Update on Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist Nominee
Extremely delicate 11-hour surgery of Dr. Ramon P. Santos is over. He is still in the recovery room in the Philippine Heart Center. His family members appeal for your prayers. Supporters are seeking more volunteers to donate Type O blood. Donations to help cover the cost of hospitalization, operation and medicines will be truly appreciated. Money may be sent through his daughter Waya (contact 09178438432). Or perhaps through the Office of Chair Emily Abrera, Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Members of the artists community who denounce Gloria Arroyo’s denigration of the National Artist Awards dub what she did as “Dagdag-Bawas” in reference to her rigging of the 2004 elections with the help of then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.
The name that she removed from the original list of four was that of Ramon Santos, described by fellow artists as “excellent musician and mentor of musicians.”
Santos, 68, underwent surgery yesterday at the Philippine Heart Center for aneurysm.
Family friend Anna Leah Sarabia said Santos experienced severe headache the other day and the CT scan revealed something very serious. Her daughter’s text message to friends said, “I just talked to the doctor. May intramural hematoma si Dad. Mas rare daw yun sa aneurysm. Namumuo ang blood sa ‘wall’ ng ugat o heart.
I looked up aneurysm in the internet and this is what I got: “Most aneurysms most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain (the circle of Willis) and in the aorta (the main artery coming out of the heart, a so-called aortic aneurysm). As the size of an aneurysm increases, there is an increased risk of rupture, which can result in severe hemorrhage or other complications including sudden death.”
An artist said, “the stress and anxiety caused by the rage and frustration on the withdrawn award could have triggered the attack. Please pray for his recovery”
. There’s a petition going around to restore him to the list of National Artist because he deserves the award much more than the four whom Gloria Arroyo added namely Cecile Guidote-Alvarez for theater; Jose Moreno for fashion, Francisco Mañosa for architecture and Carlo J. Caparas for film and visual arts.
Aside from Santos, the three others who were recommended by the National Commission on Culture and Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines were late Tagalog novelist Lazaro Francisco, the late filmmaker Manuel Conde and painter Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.
With the petition to have his name restored to the list of National Artists, friends of the low-profile Santos are circulating this background information about him:
“Santos belongs to the New and Experimental Music group of Filipino composers. He initially trained in Composition and Conducting at the University of the Philippines, and earned his Master of Music (with distinction) and Ph.D. degrees at Indiana University and State University of New York at Buffalo, respectively. He was a full fellow at the Summer Courses in New Music at Darmstadt, Germany, and undertook post-graduate work in Ethnomusicology at the University of Illinois under grants from the Ford Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council. He has been awarded Artist-in-Residence fellowships at the Bellagio Study Center and the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy. He has also been elected as Member of Honor of the Asian Composers League which he led as Chairman in 1994-1997, as well as elected Vice President of the International Music Council at UNESCO from 2001 to 2005.
“As composer, his works have been conceived along concepts and aesthetic frameworks of Philippine and Southeast Asian artistic traditions, featuring elements from western and non-western sources, including various combinations of orchestral instruments, Javanese gamelan, Philippine indigenous instruments, as well as different styles of vocal production.
“ His works have been featured in major festivals in the Americas, Europe and in Asia. In 2002 and 2003, special international academic symposia were held in Tainan, Taiwan, on his works, and was invited to present talks on his compositions as well as conduct composition workshops in Tokyo, Uruguay, Bolivia, and the USA. His works Dw’gey was premiered at the Biennale of Contemporary Music in Israel in November 2006 and again performed at the Asia-Pacific Week Festival in Berlin in September 2007. His work S’geypo for 16 flutes will be performed by the French Flute Orchestra in Paris in September 2008. He was recently invited to present a keynote paper on “Ethnomusicology and Music Composition” at the Asia-Pacific Music Festival in Wellington, New Zealand last February 2007.
“In the field of Musicology, he has undertaken researches not only in Philippine and Asian contemporary music, but also studied Javanese gamelan music and dance and Nan Kuan, and engaged in continuing field studies of Philippine traditional music such as the musical repertoires of the Ibaloi, the Mansaka, Bontoc, Yakan, and Boholano.
