Halin high school, wala na ako sa balay. Nahangpan ko nga kasubong man ako sang mga OFW nga nagapadayon dagsa sang ekonomiya. Ginbayaan nila ang Pungsod bangud wala trabaho ukon bastante nga kita agudto ibuhi sang pamilya. Ako man nagbiya sang banwa para kontani magtoon gid lang. Apang, asta subong, wala na ako makapauli.

Ang handum sang akon ginikanan amo ang mapa-eskwela ako. Sa pagtuman ko sa ila, wala ko nahunahuna nga mapahilayo man ako. Sa lugar nga nagakabuhi sa produkto sang kabukiran kag kadagatan, wala ako nag-eskwela  sa pagpanguma sang bukid kag dagat. Nagtoon sa pagsulat. Kag sang mga laye. Ang akon paino-ino, halin pa sang una, nagapanumdum sang trabaho sa maskin diin nga lugar indi lang sa kaangay sang Pilar. Indi man ako mabasol bangud wala man news paper sa Pilar, ukon matrabahoan sang kaangay ko nga nakatapos sa kurso nga Journalism, ukon abogasya.

Ang matuod-tuod, ang tagsa ka probinsiano, kaangay ko, nagahandum sang Manila, kaangay sang mga taga-Manila nga nagahandum sang Amerika. Ang tawag sini sang abyan ko nga manunulat, Manila dream. Ang tagsa ka mangunguma, ukon anak sang mangunguma, nagahandum nga maka-eskwela. Kag pagkatapos eskwela, makaobra. Kag sa diin sila maobra? Sa siudad. Kag ano ang nga siudad ang pinakadako kag may pinakamadamo kuno nga trabaho? Pakot mo. Manila.

Kag amo man ina ang psycholohia sang kadamoan sa Manila. Maka-eskwela, kag makakadto sa pinakadako nga pungsod nga damo kuno trabaho. America. Nga kis-a gina-islan na sang Canada, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, China, kag kon ano-ano pa.

May trabaho man ukon wala sa Pilar, indi gid man ako magtinir didto bangud ang handum ko nagatulod sa akon palayo sa banwa.

Naabot ko na ang akon handum tungod diri na ako sa Manila nagapuyo. Kag ano  ang ara sa Manila nga wala sa Pilar? Madamo, siempre. Pareho man kadamo sang mga bagay nga ara man sa Pilar kag wala sa Manila. Ang imahenasyon mo lang ang limitasyon sa pagkilala sa ila.

Pero ang pinakamadamo nga wala sa Pilar kag ara sa Manila amo ang tawo.

Kon ikaw impliyado, maaply ka trabaho sa isa ka? Pakot mo. Tawo. Kon ikaw negosyante, mabaligya ka sa isa ka? Pakot mo pa gid. Tawo. Kon ikaw abogado, ano ang ginaserbisyohan mo? Tawo. Kon ikaw politiko? Imo kaugalingon kag pamilya. Joke. Natural ang imo man mga tawo.

Kag sa diin ang siudad nga may pinakamadamo nga tawo? Abaw, kaalam sa imo. Manila.

Sa tawo nagahalin ang kwarta. Tawo ang nagabuhi sang ikonomiya. Tawo ang nagapaumwad ukon nagapamanggaranon sa isig niya ka tawo, nga nagapamangaranon sang iya banwa, kag banwa nga nagapamangaranon sang iya pungsod.

Napanumdum ko kon kaisa, mahimo nga ang rason kon ngaa wala naga-umwad ang Pilar kaangay sang Pilipinas, bangud wala na tawo. Ang taga-Pilar nagakadto sa mga siudad kaangay sang Manila, kag ang mga taga-Manila nagakadto sa iban nga pungsod kaangay sang Amerika.

Ano ayhan ang matabo kon ang mga taga-Pilar indi na maghandum magkadto pa sa siudad kondi sa Pilar gid lang? Kag ang mga taga-Manila, sa iban pa nga pungsod kondi sa Manila gid lang? Maumwad ayhan kita?

Hinali. Suno sa Bibliya, kon sa diin ang aton manggad, didto ang aton tagipusoon. Mahimo man siguro naton ini baliskaron. Kon sa diin ang aton tagipusoon, didto ang aton manggad. Kag sarang pa gid naton ini liwaton sa: Ang damgo nagamatuod. Ginpamatod-an ini ni Boy Abunda. Pagdaog sang iya programa nga The Bottomline with Boy Abunda bilang Best Talk Show for 2011 sa 16th Asian TV Awards, siling niya sa The Buzz:

“Sa lahat po ng mga batang nanonood ngayon, uulit-ulitin ko po ito. Dreams come true. Whoever you are and if you have a dream, hold on to that dream and work hard. You’re gonna make it.”

Indi naman lipod sa aton ang mga estorya sang mga Filipino nga nag-ulomwad sa iban nga pungsod sa duna nga kaalam kag kahugod.

Kaangay sang tanan nga naglalakat, ako man nagahandum sa pagpauli. Kag sa kada pagpauli, nagahandum nga may maibuylog nga diutay nga manggad, makita ukon makaptan man ukon indi. Kag kontani, indi na maglakat pa liwat.

Sa sulod sang pila ka oras, makapauli na gid man ako. Sulanga ako, Pilar.

This fact has been observed by retired Justice Isagani A. Cruz in his book Constitutional Law (Central Books, 2000 edition pp.224-225). In the discussion on Freedom of Expression, he said:

Worthy of special note is the rule regarding criticism of the administration of justice. While courts have taken a lenient view towards attacks against public officials in general, it would seem they are not similarly disposed when it comes to public comment upon their own conduct. In the United States, judges have not claimed any special immunity from public criticism, regarding themselves as no different from other public officials insofar as scrutiny of their acts by the people is concerned. According to the U.S. Supreme Court in Bridges v. California (314 U.S. 252), “Where judicial officers are involved, this Court has held that concern for the dignity and reputation of the courts does not justify the punishment as criminal contempt of criticism of the judge or his decision.” This view, is however, not fully shared in this jurisdiction.

xxx

Interestingly, the severity of this rule seems to be in direct proportion to the importance of the court criticized; the higher the court, the greater the protection. Thus, in In re Sotto (46 O.G. 2570), a senator was punished for contempt for having attacked a decision of the Supreme Court, which he called incompetent and narrow-minded, and announcing that he would file a bill for its reorganization. By contrast, the Supreme Court, in dismissing a civil action for damages of a justice of peace for allegedly malicious administrative charges filed against him, declared that “he should not begrudge any complaint or criticism against his official actuations if that is done in the proper spirit (Yap v. Beltran, 53 O.G. 347).”

No wonder the Supreme Court and all its officers (lawyers) are in the defense to protect the Chief Justice against public attack led by the President. Constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas likened President Aquino to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Why or how only Fr. Bernas knows since he did not elaborate on it. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the official organization of all lawyers in the Country, of which I am a member, also issued a statement expressing “grave concern” about the President’s open criticism against the Chief Justice.

But the President, just like anybody, has the right to express his opinion on the conduct of public officials including CJ Corona. Why it is construed by IBP as a violation of the principle of Separation of Powers is beyond me. Why it is also suggested (also by IBP) that the President’s criticism does not deal with the demands of the Rule of Law and endanger the constitutional duty to strengthen—and not to undermine—the institution and pillars of the justice system which include the Supreme Court also escapes me. Besides, what Rule of Law is the IBP talking about?

It’s time the members of the Court treat itself as equal to the rest of public officials when it comes to criticism about their official conduct. It is time it heeds its own voice through Justice Malcolm in U.S. vs Bustos (37 Phil. 731), when it said:

The interest of society and the maintenance of good government demand full discussion of public affairs. Complete liberty to comment on the conduct of public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech. The sharp incision of its probe relieves the abscesses of officialdom. Men in public life may suffer under a hostile and unjust accusation; the wound may be relieved by the balm of a clear conscience. A public official must not be too thin-skinned with reference to comment upon his official acts.

Indeed, as Conrado de Quiros puts it:

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is an adage that applies most of all to the Court. That is an institution that has too much power and too little responsibility, too much authority and too little accountability. When the government defies a TRO, the Court can compel government to answer to it. When it flouts the law, or forget the law common sense itself, who is the Court answerable to?

Besides, the observations of the President are not groundless:

1. The insistence of the members of the Supreme Court to allow Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to travel abroad although she wasn’t able to comply with all the conditions set by the Court.
2. The flip-flopping of the SC on the cityhood conversion of 16 municipalities.
3. The recent decision of the SC reversing its 2008 order that pointed on the illegality of the dismissal of several flight attendants of the Philippine Airlines.
4. The junking of Aquino’s Executive Order No. 2 which was supposed to nullify all of Arroyo’s midnight appointees.
5. Chief Justice’s alleged failure to publish his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).

