5th KARAY-A ARTS FESTIVAL

Events at the 5th Karay-a Arts Festival (KAF5)

October 21
9:00 AM - Opening of Arts Fair and Cultural Caravan. Featured artworks from the Datu Lubay Collection by Fernando Catague, Heber Bartolome, Ronald Dayon, Edmund Bacia, Fernando Kabigting, Alan Cabalfin, Jerome Malic, Nunelucio Alvarado, etc. Venue: Datu Lubay Center

10:00 AM - Lecture on "Antique in the (he)art of J. Elizalde Navarro" Venue: Datu Lubay Center

3:00 PM - DAGYA: A celebration of Karay-a songs and dances at by Hiraya Theater Company, at Gaisano Grand Mall of Antique. Guest of Honor is former governor Salvacion Zaldivar Perez.

October 22
8:00 - 12:00 AM - On-the-Spot Art Contest. Open to Elementary students. Venue: Datu Lubay Center

1:00 - 5:00 PM - Contemporary dance workshop. Guest trainer courtesy of the Committee on Dance of the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA). Open to high school and college students and out-of-school youth. (Workshop extends until October 23, 8:00 - 12:00 AM, and the showcase will be presented at the Luwalaybay. Venue: Datu Lubay Center

6:00 PM - One Night Only Nightmarket and Street Party at Ricarze Street. Featuring guest performers and Blitzkrieg Band. Sponsored by San Miguel Beer.

October 23
8:00 - 12:oo AM - Contemporary Dance Workshop. Venue: Datu Lubay Center

5:00 PM - LUWALAYBAY. Featuring Rubie Rizza Estaris, Hiraya Theater Company, St. Anthony's College, Teatro Antiqueño of the University of Antique, PPSA Performing Group, Datu Lubay Center students, etc.

KAF5 is sponsored by the Antique Provincial Historical & Cultural Council, Datu Lubay Center, Inc., the National Commission on Culture & the Arts, Inday Sally Zaldivar Perez, Susana Marketing, The Pinnacle Suites & Functions, Greenwich, Gaisano Grand Mall, Esprutingkle Water, San Miguel Beer, Buenavista Cable TV, Paul & Davids Batchoy, Mil & Ernie's, Rose Furniture, Bill & Bryan's, and more. For sponsorships please call 036-5408731.

Simple elegance wins over studied performance

We all rooted for Shamcey Supsup today.

But when I saw Miss Angola in Top 16, I felt right away she would win. How she emphasized her neck and shoulders with that high chignon, befitted the crown.

Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup was the perfect candidate. All of us badingerzies are unabashed in forecasting a Miss Philippines crown. We thought she would do better than last year’s Venus Raj, who finished fourth runner up after a major-major interview disaster, because Shamcey is an honor student at the University of the Philippines and an architecture bar topper. She did, indeed, by placing third, yet far away from the coveted Miss U crown.

Shamcey’s final interview was a winner, by beauty pageant standards. Asked if she would change her religion for love, she answered she wouldn’t because her first love is God, and if he loves her, he would also love her god. I heard all the Miss U fans in the country say, “This is it!”

The Philippine Miss U experiment this year did not succeed. What went wrong?

There was a time when the country would send gorgeous faces and alluring bodies, who failed to bring home the crown. And we thought our candidates lacked height, so we looked for Filipinas taller than 5’6” plus six-inch heels. We thought our mestiza candidates paled beside the Caucasian beauties, while Latinas were heating up, so we searched for the kayumanggi and sent Miriam Quiambao and Venus Raj. They both placed in Top 5, with Miriam almost clinching the crown. Learning from history, our winning formula seemed to have been the wit of Gloria Diaz (1969), the physique of Margie Moran (1973), and the color of Desiree Verdadero.

Shamcey Supsup, despite a rather quirky family name, epitomized all that. Yet we failed again. Her witty answer only proved that Best in Interview still do not count in Miss Universe. Neither does a sizzling stage strategy. Shamcey was overflowing with confidence on stage. Her style was the “tsunami walk,” the latest in beauty contest parlance, and she was poised for the kill. Miss Philippines contestants, I heard, are trained in a beauty queen school in Venezuela. By the way, did anyone notice how artificial Miss Venuezuela looked that evening? I suddenly remembered Venezuelan Minorka Mercado of 1994. That kind of studied elegance on stage.

Towering Miss China failed because of her scanty answer to the question about public nudity. Miss Brazil was of course a hometown victory, as we would recall Charlene Gonzales in 1994 – a privilege given to pageant hosts, I guess. But she was very vivacious, egging her fans to keep applauding her every time she was called. Miss Ukraine, who placed first runner up, was forgettable in that generic yet willowy white gown.