“His areas of expertise, aside from the above cultural communities also include Philippine Art Music, Philippine Contemporary Music and selected musics from Southeast Asia and the cultural communities of South China. His writings have been published in major national and international journals, books, and encyclopedias, such as the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, the CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, The Musics of the ASEAN (editor and writer), Sonic Orders in ASEAN Traditional Music (area editor, writer and research leader), and The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He has also produced or directed audio-visual materials like Tuklas Sining: Contemporary Period in Philippine Music (script and direction), Mindanao Highland Music (cd), Lawak Rondalla (cd), Kuwadro: Jose Montserrat Maceda (vcd), Drone and Melody (as conductor of Strata in cd produced by Tzadik), DAYÓN (writer and editor of the commemorative cd album of the 2nd International Rondalla Festival) while his biography appears in 500 Contemporary Composers published by St. James Press.
“He has been invited to give keynote papers, lectures, seminars and workshops in such countries as Russia, Ireland, the USA, Japan, Korea, People’s Republic of China, United Kingdom, Germany, Cambodia, Argentina, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam. He was recently awarded an Asian Public Intellectual Senior Fellowship that enabled him to do intensive study on transmission of traditional musical practices in Indonesia and Thailand. His recent book Tunugan: Four Essays on Filipino Music, received the National Book Award in Music for 2006.”
Magpalamig muna siya….
Sad to hear this bad news. Prof. Santos must have been so affected by the removal of his name from the recommended awardees. The stress has aggravated an existing health condition.
Let us all pray for his recovery.
I hope and Pray that Mr. Santos can recover soon.
Update on Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist Nominee
“Extremely delicate 11-hour surgery of Dr. Ramon P. Santos is over. He is still in the recovery room in the Philippine Heart Center. His family members appeal for your prayers. Supporters are seeking more volunteers to donate Type O blood. Donations to help cover the cost of hospitalization, operation and medicines will be truly appreciated. Money may be sent through his daughter Waya (contact 09178438432). Or perhaps through the Office of Chair Emily Abrera, Cultural Center of the Philippines.”
I hope and pray that it is the Will of God that Prof. Santos lives so that he may try to fight for the right of real deserving artists to be recognized and appreciated especially in their own country.
I will send his name for prayers at our temple in Tokyo.
As I’ve told Ronnie Quizon, who’s been venting his ire via the different web fora on the non-inclusion of his father, Dolphy, it is better to have been omitted than to accept an award that’s tainted and stigmatized with the attendant scandalous circumstances that this batch of awardees are now suffering. I think I’ve injected some sense into him and he is now convinced his father’s recognition will come in due time.
With the same argument, I hope Dr. Santos and his family will look upon his non-inclusion in a positive light to lighten the emotional burden that may have led to his present medical condition. We know that artists have fragile emotions.
That said, we shall continue to pray for his healing and for fairness and justice to be restored to this country soon.
my prayers for his smooth and continuous recovery. I hvae known some musician under his mentorship and they have been passionately going on with the Asian styles of musicology just because they had (they said, as I recall) been inspired by Dr. Santos.
Yep, tongue-twisted…kung matuloy eventually ang pagtanghal ni Caparas at Guidote-Alvarez bilang National Artist ay isolo na lang nila! Blessing in disguise sa mga hindi tinanghal.
Pure commercialism ang line of defense ni Caparas which is way off…way off!!! Kung ganun nga mas si Dolphy ang may karapatan what with his “John and Marsha” which everyone knows and had more substance maski commeryalismo ang banat. I watched it nuon.
Bakit ba ang mga mabubuting tao ang inuunang kunin ni Lord? Gloria, magpakabait ka naman kahit ngayon lang para kunin ka rin at matapos na ang kahirapan ng Pilipinas. Pero sa dami mong kasalanan ay baka hindi si Lord ang kumuha sa iyo. Sino?
