Maningning’s legacy

Until the end of the month, on view at the Cultural Center of the Philippines is an exhibit titled Maningning: Soliloquy at CCP. The single-mural show opened last month, simultaneous with the launching of the first hardbound edition of Maninging Miclat’s Voice from the Underworld: A Book of Verses, the trilingual poetry anthology which we had reviewed in this space well before the young, gifted poet-artist left us in September 2000.

Among the blurbs included in this latest, posthumous edition, as quoted from reviews and comments after its first publication, are the following:

"Maningning C. Miclat’s second collection of poems… brings to us, her readers, intimations of the kind of inner territories she has had to traverse in search for roots, the deep connections within the ground of being which underlie the very act of living." – from Marjorie Evasco, from her Introduction

"A phenomenon… the first and only literary book of poetry written in three languages – Chinese, English and Filipino…

"Maningning’s writing and speech are at once magic, sorcery, and religion as she shows her power as a woman through her poems… As a master craftswoman, she is able to mold her words into poetry, to reveal characteristics of nurturing writing that unites and resists separation among her words… She is a woman who becomes omniscient and omnipresent at the same time, as she is able to involve herself with her past, present and future… She attempts to awaken consciousness of guilt among her readers through her social awareness and historical past in China, as she tries to get in touch with her identity as a Filipino… She succeeds in giving different complex meanings to challenge her readers, such as the values of cherishing our past as well as loving our own country.

"Maningning writes with her own blood as she partakes in the storytelling of historical consciousness of her community."

The above is by Michelle C. Sia, from "Maningning Miclat: Writer, Woman, and Woman of Color: Selections from Voices of the Underworld," a thesis submitted to De La Salle University.

"Comparing helpless to ‘a milkless nipple,’ polyglot writer Maningning suffers three times more than the monolingual poet. But she also enjoys pleasure three times as much." – by Romulo Baquiran, Jr., from his review published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

And from our own which came out here in The Philippine Star: "A trilingual gem… from a very young but potentially brilliant sensibility. Voice… exceeds the usual expectations when opening poetry books by poets under 30."

The 44-foot by 8-foot mural, "Soliloquy," was first exhibited in the same hallway in October 1994. It had to undergo intensive, preemptive conservation and restoration work by artist-restorer Lazaro "Aro" Soriano, who worked for three months with the assistance of Chato Galang.

Of the mural’s initial display, Robert Paulino had written for The Philippine Star: "(Like) the art of Chinese brushwork in the Xieyi style of painting… the richness of the work, with its highly expressive brush strokes, lies in the modulations of tonal values, their rhythmic variations akin to the melodic movement in music… Unraveling a wealth of meaning buried in the mural is to partake in the mysterious and the sublime."

Weighing in on the current display is the show’s curator, former UP College of Fine Arts Dean Nestor Olarte Vinluan, who happens to be our esteemed cousin from Pangasinan, home of a distinguished genealogy of Chinese Filipinos since Lim Ah Hong:

"As curator of the present exhibit, I find the painting arranged like a modern piece of symphonic orchestral music with its full rhythmic spirit. I decided to arrange the panels to reflect this view. Looking at the painting from right to left, one can see it consisting of four movements. The first four panels constitute the first movement. The second movement is in the next three panels. Another two panels may be likened to the scherzo or minuet. The last two panels, with highly done brushwork, make up the finale.

"…The work does not really end at the last panel. Notice its lines going back to panel two, then proceeding to three and four of the scherzo, until they reach back to the second and first movements, with the initial brushwork at the upper right corner of the first panel connecting to the finale panel. The viewer is, thus, embraced by a neverending rhythm of white, black, and tonalities of gray.

"…To some extent, the gestural movement of Xieyi painting may be likened to the automatism of the surrealist movement, in that the artist gives in to whatever the creative hand dictates. What is fascinating in Maningning’s ‘Soliloquy’ is that it sort of blends Oriental discipline with Western automatism."

Finally, we quote from Maningning’s mother Alma, who went out of her way, together with her husband, the writer Mario, to drop off a copy of the latest edition. This gave us the chance to return the favor of an earlier gift of a wondrous "purple butterfly" plant. The Miclats came away with our last potted "Mickey Mouse" or foxglove.

