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Paying tribute to the
humanity and greatness of the most exemplary Filipino in history,
Vibal
Foundation on December 9 launched Lolo José:
An Intimate and Illustrated Portrait of José
Rizal at the Almacenes
Reales in Fort
Santiago, Intramuros.
Written by Rizal's grand-niece Asunción López-Bantug, the unique biography promises to help Filipinos rediscover their national hero as it reveals all the other things he was—son, brother, friend, lover—aside from being the man with a monument in Luneta.
As such, the event served not just as a book launch but as a celebration of all stories told about Rizal and his family. The evening featured the world premiere of The Family Carries On, a 15-minute documentary highlighted by interviews with members of at least three different Rizal clans. The video borrows its name from the last chapter of Lolo José, and in it, Rizal's descendants share their favorite anecdotes, reflections and insights about the grand-uncle only they could claim to have.
To encourage a fresh look at the different faces of Rizal, a mini multimedia exhibit was also mounted during the launch. The exhibit showcased a marble bust of Rizal by Guillermo Tolentino, a gilded plaster bust by Anastasio Caedo, and the newly-unveiled painting “Rizal:Ama ng Librong Pilipino” by Jun Martinez, among others. The evening was also highlighted by musical tributes led by accomplished pianist Julie Mendoza and soprano Aileen Cura, who treated an audience filled with Rizal's descendants, cultural patrons, scholars and dignitaries to a performance of “Eres Tú” and “Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran?”.
López-Bantug herself, by now a nonagenarian, graced the event. Other distinguished guests in attendance included José Rodríguez, director of Instituto Cervantes de Manila; Fr. Pedro Galende, director of the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros; and former Department of Tourism secretary Gemma Cruz-Araneta, who is herself related to Rizal through his sister Maria Rizal Cruz.
His Excellency Ambassador Jaroslav Ludva, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Philippines, also attended the book launch and spoke warmly of his admiration for Rizal. Anna Maria Harper of the Intramuros Administration was also on hand to give the opening remarks, as was Vibal Foundation's Executive Director Gaspar Vibal. He introduced Lolo José as the first of the Foundation's Filipina Clasica series, which aims to keep culturally significant books in print.
Lolo José, originally written by López-Bantug as a young girl and entered into a Rizal biography contest in 1938, was first published twenty years ago by the Intramuros Administration. The enriched and expanded second edition comes with the most comprehensive gallery of photos of Rizal and his family, as well as the complete bibliography of his visual, literary and political works, an illustrated timeline of his life and a family tree covering at least five generations.
Hardcover editions of Lolo José were released with the Codex Rizal, a CD-ROM featuring the full texts of Rizal's novels and selected works, landmark biographies by the most notable Rizalists, and a gallery of the hero's family, friends and lovers. Hardcover (P1000) and softbound editions (P700) of Lolo José: An Intimate and Illustrated Portrait of José Rizal are available.
Photo taken by Gerry Digo.
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