A Valentine’s ‘tertulia’ at Manila Clock Tower
There was love and art overflowing on Valentine’s Day at the iconic Manila Clock Tower (MCT) when the Philippine LEAF Awards (PLA), Foundation AWIT, and Bataan High School for the Arts (BHSA) held a “Tertulia at Sining” titled “A, Sinta: Vim Nadera at Iba Pa Niyang Katoto.”
The event showcased an impressive lineup of talents like the poet and performance art pioneer Nadera, soprano and UP professor Banaue Miclat, BHSA school director Mia Ariana Tanciongco and the BHSA performing students, poet and spoken word artist Lance Abellon, songwriter Rommel Bonus and The Makatas with Karl Orit and RR Cagalingan, renowned rapper OG Sacred, and composer and folk singer Paul Val Peña.
The show, conceptualized by Nadera, was directed by CJ Andaluz, creative director at Pixel Art Media Production Co. as well as PLA president.
As the title implies, the focus of the program was on love this month of the hearts which is also arts’ month. Love’s intensity, passion, and steadfastness were expressed in Tansiongco’s rendition of “Carmen’s” “Habanera” by Bizet, Santiago’s “Pakiusap,” and Regine Velasquez’s “Pangako.”
Miclat’s performance meanwhile focused on the cherished poems of her sister, Maningning, set to music by multi-awarded composer Jesse Lucas. Her soulful rendition of “Tawag” and “To Catch a Second and Turn it to Forever” evoked nostalgia and longing.
Riveting
The riveting show took the audience to a heartfelt journey of Abellon’s spoken word of love and Bonus’ original composition “Kalsada,” inspired by Eljay Deldoc’s stage play.
The revival of Balagtasan started by the magnificent trio of poets Teo Antonio, Michael M. Coroza, and Nadera is being continued by The Makatas.
After the audience was energized by OG Sacred’s electrifying performance of “Habang Buhay Gangsta,” Paul Val Peña brought the house down with his number, “Katoto,” a song he cowrote with Nadera. The song of longing and loss is also an ode to the desaparecidos (disappeared), invoking remembrance and resistance, a reminder that love is not only about holding on, but also about refusing to forget.
“Tertulia at Sining” is a collaborative program of the PLA and the MCT Museum designed to bring together both established and emerging artists in a shared creative space. Its inaugural show, “Frank G. Rivera: Tula, Awit, at Dula” was held in February 2024, following the 2nd Philippine LEAF Awards’ Tertulia at Parangal. The second edition, “Tertulia at Sining: Hindi Basta Binabasa Ang Tula,” was staged in June of the same year.
The 100-ft-high MCT on the fourth floor of City Hall is the largest clock tower in the Philippines and the first clock tower museum in Southeast Asia. It has a clock that can keep time for 10,000 years. Built in the 1930s, it was destroyed during the fierce Battle of Manila in 1945. Even as Manila was declared an “Open City” during that period of World War II, it was flattened by carpet bombing, making Manila the most devastated capital city after Warsaw in Poland.
MCT reincarnated as a museum when it had a grand opening on Oct. 25, 2022 with the inaugural exhibit, “Assertionism Epilogue,” featuring the works of Rene Robles, and other multiawarded artists including Sherwin Gonzales, Nante Carandang, Agi Pagkatipunan, Manny Baldemor, and Joe Datuin, among others, and the collection of Tawid Gallery of Shambala Silang.
As the MCT continues to be a hub of art and culture after its storied past, we look forward to see this landmark venue as a new culture and arts destination.
