EDITORS DESK

The pandemic has brought so many changes in our lives. It has affected the way education is delivered to all students. Because of online learning (or those who have completely stopped schooling because of lack of funds or gadgets), there is now what experts call a pandemic of “ignorance” due to the loss of proper learning. And its effects, sadly, would reverberate for years to come.

Now, what is the connection of Liwayway magazine here? Liwayway, to those who are not familiar, is not only the brand of a cornstarch. Liwayway is the country’s longest running literary-lifestyle magazine, which is turning a hundred years old this November 2022. I am proud to say that Liwayway continues to produce its issues regularly amid world wars, changes in administrations, coup d’etats, financial crises, political turmoils, and even now, when the world is still plunged in a health pandemic.

As I mentioned, Liwayway is one of the very few magazine titles to be consistently produced during this pandemic. Though there is no print version, the digital edition of the entire magazine can easily be bought (you can even pay via GCash) through Magzter or PressReader. There is also a Liwayway website (liwayway.ph), which was launched last June 2021, the first time it had one in its 99-year history.

Because of this regularity and accessibility, I have received messages from school heads, teachers, and students who have said that Liwayway content has tremendously helped with online education, especially in classes where there is a need for students to be exposed to new Filipino poems and stories penned by younger writers.

Teachers from as far as Aparri and Surigao have written how Liwayway’s content was able to augment the dearth in materials in teaching literature in our National Language. On the other hand, students have expressed their utmost joy seeing their works published in Liwayway’s pages. Since the magazine underwent rebranding in June 2021, focusing more on literature rather than showbiz content, contributions from ordinary Filipinos, young enthusiasts to established ones, came in the form of poetry, short stories, illustrations, and photos. Some have even sent their novels, which they hope to be serialized in Liwayway.

The positive reception for Liwayway’s new direction is an encouraging sign amid the “desert” of reading materials in Filipino. When I go abroad, I’m always envious of countries such as Japan, South Korea, India, or those in the European Union since their bookstores are filled with rows and sections of reading materials in their own language. In our country, the Filipiniana section is just a tiny corner in our vanishing bookstores (one casualty of the pandemic, too).

The reality now is that Liwayway stands as the only publication of its kind, a Filipino magazine for literary and lifestyle readers, whose (digital) pages are now a platform for aspiring writers and artists. Even Liwayway’s recent covers have become a showcase for young artists who have dreams of making it big in the art world someday.

It is in the mission to continue holding the fort for Filipino literature that Liwayway sees itself as it journeys near its centenary this November. It may be a “lonely” battle but it is an endeavor worth fighting for. I believe that if we lose our passion for our language, then we slowly lose our identity as a people. If we don’t appreciate today’s generation of Filipino literary creators or nurture the younger generation of artists, we may never find the next Amado V. Hernandez, Cirilo F. Bautista, Virgilio S. Almario, Vicente S. Manansala, or Francisco V. Coching—all National Artists, whose works were first published in Liwayway’s pages when they were all still young writers and budding painters.

When we don't encourage creativity among the youth and couldn't provide them the artistic care they need, the next generation would become mindless "robots" mined for data by tech companies. To me, that is a great tragedy, one whose consequences are irreversible.

Liwayway, even amid insurmountable challenges, is resolute in its mission to bring the best of Philippine literature and visual arts to a wider audience as much as possible. Together with me are Perry Mangilaya and Wilson Fernandez who took care of Liwayway in the past decade, plus hundreds of contributors who continue to make art and literature amid these trying times.

To mark its centenary, there are plans to host a literary competition, launch a three-book compilation of the best works, plus unveiling of merchandise to help spread the word that Liwayway is here to stay, not only in the coming days, but for another 100 years!

Johannes L. Chua is the editor of Manila Bulletin’s Property and Environment Sections. He is also editor of Liwayway Magazine.