Recent weeks have highlighted the passing of time with three successive occurences that either merited my attention or involvement.
On Jan. 25, a Private Message included photos of Davao-based fiction writer Aida Rivera Ford being feted as she turned 99. As sender Ricky de Ungria noted, she had a thinner smile but was otherwise all there, happily displaying bunches of flowers and other gifts. Last time I saw her in person, it must have been about two decades ago when Ricky brought her to Paradise Beach resort on Samal Island to have lunch with us.
Dear Aida is still remembered by generations of writers for her memorable prize-winning story, “The Chieftest Mourner.” Born in Jolo, Sulu, in 1926, she took an English degree at Silliman University in 1949, distinguishing herself as the first ever editor of Sands and Coral, the institution’s literary folio.
I recall that by the ‘90s, she had established the Riverford Nature Park at Catalunan Grande off Davao City, where she had larger-than-life statues of Nick Joaquin and NVM Gonzales set up on open ground.
Another throwback was a query from premier poet Marjorie Evasco — if I happened to still have copies of 7x7: World Poetry Choices by Seven Filipino Poets, which I edited in 2003. It was published by Libris Books, run by old friend Eric Villegas who had opened a bookstore in Market! Market!. When he gave up on it years later, he sent me the remaining copies of the book — a literary anthology with the participation of Gemino H. Abad, Cirilo F. Bautista, Marjorie Evasco, Luisa Igloria, Rowena Tiempo Torrevillas, Ricardo M. de Ungria, and this writer. Each of us selected and presented 10 poems; we articulated on these choices.
“Here then are the personal favorites from world poetry as selected by Filipino poets. It is hoped that our commentary explaining our selections will help enlighten students, teachers, and all lovers of poetry — on what makes a poem good and great, reek of eventual influence, become a seminal work, or very simply, remain achingly memorable.”
These totaled 68 poems, with a couple duplicated in the individual selections — “To Earthward” by Robert Frost and “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock” by T. S. Eliot. The most popular poet was Wallace Stevens, albeit five different poems of his were cited. My choice was “The Poem That Took the Place of a Mountain.” Eliot had four citations, Frost and Cummings three apiece.
Six poets were cited twice: Shakespeare, Rimbaud, Rilke, Rumi, Emily Dickinson and Edith Tiempo. Among the works by Filipino poets were those of Jose Garcia Villa, Nick Joaquin, Amado Hernandez (in English translation), Carlos Angeles, Anthony Tan, Jose Lansang Jr. and Emmanuel Lacaba.
Now Evasco was asking for copies she could have her DLSU students acquire since she planned to take up the book’s contents in class. I said I should still have a bunch of copies other than the one sported in my primary bookshelf; but that I had to scour for them among many other books placed randomly in closets and a bedroom that served as a bodega.
I despaired for over a week at not finding what I imagined would be a box or package of copies together. Engaging in intermittent spring cleaning, I finally found 20 copies still wrapped up, and happily reported this to Marj. She said she’d take them all, sell half to her students (we agreed on a friendly price of P100 per copy), and keep the other 10 for selling at upcoming literary events. I asked to retain two copies for my own collection. The next day, Marj sent her driver over to purchase the 18 copies.
So, anyone who wants to beat others to the opportunity, try to attend the next literary activity at DLSU that’s open to the public. That’s how you may gain a treasured poetry anthology that’s over two decades old.
The last happenstance that actually led to the quick crafting of a memory piece was the annual homecoming in San Beda. Our class of elementary school 1956 and high school 1960 had its Platinum Jubilee after 65 years, following up on our Golden Jubilee in 2010 and Diamond Jubilee in 2020.
Our class president Lino Dionisio asked me to spin off an article on us octogenarians for inclusion in the Bedan Alumnus magazine that would be distributed among attendees at Mendiola on Feb. 1.
I got back at Lino by quoting a recent Viber post he had shared, about “anosognosia,” which was temporary forgetfulness, according to French professor Bruno Dor of the Institute of Memory and Alzheimer’s Disease (IMMA), La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, in Paris.
“If anyone is aware of his memory problems — he does not have Alzheimer’s.” This is anosognosia, the symptoms of which include forgetting names and where things have been placed.
“After 60 years, most people have such a difficulty, which indicates that it is not a disease, but rather a characteristic, due to the passage of years. … Those who are conscious of being forgetful have no serious problem of memory. Those who suffer from a memory illness or Alzheimer’s are not aware of what is happening.”
Since my article was titled “Bedan Barkadahans of Octogenarians (SBC ES 1956 / HS 1960),” I started with those quotes, before taking us all down memory lane through the decade of reunions in preparation for our 2010 Golden Jubilee. Steady conscription resulted in a Viber group for some 60 former schoolmates (including those based abroad), and regular dinner and drinks at various venues.
“It eventually became a monthly get-together at Villamor Golf Club, with attendance sometimes soaring to over 30 dudes. We called it our Bedan Barkadahan, which became even more special when foreign-based schoolmates came home on holiday visits to share in the usual lechon and drinks.”
I had already sent the piece for publication when I thought of Googling “anosognosia.” The results turned out to be in direct opposition to the views espoused by the French professor reputed to be a memory expert, since the general consensus was that anosognosia was “a condition in which a person with a disability is cognitively unaware of having it due to an underlying physical condition.” It’s “a lack of insight,” among those who “can’t recognize a medical problem.” The consensus also says that memory lapses are simply those, whether caused by age or related to dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Well, whether Professor Bruno Dor has a radical new notion or an errant one, we octogenarian Bedans might find out when we have 2025’s first barkadahan of dinner and drinks, even if we miss out on some names for a moment or two. Everyone who attends is assured that he still has some years to go before becoming aware or unaware of any further disability. ?
Dor has a radical new notion or an errant one, we octogenarian Bedans might find out when we have 2025’s first barkadahan of dinner and drinks, even if we miss out on some names for a moment or two. Everyone who attends is assured that he still has some years to go before becoming aware or unaware of any further disability. ?