But Miss Angola Leila Lopes did not sashay on stage. She appeared clutching her gown’s hem while descending the ramps, releasing it only when she reaches the stage, much like a queen descending from her carriage, a wisp of a cloud trailing behind her. She gave a rather lengthy answer and hit overtime, trailing with an unfinished advice “We must respect each other…,” and took the crown, proving that there is still a lot of grace, charm, and elegance in unassuming confidence and spontaneity.

But of course, there were judges, and we could only guess what politics, preferences, prejudices, and parameters of beauty they have. This is what I like about Miss Universe. For instance, Miss USA did not count in this year. I am very happy every time USA loses in its own game. Like, there is hope for the rest of us. Miss Philippines is the only Asian; China, which has become quite visible in the pageant lately, may not count anymore since they are getting to be a superpower. Miss Universe transcends geographies. Most finalists were Latinas, as usual. France, which we all thought of as the fashion capital turned in the worst gown in the finals, while how come Australia, Philippines and Miss Universe 2010 had the identical concepts of a gown? This year, an obscure country like Angola takes center stage.

Perhaps next year, Miss Philippines should try a different strategy. Meanwhile, congratulations, Shamcey! You did us proud. @

Forgotten poem found

I rummaged through my baul last night and found "3ng," a literary and art folio created by Sid Hildawa+ in 1995. The folio included such big names in Philippine art and literature as Bencab, now National Artist, Doctolero, Butch Payawal Reyes, Hermisanto, Ricky de Ungria, Gemino Abad, Vim Nadera, J. Neil Garcia, Robert Alejandro, Jerome Malic, Lourd de Veyra, et al. and, of course, Alex C. Delos Santos!

My contribution is the first issue of ADS, a one-page newsletter I used to publish back then, when zines were not yet proliferating. I think I am one of those who pioneered on literary zines. I am struck by a poem in English that I wrote and forgot. "Beyond Rangoon" is an impressionist poem after watching the film. This is a rare one since I have stopped writing poetry in English. It is not even included in my first poetry collection Mga Kanta ni Datu Lubay (2003). Just for keeping tab, I am publishing it here again:

BEYOND RANGOON

Scene: Burmese refugees cross

the river border to Thailand

No way to bid goodbye now.

Death is the river of peace

That claims husbands and friends

Not spared from brother's bullets.

Not only hearts are wounded,

But the land.

She cannot take so much

Of the blood of her sons.

Guns aren't the best tools

For tilling; fear not the best seed.

She could only yield clenched fists

And flags of anger, red to the grain.

Even words can bend rifles:

Fathers can teach soldiers

Not to kill their brothers.

Freedom is a broken bridge away.

No use looking back.

There is victory in fleeing

A country where birds

Know only the chill of cages.

Rubie Rizza: The gem of original Kinaray-a music

This article appeared in fittopost.yahoo.ph and Vera Files in January 2011.

The best female artist at the recently concluded first Ilonggo Music Awards in Iloilo City is not an Ilonggo but a Karay-a. Singer and composer Rubie Rizza comes from neighboring Antique province, but her song “Ti ano karon?” (So what?) won the votes from the Ilonggos, making her the true diva of original Kinaray-a music (OKM). “Ti ano karon” is, undoubtedly, her first hit single.

It took more than two years for her song to break into the airwaves. It was first heard at the 5^th Original Kinaray-a Music (OKM) Awards in San Jose, Antique in 2007, when it won the top prize. It surely levelled up Kinaray-a music from mainly ditties and ballads that local composers have been dishing out. It is perhaps the first Kinaray-a jazz.

“Ti ano karon” is a song about a woman who may not have the looks, but has the heart and the brains, and if these are not enough to attract men, she simply doesn’t care. The first stanza is a candid admission: “Bukut ako it gwapa, medyo may arikis, dapa akun irong, lawas ko daw tiwis” (I am not pretty, I have scabs, my nose is flat, my body is thin), yet there is enough humor and confidence in the voice that cries beauty is not only skin deep.

In reality, the song belies what the singer really is. Rubie Rizza was crowned Lin-ay kang Antique (Miss Antique) in 2005, despite her insecurity with her physical attributes. “I was too thin and flat-chested,” she described herself. But thanks to her singing and vivacious personality, she stood out among the finalists that year, despite appearing like a Las Vegas showgirl during the festival costume parade.

