Friends, national artists honor Anding Roces

MANILA, Philippines - Friends, relatives and fellow National Artists paid tribute yesterday to the late Philippine STAR columnist Alejandro “Anding” Roces, whom they described as “a writer with the heart of a warrior.”

During the two-hour necrological service for Roces at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, F. Sionil Jose, fellow recipient of the National Artist for Literature Award, remembered how he and his friend shared precious moments together here and abroad.

“We were bonded together by so many things, by the history of our unhappy country, by our admiration to (Jose) Rizal and by our passion for writing,” Jose, who also writes a column for The STAR, said.

He said Roces became close to the Filipino “masa” during World War II. “You fought for freedom, Anding, it also bonded us,” he said.

Roces was buried with state honors at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City at noon yesterday.

Former environment secretary Heherson Alvarez, also Roces’ friend, saluted Roces for being a freedom fighter.

He said Roces was “a writer with the heart of a warrior.”

“He was a total man, a whole man, a man who would fight and risk his life to stand up and fight for the freedom of our society,” Alvarez said.

Roces was a guerrilla captain during the Japanese occupation. He also fought for the freedom of the press during the martial law period.

Roces passed away on May 23, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 86.

Roces’ fellow STAR columnist Rosalinda Orosa said her friend was “a walking encyclopedia who could write or speak with authority on almost any subject” and cited his “wit and humor which spiced his short stories and speeches.”

In her response, Roces’ only child Elizabeth Roces-Pedrosa thanked the Filipino people for honoring her father.

“Anding Roces was many different things. For some he was a nationalist who fought with arms and with the pen, to others he was a secretary of education, to most he stands as National Artist for Literature and champion of Filipino culture, and to the younger generation he was this witty writer who wrote a weekly column in the dailies. But to me Anding Roces was simply a father,” she said.

“I am his only child but I never felt alone for I always shared my father’s love with the rest of the nation,” she said.

An audio-visual presentation featuring Roces’ life and masterpieces was presented during the two-hour necrological service attended by officials of the CCP, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Artists, colleagues in the media and members of the diplomatic community.

Theater actors Lionel Guico, Cynthia Guico, Cocoy Laurel and Liesel Batucan, along with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, performed song and dance excerpts from Roces’ short story, “Something to Crow About.”

Roces served as education secretary from 1961-1965 during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal, and chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board in 2001.

He was also known for his essays and short stories, among them, “My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” He also wrote columns in the Manila Chronicle and The Manila Times, and was former president of Manila Bulletin.

Roces’ books include “Of Cocks and Kites” (1959), “Fiesta” (1980), and “Something to Crow About” (2005).

He won a number of awards for his works: the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, the Diwa ng Lahi Award, the Tanging Parangal of the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, and the Rizal Pro Patria Award.

He was named National Artist for Literature in 2003.

Roces studied at the Ateneo de Manila University from elementary to high school.

He graduated from the Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. He finished his master’s degree at the Far Eastern University.

During the term of Diosdado Macapagal, Roces pushed for the transfer of the country’s Independence Day celebration from July 4 to June 12. He also helped recover the manuscripts of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal which were stolen from the National Archives.