelo was best known for his biting political satires and social commentaries in his Ikabod Bubwit comic strips.

Born Jan. 22, 1942 in Ma-labon, Marcelo admitted to the influence his maternal uncle and noted cartooning pioneer, Jose Zabala Santos, played on his chosen career.

Marcelo published his first comic book at the age of nine, entitled Likmuan ng mga Pighati sa Paligid-ligid (Seat of Sorrows All Around), according to the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art (Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, editor, 1994).

Marcelo caught the interest of Don Anding Roces of the old Mania Times while doing cartoons for The Advocate, school organ of Far Eastern University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English.

He later finished a course in advanced animation at the school of visual arts in New York City, and became a staff artist for the prestigious Evergreen Review, the CCP encyclopedia said.

Among his noteworthy characters, the ’60s icon Tisoy and the irreverent mouse Ikabod Bubwit stand out.

Tisoy was made into two movie versions with Jimmy Morato in the title role, Pilar Pilapil as Maribubut, Bert "Tawa" Marcelo as Tikyo and Moody Diaz as Aling Otik.

On the other hand, Ikabod continued to tickle readers up until the time of his creator’s death.

The wisecracking Ikabod, forever trying to put one over the ornery street cat Bos Myawok, lives in Dagalandia, populated by highly politicized mice who readers believe are mirror images of the Filipino people.

While some criticize Marcelo’s rambling, stream-of-consciousness style of dialogue in his cartoons, his admirers swear that’s the way Filipinos are: talkative if not gregarious.

A recipient of several noteworthy cartooning awards, Marcelo earned the CCP Centennial Award in 1998, the only cartoonist to make the list of Filipino cultural giants in the past 100 years.

Marcelo’s death follows that of the dean of Philippine cartoonists, Larry Alcala, who died last June. In an eerie twist, Marcelo published a tribute to Alcala in his weekly satire supplement to the Manila Times, PTYK, where one of his Ikabod characters asks the question, "Ikaw, kailan ka po susunod (When are you next)?"

Just before being admitted to the Chinese General Hospital last week, Marcelo was still overseeing the publication of PTYK.

A disciple, Dengcoy Miel, now working for Singapore Straits Times, called up long-distance and expressed shock at Marcelo’s death: "Sunod-sunod na lang sila (They’re going one after the other)."

Another cartoonist and filmmaker, Roxlee, creator of Cesar Asar, said that he had planned to do a documentary on the late artist and illustrator.

Marcelo worked long hours at the old Times Journal, the post-EDSA I Manila Times and Manila Chronicle, the mid-90s Evening Paper, aside from doing illustrations for projects and publications by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

Marcelo is survived by his children Dario, Sarita, Ninoy, Rajah and Jinoy. His remains lie in his old hometown of Malabon and cremation is set on Friday.