Mga akda ni Sir Frank Rivera

Kasalukuyang naka-confine ang makata at mandudulang si Frank Rivera sa Manila Doctor's Hospital. Inoperahan siya sa pisngi, panga, leeg at lalamunan dahil sa isang uri ng kanser na kumalat sa mga bahaging ito.

Nagche-chemo therapy siya ngayon at sa wakas ay malapit nang matapos ang kanyang mga session.

pero habang nasa ospital pa siya, masaganang-masagana naman siyang gumagawa ng akda. Paano? Sa pamamagitan ng pagte-text.

Halos ilang buwan na rin mula nang regular na mag-text si Sir Frank sa akin ng kanyang mga tula at maiikling sanaysay hinggil sa iba't ibang paksa: ospital, sakit, literal na sakit, at sakit ng bayan, tiwaling politiko (ano pa nga ba?) at ilang calendar related events tulad ng araw ng kasarinlan.

Narito ang mga text niya sa akin ngayong araw na ito:

If only pain could think, it can mellow our deepest grief. If we don't wallow in our grief, pain could miraculously be so brief. Pain and grief can both be a virtue if we learn from experiencing them. And they eventually go away as nothing is as permanent as change even if masochists wish for both of them to stay. Brief can spell forever if grief, so intense, remains a pain. If we let the pangs of pain chew us, grief can never be brief for pain is like the waves trying to grasp the shore; and grief resembles the shore trying to let go of the oncoming tide. Although we can be swept away by our pain and drown in our grief, pain can make us stronger as we can draw strength from grief. They go on and on. Nothing stays forever after all, like time, that is instant. Time also dictates change. That is constant. And time is briefer than brief which cannot be easily grasped. Only memory does that but so whimsically.

Then, all we have is hope. Hope is good. It can let go of anything like pain and grief. It can even grasp time for it is never brief. There is permanence in hope as hope is forever. Like God, Who is forever and permanent. If only pain and grief could think God...

-16 Oct. 2013

Heto naman, tula:

Kamataya'y hindi ang naglahong ilaw
Hindi ang liwanag nitong nasasaklaw
Kundi ang pagpatay sa lamparang taglaw
Dahil dumating na ang Madaling araw.

16 Oct. 2013

Heto ang isang napapanahong tula:

2 Tanagang UAAP

1.
Ayy! Napana ang Tigre
Ang dilaw naging verde
Di-El-Es-Yu-Yu-Es-Ti
Mga Teng ang nagwagi.

2.
Sa mahilig sa bola
Hindi bago ang kanta
nang mag-dribble si Ama
Sa anak ipinasa.

-13 Oct. 2013

Heto ang isang serye ng tula:

1.
Kanya-kanyang papel na ginagampanan
Mundong entablado'y ating kinulayan
Kahit kadalasa'y di naiilawan
Ang pangarap natin, sana'y di nasayang.

2.
Ang mga palabas kung naisaloob
Ating sandata na sa pakikihamok
Sa gadaigdig na problemang sumubok
Sa tineatrong buhay sa ati'y humubog.

3.
Laksang suliranin ating kinaharap
Di tayo yumaman, hindi rin sumikat
Sa matinding laot ng mga hinagap
Naitawid pa rin ang mga pangarap.

4. Ang isinilang ko'y dula, awit, tula
Naglayag at sana'y naghatid ng tuwa
Kahit pa minsan ay inaalipusta
Mas madalas namang yakapin ng madla.

5.
Maraming papuri at mga parangal
Tropeyo't medalyang may kinang na kambal
Kapirasong papel, may kambal na aral
Kusang iginawad, may kuha sa dasal.

6.
Napakarami ring bayan ang narating
Buong Pilipinas, inikot, inangkin
Sa ibayong bansa, lalong pinaigting
Tatak-Pilipinong kilala sa galing.

7.
At nangyari lamang ang lahat ng ito
Pagkahalukay sa buong pagkatao
Sa pinakapusod naro'n ang totoo
Mangingibabaw ang pagka-Pilipino.

8.
Mga sinimula'y nagwawakas lahat
Ngunit mahalaga'y napagtanto agad
Maraming tumulong para makaangat
Sa kanila handog - ang pasasalamat!

-15 Oct. 2013

Marami pa siyang itine-text sa amin. Sabi nga namin ay puwede nang gawing materyal para sa isang e-book. At umoo naman siya at tuwang-tuwa. Sabik na sabik na siyang makita ang magiging cover page. Meron na nga rin siyang pamagat. (Saka ko na ipo-post dito, para me element of surprise.)

Kahanga-hanga ang sigasig ni Sir Frank sa paglikha ng akda. Ansabe ng sakit? Wala. Ansabe ng kanser? Wala. Ansabe ng mga tubo-tubong nakasuksok sa kanyang laman? Wala. Panis.

Well, ganyan talaga ang mga tunay na alagad ng sining, lalong sumisigasig sa paglikha kapag sinisikil ng pisikal na mga puwersa.

