National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera to be interred in Libingan ng mga Bayani
MANILA, Philippines — The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) are leading the nation to pay homage to the late National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera.
The necrological tribute is slated on April 23. The tributes will start with the Arrival of Honors at 8:30 a.m. at the CCP Front Lawn, followed by the program at 9:00 a.m. at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). State funeral will follow at noon in Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Lumbera was a Filipino poet, critic and dramatist known for his nationalistic writing. He was also regarded for his leading role in the Filipinization movement in Philippine literature in the 1960s, which resulted to him being one of the writers and academics jailed during Ferdinand Marcos' Martial Law regime.
He was conferred the Order of the National Artists, the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals, for his significant contributions and achievements in Philippine literature, in 2006.
The CCP has greatly benefited from Lumbera’s genius, with his works as librettist premiering on its theaters. Some of them were "Tales of Manuvu," "Rama Hari" and "Noli Me Tangere," performed by CCP resident companies Ballet Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino, as well as "Hibik at Himagsik nina Victoria Laktaw."
Some of the literary works he authored include: "Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa" (1993); "Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang" (2002); "Sa Sariling Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika" (2004), "Agunyas sa Hacienda Luisita," and "Pakikiramay" (2004).
Acknowledged as one of the pillars in contemporary literature in the Philippines, Lumbera introduced to Tagalog literature the "bagay" poetry, a landmark aesthetic tendency that changed the vernacular poetic tradition.
The poet, librettist and academician received several accolades, most notably the Carlos Palanca Award for Literature in 1975, the Magsaysay Award in 1993, the Philippine Centennial Literary Prize for Drama in 1998, and the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999. He also won several from Manila Critics Circle and National Book Awards.
Lumbera, who passed away on September 28, 2021 at the age of 89, founded and was part of different literary organizations such as Pambansang Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (Panulat), Philippine Comparative Literature Association, Pamana ng Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Panulat para sa Kaunlaran ng Sambayanan (PAKSA), Kalipunan para sa Literatura ng Pilipinas, Philippine Studies Association, Cultural Research Association of the Philippines, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines.
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