I have something to add to no. 2 and 3. Sometime ago, a lawyer published a page advertisement in Inquirer denouncing the same flip-flopping by the Supreme Court when it reversed its already final decision. One of the parties was an insurance company.

Justices of the Supreme Court, because of their actions, only have themselves to blame for the mistrust they are reaping:

There’s a bigger war here, one that goes beyond the immediate battle between the Aquino administration  and the Supreme Court. That is the war between law as stipulated by a few people and reality as experienced by an entire people. In other countries, the law springs from the collective experience of a people, their history, their struggles, their ordeals and triumphs. In this country, the law decrees the collective experience of an entire people, the shape of it, the contours of it, the reality of it. In other countries nothing is legal that is not validated by historical experience, reason and common sense. In this country, nothing is real, or has transpired, that is not validated by law. In other countries, trying to make reality conform to the law is called bidding the waves hold still. In this country, trying to bend reality to the whims of the law is called the Supreme Court. (Conrado de Quiros.)

As the Inquirer editorial puts it:

Some said Mr. Aquino was being rude and arrogant.

Maybe Mr. Aquino was all that and more. In fact, the timing of his attack was anything but perfect, coming as it did just days after the Supreme Court ruled against his family and ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita to farm workers. But what he said about the Court, the Chief Justice and the majority of Arroyo appointees had to be said. Mr. Aquino was merely articulating the questions, the doubts, the suspicions and the fears of many Filipinos.

It was about time he did it, too, before the Court slides into total disrepute. All the President’s harsh words—indeed not even all the powers of the presidency, short of actual military force—cannot destroy the Court. Only the Court can do fatal damage to itself, and it seems to be doing it very well.

Credibility, high public esteem and respect are not conferred by law. Neither do they automatically come with appointment to high office. If the justices want them, they should earn them.

Steam Engine. Image from yourdictionary.com

I am amazed for example at how the steam engine was invented. The inventor made use of the pressure of the steam to drive pistons to turn wheels. I wanted to know where did the inventor get the idea of using the steam pressure to drive pistons to turn wheels. Perhaps inspiration. Perhaps curiosity. Maybe he knew he could do something about the pressure so he thought of ways of using it. But to use it, he needs to direct the pressure to escape in one direction. Perhaps, that’s how the piston came about. The next question was, how does he make the piston go back to its previous position ready to kick again? Perhaps, that’s how the series of pistons that turn a rod came about. Presumptuously, I thought it doesn’t really take a genius to solve problems like this. All a person needs is an imagination unlimited by the lack of resources.

But as I grew older, I realized that an invention is but a product of another invention. It’s hard if not impossible for example to make a piston by hand. By the time you finish carving your piston by hand, you must have lost your stamina to pursue your invention. So, there must be a machine to carve pistons. So, before a piston could be made, a machine that could carve a piston, for example, has first to be invented.

My point is, it’s not totally true that an imagination unlimited by the lack of resources alone can make one an inventor. There’s a big difference between the realm of the mind and the realm of the physical world. We never know if the machine we imagine will work in the real world. We do not even know if it can be built, in the first place, unless we try.

So, an inventor must not only have the imagination, he must also have the resources to be able to transform the imagination into reality.

How many of us, one time or another, have thought of an invention that we did not pursue because we think it is impossible to build? The fact that we were able to think of something that does not exist yet means that we have the imagination. But because we think we do not have the resources to pursue it is what stops us.

I am as guilty as the rest. I am not as resourceful and as persistent as an inventor. But, perhaps, the reason why I love machines is because by knowing them, I learn the workings of the mind that brought them to reality.

Litrato sang takop sang libro. Halin sa http://williamrodriguez11.blogspot.com/

“Ang huling dalagang bukid at ang autobiography na mali isang imbestigasyon” amo ang pinakaulihi nga nobela ni Jun Cruz Reyes nga taga-Hagonoy, Bulacan. Nasulat sa Filipino nga mahapos basahon, may 269 ka pamihak kag gin bantala sang Anvil Publishing, Inc. sa sining tuig 2011.

Ginpanas ni Jun ang katuhayan sang kamatuoran kag indi sa nobela nga ini.

Ginasaysay sa nobela ang pagsulat niya sang nobela nga ginatigulohan, “Ang huling dalagang bukid”. Indi madali ang iya pagsulat bangud sa mga hitabo sa iya kabuhi: nasunog ang iya balay kag ginalagas sya sang mga military. Ang ulihi tungod sa iya mga nasulat. Amo gani nga ginimbestigahan nya ang estorya kon paano sya nangin isa ka manunulat.

Sa iya pagimbestiga, nasaysay ni Jun ang iya kabuhi kag ang kabuhi sang iya kaingud. Apang sa pagsaysay sang kabuhi sang iya mga kaingud, naisaysay naman niya ang kabuhi sang iya baryo, nga mahimo man kabigon nga nagasigal-i sa bilog nga pungsod: nga ang paglaum sa pag-umwad sang kabuhi sang mga tawo amo ang mapamana sang isa ka dumuloong ukon mangin isa ka ofw. Ang pagbag-o sang luyag sang dumuloong nga mga amo—sang una mga lalaki. Subong, puro na mga babayi amo gani nga sa baryo sang Wakas, mga lalaki na lang ang nabilin.

Nasundan sang nobela ang pag-amat-amat umwad sang baryo paagi sa magamay nga pagtinguha sang mga tawo sa pagnegosyo. Nagumpisa sa gamay nga tindahan, nga ginbutangan lamesa para sa sugal. Sang madamo na tawo nga nagasugal, may nagpatindog kalan-an kag ihawan, kag kon ano-ano pa, nga ginsugoran sang pagumwad sang baryo Wakas.

Sa pagsaysay sang pag-umwad sang baryo, naisaysay man siempre ang kabuhi sang mga tagabaryo Wakas. Naluyagan ko ang pagsaysay sang pagkadto sang mga babaye sa tindahan kon aga antes ang pagsugal agudto indi sila mangin topic sang tsismis, bangud ang wala didto amo ang ginaestoryahan.

Naluyagan ko man ang pagsaysay parti sa pagkaubos sang mga babayi bangud tanan ofw na. Ang pagdumili sang mga iloy sa ila mga puya nga lalaki nga magbarkada para malikawan ang gamo. Kag ang pagtuluhaw sang mga agi.

Nagayuhum-yuhum ako sa kasadya samtang ginabasa ang ining parti sang nobela.

Makabig nga ang nobela nga ini isa man ka pagpasalamat ni Jun sa iya mga abyan kag mga kakilala nga nagbulig sa iya sang nasunog ang iya balay. Siling pa nya sa nobela, brief na lang nya ang wala ginhatag sa iya bangud tanan, halin sa beste asta sa atop, aircon, ref, kag kon ano-ano pa, ginhatag sang iya mga abyan kag kakilala. Naabo ang tanan niya ang artworks, antique collections, manuscripts kag labi sa tanan, ang iya library.

Matuod nga malip-ot lang ang ginsiling ni Jun parti sa nobela nga “Ang huling dalagang bukid” bangud gintalupangod niya ang iya autobiography (na mali). Apang sa iya pagsaysay sang iya kabuhi, nahatagan man niya kabuhi ang nobela nga ara pa lang sa iya painoino. Makatilingala kon paano ini nahimo ni Jun. Kon balikan ko kag panumdumon ang nobela, nagalingo-lingo ako sa kahaurungan sa iya pagbalay sang iya kabuhi kag sang iya mga kaingud nga naghatag man kabuhi sa iya nobela nga “Ang huling dalagang bukid” nga ara pa lang dapat sa iya painoino.

Istorya ini sa pagpangita ni Zadyah sang iya iloy, si Teresa, kag sang iya lolo, si Marcelo Lopez.

Nagsugod ang nobela sa pagbalik-lantaw sang kabuhi ni Zadyah: sa paghingalan sa tagsa niya nga nakarelasyon asta sa serkomstansya nga nagdala sa iya sa pagtungtung sa ibabaw sang pukatod sang Barasanan, Dao, Antique, nagalantaw sa malapad nga kauyaparan.

Sang 1984 eleksyon, nagpadalagan ang iya lolo Marcelo bilang Assemblyman sang probinsya sang Antique. Ginhinyo sang tigulang si Leandro, alyas kumander Pusa, tatay ni Zadyah kag si Teresa, alyas kumander Rafflesia, nga magpanaog anay sa bukid bangud may pabor nga pagahinyuon ang tigulang sa ila. Nagpanaog ang duha upod ang manghod ni Zadyah nga mga isa palang katuig. Malip-ot lang ang ila pagistoryahanay bangud wala naluyagan ni Teresa kag Leandro ang luyag matabo sang tigulang.

