Antique — a province in Western Visayas known for its rugged mountains, quiet shorelines and cultural traditions — became the site of a celebration of poetry and heritage recently when Senator Loren Legarda led a back-to-back events for two major cultural endeavors at the restored Old Capitol Building in the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista, the launch of Lemlunay: Paggunita sa Gunita, and the inauguration of the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery: Paghabül sa Antique.

Language and memory

Published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, with support from the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, Lemlunay: Paggunita sa Gunita (Lemlúnay: A Reminder for Memory) is a collection of 30 poems in Filipino by National Artist for literature Virgilio S. Almario, accompanied by English translations by poet Marne Kilates.

“Sa kulturang Tboli, ang lemlunay ay nangangahulugang sagradong pook Paraiso, isang lugar ng kapayapaan, kasaganahan, at pagbabalik-loob. Isang lupang pinapangarap balikan, hindi man pisikal, ito’y tila alaala na parte ng ating kamalayan (In the TBoli culture, lemlunay means a sacred paradise, a place of peace, plenty, and conversion. Like a land we yearn to revisit, it seems like memory that is part of our consciousness),” Legarda said.

In her message, she pointed to the fragility and power of words in a digital age: “Sa bawat pahina nabibigyan ng buhay ang mga gunita ng ating nakaraan, mga kasangkapan, sagisag at pangarap ng ating bayan. Sa mundong binago ng teknolohiya kung saan ang bawat pangungusap ay maaaring mabura, mabaluktot o mawalay sa tunay na layon, nawa'y muling mapukaw ng aklat na ito ang ating pananabik sa lemlunay — isang paraisong sumasalamin sa kapayapaan, alaala, kultura at pagka-Filipino (On every page, the memories of our past are given life: the tools, symbols, and dreams of our nation. In a world changed by technology where every sentence can be erased, distorted, or separated from its true purpose, may this book rekindle our longing for Lemlunay — a paradise reflecting peace, memory, culture, and the essence of being Filipino)."

“Ang pinakamahalagang aral na aking nakuha na nais kong ibahagi sa inyo ay kung ang ating tunay na hangarin ay masilayan at madama ang inaasam na lemlunay kailangan nating kilalanin na ang ating alaala ay ang ating lakas. Kailangang balikan ang gunita upang marating ang landas tungo sa mas malalim na pagkilala sa ating sarili at sa ating bayan. Ang ating kinabukasan ay parte at hinubog ng ating nakaraan kung kaya't nararapat lamang na atin itong lingunin, bigyan ng kahalagahan at hayaang maging bahagi ng ating kaisipan, adhikain at pagkilos sa kasalukuyan (The most important lesson I have learned and want to share with you is that if our true desire is to see and feel the longed-for Lemlunay, we must recognize that our memory is our strength. We need to revisit our past to reach the path toward a deeper understanding of ourselves and our nation. Our future is part of and shaped by our past, so it is only right that we look back at it, give it importance, and let it become part of our thoughts, aspirations, and actions in the present),” the senator shared.

Almario, also known as Rio Alma, explained his inspiration and objectives for the book: "Ang aking paniniwala, ang pinaka-best expression ng ating kaluluwa ay nasa art and literature. Kaya doon ko hinanap 'yung ating mga konsepto ng ating sarili. Kaya itong aking mga tula dito, ang tinutulaan ko mga relics, mga artifacts, art objects, mula sa bul-ol hanggang sa mga paintings ni Amorsolo, Bencab, nina Botong Francisco. Dahil sa aking palagay, mamatay nang lahat, mawala nang lahat, kung ang mga sining ay nariyan — katulad ng ginagawa natin ngayong pag-preserve sa ating mga sining noong araw — ay makikita natin ang ating sarili at hindi mawawala ang ating sarili kapag nariyan ng sining (My belief is that the best expression of our soul is found in art and literature. That is why I looked there for our concepts of self. That is why the poems I have here are about relics, artifacts and art objects, from the bul-ol to the paintings of Amorsolo, Bencab and Botong Francisco. Because in my opinion, everything else can die, everything else can disappear, but if the arts are present — just as we are now preserving our past arts — we will see ourselves, and we will not lose ourselves as long as art is there).”

