PAGBABAGO

I first met Gilda in 1996 although I had been a fan of this multi-awarded icon for quite sometime. I have read many of her writings, including three that I had retrieved from my library collection which had shrank to 15 percent of the original size as I had donated most of them to my favorite school library and my son.

These are the two coffee-table books, “Turn of the Century” (1978) and “The Culinary Culture of the Philippines (1976) and a slim 23-page children’s story, “Ningning”(1997), all of which she published under her own GCF Books. The first two should now be collectors’ items not just because Gilda who is most loved and revered in the art and literary field, but because these two have valuable rare documents of the past that are now difficult to access. Among the contributors are some of our literary “greats,” among them, my friends  Felice Sta. Maria and Nick Tiongson, Doreen Fernandez, and  of course, Nick Joaquin and Teodoro Agoncillo.

The publication of “Ningning” was from a special grant of the UNESCO National Commission, and by the Committee on Communication which I chaired. Gilda had graciously acknowledged this in her last autobiography where she noted her appreciation of the warm welcome that she received from my committee members which included acclaimed culture luminaries – broadcast journalist Che-che Lazaro, vice-chair, National Artist Virgilio Almario, and architect Toti Villalon.

“Ningning,” story and art by Gilda and translated into Filipino by poet Jose F. Lacaba, must be read by both children and adults for its simple but profound cultural nuances on tolerance in these days of ethnic and racial discrimination manifested by school bullying. And also for its aesthetics as shown in Gilda’s first foray in book illustration.

A 10-day-old baby left in a shoebox in a garbage bin was found by a couple, a “kapre” and an “aswang”who dwelt in a village located in a deep forest when they visited  the poblasyon. She was named Ningning. Upon reaching Grade 4 when she turned 11, her parents transferred her to the school in town. After a week, the teachers heard rumors about her parents from parents of other children and confronted Ningning who told them that indeed, the rumors were true. People call her mother “aswang” as she goes to the forests to treat the sick. Their friends were the dwendes (dwarfs), fairies, and animals. She shared stories about the forest dwellers being polite and respectful of people’s rights, unlike some of the latter who destroyed trees and took away fruits from the forests. Ningning’s defense of her adoptive parents and the forest dwellers was incomparable! The teachers cried and asked how they can help. Ningning said she hopes that  her classmates and their parents would leave her alone so that she can finish her studies and become a nurse. The teachers invited her to their homes upon learning that she had never been to any house in town.

The teachers had also their own story. They or some relatives had children who dropped out of school because of fears of being discriminated against due to a deformity or lack of self-worth because they were orphaned or children of a minority group. They agreed that these fears of being “weirdos” or “different” do not matter. The school was big enough to embrace everyone of any color, size, shape, belief. And that their school was the best in the entire region.

Gilda dedicates this narrative to her nine grandchildren, and from UNESCO, to millions of children and especially girls, who continue to suffer many forms of prejudice.

Thank you Gilda for this precious gift and the hundreds of worthy causes  you have pursued in communicating what is necessary to attain peace, justice and a more sustainable future – and respect for others, and a more sensitive awareness of our own culture and history. Farewell to a friend, a most respected cultural historian, and a great lady!

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