A Cebuano’s Premio Zobel

CEBU, Philippines - The visionary and truly ahead of his time, Don Enrique Zobel, had several dreams for the Philippines and one of his ardent wishes was for the Filipino to earnestly continue the use of the Spanish language.

To further encourage and safeguard his desire for the spoken and written word, he established in 1920 the Premio Zobel, a most coveted award given for a major literary piece of work, done entirely in Spanish by a Filipino writer.

Participated in by close to a hundred entries annually, some of the winners through the years include the distinguished Philippine ambassadors to several nations of global significance Leon Ma. Guerrero and Juan Rocha, the Jesuit historian of note, Fr. Jose Arcilla, the dean of social arbiters of her time, Lina Obieta Sevilla and some members of the illustrious Orosa family of letters, namely Sixto, Severina, and Rosalinda.

In 1929, a Cebuano author, Antonio Abad deservingly joined the impressive roster for his outstanding novel La Oveja de Nathan –Nathan's Sheep.

Conscientiously following in the footsteps of parents Gloria Zobel de Ayala de Padilla and Ricardo Padilla y Sastrustegui to keep, as they say, the torch burning, Georgina Padilla y Zobel de Mac-Crohon recently launched at the Ayala Museum, the prominent Cebuano novel in Spanish with a side-by-side English translation done by Lourdes Castrillo Brillantes, herself a Premio Zobel awardee in 1998.

"La Oveja de Nathan, my grandfather Enrique  Zobel's favorite novel, is in my opinion, the Filipino equivalent of the classic 'War and Peace'," comments Georgina. "It symbolizes a Filipino's journey toward understanding historical events – the Spanish regime and the coming of the Americans and how he begins to see the Philippines metaphorized as a lamb. The book,"  she continues, "embodies the qualities of the typical Filipino – unassuming, honest, hardworking, brave."

The publication of the book, which was printed by Vibal Publishing, received a partial grant from the Spanish Embassy in Manila and the Spanish Cultural Cooperation.

La Tasca, the iconic Spanish restaurant ably run by Marilou Senn, served Jamon Iberica de Bellota and other favorite Iberian delicacies  laid out in huge clam shells.

Among those present at the well-attended affair were Spain's Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Domecq, former Ambassadors of the Philippines to Spain Isabel Caro Wilson and Joseph Bernardo, Manila-based painter Betsy Westendorp de Brias, art professor of Fernando Zobel, Eric Torres and his daughter Erika Torres, heritage arts and culture advocates Maritoni Ortigas and Bambi Harper, art collector Jose Maria Cariño, Vibal Publishing's Gaspar Vibal, and Gemino Abad, the son of author Antonio Abad.

Also seen were Nachie Ortigas, Claudia Tambunting, Mia Borromeo, Bea Roxas, Eduardo Muñoz Seca, Techie Bilbao, Alexandra Ortigas, Conchita Toda, Marilou Prieto Lovina, Nena Ortoll, Luisa Valdes, Ignacio Ortigas, Pilina Rocha, Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, Marga Melian Ortigas, and Joan Orendain. (FREEMAN)