A highlight of the launch was the short lecture of Dr. John Iremil Teodoro, poet and professor at the De La Salle University who hails from Antique, “Lemlunay ang Wikang Filipino: Pag-amot ng Kinaray-a sa Wikang Pambansa sa Pamamagitan ng Pagsasalin,” elaborating how translation can help in the development of Filipino and how Kiniray-a can contribute to the formation of the national language. He also read his Kinaray-a translation of Almario’s poem “Lemlunay,” pointing out his usage of some Kiniray-a words, which that can included into Filipino language.

“Kung ang lemlunay ay paraiso, ang Eden, ang langit ng mga Tboli at ng iba pang mga katutubong pangkat sa Sarangani at South Cotabato, ang wikang pambansang Filipino naman ang lemlunay ng harayang Filipino. Magiging tunay lamang ang wikang Filipino kung tuluyan na itong mapapayaman ng 135 na mga wikang katutubo at rehiyonal ng bansang Filipinas. At ang pagsasalin ay isang mabisang paraan upang ito'y maisakatuparan (If lemlunay is the paradise, the Eden, the heaven of the Tboli and other indigenous groups in Sarangani and South Cotabato, the Filipino national language is the Lemlunay of the Filipino imagination. The Filipino language will only become truly authentic if it is continually enriched by the 135 indigenous and regional languages of the Philippines. And translation is an effective way to achieve this)," Teodoro concluded.

He was commissioned to translate Lemlunay into Kinaray-a.

This event was the second launch of Lemlunay in Antique — the first held at the University of Antique (UA) in Sibalom on 13 November, where plans for a Kinaray-a Center were announced and copies of the book were distributed to UA’s campuses and selected Department of Education schools. The book was first launched on 2 December 2023, at the University of the Philippines in Quezon city, followed by a series of launches and book distributions around the country.

Threads of heritage

Following book launch was the opening of the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery: Paghabül sa Antique of the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), now permanently housed at the restored Old Capitol Building.

“This exhibition explores the multilayered meanings and histories of the textiles and their associated weaving practices,” said Arvin Manuel Villalon, NMP acting deputy director-general for Museums. “It examines the transformations that both besieged and elevated them… an emblem of pride and identity, not just for Antiqueños, but for Filipinos as a whole.”

He explained that weaving in Antique stretches back centuries: “The long enduring weaving tradition in Antique predates the arrival of Western colonizers. The women of Antique wove blankets from grass, abaca, and wild cotton yarns. During the Spanish colonization, one woven grass blanket a year equated to a tribute in the encomienda system.”

He described the exhibition as a “visual guide to understanding how weaving relates to our identity as Filipinos,” explaining that the “sections will locate the roots of weaving in Antique, including the communities where it once thrived and where it was revived and still enduring.”

“The natural environment of the province where the mountains meet the sea will be highlighted in the section featuring the raw materials used by weavers such as cotton, abaca, piña and silk as well as the natural dyes used like the highly prized indigo,” he further said.

For Legarda, who authored the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law and has long supported weaving communities across the country, the opening of the gallery was a personal milestone: “I’ve long dreamt of this moment, bringing home to Antique a space where our textiles, the hands that till the land to produce raw materials and the skilled people who we weave them are honored and preserved. A space that not only holds the ingenuity of Antiqueños, but also uplifts livelihoods and affirms identities.”

Legarda pointed out restored Old Capitol as a reminder that progress is inseparable from heritage: “The restoration of this Old Capitol building is my way of showing my kasimanwa that progress does not mean letting go of the past. It means embracing it, honoring it, and building on it.”

She also emphasized that culture is at the core of development: “Culture is our lifeline. Ang pagbibigay-buhay sa kultura ay pagbibigay-buhay sa bawat Filipino. Dahil sa bawat sining at kultura na ating binibigyan ng halaga, may isang komunidad na nabibigyan ng pagkakakilanlan, kabuhayan, at dignidad (Giving life to culture is giving life to every Filipino. Because in every art and culture that we value, a community is given identity, livelihood, and dignity). I believe that when a community loses its culture, it also loses its soul, and no nation can truly move forward. If it's people are disconnected from the very threads that strengthen their identity.”

The day’s twin celebrations wove together a message that culture anchors identity and memory strengthens the future. Both was a sort of homecoming for the stories, languages and memories, embodied in books and textiles, that bind Antiqueños to their past and guide them toward a future firmly grounded in heritage.