Sang gabi nga ato natabo ang Guinsang-an bridge massacre sa diin napatay ang kontra ni lolo Marcelo nga si Edgardo. Ginpabangud kay Marcelo ang pagkapatay ni Edgardo amo gani nga napreso ini sang masobra 20 anyos.

Bag-o pa natabo ini tanan, bangud sa delikado nga “propesyon” sang iya ginikanan, ginbilin ni Leandro kag Teresa si Zadyah sa iya tiya kag utod ni Leandro nga si Fely. Si Fely may duha ka puya nga ginahingalanan kay Nene kag Bongbong. Sa upod sining tatlo ka tawo, nagdako si Zadyah sa kaimulon sang probinsya.

Ugaling bangod maalam si Zadyah, nakapasar sya sa University of the Philippines College Admission Test kon sa diin naupod sya sa pinakaimol nga mga iskular sang banwa, sa bracket 1.

Pagkatapos nya eskwela sa UP Miag-ao, nag-apply sya sang Masters Degree sa La Salle. Gin-offeran sya sang La Salle nga magtudlo didto kag ang iya pag-eskwela sang Masters ginpasulod sa Faculty Development Program.

Ang kinaugalingon nga kita ni Zadyah makabig nga naghatag sa iya sang kahilwayan. Nagligad na ang mga inadlaw nga ginatunga pa nila nga duha sang iya kabarkada sa UP Miag-ao ang P15 nga batchoy. Tapos na ang mga tinion nga ginaantos niya ang gutom agudto may pangdugang sa budget sa pagrenta sang kompyuter kag pagprint. Kon magtsinelas man sya, indi indi tungod nga indi sya makasarang magbakal sapatos kundi ginpili niya nga magsoksok sang tsinelas. Pagkatapos sang 20 ka tuig, nakapuyo na gid man sya sa kwarto nga makabig nya nga iya.

Duna sa edad (early 20’s) ni Zadyah ang mangin malapiton kag mangin mausisaon sa lalaki kag sa iya man pagkababayi. Amo gani nga indi makatilingala nga magkarelasyon sya.

Ang una niya nakarelasyon amo ang tsinoy nga si Stephen. Topnotcher sang Mechanical Engineering board exam kag first year law student sa San Beda sang nagkilalahay sila sa isa ka online dating network. Pagkatapos sang isa ka bulan nga pagistoryahanay sa internet, nagpatna sila nga magkit-anay. Pagkatapos sang mga duha pa gid ka pagkit-anay kag ila gindiskobre (una para kay Zadyah) ang ila pagkatawo sa ila mga lawas. Nagtapos ang relasyon nila ni Stephen sang hinadlukan ini nga magbusong si Zadyah. Subang sya kag madamo handum ang pamilya kag ang iya kaugalingon para sa iya kag sa iya man pamilya.

Pagkatapos kay Stephen, si Ishmael, isa ka mikaniko kag Muslim, ang nagbolos. Nagpuyo sila sa isa ka apartment. Kaangay sang kadamuan nga relasyon, sa umpisa, malipayon sila nga duha. Ugaling, sang nagdugay, ginsakit ni Ishmael si Zadyah kabangdanan nga ginpalayas sya ni Zadyah sa apartment; kag naghalin man dayon si Zadyah sa apartment agudto indi na sya matultul pa ni Ishmael. Ugaling nahibal-an ni Zadyah nga umpisa sang ginpalayas niya si Ishmael, didto na nagatulog sa Roxas Boulevard ang isa. Nalooy sya sa sa iya kag ginpabalik niya si Ishmael sa iya bago nga apartment. May katontohan nanaman ugaling ini nga ginhimo.

Sa kada pag-ilis nobyo ni Zadyah, naga-ilis man sya puluy-an. Halin sa kwarto, naghalin sya sa apartment (duha ka beses), kag pagkatapos, sa condominium sa diin nya nakilala ang iya subong nobyo, si Priya Iyer, isa ka Indian national nga nagatrabaho sa isa ka insurance company. Isa ka adlaw, nahulog ang maong ni Zadyah nga hinalay kag nagtupa sa terrace ni Priya. Didto sila nagkilal-anay.

Sa tunga sining pakipagrelasyon, ginabisita sya sang iya pagka-ulila. Kag amo dayon nga ginahandum sang iya tagiposoon nga makita ang iya iloy kag ang iya lolo.

Nalipay si Zadyah sa iya nobyo nga si Priya bangud palabasa ini, ano pa maalam. Bagay sila. Ugaling masami ginadala sang trabaho sa iban nga pungsod.

Sa kalipay sa iya bag-o nga nobyo, napainoinohan ni Zadyah nga magbakasyon kag magpauli sa Barasanan, Dao, Antique. Nag-loan sya sa ila coop agudto igawad sang duta sang iya ninono nga naprinda. Nagpatindog sya sang isa ka moderno nga payagpayag nga mahimo kadtuan sang mga luyag magbasa, magpamati sang kanta, ukon maglantaw sang pelikula. Nagpatindog man sya sang mahongany nursery.

Sang ato na sya didto sa Barasanan, Dao, Antique kag nabaton nya ang balita nga ang iya lolo Marcelo nakagwa sa bilangoan pagkatapos sang 21 anyos.

Tungod ato na gidman sya didto sa Antique, nakipagkita sya sa iya lolo Marcelo. Wala niya ugaling mapamangkot kon ang tigulang gidman ang nagpapatay kay Edgardo nga iya kontra sa politika. Masyado na abi ka sako si Marcelo. Pagkatapos makagwa sa bilangoan, nagpatindog opisina sa pagpanabang sa banwa sang Antique agudto magserbisyo sa mga imol; wala bayad. Sang gamay pa si Zadyah, puno sang kahuya kag pagkutya ang mangin apo ni Marcelo. Bantog gid sadto nga si lolo Marcelo ang nagpapatay kay Edgardo.

Ginbisita man ni Zadyah ang isa ka manonodlo sa UP Iloilo nga kilala nga kaalyado sang mga NPA agudto mamangkot sang balita parti sa iya iloy. Apang wala sya nangin madinalag-on.

Natapos ang leave ni Zadyah kag nagbalik sya sa Manila nga wala balita kon sa diin ang iya iloy

Buhi ayhan si Teresa? Si lolo Marcelo gidman ayhan ang nagpapatay kay Edgardo? Ano ang natabo kay Dakila nga iya manghod? Magkita pa ayhan sila? Amo ini ang mga pamangkot nga ginasabat sa punta nga bahin sang nobela.

Ang mga naluyagan ko sa nobela.

Matigda ang mga tinaga; ang katigda nga duna sa isa ka mamalaybay kaangay ni

Si Gen kag ako sa CCP.

Genevieve. May mga linya nga nagahatag sang bag-o nga buot silingon kag dimension sa ginasaysay bangud sa paggamit ni Gen sang iya abilidad sa pamalaybay sa pagbalay sang mga tinaga. Ini nga realisasyon nagalumpat sa mambabasa labi na gid sa last paragraph sang halos tanan nga chapters.

Nangin madinalag-on ang nobela sa pagbutong sang attention sang iya mambabasa halin sa umpisa asta sa punta. Nasalabihon (explain) nya ang painoino kag balatyagon sang isa ka ulila, kag nabutangan nya sang tinaga ang kasubo kag kamingaw sang isa ka maalam nga probinsyana nga napadpad sa syudad.

Manotaran man ang kamayad ni Gen magsaysay sang kada pagpakighilawas ni Zadyah sa  iya tagsa ka nobyo: ang kada detalye nagapabuhi sa mga batungdaan (stone monument), nagapaginhawa sa mga pader, kag nagapabulak sang mga tanum sa hardin. Apang ang ini man nga kamayad ni Gen nagapakita sa ayhan indi balanse nga pagtrato sa mga detalye kon iban na gani ang iya ginasaysay.

Kag indi dapat kalimtan ang pagtinguha sang nobela nga ipaintyendi sa mambabasa kon sa diin nagpareho kag naglain ang pagtuo sang mga Kristyano kag Muslim; nga mas madamo ang mga Kristyano ang may bias kontra sa mga Muslim kag indi ang baliskad. Indi man dapat kalimtan ang pagtinguha sang nobela ihisaysay sa mga ulihing tubo ang rason kon ngaa nagsalaka sa bukid, naghawid armas, kag nakipagtiruhay ang mga rebelde sa mga soldado sang pungsod; kag ang pagpahanumdum nga ang NPA buhi gihapon, ugaling may duha na ka faction: ang mga reaffirmist nga nagapati nga kinahanglan man gihapon nga magsaka sa bukid kag makibaka, kag ang mga tumiwalag nga nagapati nga ang pag-organisa sang komunidad para sa empowerment kag active participation sang masa, indi ang gyera, ang solusyon agudto mabag-o ang demokrasya sang mga labihanon sa isa ka mas madamo ang nagapakigbuylog kag hilway nga demokrasya.