Only when they left did I realize that I still owed them one, for in the envelope with the book was a letter penned in her own write by Alma. And these days I hardly ever receive the gift of a handwritten missive.

My own words fail me when I try to remember Maningning Miclat, and how her early demise robbed us all of a chance to revel in her progress as a poet, writer and visual artist. I leave it to others to compensate for this failing, and share their words on the legacy she left behind.

From Alma Miclat’s letter:

"A copy (036/200) of the 2002 1st hardbound (Collector’s Edition) of Voice from the Underworld for you. This is to thank you for allowing us to quote you for the blurbs, and as an appreciation for everything that you have done for Maningning, dating back to her Silliman grant up to the time you featured her in your column, and for keeping her memory alive.

"This edition, like the hardbound edition of Beauty for Ashes, is meant to raise funds for the Maningning Miclat Art Foundation. We (the foundation) are keeping about 50 or so to give the institutions and individuals we are going to approach in the near future for funds solicitation. The rest we are selling at P1,000 per copy to pay for the production (printing) costs. We may choose a few bookstores like PowerBooks and Page One to carry it and show some presence. (Maipagmamalaki naman, ’di ba?) Of course, direct selling will be better as we get to keep the full amount.

"We had a beautiful program of poetry reading, songs and reminiscences at the Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining at CCP to launch Ningning’s hardbound book on April 16, a day after her 30th birthday. Meanwhile, her acrylic mural was relaunched at the Pasilyo Guillermo Tolentino after the program presented by poets Vim Nadera, Becky Añonuevo, her brother Bobby, Teo Antonio, Mike Coroza, Rhandee Garlitos; Tsinoy poets Lionel Ty, Shirley Lua, Sining Marcos; and Marj Evasco. Maningning’s poems set into music was performed by Bingbing Veloso and Aba Dalena and her Rock Bats. Banawe rendered a song for her Ate and Segundo Vasquez, Jr., one of Maningning’s numerous friends, rendered soulful and inspired classical guitar pieces. Meynard Halili, MMAFI charman, talked about Maningning before giving the invocation. CCP president Nes Jardin gave the welcome remarks, followed by a short talk on the foundation by MMAFI president Herman T. Gamboa…

"Former UP dean Nestor Vinluan, the curator of ‘Soliloquy,’ talked about the marvel that was ‘Soliloquy,’ and how he had interacted with Maningning since the time she entered the UP College of Fine Arts (with glowing endorsement by S.V. and Nieves Epistola), and when he became Maningning’s thesis adviser for her first large-scale work in situ, ‘Embrace,’ at the Samba-Likhaan artists’ village where she was artist-in-residence. Well, he also handled Maningning up to her last days in her MFA classes at the UP…

"I had to pitch in for Mario for the closing remarks as he was nowhere to be found. He must have been too overwhelmed by the whole program, emceed as usual by Maningning’s co-emcee in the past, Ed Cabagnot, and his new partner, Banawe.

"Our National Artist and Maningning’s mentor at UP, Napoleon Abueva, and Ramon Orlina, Maningning’s mentor and past president of AAP, who gave Maningning her Grand Prize Award for her abstract, ‘Trouble in Paradise’ in 1992, cut the ribbon at the opening of the Pag-uwi/Pag-iiwi; Homecoming/Coming Home exhibit of ‘Soliloquy.’ A homecoming at the CCP indeed of Maninging’s landmark work. Rio Alma, Joaquin Sy, Tessie Ang See, Adolf Azcuna… and the 200 other guests could only nod in agreement.

"Now our new task begins. To find a new home for Maningning’s ‘Soliloquy’ after CCP on May 31. We really hope some institution or well-endowed individuals can come to the rescue. The mural is up for lease or outright sale. We need the proceeds to fund our planned activities and programs that MMAFI set out to do. Not easy, I should say. But we have Maningning’s spirit encouraging us, cheering us to go on. And knowing Maningning, how she would always strive to finish what she had begun, she would not be at ease if we don’t carry on.

"Well, that’s quite a mouthful. Guess Maningning’s at work again. She seemed to always have the last say…."

Well, this time I’ll rob her of that, Alma. We can’t let this end without offering our deep sympathy on the loss of your father over a week ago. Sorry, but I can’t stand wakes any more. And belated as it is, Happy Mother’s Day to you, too.