by F Sionil Jose
Last November, when we were finalizing plans for the 50th anniversary conference of the Philippine Center of International PEN, I thought of convening the founding members particularly those who were at the PEN National Writers Conference in Baguio in 1958. I did not have to consult the list; when I told Virgie Moreno, the first treasurer of PEN, she said I may have to count Adrian Cristobal out because at that very moment, he was at the Makati Medical Center and very ill.
I have known Adrian since the ‘50s when I was with the old Manila Times. He used to drop by at Florentino Torres and we would have coffee or pancit bijon at those greasy Chinese restaurants in Santa Cruz.