Naluyagan ko man ang pagpakilala sang Antique, sang iya mga kabukiran.

Ang ginapangita ko sa nobela.

Sa pihak sang mga nasambit nga kabaskog sang nobela, may pila kabilog ako nga obserbasyon.

Una, ang karakter ni Zadyah bilang isa ka manunudlo sang literatura sa Dela Salle University, sa akon pagbanabana, wala mapanghanarungan bangud, luwas sa mga references sa iya mga estudyante nga nagahimo sang mga manami nga powerpoint presentations, wala ako matandaan nga hitabo nga nagpakilala kay Zadyah bilang isa ka literature teacher. Kon wala sya naga-check sang iya mga papel, ara sya sa computer naga-internet. May isa ka scene nga nagalakat sya sa campus sang may nabaton nga text halin kay Priya kag ginpamangkot niya ini sang square root sang 69. Buot ko silingon, wala mapatubo kag mapaupod ang iya pagiging literature teacher sa istorya. Mahimo man nga call center agent ukon NGO worker si Zadyah kag wala may madula ukon mabag-o sa istorya.

Ikaduha, suno sa akon pag-intyendi, gin-istorya ang mga relasyon ni Zadyah para ipakita nga maskin ano sya ka accomplished economically kag sexually, nagabatyag gihapon sya sang kasubo kag kamingaw. Ining kasubo kag kamingaw, labi sa tanan, ang nagpakilala sa iya sa iya kaugalingon kag nagbukas sang dalan agudto diskobrihon nya ang iya nagliligad sa iya iloy nga si Teresa kag sa iya lolo nga si Marcelo. Gani, maskin manami basahon ang mga sexual scenes, masyado ini ka laba kag sa akon pagpati, sumobra sa dapat nya nangin gamit.

Finally, huo, nasaksihan ko ang pagnguynguy sa kamingaw ni Zadyah sa iya ulonan. Saksi man ako sa iya pagkatingala nga may pagduha-duha sang gulpi lang may condom si Stephen kag wala na niya makita kon sa diin naghalin. Maskin sang iya pagtiyabaw sa banyo sang iya condo unit samtang gina-itot ni Priya. Nabatian kag nahibal-an ko ang iya painoino. Nakilig ako, naghibi kag nagkadlaw upod sa iya. Apang ngaa nagabatyag ako nga may kulang pa gid agudto lubos ko sya makilala kag mahigugma, ukon pangdirian? Isa gihapon sya ka ilahas nga babaye nga wala abyan kondi ang iya lang mga nobyo. Wala kinalain sa mga babayi nga nababatian ko sa mga istorya, ukon nalantaw sa mga palagwaon sa TV kag pelikula.

Kon irate ko ang nobela, 7 out of 10. I-recommend ko nga basahon ini bilang tuytoy sa pagtulon-an ukon modelo sa paggamit sang poetic language; kag ang mga erotic portions bilang ehemplo ukon modelo sang pagsulat sang akto sa pagpanginhilawas nga indi bastos. Dalayawon man ang nobela sa pagsaysay nga may pagokom sang balatyagon.

Master Tony and I: His students are loyal and grateful.

The leader of the pack is the esteemed and well-loved Tony Diego, or Master Tony, as everybody fondly calls him. For more than three (3) decades now he has religiously taught Kalis Ilustrisimo, his brand of FMA, to Filipinos and also to international visitors who come to the Philippines to train personally under him.

Master Tony turned 65 recently, and my colleagues and I surprised him with a birthday party in his gym in Binondo, the same gym that was featured in Fight Quest, a program in Discovery Channel.

Master Tony’s knees are weak, his eyes are blurring. He is no longer as agile as he used to be. Yet he remains a commanding presence to everybody. With arnis, he teaches us by example the values of our race, humility and respect for others.

FMA was not immediately palatable to me at the onset. I wrongly believed it to be ineffective and useless, compared with Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, or Jet Kune Do.

FMA has gained the world’s attention not only because it was featured in the breathtaking choreography (by a FMA expert, Jef Imada) in the Bourne Identity series and in The Book of Eli, but more so because it is in fact a deadly game. With only a woodstick to go by, one can hack a person to death.

Master Romy Macapagal, Master Tony Diego, me, Peachie Baron Saguin

Master Tony asks us to put away all worries when engaged in combat. He asks: “Do you love life enough to make you want to survive? If you do, nothing can harm you, and you can always win in fights. Forget your worries or face death,” he says.

Worries are the voice of our deepest insecurities. Inside a person’s head could be different sorts of questions: What will people say should I be defeated, or arrested or jailed? Where do I get the money to hire a lawyer or bail? How shall I fend for my wife and my children?

Punta y daga with Peachie Baron Saguin

Master Tony’s message is basic and simple. I must value my life. I must only fight to survive. I must remember that it is my conviction to live that will keep me alive.

Master Tony’s personal philosophy reiterates the teachings of the masters I have read in books, or seen in movies—Lao Tzu, Morihei Ueshiba (who founded Aikido), even the Karate Kid. But reading a book or watching a movie is totally different from seeing a master in person, hearing his words, feeling his hands on my shoulders or back as he encourages me to keep on practicing, or to acknowledge that I have improved my footwork, or my strikes.

Arnold Narzo and Peachie Baron Saguin in punta y daga drill

In all these years, this vessel of the Filipino culture remains humble and poor. The students he has taught are staunchly loyal to him. His assistant Arnold dons and straps him his helmet and drives him home from Luneta after the practice. Peach takes the initiative in organizing parties for him and serving him food and drinks even if he thinks he doesn’t need one.

My reflexes are faster now and my muscles have memorized their reactions to certain attacks. But I am still a new student, and I have so much yet to learn. I am lucky to have Master Tony.

My classmates enjoying Master Tony's surprise party.

CCP's wall facing Manila Bay

“How was it? Did you enjoy?” was Jenny De Vera’s question when we met by the entrance of a car park from across CCP on our way home last night. Jenny is a member of GuitarFriends, a group whose mission  and  vision  is to promote  awareness, knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the classical guitar and its music. It is the same group that organized this festival and competition that runs from 27-30 January 2011 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Little Theater. I am participating as an observer.

Korupol Mitrevej, Jenny de Vera and I.

“Is it worth the festival pass?” was Jenny’s third question.

Of course it’s worth it.

I attended Randall Williams’ workshop on partial capo. I did not know anything about capo and it was my first time to hear lectures on capo, types of capo, and their uses. I had a hard time following his lecture. But Randall had a deep, full, and beautiful voice. He sang to accompany his demonstrations of some of the capo techniques I wished he sang more than he talked about the capo.

I watched Alex Garrobe perform in a concert on the same day (27 January 2011) I heard Randall Williams. And yesterday from 10am to 12pm, I was also in the front seat of Alex Garrobe’s advanced master class where three students namely, Rachael, Jeff, and Kurt performed. Jeff later played the same piece in the contest.

Engr. Sira Tindukasiri trying Pansaeng Chantarangkul's $2,000 classical guitar. Note a.k.a. Patommavat Thammuchard looks on.

Most of my time during breaks, I spent talking with Pansaeng Chantarangkul, a 35 year-old-ex-factory-worker-guitar maker from Thailand. He only has one classical guitar for display and every one who tried it showered him with praises because of the crisp sound of his guitar. Yesterday, he introduced me to three more of his countrymen who participated in the contest. One of them, Sira Tindukasiri, is a civil engineer and contractor in Thailand. His company, Payoongsidhi, ltd. is engaged in building bridges in his country. Then there is Note whose full name is Patommavat Thammuchard, and another Thai, Korupol Mitrevej. Both Note and Korupol became two of the 8 finalists of the guitar contest that started yesterday afternoon. They will perform for the second and final round tomorrow, Sunday, 30 January 2011 from 1 to 5 pm.

Michael Dadap, Steve Lin, and I

I met and talked in person with Michael Dadap who first introduced himself to me in my blog as a Filipino classical guitarist based in New York. I thanked him for his comment in my very long article about the UST’s First International Guitar Festival and I apologized that for his comments, he received a lot of insults from people who did not use their true names in the internet. He said he was not able to return to my website again after posting his comment to my article. He was not aware of the insults. But every body is entitled to his opinion so he will not take them personally. But he stands by what he said in his comment in my article.

There was also Steve Lin, a Taiwanese classical guitarist based in US. I wasn’t allowed tonight to reenter the theater after I took a break from Tomonori Arai’s concert. In order not to miss him play, I watched through the TV monitor outside the theater Tomori’s performance. Steve Lin was beside me, said hi and asked how I was. After the concert, I found him playing the guitar in the lobby. I sat on the empty chair next to him to watch and listen to him play. Then later, Steve practiced his surprise number for his part in today’s concert.