As a Lin-ay kang Antique, she went on a trip to Thailand. More than shopping in Bangkok’s night markets, she cherished the opportunity to share Antique’s culture and original Kinaray-a music to students at Srinakharinwirot University. Her stint as co-host in a regional television show prior to the beauty contest helped her hone her performing skills. The students there thought she was a star in the Philippines, which she is in her own right.

At the Rainforest World Music festival in Sarawak, Borneo in 2009, Rubie Rizza volunteered to perform during one of the open mike side events and chanted in Kinaray-a. That is the kind of spirit she has when it comes to performing. “I think my friends and I were the only Karay-a in that event. There were many people of different nationalities. It was my way of making people from other countries hear Kinaray-a,” she explained. She believes Kinaray-a music is sophisticated enough to be heard around the world.

That’s why she devoted to writing her own songs. So she wouldn’t simply be known as a pretty songbird; she wants to write songs that have something to say. They may be funny, but they hit some vein. Right now, her next project is to come up with her own album. She has written a couple more songs, and plans to do covers of some of the best Kinaray-a love songs, including that perennial folksong “Lumabay-labay nga daw aso” (Ephemeral as smoke), which appears to be her favorite of the Karay-a folksongs. She learned and mastered the song for one planned but unfortunately never-materialized trip to the United States, supposedly to be an ambassador of goodwill to the Antiqueños there – a responsibility that comes with being a Lin-ay kang Antique. She considers that one occasion of lining-up at the US Embassy, applying for a Visa, and not getting approved as one of her life’s little jokes.

Aside from writing her songs and singing, she juggles between her day and night jobs. By day, she is Mrs Rubie Rizza Estaris-Villavert, youngest bank manager in the province of Antique. By night, if three-year old son Kiv doesn’t miss her much, she does guest relations for the bistro she runs with husband Mark. Her distinctive touch in the interior, the menu list, service, and events, has made Café Amistoso one of the night spots to be in San Jose, Antique.

It takes a great sense of humor and confidence to be singer, beauty queen, wife, banker, mother, composer, and businesswoman – roles that Rubie Rizza has taken on so well, so far.

The multi-media art of Alan Cabalfin

This piece appeared in fittopost.yahoo.ph and Vera Files in January 2011. Image by Eman Lerona.

Sometimes, his house along Canillas Street in Leon town of Iloilo overflows with students from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, or with members of the historical council from Antique. It is an old two-storey wooden house that he himself had remodelled, with the assistance of a neighborhood handyman. The entrance was reinforced with concrete inlaid with shards of ceramics from the artist’s workshop, and the flooring is a mosaic of colourful tiles

salvaged from a bargain hardware store in Iloilo City. His humble house is a showroom of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and an assortment of his collections. It has practically become this small town’s tourist attraction.

Alan Cabalfin is an artist of mixed persuasions. Although originally breaking into the Iloilo art scene as a watercolorist, he became well-known as a ceramic artist, having apprenticed under Nelfa Querubin who used to have a pottery workshop in Miag-ao, Iloilo, and after training in ceramic art at Tokoname, Aichi, Japan in 1995. His sculptural works were then exhibited in galleries in Iloilo, Manila, and Dumaguete. He joined many group exhibits and festivals exhibiting his works.

Cabalfin’s passion for pottery was translated into cinema when he made his first short film after attending a Mowelfund Film Institute film-making workshop in 2000. His short film “Dihon” (Mold), which was set in the Querubin work shop in Miag-ao, earned a string of recognitions from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Gawad Urian (Urian Awards), and the Film Academy of the Philippines awards in the short films and student categories. Recognition for this little film was topped by a First Prize in the Kodak Cinematographers Competition, making “Dihon” the country’s official entry to the Kodak Worldwide Student Program Cinematographers Competition in Sydney, Australia.

His love affair with film led him to work with several film projects: as production designer in Nick Deocampo’s “Mother Ignacia,” and as art director in Jonar Pueblo’s Ilonggo film “Dagyang.” He also directed the “Samayaay” video for the Iloilo National High School Special Program for the Arts. But Cabalfin’s multiple talents was not left unnoticed by those he was able to work with. Soon, he found himself designing galleries for exhibitions and museums and doing sets for stage productions. He was asked to design the RVM Historical Museum and later the Heritage Hall in Quezon City, the Lourdes College Museum in Cagayan de Oro, the Evelio B. Javier Gallery and the Museo Antiqueño in San Jose, Antique, and the Guimaras Provincial Museum and Monument in Jordan, Guimaras. His practical yet highly creative and versatile stage designs using textiles were well appreciated by directors who asked him to design sets for ballet, sarswela, and even beauty pageants!