So, ansabe ni Sir Frank?

BRING IT ON.

WILL. NEVER. CEASE. TO. CREATE.




-Dito ay inilathalang muli nang may pahintulot ang akda ni Sir Frank.

BDAP Appeal to Congress: Please include in the DepEd budget copyright license fees

Message by Mr. Lirio P. Sandoval

President, Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP)

At the opening of the 34th Manila International Book Fair, Sept. 11, 2013

SMX, Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines

BDAP president Lirio P. Sandoval.

About 30 years ago, I still clearly remember that BDAP was meeting with Senator Edgardo Angara lobbying for the passage of the Book Publishing Industry Development bill which he authored in the Senate. Eventually it passed and was made into law and we really thank him for that. Republic Act 8047 created the National Book Development Board (NBDB) to look after the needs of the industry. He has been a staunch supporter of the Philippine Book Industry.

Now, we have his son Senator Sonny Angara as one of our guest of honors. We did not invite him to lobby for another bill in Congress but simply to hear his thoughts on how the Philippine Book Industry could develop further.

 

This changing of the guard is but an indication of how the book industry has also changed. Our main advocacies in the past have either been resolved or become inconsequential.  Perhaps only a few remain.

Book Industry Data Bank and Road Map

Among the few remaining ones, I can only think of one that will be helpful for us in the book industry, whether you are a publisher or a bookseller. This is to have a data bank of all books published and exported or imported into the country, including those being bought through the Internet. We in the private sector cannot do this alone.

I said it is important because I believe that for us to really plan ahead, this information will be very important. At the moment, BDAP is in the midst of commissioning a study on the Philippine Book Industry Road Map for the next 15 years or so. It has become necessary for us to do it, as the digital age has already dawned on us. While printed books could eventually be consigned to a small portion of bookstores, we have to satisfy the needs of our readers for the digital copies.

And there are more opportunities for publishers, authors, and writers to fully exploit the Digital Age. The cost of publishing have gone down, as there is no need to print copies, authors can just send their manuscripts through the Internet. Editors can now do their job online. And very important, publishers can now promote and sell through the Internet thus the worldwide market is now an option to us. I have always believed that Filipinos are among the most creative ones in the world.

Sen. Sonny Angara (seated 3rd from left) and Cong. Leni Robredo (seated 4th from left) with the Philippine book industry stalwarts.

Philippines: a nation of pirates no more

One of the most important developments that is happening now is the growing respect for copyright. For a long time, the Philippines has been branded by the international community as a nation of pirates. Now, the Philippines is slowly gaining respect with the successful organization of the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society (FILCOLS). It is now an active member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations or IFRRO.

DepEd: No budget for copyright fees

I would like to take this opportunity to relate to you one of our experiences with the Department of Education. As they were starting to produce learning materials for the K-12 program, they used some Filipino authored works. And they requested the publishers and authors to give the license for FREE. Of course, they balked at this idea and BDAP and FILCOLS relayed their sentiments. DepEd replied that they do NOT HAVE BUDGET FOR COPYRIGHTS but only for the printing of the learning materials. 

This is both sad and strange. The DepEd have budget for paper and ink but nothing for the content. How can our country’s Education department not see that it is content, the creative works of authors, which gives primary value to learning materials? In any case, we managed to convince Secretary Armin Luistro to pay copyright fees, even as a token. He agreed to pay PHP 427,000.00 only as his discretionary funds can allow this. Upon computation, this will amount to an average of PHP 3,000.00 per publisher and which they have to share also with their authors. The number of pupils in Grades 1 and 7 who will use these learning materials is four million students or only PHP 0.10 per pupil. KAWAWA NAMAN ANG MGA PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS.

Respect copyright

In any case, I still see this as a light at the end of the tunnel. We hope that as you and your colleagues, dear Senator Sonny Angara and Congresswoman Leni Robredo, discuss DepEd's budget, please include something to pay the copyrights of the works they use for the learning materials of the other Grade levels.

Before we can compete with the world market, let us show to them that we also respect copyright.

Barangay Reading Centers

One other law that Senator Edgardo Angara authored was the creation of Barangay Reading Centers. The intention was noble but no funds were allocated. I understand from the NBDB, that the earliest local government unit to comply with it was Naga City under the leadership of then Mayor Jesse Robredo. The funds came from their Internal Revenue Allotment. Perhaps, our present Congress can do something about it.

ASEAN Community

Before I turn this message into a gripe or wish list session, I would like to ask our fellow stakeholders to also adapt to the changing environment. I am an optimist at heart and today we are given a golden opportunity to compete throughout the world or at least within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region especially with the forthcoming integration of the ASEAN community in 2015. The government cannot do everything for us. We have to do our part to help our industry grow further.

Before I end, I would like to congratulate PrimeTrade Asia for again successfully organizing the 34^th MIBF. Magandang tanghali po sa inyong lahat!

Photos by AJB.