The Luthier and his guitar: Pansaeng Chantarangkul changing the strings of his guitar

This is all for now. Today will be another exciting day at the festival. Let us see if I can also write about today’s experience tonight. I intent to write a more detailed account of my experience after the festival.

To Jenny, I say again, yes. It’s all worth it.

Front cover of the concert program with the picture of the Spanish classical guitar performer, Miguel Trapaga, himself.

I was in Instituto Cervantes twice last week. First was on Thursday (18 November 2010) to participate in the workshop for advanced classical guitar players conducted by the Spanish Maestro Miguel Trapaga, and second on Friday (19 November 2010) to watch his concert.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer announced that on 17 and 18 November 2010, said Spanish guitarist was holding a workshop. I went on the 18th and I brought with me my classical guitar. When I entered the hall, Miguel was talking in Spanish with probably a staff of Instituto. There were only me, Miguel, the Instituto staff, and another balding middle age business man by the name of Sam. Sam was there perhaps only to ask questions or converse with Miguel. He said he was taught by Valdez, but he did not bring his guitar. Later, when Miguel brought out his guitar from its box, Sam asked if it was the same guitar Miguel brought with him to the same place three years ago. Miguel said yes.

Miguel asked me what I was going to play. I was reluctant to answer but I did not want to look dumb, so I said, I have been practicing “Lagrima” by Francisco Tarrega. He also asked me if I was an advanced student. I told him, I had no

Miguel Trapaga during Thursday's rehearsal.

idea. Perhaps, the Instituto staff understood me, so he instead offered us the opportunity to watch Miguel rehearse for his concert the next day. I said, it would be an honor. But Miguel insisted that he conduct a short session with me. He asked if I was ready to play. I told him I was although I would rather watch him rehearse. But Miguel “forced” me. So, I obliged.

Against my will, I undressed my guitar and put it on my lap, and my left foot on the footstool. Miguel was watching me from my left. He also took out his guitar and placed his foot on his shiny and silver footstool. We were at the center of the stage of Salon de Actos of Instituto Cervantes de Manila. There were Sam and the Spanish guest Miguel was talking with a while ago for our audience.

Flyer for the 2011 Philippine Guita Festival & Competition

When I reached the second part of the piece, Miguel asked me to stop. By his hand gestures, I understood that my playing irritated him. He would ask me to play the beginning of the first part of the piece over again and every time he would say I was getting better.

I was in three master classes in the Guitar Festival organized my University of Sto. Tomas last August, and I did not understand why the students during the master classes were so nervous during their performance. As I played for and before Miguel, I also did not understand why I was so nervous.

I am no longer telling you in detail what Miguel told me about my performance because I do not want to further embarrass myself. Instead, let me just summarize it: my finger was wrong, I did not play the notes continuously, I did not observe the correct phrasing… in short, it was a disaster.

In fairness to me, though, Miguel said my right hand was properly placed. I wanted to kiss him.

What I should do, Miguel said, was to always think of the last person at the farend of the hall. I have to make sure that he hears my every note clearly and distinctly. He also asked me if I knew something about music theory and I told him I know nada. It’s good for me to learn music theory, Miguel said. When I arrived home, I typed in Google the phrase “music theory” and read everything I could.

Honestly though, I felt like I was dead. I will never be able to play really well because my guitar was no good. It was cheap. It played the wrong notes for my first ever master class and with a Spanish maestro. I got even by not touching my guitar for two days afterwards.

Miguel Trapaga in concert. At the foreground are two Hijas de Jesus nuns' veiled heads. I talked with them in the parking lot after the concert. Colegio de las Hijas de Jesus in Iloilo City trained all my sisters to do well in College and thereafter.

On the 19th, I dragged the poet in Filipino and literary critic, Rebecca T. Anonuevo, with me to watch Miguel’s concert scheduled at 7:30pm. The front section of Salon de Actos was reserved for the dignitaries and perhaps the employees of the Spanish embassy and Instituto Cervantes. The guests were seated at the back section.

I was seated in the middle of the row. Rebecca was on my right, and Jenny De Vera, a guitar major 2008 graduate of the University of the Philippines and Guitar Friends member was at my left. Jenny and I became Facebook friends after she read my very long article on the first UST International Guitar Festival. It was our first meeting in person. During Miguel’s performance, Jenny was there to guide me which of the pieces that was printed on the program Miguel was now playing.

Jenny was in the concert not only to watch Miguel, but also to promote the 2011 Philippine International Guitar Festival & Competition sponsored by her group, the Guitar Friends, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It will be on 27 to 30 January 2011 at CCP Little Theater. There will be concerts, competition, workshops and free master classes for beginners and display of world class guitars, and many more.

The hall was very silent during the performance. I had this feeling that if I breathe normally, the sound of the air coming out and going in my nose would resound throughout the hall and disturb the performance. I was really scared to breathe; I felt I was drowning.

Grandpa reading a Spanish newspaper during Miguel Trapaga's concert.

But the more careful I was, the more careless was the old man at the end of my row at my right. Imagine, Miguel was playing in front of the hall on the stage while grandpa was reading a newspaper, a Spanish newspaper! Every time he flipped through the pages, he made so much noise that I was not the only one who could not help but glanced at him.

Miguel played Variaciones sobre “Malboroug” op. 28 by Fernando Sor, Sonata BWV 1001 by J.S Bach for the first part of his concert.

Towards the end of Bach’s Sonata, the old man was now really very impatient and perhaps irritated. WTF is he doing with his guitar, I could imagine grandpa wanted to say. So, he kept “whispering” adjectives of dislike to his companion. At one point he said to her “this is punishment”. The solemnity of the hall and the quality of Miguel’s performance, however, made his statement funny. In fact, very, very funny. His companion was enjoying with us, I guess, so she waived her hand to shut the old man up.

Sometime in August, during Manuel Cabrera II and Meng Feng Su’s concert in PhilamLife Auditoriom in U.N. Avenue, we had almost the same experience. Two rows away from and in front of the stage, a fat man in his white shirt was resting his head on the back of the seat, his face upward, and he was snoring so loudly during Meng Feng Su’s performance his snoring drowned some of the notes and became very audible in between pauses. We were so embarrassed for him. When Mr. Su finished, the man woke up, as if on cue, and frantically clapped his hands for Mr. Su. Perhaps a thank you for Mr. Su  for putting him to a very sound and peaceful sleep during his concert.

Grandpa was glad the first part was over, the short break gave him time to leave the hall without further disturbing us.

For the second part of his concert, Miguel played Viento de Primavera by David del Puerto, Dos preludios and Capricho Arabe by Francisco Tarrega, Impromptu and Guajira by Emilio Pujol, Fandango Variado op. 16 by Dionisio Aguado, and Rondenañ by Regino Sainz de la Maza.

Of all the pieces he played, Francisco Tarrega’s Dos Preludios and Capricho Arabe were our favourite. I told Jenny that those will be the kind of pieces I will be playing someday. Jenny nodded her head.

Back cover of the concert program with the short bio of the Spanish classical guitar player, Miguel Trapaga, in Spanish with English translation.

I don’t know why guitar players have to play pieces whose melody is not arresting. To demonstrate virtuosity? What for? They are in a concert not contest. Maybe there are theories behind those not so interesting-sounding pieces, or maybe I have not developed a taste for them. I want Tarrega’s pieces. When Miguel played his pieces, the sound of the guitar gripped my chest and would have torn me apart. I felt that my soul was slowly leaving my body and I would have loved to see how the music tore apart my lousy arms and fingers, which do not know how to play classical guitar, from my heart which understands what Tarrega was talking about through Miguel’s guitar.

When Miguel finished playing all the pieces written in the program, of course, the hall went wild. He left the hall and the clapping did not stop. He returned, bowed again, and played a bonus piece. After he was done, we again clapped our hands for as long as we did. But this time, Miguel did not return to the stage. So we went home happy.

I read that when Indians ride airplanes, or fast vehicles for that matter, they stop for a while after disembarking to wait for their soul.

The concert was over and I arrived home so fast. I thought I left my soul in Instituto.

Complimentary Ticket to the Finale Concert

I had a generally exhilarating experience attending three days of the five-day First International Guitar Festival sponsored by the University of Sto. Tomas Conservatory of Music Guitar Department from August 23 to 27, 2010 held at the Recital Hall 2, Albertus Magnus Building.

First Day

On my first day on Tuesday, I was late for Ruey Yen’s lecture at 11 in the morning. Mr. Ruey Yen, a Taiwanese who has degrees in Physics and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the National Cheng Kung University (Taiwan) and Arizon State University respectively, talked about “World Music and the Guitar.” Because I was late, I did not hear his talk about world music. Instead, I only heard him talk about the evolution of guitar from Africa, which was the last part of his lecture.

