Quoting Aristotle, School of Humanities Dean Ma. Luz Vilches opened the ceremonies for “Dalisayan,” the 16th Loyola School Awards for the Arts.
Held in Escaler Hall on March 11, Dalisayan awarded 17 seniors and three alumni who excelled in different art genres: creative writing in fiction, poetry and literary essay, theater arts, screen arts, visual arts illustration and painting, music, and dance.
“This school year 2008-2009, we have a bountiful harvest in the arts from our faculty, from the alumni, from our students, coming full circle as the art moves from the national to an international level,” Vilches added.
Vice President Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Ph.D., announced the awardees February 26. They are the following.
• Creative Writing, Fiction: Elisha Marjorie Martinez (IV BFA CW)
• Creative Writing, Poetry: Jan Brandon Dollente (IV AB IS), Kristian Mamforte (IV BSM AMF), Jasmine Nikki Paredes (IV BFA CW)
• Creative Writing, Literary Essay: Angela Casauay (IV BFA CW)
• Theater Arts: Kalil Christian Almonte (IV BS ECE), Miguel Armando Lim (IV BS Psy), Patricia Ruth Peña (IV AB IS), John Leinard Ramos (IV AB Eu), Emmanuelle Valerio (IV AB IS)
• Screen Arts: Mark Peregrino (IV AB Comm)
• Visual Arts, Illustration: Eliana Laurice Javier (IV AB Eco)
• Visual Arts, Painting: Pancho Alvarez (IV AB PoS)
• Music: Jinno Paulo Bonife (IV AB Eco), Eugene Soyosa (IV AB Eco)
• Dance: Veronica Maronilla (IV AB Psy), Shella Joyce Villanueva (V BS ECE)
No escape
Some of the student awardees, like CADs president Villanueva and Tanghalang Ateneo (TA) and Enterteynment para sa Tao, Bayan, Lansangan at Diyos member Almonte, gained local prominence through excellence in their corresponding orgs.
Others, like Music awardee Bonife, won in competitions like the Ateneo Idol.
Alvarez, an awardee for Visual Arts: Painting, was happy to have received an award for his artwork.
“When I [feel] that the world has abandoned me, art was always there,” Alvarez said, recounting how one can never escape oneself when it comes to an inner passion, which, in his case, was art.
He added that his art, in connection to his course, is mostly political. He manifests past and present issues through his drawings.
Some of his artwork take form through sketching, charcoal, acrylic, and oil, and have been published by literary folio Heights.
World-renowned
Prominent alumni who have won prestigious international awards were also given recognition at the ceremony.
Among them was Miguel Syjuco (AB Lit Eng ‘02) who was the first Filipino to win the Man-Asian Literary Awards for his novel Ilustrado.
Founder of the Loyola Film Circle Francis Xavier Pasion (AB Comm ‘99) was also recognized for his internationally-acclaimed film Jay.
In his thank-you speech, Pasion recounted the highs and lows of filming Jay, among which includes the lack of budget and the occasional walk-out moments of the extras in the cast.
Pasion also thanked the Ateneo for strengthening both his creativity and spirituality.
“I believe that you cannot separate creativity and spirituality. Thank you Ateneo for strengthening [in me] these two, in my four years of stay here,” Pasion said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Conviction
The highest recognition for the night, the Gold Medal for Excellence, was given to Fine Arts Professor and Artistic Director for TA Ricardo Abad, Ph.D.
Abad was introduced as someone who wanted to evoke Filipino culture by staging classics. “Theater is a vehicle for transforming the Filipino,” he said.
He was emotional as he received his award. “Theater is really an expression of your personal conviction,” he said.
“I would like to think that this award is more than the recognition of my work in theater, but a testimony of the work in theater itself.”
