The list of new National Artists was released middle of last week. One of them was theater scholar Dr. Nicanor Tiongson. That makes him the third National Artist among the members of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, which hands out annually the Gawad Urian. Before him, there was screenwriter Ricky Lee, who became National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022. The first Manunuri member to become a National Artist, however, was Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera. He was declared National Artist for Literature in 2006.

In my profession, I was fortunate to have had personal interactions with some of our esteemed National Artists. Contrary to public perception, these highly respected individuals are not exactly very serious people who work on their art 24/7. Some of them can be cuckoos.

Today, I am sharing with you my encounters with some National Artists, along with stories about them that you probably still do not know.

Ryan Cayabyab — He is the most fun National Artist in my list. A National Artist for Music, he was already a giant in entertainment when I first met him. We would review movies together in local film competitions. To add to his viewing pleasure — or maybe to make the experience more tolerable — he always brought with him a bag of “butong pakwan” or watermelon seeds.

My favorite Ryan Cayabyab story took place in the house of Celeste Legaspi. Celeste was serving fondue that time and, for some reason, the burner exploded. The explosion was huge enough for everyone to scamper and take cover. After the smoke cleared, there was Ryan, completely unperturbed and still eating like nothing happened.

Marilou Diaz-Abaya — Her father, Conrado Diaz, was a BIR commissioner in the mid-1970s. Like her father, Marilou’s mother, the former Felicitas Correa, was also a lawyer. Felicitas was a very sophisticated woman who loved art. Marilou, in fact, grew up in a house surrounded by Amorsolo paintings. And remember the pieces of gold jewelry Charito Solis wore in the now-classic that Marilou directed? All those belonged to Felicitas.

Very few people know this, but Marilou was an “It Girl” in her teens. When she was in college at Assumption Convent, she joined the search for the Five Most Outstanding Coeds of Metro Manila. It was a beauty and brains contest and she was among the winners. Another coed who won in this competition was the representative of Maryknoll (now Miriam) College. Her name was Menchu Genato. She would later become known as Tita Maggi in the instant noodles commercial.

Every time I brought up her “glamour days,” Marilou would always hush me. But I see no harm sharing this piece of information with the public. She may have been a great filmmaker, who tackled serious topics, but she, too, had her light moments.

Bienvenido Lumbera – He was the acclaimed Dr. Lumbera in the groves of academe. But I’ve always called him Bien.

Bien had a very sad childhood. His father died after falling from a tree. His mother later succumbed to cancer. By the time he was five, he was a complete orphan. Bien was raised by a childless couple who sent him to school. During martial law, he was among those arrested for his political writings.

Bien and I hit it off because he knew I like anything Pinoy — from food, traditions and basic Filipino culture. He shared with me his experiences in his native Lipa during the Japanese Occupation.

I often host Manunuri meetings at my house. Every time we select the winners for the Gawad Urian, the group starts with merienda and continues all the way to dinner. One time, I decided to give Bien a treat and had a dish called “monghe” prepared. Monghe is meatloaf done Pinoy-style. It is a Filipino food that is fast disappearing from the local culinary scene. But it used to be very popular in Rizal provinces, particularly in Pasig. 

When Bien took a bite of monghe, he exclaimed, “So, this is the ‘monghe’ I kept hearing about all my life!” He was already 80 then and was very grateful that — at long last — he had a taste of that traditional Pinoy dish that I hope would be resurrected to back life by culinary experts in the Philippine. 

What I liked about Bien was the fact that he had always been very appreciative of any food offered to him. Even the bacon sandwiches that I served for snacks he would describe like poetry with each bite.

Maria Beatriz “PATIS Tesoro — We do not know each other personally, but I did have a personal encounter with her in 2013. I remember it was the day the authorities were hunting down Janet Napoles.

I was invited that time to sit in Level 2 during the selection of the National Artists when Benigno Aquino, Jr. was President. Level 2 is composed of the so-called “experts” (although I am not comfortable with that term) from various fields. I was there because I had been writing about film and broadcast arts during my entire career. But I could also vote in the other art forms, like literature, music, dance, architecture and even fashion. 

One of the nominated artists then was the couturier Joe Salazar. For someone like me who has zero knowledge in this area, I needed more information regarding the works of Salazar. Patis Tesoro was invited to expound on Salazar’s achievements in the field of fashion. Patis even brought with her two mannequins wearing Joe Salazar creations. 

She was there to be grilled. Patis had to defend why Salazar was deserving of the National Artist award. It was not an easy task at all.

A lot of us in the panel were obviously ignorant about fashion. But there was one iconic fashion designer in the group. He was so harsh on Patis. It came to a point when the designer present during the inquisition asked: “Why Joe Salazar and not me?” He just kept on haranguing Patis – until I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to butt in and say, “Please, don’t shoot the messenger.”

After her Joe Salazar presentation, Patis invited all of us to take a closer look at the details of the dresses worn by the mannequins she had painstakingly transported all the way to the NCCA office in Intramuros. It was there where the deliberations were held. 

Since my heart went out to her, I approached her to check if she was okay. She seemed to have been unfazed by the interrogation. What a strong woman. And now, Patis Tesoro is a National Artist for Design.

Ricardo Lee – When I became a Manunuri, Ricky had left the group. He had become more of a screenwriter than a film critic. Had he stayed as a Manunuri, there would have been a conflict of interest since he kept winning the best screenplay trophy. Since we were both in entertainment, Ricky and I still became friends. 

For a documentary series I did for Mowelfund Film Institute, Ricky became one of my subjects. His life is so colorful, he had to come back for a second session. One of my most treasured possessions is a framed mini poster of the Bette Davis movie Jezebel that he gave me. It has an inscription signed by him — a National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts. It always had a special place in my home — and in my heart. 

Nora Aunor — We had a special fondness for each other that the public never knew. It all started when she was made to sing in one Gawad Urian presentation. We were doing a dress rehearsal at the CCP then and she was at the PM recording studio in Gilmore working on her medley. At 10 p.m., she sent word that she was only recording her songs if I were to keep her company. And so, drive to the recording studio I did.

But before she started recording, she asked me to drink with her first — from the same glass. I felt so honored to be sharing one glass with the superstar. The hours passed and we just kept drinking… and drinking. At 6:30 a.m., she finally decided to record. One take and it was perfect. She truly was a brilliant artist. We had a few more drinking sessions after that and we shared secrets, a lot of which I intend to carry with me to the grave.  

The National Artists are exalted in this country — and rightly so because they had given so much of themselves to Filipino culture. We may put them on a pedestal, but with all my interactions with some of them, I eventually realized that these artists — no matter how great — are also human in the end.