In the afternoon, I attended the Master Class of Meng Feng Su, also a Taiwanese who earned his degree in music at the L’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

Mr. Su looked very young by Filipino standards. He also looks fragile because of his white complexion and height. He is soft spoken too, and I like his diction and accent.

With Taiwanese classical guitarist Meng Feng Su

There were about 10-15 of us in the class and I was the only non-student. Mr. Su reminded the first performer to choose notes or parts of the piece to emphasize. He must be a little bit slow here, faster there, louder here, and softer there, and so on and so forth. Same with the rest of the performers.

I was so disappointed I did not have a copy of the pieces performed during the master classes. I thought if I could have a copy, I would have improved my note-reading skills tremendously with the performer and his discussion with the teacher as guide. I asked a lady performer, a UST student, whose piece I liked and I believe I could play on my guitar for a photocopy of her piece and she promised to give me the copy later. It turned out she was so busy with her responsibilities as part of the organizing committee to have her piece photocopied for me.

Second Day

On Wednesday, I was again late for the lecture of Angelito Agcaoili on “Philippine guitar music”. When I entered the lecture room, Mr. Agcaoili was persuading students to pursue research on Philippine Music. After he answered a question, he gave the floor to the Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila.

Mr. Castilla-Avila talked about “Microtonal Music for the Guitar”. I know music majors will hate me for this, but for me microtonal music is an arrangement of out of tune-notes.

Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila in one of his demonstrations

At the start of Mr. Castilla-Avila’s lecture, he showed pictures of guitars with frets strangely arranged. I remembered when I was in college in Iloilo, a classmate brought us to his neighbor who was a guitar maker. That man glued bamboo strips together which he later carved and transformed into fret boards and other parts of the guitar. That man showed us his special guitar. And the picture Mr. Castilla-Avila projected on the white board reminded me of that strange guitar I saw for the first time in Iloilo City.

Later, I was surprised to learn that the person in dark and striped polo shirt was Meng Feng Su, my Master Class teacher on Tuesday. I greeted him and I was again surprised when he said my name. “JP, right?” he said. I asked him if I could have a picture taken with him later, to which he said “of course.”

Mr. Castilla-Avila aired portions of his composition. He likewise demonstrated techniques to manipulate the guitar to make it sound out of tune, er, to produce microtones.

After Mr. Castilla-Avila’s lecture, I approached a student organizer of the festival and suggested they give me, at least, a copy of the piece to be performed during the master class that afternoon. The guy was not only respectful. He asked me whose class I was attending and he assured me he’ll arrange that I will have a copy I wanted. But I did not receive any copy.

That Wednesday afternoon Master Class with Mr. Castilla-Avila was a refreshing and insightful experience. I was the first student with him in the classroom. I sat in the front and center of the row. Mr. Castilla-Avila was pouring cream and sugar on his small and disposable white cup of coffee he must have bought from a McDo nearby. Later, when he dropped things during the lecture, he jokingly blamed it on the quality of his coffee. “I need more coffee,” he kept on saying.

After the first performance, he asked the lady what she knew about (Matteo) Carcassi, the author of her piece. And the lady said Carcassi is Spanish. To which Mr. Castilla-Avila said she must have been told that by a Spaniard because in fact, (Matteo) Carcassi was from Italy. We all laughed at his wit.

Mr. Castilla-Avila had the next performer identify the melody from chords and from the base. He apologized for not bringing his guitar. “It’s a pity,” he said and asked for two more guitars. He asked the performer to play the melody, while he himself played the chords, and the other guitar player the base. He asked me to be their conductor. “Just count one, two, and three, and one, two and three…” he said while waiving his hand up and down. The conduct of the exercise was delayed many times because Mr. Castilla-Avila was not playing his part. Instead, he was conducting. He apologized several times over and over again saying that he forgot he could not play the guitar and at the same time conduct.

He talked about the need for musicians to be thinking musicians. With that, he meant that musicians should try to know as much as they can about the composer and his social milieu to try to understand how and why the composition was written. Then, musicians should also analyze the pieces in terms of structure. To do the latter, he suggested an exercise which consists in observing the best choir in the world in its rehearsals. Not only that, musicians should also learn to write by memory especially the notes that they play by memory, a demanding task and one I think I’ll never be able to do for now.

He also taught us the “walking finger exercises” for the fingers of the right hand. He described it this way: “As your index finger plucks the string, prepare your middle finger”. With “prepare”, he meant that the middle finger should have touched the string ready for plucking the moment the index finger plucks its assigned string. The string should be at the tip of the finger nearest to the nail to achieve the cleanest sound possible. He likened the movements of the fingers to the movements of the legs when walking. Mr. Castilla-Avila said nobody taught us how to walk but we did learn how to walk, and the way we bend and stretch our knees when walking is the most comfortable and efficient way to get us to places. Thus, we should also model our fingers when plucking from the way we use our feet for walking.

Because those actions are instinctive, Mr. Castilla-Avila said we can perform the finger exercises even while we are talking on the phone, watching tv, or doing “anything we like”.

Further, he said our fingers have the same division (by joints) as the arms: wrist, elbow, and shoulder. And the fingers also have three divisions. He said that when we play tennis, we move the whole arm up to the shoulder joint to achieve maximum force. We should also do the same with the fingers when plucking the strings.

As to the left fingers that press the strings, the fingers should press the strings as close as possible to the fret. He demonstrated that if he pressed a string in the middle of two frets, the sound is not loud and clear. But if he pressed the same string nearest to the fret with the same amount of force, the sound is louder and clearer. Economy of movements, Mr. Castilla-Avila said. Then he tried to connect the word economy with green technology to make us laugh.

Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila demonstrating the finger exercises.

Also, he explained the reason why he loves to play the guitar with the minimum effort as much as possible. It is because, according to him, he is Spanish, and therefore he is lazy.

Mr. Castilla-Avila said the guitar is a difficult instrument. Developing a playing habit that he described will make the guitar players’ life easier in the future. The more difficult pieces he can perform, the more he will enjoy playing his guitar. The secret is in the practicing habits. Ninety plus percent of a performer’s life is practice and the remaining percent is public performance. Whatever bad habit we formed during practice we will bring in our performances. He said this to correct the bad habit of a performer who stopped at the notes he can’t play well and repeat the same notes until he was able to play them right.

We should do the left finger exercise one finger at a time from our index finger to the small finger, from the largest to the smallest string, and from the fret nearest to the sound hole until the last fret at the head of the guitar. If we want to stretch our fingers further apart, we only have to skip a fret between each finger and repeat the process described.

Then, Mr. Castilla-Avila introduced another finger exercise for the index finger of the left hand. The exercise consists of the index finger pressing all the strings in a fret at the same time. But the index finger has to press the strings in a way that not all strings sound but only those you decide to produce the sound. This exercise is meant for the fingers to have the feel of and to develop total control of the strings.

Mr. Castilla-Avila said he can teach us thousands of finger exercises. He said that as we become thinking musicians, we can create our own exercises depending on our need. He said that the best teacher to make us great musicians is our own self.

The title of the piece of one performer had something about the paddle used in gondola boats in Italy. Mr. Castilla-Avila joked that Italians charge millions of pesos simply for rowing that gondola boat. He also said that the Philippines is lucky that Italian did not come here– he did not finish his sentence but we understood what he meant. And we laughed.

Mr. Castilla-Avila referred to the finger exercises as finger yoga. In another time, he referred to it as “going to the gym”. This man is so passionate, and generous about what he knows he tried to share everything he learned in decades within the span of three hours. The Master Class with Mr. Castilla-Avila was scheduled to end at 4, but we finished at around 5. And it was a forced parting. The class was conducted on the stage of Recital Hall 2. But even after the class was finished and we were all down the stage except him who was standing on the edge, we kept asking him questions and he never got tired of answering them. One of the questions was, if it was true that we can’t wet our hands after hours of guitar practice because, according to Filipino beliefs, it causes our hands to shake (the shaking is called “pasma” in Filipino). To our disbelief, Mr. Castilla-Avila said that we can wet our hands. What he advised against was practicing guitar after we have wet our hands, say right after we went swimming, because the water softens the nails that will break upon contact with the strings. To strengthen the nails, he advised us to eat lots of onions and to stab the nails against orange peel. He said he had given up swimming to play his guitar although he noted that it is never right to sacrifice something you love for something you equally love to do.

Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila conducting his "Microtonal Music for the Guitar" lecture.

Third Day

When I left the house on Thursday, I had a letter addressed to Ruben F. Reyes, the Festival Director complaining that I have not received the copy of the pieces I was requesting. I said I had been requesting for copies of the pieces performed during the Master Classes and this request I brought to the attention of the student organizers. I was disappointed however, I said, that no action had been taken to respond to the request. The handouts, I said, were necessary for me, at least, to follow the lectures of the instructor during the Master Classes and I hoped that on that Thursday afternoon, I would get the materials I needed.

