WHEN I lost my friend Carlos Celdran two years ago, it prompted me to write this piece.
It came to mind when I received news barely a few hours before writing this column, that another friend in the art scene had passed.
When I Die
Don’t ask about how I passed
Don’t bother with the details
In bed alone
or crossing a street
Bending down to tie my shoe
or choking on chicharon
All that crispy pata and sugar
Clogging these old pipes
Dying is unremarkable
Perhaps some pain
or blood or guts
or a loud snore
or gasp
or wheeze
and then it will be all done
Ask instead
What made me rage
What got us into
Arguments and fights
The many times I was wrong
The lucky times I was right
The even fewer times I apologized
Ask how I surprised
With an outburst at the end of a mood swing
With a laugh at a half-exiled memory
With a perfectly timed fart
or an ill-timed kiss
Ask what I gossiped about
Ask about the silly pranks I pulled
Ask about the nasty wicked jokes I would tell
Ask how I loved
Ask how I lived
And if I did any of that well
That is the story you may tell
GM
10.10.2019
He was young, just in his thirties and a ball of talent and energy in the performance art scene and recognized for his maverick and unconventional site-specific theater creations. The last time I had seen him was when I was biking on Outlook Drive early in November and he was out jogging. We stopped to chat gleefully and made plans to catch up soon over dinakdakan and bulalo. I wish I was better at planning and acted with more urgency, my friend. Farewell.
***
This week also saw no less than the president of the republic wade deep into gossip territory as he claimed at a speech in Mindoro that a 2022 presidential candidate was into cocaine, a weak leader and had nothing going for him except his family name. Even by the president’s own standards for saying shocking things, this was a new low. By his own hierarchy of despicable behavior, drug addiction is by far the worst crime a person can be accused of. He makes no qualms about hiding his abhorrence for drug criminals. “I HATE DRUGS!” he says vehemently and has often made a show in the past of ordering the police and military to kill, kill, kill anyone suspected of being into drugs. To be accused by this president of drug addiction is quite possibly the worst threat he can make short of explicitly ordering summary execution. That this was made in barely ambiguous language just a day after he had met over 100 congressmen in Malacañang to galvanize support for his anointed candidate as president is a strong signal to political leaders he still has sway over throughout the country. Never mind that the candidate he accused announced a team-up with the president’s own daughter as his vice-presidential running mate. This wasn’t just a shot across the bow, this was a political broadside meant to sink a ship that had been sailing on high seas.
Already the supporters of the accused and the president’s supporters on social media are tearing into each other as they process that just happened. And to think, the election season has barely even started yet and elections are still a full 6 months away. Anything can sill happen. But will any of us still have the energy and the appetite for much more of the political shenanigans on the national level? Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
***
Mandeko Kito, the artisans market established by local Baguio artisans during the pandemic opened this weekend for it’s fourth edition. Held at the Berkeley School grounds from Fridays to Mondays for the next four weekends until December 13, Mandeko Kito showcases the best artisans, crafters, makers, artists, chefs and enthusiasts that put Baguio on the map as a UNESCO creative city. If you are looking for unique gifts, home items, art, souvenirs and various other creations in the lead up to Christmas, the artisans market is a perfect place to find them. As a bonus, VIVISTOP Baguio, the maker space for kids that I run, has a pop up space at the venue. Just look for us at the basement of Berkeley School and experiment with our robots, 3D printer, resin art, button maker and other arts and crafts materials. Make your day with us!
Gabe Mercado
@gabemercado
