The Madness of 'Seven Arts, One Imelda'

Theater scholar and academician Dr. Nicanor G. Tiongson would have surely objected to the use of the phrase “seven arts" in the title of a recent tribute to former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, founding chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). During his term as CCP vice president and artistic director, Tiongson popularized the concept of “seven arts."

In 1991, he edited Tuklas Sining, a coffee table book containing seven essays written by leading Filipino scholars that discussed major traditions in Philippine dance, theater, music, literature, cinema, architecture, and visual arts and the evolution of the seven art forms from the earliest times to the present. Tiongson had earlier championed the “seven arts" idea during his association with the progressive group Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP). Reflecting on the tumultuous presidency of Corazon C. Aquino from 1986 to 1992, Tiongson wrote in the introduction of Tuklas Sining that arts must be “linked to the concerns of a country that is now struggling to stand on its own as a nation – with an independent economy, politics, and culture." Aquino is credited for having restored democracy in the Philippines after Imelda’s husband, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972 and plunged the country into a long period of repression and oligarchy. The irony then, of the CCP mounting a tribute to Imelda last Sept. 11, the 92nd birth anniversary of her husband, at the CCP Main Theater was not lost on many Filipinos who became victims of human rights violations during the brutal Marcos regime. Three nights earlier, on Sept. 8, the CCP held its 40th anniversary gala to celebrate its formal inauguration in 1969. At the time, then California Gov. Ronald Reagan and Mrs. Nancy Reagan had represented President Richard Nixon at the glamorous event. It had taken three years since its establishment in 1966 to finish the CCP, which was envisioned by Imelda as a national theater to “promote and preserve Filipino arts and culture." The Marcos couple trumpeted the CCP as their “gift to the Filipino people." The CCP tribute entitled “Seven Arts, One Imelda," was initially slated as a very public acclamation of Imelda’s “life-long patronage of the seven arts" " and as “an evening celebrating the luminous Philippine imagination" to honor Imelda as the CCP founding chair. It was not for long. History would again intervene as the paths of the Marcos and Aquino families crossed once more. From its inception, the Imelda tribute was a quiet but divisive issue within the corridors of power at the CCP. Insiders say there was an intense difference of opinion within the CCP management, but the executive decision to hold the Imelda accolade prevailed, despite warnings from former CCP officials that the Imelda fete “dishonors the memory of the victims of the conjugal dictatorship." The spontaneous outburst of affection by hundreds of thousands of Filipinos for Cory Aquino, who died Aug. 1 and was lying in state at the time the final decisions were being made on the Imelda extravaganza, was not lost on the CCP official calling the shots for the tribute. Seeing the public mood, the official declared that it would be a “strictly by-invitation-only affair" and tickets became scarce. Members of the media were not given blanket permission to cover the event; this writer was one of the few who was invited to the performance. Hours before the Imelda tribute, this text message was circulated in cultural circles: “Thousands disappeared. Thousands more tortured and imprisoned. Millions stolen from the Filipino people. And then the tribute ‘Seven Arts, One Imelda.’ What’s the equation, dear CCP artists?" Minutes before Imelda arrived, 20 rain-soaked members of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and Alliance of Concerned Teachers sneaked through the police cordon a few feet from the CCP main entrance, surprising the security men. Led by Antonio Tinio, son of National Artist for Theater and Literature Rolando Tinio, the protesters shouted “Marcos! Hitler! Diktador! Tuta!" and unfurled banners emblazoned with slogans such as “Justice for the Victims of the Marcos Conjugal Dictatorship," “Never Again to Martial Law," and “Resist Fascist Culture." The late national artist Tinio, who had political disagreements with his son, was strongly supported by Imelda. In a statement distributed during the protest, the Concerned Artists of the Philippines said: “We are reminding our colleagues in national cultural agencies, that as responsible members of the arts and professional cultural workers, we should not play a part in forgetting and erasing the heinous crimes of the Marcos dictatorship." The CAP statement described the affair as “immoral" considering that people’s taxes were used, and added: “The CCP management should have been more judicious, instead of sponsoring the Imelda tribute." In response, the CCP board of trustees said: “While we have always been committed to the propagation of the Filipino arts and culture and to keeping politics at bay as fiercely as we can, we can understand that not everyone may see things from the same vantage point. As in the past, we allow others to express their sentiments and hope we can give one another respectful democratic space for differing opinions." (See next page) Muse and Madness Staged at a cost of less than one million pesos because the artists performed for free, the “Seven Arts, One Imelda" program was divided into two parts. Part I was conducted by Josefino Toledo, musical director of the Metro Manila Community Orchestra, and featured nine of the country’s most talented musicians, all of whom received assistance from Imelda. The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra opened Part I with Jose Estella’s La Tagala. Soprano Aileen Espinosa Cura sang Felipe Padilla de Leon’s Kay Tamis ng Buhay from Noli Me Tangere and was joined by Bass Jonathan Velasco in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s La Ci Darem La Mano from Don Giovanni.

Ballet dancer Lisa Macuja-Elizalde strikes an elegant pose at the Imelda tribute. Kiko Cabuena

Soprano Camille Lopez Molina dazzled the audience and earned the first shout of Bravo! of the evening with her performance of Giuseppi Verdi’s O Don Fatale from Don Carlo. Soprano Rachelle Gerodias was equally impressive in Charles Gounod’s Je Veux from Romeo et Juliette. Flutist Antonio Maigue played Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 107, while violinist Alfonso Bolipata rendered Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 Finale: Allegro energico. World-renowned pianist Cecile Licad wowed the audience with her virtuoso performance of Franz Liszt’s St. Francis de Paula Walking on the Water. Violinist Joseph Esmilla played Pablo de Sarasate’s Introduction Et Tarantelle Op. 43, and CCP Artistic Director Raul Sunico closed the first part with Lucino Sacramento’s Ang Bituin: First Movement. Introducing the tribute’s second part, Representative Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told the select crowd that the Marcos family did not know what to expect, but admitted that Ryan Cayabyab’s title Imelda: Muse and Madness “was suitably Imeldific," eliciting polite laughter.

Imeldific gowns complete the Imelda tribute. Kiko Cabuena

The explanatory notes for Part II said some of its images were “clear references to the Imeldific in our psyche." It also posed the question: “How (do you) capture the spirit of an age and the distinct sensibility of a woman who has shaped so much of our culture, and our perception of art, spectacle, and nationalism?" The tribute was a collage of music, dance, solo and choral singing, performance art, fashion, and oratorio that tried to capture very much sanitized vignettes of Imelda’s life “as a young girl who once danced by the beach and who wonders, to this day, if she can ever go home again." It showcased top-notch Filipino artists including ballet dancers Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Candice Adea, and Carisa Adea; mezzo soprano Clarissa Ocampol and the Ballet Philippines. While the tandem of Alexander Cortez (stage director) and Floy Quintos (concept/scriptwriter) may invoke artistic license for clearly evading harsh historical realities, their use of children in the Imelda tribute strongly hinted of hues of fascist culture: young, innocent children looking for a brighter future. It must be pointed out that these children’s future has already been mortgaged, as they have to pay the corruption-driven foreign debt incurred by the Marcos dictatorship.

Hitler moment. School children sing praises to Imelda in Muse and Madness. Kiko Calbuena

It may be true that Imelda had the vision to establish a national center for the arts and culture and was a central part of the CCP from 1969 to 1986, or 23 of its 40 years in existence. But the CCP would have to stage another grand tribute to honor those who supported it during the last 17 year, from 1986 to 2009. It cannot do less. - GMANews.TV