The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
It was artist and fellow Lopenze (a native of Lopez town in Quezon Province) Gemma Suguitan who broke to me the news National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera died today, September 28, 2021.
“How did you know?” I asked Gemma for confirmation and lead to who I would verify the information.
“Nabasa ko kay Jose Victor Torres, sa Facebook post niya (I read it from the historian in his social media account),” Suguitan replied.
I eventually looked for people particularly in Facebook who are identified and close to Bienvenido—known to his friends and associates as Bien—and their cyber accounts to see if the news was real.
I first chanced on Roland Tolentino, one of Lumbera’s protégées, fellow teacher and co-member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP).
The news was for real.
“Ang sakit ng pagyao ng Arista ng Bayan. Maraming Salamat (The pain of the People’s Artist’s flirting. Thank you so much, Bienvenido Lumbera,” shouted out Roland in his FB page with a black and white photo of Bien smiling and arms akimbo.
The dash in the obit proved it all: “Bienvenido Lumbera Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Panitikan April 11, 1932-September 28, 2021.”
Lumbera, one of the original founders of the prestigious Gawad Urian of the MPP died without seeing the 44th awards rites of his revered critics group virtually on October 21, 2021. Bien was a respected arts, language and literature professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman until his retirement. He was a member of the screening committees of the past Metro Manila Film Festival. He had also served many times as jury of the annual film festival.