Malapit na ang katapusan mo bogus president…pagbaba mo sa nakaw mong puwesto, kinabukasan ay susunduin ka na at ihahatid ka na sa tanay, rizal para makulong sa salang plunder, corruption, treason, election cheating, human rights abuses/violations, ill-gotten wealth, lying, betrayal of public trust, etc… bwahahaha! susunduin ka na ni satanas kasama si jose pig pidal
Our best artists,novelists and graphic designers work for foreign companies,I see many of the comics and novels by many of our authors being published abroad first before being published here,while the quality of our local literature and arts rots…what a sad reality,someone should really make a difference..
Wow, wala na talagang patawad itong Evil Bitch na to. Anything that she could dip her dirty hands on. Dagdag-Bawas pati na sa sariling body parts nya! Pretty disgusting!
Sumaiyo ang aming samo’t dalangin sa Poong Maykapal, at nawa itong pagsubok na ito na dumating sa iyong buhay e malagpasan mo sampu nang iyong mga mahal sa buhay at kaibigan.
“At ang Panalangin ng PANANAMPALATAYA ay magliligtas sa may sakit, at ibabangon siya ng Panginoon; at kung nagkasala siya, ay ipatatawad sa kaniya.”(Jam. 5:15)
Pighati’t dusa!
Samo nami’t dalangain,
Alay sa iyo Kgg. Ramon P. Santos.
Pusoý nagdirimdim,
Sa dusa’t pagsubok na iyong kinaharap sa buhay.
Bunga ng kawalang-galang,
Nitong si Gloria na sobra sa pansin (SSP).
Ang gusto niya palaging masusunod,
Baluktot na katwiran lagi niyang ipinamumukha sa atin.
Hayan lagot ka sa walang habas mong pangbibiktima,
Pobreng Ka Santos bagsak sa ICU.
Anung tagal na operasyon,
Umabot ng 11 oras na gamutan sa bingit ng kamatayan.
Kailan ka ba talaga titigil Gloria,
Sobra na…tama na.
Yaong pesteng kukote,
Na walang ginawa kundi mangsalbahe.
Isa, dalawa, tatlo…aba e umabot na ng libu-libo,
Yaong nabiktima ng iyong rehime.
Ayaw mo talagang tumigil sa pang ookray,
Sige ka…pikon na ang Pinoy.
Magka-gayon maý pahirap itong rehime,
Pusong mamon nitong Kapinuyan laging umiiral.
Laging isinasaisip yaong kapakanan ng bayan,
Malutas ang pighati’t dusa sa maayos na paraan.
Kaya ito ang hamon ng Balana,
Gloria kailan ka ba talaga titigil at magpapakatotoo.
Lugmok na ang Pinoy sa hirap at dusa,
Walang awa…pahirap sa bayan at lason ka ng lipunan.
Whadyaknow, guys, baka may pinagkakakitahan din ang mag-asawang burot na magnanakaw pa sa award-award na iyan. Kailangang imbestigahan iyong mga pinuno na nakakakuha ng lagay!
Let’s continue tying yellow ribbons in vehicles to show our respect for Cory.
Let’s continue to speak and be heard for what is true and good. It is our moral duty to be involved in politics for the sake of our country.
Ewan ko kung maganda ang balita ito sa inyo…baka tumakbong Senador si Willie Revillame sa ticket ni Villar ng Nacionalista Party.
Tongue, tama ka. Hindi maaaring ipagmalaki ang anumang karangalang iginawad ng isang HUWAD.
MANILA, Philippines – Contrary to newspaper reports (not in The STAR), it is former Senate President Manny Villar who continues to lead in the surveys among presidential aspirants, and not former President Estrada, lawyer Adel Tamano said yesterday.
—From Erap and UNO Spokesman now a critic, this Tamano. Just to prove what money can buy.
Isa ako sa mga labis na nalungkot sa pagpanaw kailan lang ni Tita Cory. I understand her daughter Kris still mourns until this day. Pero ang hindi ko gusto ay puro na lang tungkol sa kanyang nanay ang mga sinasabi niya sa kanyang mga TV shows tulad ng “The Buzz”. Kuwento at iyak na lang. If she’s still in such a mood, why not take a longer vacation and return to her career once she has recovered. She should move on. Puro na lang drama niya sa mga show na dapat ay kasayahan.