Who’s afraid of Malang?

Malang is like a passport. All the local travel the Saturday Group has done in the last three years – Roxas City, Batangas, Vigan, San Pablo, three times to Davao – were on account of the overwhelming goodwill he draws from all over the place. I am amazed, always, at how well received we are because of him, wherever we go.

Amazing, too, is his energy at 77. He gamely takes on our hectic itineraries, and in our most recent trips to Davao, shows up in the middle of the night at the domestic airport to make a 4:30 a.m. Cebu Pacific flight out of Manila. I worried at first that these tight schedules might run him down. But not anymore, seeing as how he is otherwise fit – in fact more so than many of us, and not just physically. He beat Caña at mental alertness right upon landing at the Davao International Airport when he noticed that the tarpaulin banners he had given Caña to carry was no longer in Caña’s possession, and poor Caña had to practically run back to the plane to retrieve it.

Malang likes things organized, and he takes it upon himself to pack all the artworks in crates, design the posters (that Caña, who produced it with Gerrico Valencia, almost sent back to Manila on the return flight), and call the people out of their hotel rooms at the Royal Mandaya to begin hanging the posters hours earlier than they intended. Malang could have used an afternoon nap himself, but no – he could not rest until things were done and done well. On this same trip to Davao, Fernando Sena conducted an art workshop for the kids of Diego Silang Elementary and Bantay Bata at the Seagull beach resort on the second day. While the rest of us disappeared into corners sketching, Malang assisted Sena, pasting pictures on the wall and carrying chairs around for the children. He doesn’t just bring his coordinated red (signature!) luggage with him on our trips, he bring his signature work ethic as well.

But that’s not to say that Malang, whom many of us call Tatay, is a drip. Far from it. He is good-time Malang all of the time, even at work – a real joy to be with. He loves a good laugh and is happiest in the company of Caña, who has one of the sharpest wits in the group, and Saturday Group president Buds Convocar, whose antics constantly get us roaring with laughter. Malang himself has a self-deprecating humor and constantly comes up with punch lines, usually directed at himself or at his sidekick, Caña. Laughter, along with art, has become the staple of a Saturday Group trip, mostly because of Malang who loathes dull moments and wants to keep the jokes coming. Even group chair Cris Cruz is well-pleased at how the present member-artists, unlike in the past, don’t take themselves too seriously and are able to form a deep bond through humor that is mostly directed at themselves. And that is what seems to keep Malang actively committed to the group.

But really, everywhere we go, the spotlight naturally falls on Malang, whose achievements as an artist are widely known and admired. Always self-effacing, he is quick to retreat to the background by bringing one or all of us to the forefront, presenting our small achievements to others like a proud father. That’s what the Saturday Group on its 37th year has become – a family, with a Tatay firmly but gently leading the way.

One late night in Seagull mountain resort in Davao, Anna de Leon and I lost our way in the dark and chanced upon Malang in his bedroom. It had been a long day, very tiring, and he had fallen asleep reading the Bible. His hands still held the book to his chest. His face was peaceful as a boy’s. Napagod si Tatay. (Father got tired). Anna and I both went to bed thankful for having known him, a gifted man with a kind heart from whom we draw inspiration and, yes, strength.

In the morning, we cracked jokes about it.

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Migs Villanueva, a member and officer of the Saturday Group, paints and also writes. She won first prize in the NVM Gonzales Literary Awards in 2001. Villanueva is currently preparing for her first solo exhibit.