This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 11, April 23-29, 2006
Painting a King’s Lexis
Everyone who closely follows literature in Filipino knows Jun Cruz Reyes,
novelist and short story writer. He is also a painter, photographer, and
filmmaker – but he is primarily known as a writer. “The people would be pitiful
if there were no honorable writers,” he said. BY
PINK-JEAN FANGON MELEGRITO A mix between my
grandfather’s austere looks and the stir of my young uncle-editor –most
definitely an imminent picture of myself if and when I finally realize the dream
of becoming a great writer – Sir Pedro “Jun” Cruz Reyes best fits all my
descriptions. Though fragmented, the
memories we shared are far from a mere interviewee-interviewer relationship.
Psyched and flushed, I saw Sir Jun again after met earlier this month during the
Likhaan Seminar-Workshop here, sponsored by the University of the Philippines
(UP) Baguio and the UP Institute of Creative Writing (UP-ICW). Anxious, I
thought he wouldn’t recognize me, yet he did (to my relief). Sir Jun, with a couple of
groupies like me, and his friends, Sir Tony Serrano (UP-ICW member) and Sir Rene
Villanueva (famed children’s book writer who is also one of my super favorites),
spent time gallivanting in the celebrated ukay-ukay in the city, looking
for shoes to perfectly fit Sir Jun’s 9-year-old (acting like a 19-year-old)
prince. We were formally introduced
(finally, from years of wondering when we will ever meet) when UP Baguio’s
official student paper Outcrop invited Sir Jun for a writers’ workshop
last March 3. With deep breaths and my usual tension response (chain smoking),
our conversation went from I fishing for details about him to him fishing for
details about me. Sir Jun said that to be a
flexible writer, one should be a wide reader. He read Latin, African and Western
literary works; hence, his views expanded. He wrote his first story
“Isang Lumang Kuwento” (An Old Story) in 1973. The story targets former
dictator-president Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law (1972) by
showing that there is nothing new in the so-called “New Society.” The piece won
a Palanca Award in 1973. Numerous other works
followed suit. “Sa kasaysayan, malaki
ang papel ng satire. Kawawa ang sambayanan kung walang mararangal na manunulat.
Kung kaya’t sa panahon ng panunupil, magsasalita pa rin ako through my writings
and paintings” (Satire played a prominent role in history. The people would
be pitiful if there were no honorable writers. So in times of repression, I
would still speak through my writings and paintings), he shared on the current
political crisis. “‘Yang Pinoy Big
Problem, yung may garapata sa nguso, ilan ang nateterorrize niya tuwing
lumalabas siya sa TV. Inaatake tayo sa puso sa taas ng presyo ng mga bilihin.
(The Pinoy Big Problem, the one with a flea near her mouth, she terrorizes
people whenever she appears on TV), he joked. Katulad naming UP (Diliman)
faculty, nakikisiksik kami sa canteen ng estudyante dahil mas mura dun”
(Like we in the UP faculty. We go to the students’ canteen though it’s always
crowded because food is cheaper there). So casual our chat was that
he was more of an old wise friend advising me to pursue my filmmaking and
fiction writing interests. Yes, he does not only create compelling scripts to
capture the essence of humanity and its difficulties, he is also a painter, a
photographer and a filmmaker. Gaining popularity from his
short story “Utos ng Hari” (The King’s Decree) and novel “Tutubi, Tutubi, ‘Wag
Kang Magpahuli sa Mamang Salbahe” (Dragonfly, Dragonfly, Don’t Let the Bad Man
Catch You), his visual arts career was almost unnoticed. He was typecast as a
fictionist rather than a painter. “Minsan nga natatawa na lang ako pag
nakikilala na lang ako dahil sa mga sinusulat ko” (Sometimes I couldn’t help but
laugh at the fact that I’m known only by my writings), Sir Jun shared. He has already held four
one-man shows exhibiting his paintings and sketches. One of his paintings was
the cover of his book Ilang Taon Na Ang Problema Mo? (How Old is Your
Problem?). Unfortunately, his paintings and some original manuscripts were lost
when his ancestral home in Hagunoy, Bulacan burned down on Sept. 30, 2004. Speaking of burned down
works, he burned his own English love sonnets when he first attempted writing. “Feeling
ko kasi corny, nonsense. Pero nung tumanda na ‘ko, naghinayang ako (I felt
they were corny, nonsense. But years later I regretted that). You should never
be ashamed of what you do. Be yourself. Dapat linawin ang pinaniniwalaan at
panindigan ito” (You should clarify your convictions and live these) he said as
he enlightened me. “When I started (writing),
I thought to myself, I’ll make sure I’ll make the difference,” Sir Jun shared.
Indisputably, he did. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat © 2006 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat