So What's Wrong with Being a Nationalist Artist?

Like all texts, there are many ways to read Alfred Yuson's column Kripotkin published in the Philippine Star on 20 March 2006. Among them are:

1. He was merely sour-graping. He wanted Cirilo Bautista to get the National Artist award and Bautista got eliminated in the second round. I agree with Yuson. Bautista does deserve the award (I even think Gemino Abad deserves it as well!). However, to attack Lumbera because his candidate didn't win is to be pikon. As we say, pikon talo! Yuson  did Bautista a disservice.

2. Mr. Yuson fears that after Almario and Lumbera, "a trend has been established... that may keep our creative writers in English at bay where the National Artist for Literature is concerned." I would like to remind Mr. Yuson that of the ten National Artists for Literature, only two (Amado V. Hernandez and Virgilio Almario) are writers inFilipino and only one is bilingual (Rolando Tinio). If anyone should be afraid of being marginalized, it should be the writers who write in the regional languages, not the writers in English.

3. Mr. Yuson is horrified that the National Artist Award could possibly go to a nationalist. I regret that at his age, Yuson still does not understand the meaning of the word "nationalism" nor the great tradition of nationalist writing espoused by both National Hero Jose Rizal and National Artist Amado V. Hernandez. One could even argue that the writings of Gonzalez, Joaquin, Tinio, and Almario are nationalist writings, because yes, even writers in English – surprise! surprise! – can be nationalists. If I were a mind-reader like Mr. Yuson, I could perhaps say that the writers he mentioned – Edith Tiempo, Franz Arcellana, Gonzalez, and Joaquin – are turning in their graves not because they are "saddened by the turn of events" but because they will be the first to deny that their patriotism can be doubted. After all, they did spend their lives "promoting national cultural identity and the dignity of the Filipino people through the content and form of their works" – one of the criteria for being named a national artist.

4. Mr. Yuson's column should be read in the context of the political repression in the country. Five Representatives of Congress (Satur  Ocampo, Liza Maza, Joel Virador, Teddy Casiño and Rafael Mariano) are holed up at the Batasang Pambansa because they have arrest warrants; Rep. Crispin Beltran, 73, is in prison. Randy David, Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Dinky Soliman have all been arrested for supposedly leading rallies. This past year, more than a hundred people have been summarily executed. Indeed, to be perceived to be "leftist," is dangerous in the Philippines.

Mr. Yuson has irresponsibly called Dr. Lumbera a "communist," making him an open target for the likes of Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who was decorated March 20 for his "anti-left executions." I am therefore holding Mr. Yuson responsible for whatever may happen to Dr. Lumbera.

In one of the other dailies, the headlines read: "Attacks on leftists mount." Perhaps the column was not really about Bautista. Perhaps it was not really about the "marginalized" writers in English. Perhaps Mr. Yuson was simply revealing who his patrons are.

Joi Barrios, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of the Philippines

Posted by Bulatlat

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