As art director for Miss Dinagyang and Lin-ay kang Antique for several years, Cabalfin’s touch was seen in drapes and painted sceneries that complement the various segments of the pageant, much like imitating the patadyong (locally women textile from Panay). Cabalfin is well aware of the distinct weaving traditions in both Antique and Iloilo, that his production designs may well be a homage to these well-kept traditions.

As an artist, Cabalfin sees all these works not as mere money-making ventures. He believes that something must go back to the community where art belongs. While working as art director for the Museo Antiqueño in April 2007, where he did some terracotta dioramas, he was able to interact with the potters of Sibalom, where he sourced his clay. Seeing the traditional pottery-making in Bari, he volunteered to conduct workshops and lectures which helped the potters produce other designs aside from the functional banga (water jar), kuron (round bottomed-pot), and sig-ang (stove). Now, the potters dish out animal figurines, candle and lamp holders, which are easily picked up by garden enthusiasts at local trade shows. Six months later, he came back to the Museo Antiqueño for his the exhibition “Bag-o nga Daan,” his first pottery exhibit since his last in 1996.

When Cabalfin was invited to exhibit at the Philippine Center in New York last year, he decided to bring to the Big Apple something of Panay. His solo exhibition that ran from July 12-23, 2010 at the lobby of the Philippine Center was titled “Binanog: Panay Bukidnon on the Rise.” Binanog is the dance of the Panay Bukidnon, imitating the movements of the banog bird. The exhibition featured his paintings and ceramics that capture the delicate motifs of the Panay Bukidnon embroidery called panubok and the energetic movements of the binanog dance. One particular painting is a triptych called “Binanog sa Siyudad,” (Binanog in the City) showing three binanog dancers, each against the backdrop of urban skyline, identifiably Iloilo City, Hongkong, and New York.

Coming home from that New York exhibition, Cabalfin, hastily prepared another painting exhibit called “Binanog sa Siyudad” for the Karay-a Arts Festival held at Gaisano Grand Mall of Antique on October 22-23. He was so filled with inspiration. “I think that in my next projects, I will consciously try to show not only my art, but my culture as well,” he said. @

Macrame

Yesterday, I got a surprise SMS from Laurence Tapican, a young poetry enthusiast (and I suspect he writes poetry, too) from Aklan. He requested for a copy of my poem "Macrame," which was published in Homelife in 2001, and won second place in the annual poetry competition initiated by its literary editor Leo Deriada. Laurence said he has been wanting to read it since he was in first year high school, and now he is a college sophomore. Today is Laurence's birthday, and I want to give this gift to him (not a very happy poem, though). I admire Laurence's zeal for poetry, and I wish there were more young people like him interested in poetry.

Macrame

There is no sadder art:

I make each knot

As though a sorrowful mystery

Recited on Holy Week:

A beadless rosary rolled

Between my fingers

Blistered and pained

Like remembrances of false loops

And entanglements.

How am I to weave

This twine of strength

To decorate my bare walls?

I think of many patterns,

But when knotted

They make a thousand little nooses

To hold the necks of my desires.

This art of tying is a grave thing.

It shortens the string.

When I reach the end of my rope,

I make one final knot

And I am ready to

Hang.

Vaun, 8

This is the companion piece to "Vaun, 21", which I posted two days ago. This was published in MGA KANTA NI DATU LUBAY, 2003.

You asked me what circumcision was,

And I told you the doctor cuts the foreskin.

You frowned and said it hurts,

And looked at me, waiting for confirmation.

Of course, it hurts. It's painful

Like all manner of cutting.

It was painful for a tree when you cut

Its branches with that sword you fashioned

Out of bamboo sticks.

It was the pain you felt when you cut your finger

With Nanay's kitchen knife, trying to sharpen

The tip of an arrown with which to shoot

Lola's santol. You cried, didn't you?

Though not exactly the same way I cried

Looking at Tatay on his deathbed

That first morning of May.

You looked at me, wondering.

Because it was painful too.

Something was being cut, being lost.

But that pain we could bear.

And you asked me why boys needed

To be circumcised. I don't know.

I did not ask Tatay when he took me

To the hospital for this ritual men imposed

Upon themselves. I am sure he wouldn't hve

Known the answer. They say it is for us

To stay clean, though it's only the tip of us

That's trimmed. (I don't really believe this,

Because once we expose our heads, the more

We become impure.)

They say it makes us a man. Maybe

It is for boys to feel the pain of becoming men.

So when time comes when we lose our fathers,

We could bear the pain.

It is like sticking up our necks, all right.

Now that Tatay's gone,

You are not only my brother,

But also my son.