When I arrived at the venue, Mr. Reyes was not yet around. So, I had that letter received by Angelila, one of the student organizers, before I entered the class with Mr. Castilla-Avila on “Composing for the guitar”. A row behind me, few chairs away to my right was X, a balding man, probably in his 50’s. He said he was attending the Festival hoping to learn something more to help him in his gigs, or to perform in gigs. I did not hear him clearly.

While waiting for Mr. Castilla-Avila, Kabaitan Bautista approached me and introduced himself. Mr. Bautista is a composer and the student counsel president of the Conservatory of Music. He said he read my complaint and apologized that I could not get my request for copyright law restrictions. But then I said that the pieces that were played were hundred of years old. I forgot to add that copyright law allows reproduction of copyrighted materials for classroom purposes.

I expected Master Classes to be a writers’ workshop type proceeding. In writers’ workshops, all the participants get copies of all the works to be critiqued. Even if you are a fellow for poetry in Hiligaynon, for example, you still get a copy each of the short stories, plays, et cetera. That was my experience when I attended the 37th University of the Philippines Writers’ Workshop in 2000 where I was a fellow for poetry in Hiligaynon, and the 14th Iligan National Writers’ Workshop in 2007 where I was a fellow for Poetry in English.

Mr. Bautista however explained that Master Classes are different from writers’ workshops. In Master Classes, the audience is not given copies of the pieces performed. Even then, I still could not understand why they could not grant my request. Instead, Mr. Bautista gave me an internet site where I may get the classical pieces I want. He excused himself and went out of the classroom. When he returned, he had with him a complimentary ticket for Friday’s concert. He asked me to take the ticket because I would love the show. Our polite conversation was interrupted because Mr. Castilla-Avila arrived. He noticed however that there were only a number of us inside the hall. While we waited for composers to arrive to listen to him and present their compositions, Mr. Castilla-Avila said he was ready to answer any questions.

I asked if he could tell us more about the finger exercises he said he had thousands of. Mr. Castilla-Avila repeated the walking finger exercises, the fingers near the fret board, and many others. Then he was ready to start his talk.

He encouraged the participants to experiment with the guitar and he demonstrated the range of sound the guitar can produce.

Among the things he said during his lecture on composing for guitar were:

• Your composition will please half of the people, and will displease half of them. So, be easy not just on criticism but also on praises.
• Be original. You may imitate the works of the masters just as you may imitate the accent of other nationalities. But imitation must only be for fun.
• If you reach a point in your music life where you feel you are no longer growing, worry not. The mere fact that you bother about your state is the sign of growth. We grow little by little. It cannot be that we eat 80 kilos of food today then tomorrow we suddenly become big men and women.

First picture with Taiwanese classical guitarist Meng Feng Su

• In general, you must have a feel of the instrument you are composing music for, to know what can and cannot be done. There are beautiful pieces played on piano but do not work in the guitar. Collaborate with a guitarist if you are not good with the guitar, for example.

• You are your best teacher.

• We are the guys who tell the greedy people that life is not just about money.

At around 11:30, Mr. Castilla-Avila asked the composers to present their work. The notation of “Insomnia,” a composition of one of the students, was projected on the white board.

Upon seeing that the students were using the latest technology, Mr. Castilla-Avila said: “Beautiful!”

When the play button was pressed, a green line appeared on the tablature and ran from left to the right indicating the notes that were being heard on the speaker. Upon seeing this, I leaned towards the desk in front of me where Mr. Bautista was sitting and said that it is the same experience that I would like to have during Master Classes, the reason I was asking for copies of the pieces.

After lunch, I was again the first student for the Master Class of Mr. Yen, and the only non-student in the room. I sat at the center of the first row. Towards the end of the class, a man in violet collared shirt, probably in his 40’s or 50’s arrived, and asked questions to Mr. Yen if he played the pieces of this and that composer. For his finale, Mr. Yen performed a piece, probably that of the composer my classmate was asking him about. But I was not very satisfied with the sound. They seemed dull to my ears. I longed for that clear and crisp sound I heard from Mr. Su’s guitar when he “practiced” a piece he was “working on” after his Tuesday afternoon class. Mr. Yen’s fingers were fast but I noticed the index finger of his left hand covered the whole fret every time he used it to press all the strings on the same fret at the same time. This is one of the bad habits Mr. Castilla-Avila warned us to avoid when practicing.

There was only one performer for that afternoon and he arrived late together with the rest of the audience. After the performance, Mr. Yen corrected the performer’s use of his left fingers. Mr. Yen however almost spoke in monotone he seemed to lack emphasis when he delivered his message. Add to that the fact that on that same morning, I woke up very early to attend to some personal errands. I slept during the second quarter of the class. When I woke up, Mr. Yen was asking the class: If you know how to ride a bike, will you still be able to ride the same after 8 years? The answer was yes. But Mr. Yen said that without guitar practice, one may no longer be able to know how to play the guitar in a matter of few months.

This statement of his contradicts Mr. Castilla-Avila who said that with good practicing habits, you will still be able to learn to play the guitar even after years without practice. He cited himself as an example. He said he had not been playing the guitar for years but he was still able to perform during his concert the night before.

The Meeting with the Festival Director

After a while, Angelila was at my back whispering to me. The festival director wanted to talk to me, she said. I followed Angelila out the door of the classroom and she led me to the director’s office at the opposite end of the building near the men’s rest room.

Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila listening to a student's performance during his Master Class.

The door had the director’s name printed on a white sheet of paper attached on the door. When it opened, I saw a student talking to someone I still could not see. When I went inside, I saw a big, tall man dressed in a long sleeved, orange polo shirt, unbuttoned at the neck.  His head had a mixture of black, grey, and white curly hair that reached his shoulders. The man who earned his Master’s Degree in Music, summa cum laude, from the Pontifical University was sitting on a chair in front of a long table right next to the wall. He instructed the student to get back after our conversation, and he pulled a chair for me. We shook hands, and I sat on the chair in front of him ready to hear him. The student left and there were only the two of us in the air conditioned room that seemed too cold for me. When I complained about it later, Prof. Reyes said it was the room’s normal temperature.

He said he wanted to talk to me because of my letter. He repeated what Mr. Bautista told me: No pieces are distributed to the audience during the Master Classes. He said the pieces that performers bring during the master classes are theirs. And besides, he asked me, how much did I pay?

I told him I paid P500 a day. And he was surprised to hear what I said because he said he gave instructions to his students to have me attend the lectures for free for the whole week. This was in response to my complaint on the first day. I called the UST College of Music after reading the news about the festival from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I was informed through telephone that the morning lectures were for free, but P250 would be charged for each Master Class plus an additional P100 if I performed. On Tuesday morning, however, I learned not only that the morning lectures were not for free, but also, that I could not attend both the lectures and the Master Classes if I did not pay P500.

Because of the miscommunication or wrong information, I was made to choose between attending free lectures and a master class for one day, or attending a concert for free. I chose the second and I paid P500 for three days every morning as registration fee. I used my privilege to watch for free the concert of Manuel Cabrera II and Meng Feng Su on Thursday night in PhilamLife Auditorium in U.N. Avenue.

I explained to Prof. Reyes that I have no music background and I am learning classical guitar on my own, and that it could help me if I be provided with a photocopy of the pieces. I also told him what I told Mr. Bautista of my expectations: that I be provided with copies of the pieces as the practice in writers’ workshops.

Prof. Reyes reiterated that Master Classes are not run like writing workshops. What I should do, he said, is to hire my own classical guitar tutor.

I told him I can learn on my own and the reason why I was paying my daily registration fee for this guitar festival was because I wanted to learn, and I expected to learn. If only I could be given the pieces, I said, I would improve my note reading and guitar playing skills.

Prof. Reyes said he was sorry to say that it does not work the way I want it to. Besides, he said, what I was hearing in the classrooms was too advanced for me. To prove his point, he asked me this question: If you see a series of notes going up, what do you do? I said I do not know. That’s the point, he said. Later he would repeat the same question, to which I said, when I have the guitar, I would play the notes. He said that the series of notes going up means I have to do a crescendo. I told him, it’s unfair to use music jargon when speaking with me especially after I told him I have no music background. And besides, I said, the reason I was asking for the copy of the pieces was because I wanted to learn the jargon among others, and I would learn all those things through the music pieces by using the performance and the comment of the Master Class teacher as guide.

Wilson J. Codera from Centro Escular University listens to Spanish composer Agustin Castilla-Avila's comments. Mr. Codera performed the Hungarian Fantasy by Johann Kaspar Mertz.

