Remembering ‘Kuya’ Robert Alejandro
Robert Alejandro was volunteering for street children the first time I met him. He held a summer art camp for a nongovernmental organization (NGO) where a group of kids under 15 participated. I don’t remember much about the lesson he gave that day. I don’t even remember the name of the NGO.
But I remember the sound of laughter his students made while he was giving a lecture in a makeshift classroom of the NGO’s narrow garage. The kids were quiet when they needed to be because they were engrossed in their work. No one complained about how hot the day was. Alejandro was in his element; he was in full control.
I would later invite him to read for kids in the Inquirer Read-Along, something he immediately said yes to, but it would take months before it pushed through. I was thrilled.
As one of the founding members of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) and resident designer of the family-owned Papemelroti, Alejandro was a rockstar in the industry of writers and illustrators for Filipino children. At least, that’s what our then four-woman Junior Inquirer (JI) team thought of him. There were two Roberts for JI, the other one being our cartoonist Robert Magnuson. We never confused them because we never addressed Alejandro as anyone other than Kuya Robert.
Alejandro, 60, succumbed to cancer on Nov. 5.
Guest reader
In JI’s early years, Alejandro was one of the first Ang INK illustrators the section would tap for its pages. He mostly worked on short stories and poetry and sometimes did special illustrations.
Alejandro became Read-Along’s guest reader in its sophomore year in August 2008. He asked many questions before he came in: What are the ages of the attendees? Where are they from? Can he bring his own book? Do we have a board he could write on?
His preparation reflected his book choices. He brought two picture books, “Humages” and “Hanimals” by Italian artist Mario Mariotti. They were picture books that could fascinate a toddler and interest a tween, which was the usual age range of Read-Along’s guests at that time. Through the book, Alejandro helped the children identify different body parts and emotions in the pictures.
For all the hats that he wore, it’s unfortunate his being a magician is rarely or not mentioned at all. That was exactly what he was with his pen. His creativity was boundless and he was quick on his feet whenever he had to freestyle.
It was a treat watching him engage the young audience by surprising them. He asked for random numbers and letters and used them as the base for the animal images that he drew. The kids enjoyed challenging him. They tried to come up with what they thought was a difficult combination. One said “22” which he turned into a carabao with just a few strokes. You bet he knew that the mascot of Inquirer is a carabao named Guyito. We lost count of the “ooohs” and “wows” we heard that day.
The program has not seen anything like it before and since. We still rank it as one of the most memorable reading sessions in the 17 years of Read-Along’s existence. It was unique, a lot of fun, and the kids described the experience as “like attending a party.”
Online storyteller
Alejandro was also one of the first storytellers who went online during the pandemic. He also had free art classes on Facebook, offering relief to parents who were pulling their hair out trying to fill up their children’s time.
He once said to kids that drawing came easy for him even when he was young. He shared this not to boast, but to encourage them. He added that he just kept drawing and drawing and drawing, which is what he wanted young people to do.
Former Lifestyle reporter Din Villafuerte said that what she learned from attending his workshop was not a technique. “What he did was help us figure out who we are, what we want to create, where we could excel, and where we will be comfortable,” Villafuerte said.
He encouraged everyone to create something just for the sheer joy of it.
“There is no right or wrong way to draw,” Alejandro told them.
This is how he championed Filipino children: He drew.
