BY NESTOR CUARTERO
*
JUST A THOUGHT: “One of the secrets to happy life is continuous small treats.” – Iris Murdoch
*
FRIDAY HABIT: The Cultural Center of the Philippines’ conferring on Liwayway its coveted 2020 Gawad CCP Para sa Sining brings back memories of my early fascination with reading and writing. And Liwayway magazine.
Every Friday, which was market day in my hometown, Rosario, Batangas, my mother would slip into her basket a copy of Liwayway over and above her weekly purchases.
She was a fan of the magazine’s running novels, short stories, and illustrated comics. Unwittingly, she exposed me, a child in the ‘60s, to the world of literary arts.
While mother cleaned the fish and cooked our lunch, I would sit in a corner and read the magazine from cover to cover. I remember loving Kenkoy en Rosing there, reading features about movie stars who graced the cover week after week.
I followed the novels of Dr. Nemesio Caravana, Efren Abueg, Liwayway Arceo, Susana C. de Guzman, Pablo S. Gomez, Jim Fernandez, names I still remember.
In later years, I would discover the naughty prose of Benjamin Pascual, Edgardo Reyes, and recently, Armando Javier.
*
MOVIES, TOO: Many of the stories serialized in Liwayway were made into film, among them “May Lalaki sa Ilalim ng Kama Ko” (Benjamin Pascual), “Mister Mo, Lover Boy Ko” (Efren Abueg), “Agua Bendita” by Rod Santiago.
The 98-year old magazine joins an esteemed line-up of 12 artists and a performing group presented with this rare distinction, the highest award given by the CCP.
Liwayway was established in 1922.
It published works of known writers and poets, including those by National Artists as Amado V. Fernandez, Virgilio Almario, Cirilo Bautista and Francisco V. Coching.
Liwayway is published by Manila Bulletin.