The professor said I would not understand the piece until I played it myself before the teacher in the Master Class. Say for example Hemingway, he said. Then he retracted. Then I asked him to cite Filipino authors as example instead. He asked me if I was familiar with the old short stories written by Filipino authors like (I forgot the name) and Nick Joaquin. I said yes. He said, it’s like transitioning from ___ or Joaquin to (Jorge Luis) Borges. I told him I do not know Borges although I see his work (my wife has his selected poems edited by Alexander Coleman published by Penguin Books in 2000 in the bookshelf near our bed). He said it was precisely his point.

I told him that I was very excited and happy that UST organized this festival. I was very excited to meet and learn from the masters of classical guitar.  He reiterated his suggestion for me to get my own tutor. Because, according to him, until then, I will never understand, since what I heard in the lectures and the classes were too advanced for me.

I told him I take it as an affront for me to be told that I will not be able to understand. But he said, it was the way it is with all due respect to my feelings.

So, I said, if what he was saying was true, I should not have attended the festival at all (or I silently thought, the department should not have publicized the festival for interested parties to go out of their way to participate).

I thanked him for his time and I apologized for the wrong expectations I had of the Festival. But when I left his room, I could not help but wonder why they could not help me have a more enriching learning experience from the Master Classes. My Master Classes classmates were all students. And the only time I had a classmate who was a non-student was during Thursday’s Master Class with Mr. Yen. The copy of the pieces was not too much to ask.  Didn’t they have the list of the persons who were performing for the Master Classes and the pieces they were going to perform? They could have simply photocopied the piece and given me a copy.

Also, Prof. Reyes’ use of Filipino writers and a foreign writer as metaphor for my supposed inadequacy to understand the classes that were too advanced for me was off the mark. First, there is no point of comparison with Filipino and foreign writers. Both come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. Both have different styles. Further, he runs the risk of getting the ire of Filipino writers and literature teachers for implying that Nick Joaquin is of a less caliber than Jorge Luis Borges, and that there is no parallel inspiration between writers’ workshops and Master Classes. Both are aimed to teach.

I was so engrossed with these thoughts the whole afternoon. When I went back to Mr. Yen’s Master Class that ended an hour earlier than scheduled, I forgot to have a picture taken with him. I was in high spirits savoring the lectures of Mr. Castilla-Avila that morning, and I did not expect and I wasn’t prepared for the seemingly contradictory message from the festival director himself.

Taiwanese classical guitarist Meng Feng Su in Concert at Philamlife Auditorium on August 26, 2010.

On lunch break that day, I had another chat with the student council president, this time in the hallway of the 5th floor outside the classrooms. It was from him I first heard the suggestion that I hire my personal classical guitar tutor and he volunteered his friends. He also said he was so delighted and almost could not believe the fact that I, neither a music teacher nor a music student, was there while the music teachers and most of the music students from other prestigious universities they invited were not around.

While still inside the room with Mr. Castilla-Avila, Mr. Bautista gave me a complimentary ticket for the finale concert on Friday night. But I decided not to attend Friday’s lecture and Master Class that featured all the teachers, both foreign and local in one classroom, and the concert that featured the UST Guitar Quartet/Ensemble and the Festival Guitar Orchestra.

I should have refused the ticket but it was too late. It was already Friday when I realized I wanted to stay home. You are your best teacher, the Spanish composer’s words kept ringing in my ears.

Vice president-elect Jejomar Binay. Picture from pagodkanaba.blogspot.com

President-elect Jejomar “Jojo” Cabauatan Binay to Department of Interior and Local Governmet (DILG) post. As defined by Wikipedia (DILG’s official website is down), DILG is responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety, and strengthening the capabilities of local gorvernment units. If Noy appoints Jojo in DILG, it’s like he is giving Jojo the free reign to solidify his connection with the LGU’s. If this happens, Jojo’s chances of becoming the next president is almost certain.

No. Noy is not going to appoint Jojo as DILG secretary. He thinks he owes Mar some debt of gratitude after Mar “gave way” to him. Mar gave way to Noy after Mar noticed that despite spending millions especially in tv adds, his rating as a presidential contender was not going up.

Jojo declares that LGU is his forte. As proof, he points at his accomplishments in Makati where the senior citizens get to see free movies and receive birthday cake, among other perks to its citizens, and the fact that it is one of the country’s richest cities. But the last thing Noy could do is add insult to Roxas’ s injury by appointing Jojo as DILG secretary. If Noy does this, he has abandoned Mar and his dreams. This action goes against Filipino’s most treasured value called debt of gratitude. Noy can’t do that.

And Mar Roxas is not making it easy for Noy either. He refuses to concede and his party, the Liberal Party (LP), is not helping at all. Even before the counting was over, they kept harping that Roxas won based on “their” certificates of canvass. I don’t know where are those certificates of canvass because it was Jojo who was declared the winner anyway. At first, I thought, Roxas party’s harping was just to give Roxas time to absorb the harsh reality, and a gesture to mean that it has not abandoned him, and I was ok with that. But it turned out differently, and instead of coaxing Roxas to concede, it is telling him it will support him should he file an election protest.

Indeed, LP has not abandoned Roxas. In fact, even in Roxas’ delusion that he won despite the result saying otherwise, LP is with him. Roxas won, didn’t he? Count the null votes, says Roxas. The Comelec responded, in essence: “Are you crazy? How can you count votes which are not there?”

President-elect Benigno Simeon Aquino. Photo from pinoyweekly.org.

It will take a miracle to revive Roxas’ national political career. And LP’s elected president Noy makes sure his fallen comrade career’s rise by making sure he does not appoint a person that will pose a danger to Roxas.

Roxas’ failure to connect

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (Inquirer) reported Thursday, 10 June 2010 (Mar supporters blame VP defeat on Noy backers by Nestor Burgos) that, “in Capiz, Roxas won over Binay with a margin of 116,526 votes–204,839 votes for Roxas against 88,313 votes for Binay.”

“In Roxas City, the hometown of Roxas, the LP vice presidential candidate won over Binay by 16,012 votes from the total 69,140 votes cast. Roxas garnered 39,609 votes (59.5 percent) against Binay’s 23,597 votes (35.4 percent).

“Aquino got more votes in Roxas City than the Capiz-born senator.

“In contrast, Binay got a bigger vote lead in his home turf, Makati City. Binay got 179,375 votes (64.3 percent) against Roxas’ 74,897 votes (26.85 percent).

Roxas’s loss is blamed on his “failure” to connect with more voters in Panay Island. The same news story described this failure: “On the island-resort of Boracay where Aquino and Roxas also won, some LP supporters said Jojo was more aggressive in touching base with voters.

“The Boracay Foundation Inc., a group of business owners on the island, invited Roxas last year to their induction of officers but Roxas did not come. Binay, on the other hand, visited Malay town (where Boracay is located), declared it a sister town of Makati and even donated two multi-cab vehicles”.

As if the Inquirer has not reported on Roxas’s failure to coordinate with the local government officials, the next day, 11

Mar Roxas is not conceding. Photo from anti-mar-roxas.blogspot.com

June 2010, Inquirer again published another story written by Norman Bordadora titled “How Jojo did it: Chiz, Mar, Seniors, frat bros”. In the said article, it described how Chiz Escudero intensified his involvement in Binay’s campaign, and reiterated and highlighted Roxas’ failure to connect. Said the article, “taking advantage of the fact that Roxas and his people were not coordinating with local government officials, the Escudero camp began calling these officials as well as members of the House of Representatives to push Binay.

“The governors were the key…They were told, ‘Do you expect Mar to help you? He’s not even talking to you.’”

That Roxas is not helping the local government units is the same complaint I had been airing since my first blog post against him January last year. His wedding feature’s failure to even mention the province of Capiz shows his neglect to our province. Otherwise, how can he forget the place he represented for three consecutive terms in Congress? I feel redeemed by these articles from Inquirer.

I have never heard nor read in any report that Noy abandons a friend. I suspect that this loyalty to his friend Mar is the cause of his refusal to give to his vice president-elect the post his heart desires. But if we are to transform this country (quoting Obama) brick by brick, block by block, callous hands by callous hands, we need someone like Jojo Binay, or so as he proclaims he has the capacity to do. Roxas and Binay’s ambitions combined are nothing compared to the collective desire of the Filipino people to have a better government. Noy cannot and must not ignore Jojo. This man has been pledging loyalty to him from the start. This man gives him the constant assurance that he can peacefully sleep every night as he has no intention of grabbing his position. This man has faithfully served his family through the years. And most of all, this man has been proclaimed his vice president. Majority of the voters of this nation chose Jojo to lead with Noy, and Noy must respect that. And when Jojo Binay says he will serve the people best as a DILG secretary, Noy must give him the chance. Otherwise, his action is tantamount to refusing to respect the will of the electorate.

I hope I am wrong in my assumption. But, if I am correct, this issue is no longer about Noy’s loyalty to Mar. This is already about Noy’s loyalty to his country. Will he let friendship, loyalty, and debt of gratitude get in the way in deciding what is best for this country? I hope not.