"IN MEMORY OF F. SIONIL JOSE"
"Authors like myself choose the city as a setting for their fiction because the city itself illustrates the progress or the sophistication that a particular country has achieved. Or, on the other hand, it might also reflect the kind of decay, both social and perhaps moral, that has come upon a particular people."
— F. Sionil José, BBC.com, 30 July 2003
At first, this note is in one with the folk in mourning after the passing of National Artist and writer, Francisco Sionil Jose.
Perhaps those who love Filipino literature and those who collect Filipiniana would know who that writer was, especially after reading his Rosales series, of awarding him the National Artist Prize, and seeing his latter years writing various commentaries and this- reading his news about his passing in Makati Medical Center.
To be honest, his works, as well as those of his contemporaries were trying their best to show the country its human side. Driven by passion for social justice and his experiences during his youth, F. Sionil Jose wanted his work influence people in promoting social justice and radical change to uplift the lives of Filipino folk, who both then and now remains at the appendage of foreign masters and of local despots. His commentaries also expressed the same sentiment, although in recent years his support for the Duterte administration brought ire from his contemporaries, as well as readers alike.
But despite this, this note would say that his creations may still trying to resonate the need for radical social change. his works became some sort of "bibles" to those yearning for change. At times he yearned to see a revolt against the order although end disappointed as he witnessed revolts like EDSA I and II rather a transition from one ruler to another instead of dismantling a rotting social order. In fact, when President Corazon Aquino declined to redistribute land held by the landed gentries, Mr. Jose exclaimed, “Sayang!” — then, repeating the point in English, added, “What a waste!” And yet that same order paid tribute to him regardless of the late writer's angst towards them, but, one of the things this note notice is that most people who brought his works are rather driven not by the thought of being inspired by his idea, but rather, to sell it again at an expensive price.
Sorry for the thought for just like toys and old bottles, books are also considered as collectors items, and some didn't even bother to read at all, let along being brought and sold and brought again and again. These can also end as fillers in the bookshelves, luckily if end used by some teachers in local literature, given Jose's known as a literary figure.
And since he's widely respected as a literary figure, does it mean he is not prone for criticism? His reputation as a writer was radically dragged down by his eccentric views on today's politics, especially that with his support for Duterte and his blood-soiled regime would see him as an out and out apologetic- way far from his contemporary Nick Joaquin and his tirades against the Marcoses and the "new society". It is not even surprising that becuase of his apologia for Duterte comes the kids who shared memes calling him "Jabba the Hutt" because of his appearance- especially after reading his red tagging to that of his angst toward Ressa especially after her gaining the Nobel Prize- and this made some think "was he envious after her" despite himself having the National Artist Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and other citations? Even his rant against ABSCBN being an oligarch entity also brought ire from his colleagues knowing that the reason to remove ABSCBN's broadcast frequency is politically-motivated and therefore against freedom of speech, press, and expression!
Sorry for the thought, for after all he was not shy about voicing strong opinions- that sometimes made some disappointed at him. His support for the Duterte administration almost outweigh his "rebellion against the order" making him almost dismissable and a really target for criticism. Calling him "CIA agent", e Perhaps, in reading his rants and commentaries, to those of having his works reduced to some "collectors items" being brought and sold and vice versa, then right was he in showing his frustrations, that according to one of his writeups, was “my seeming incapacity to influence people, to see at least some visible and creative result of my pleading, my editorializing.”
To cut this note short, his death created mixed reactions by many. They did mourn while at the same time lament for his support for the administration people detested for its profanity and bloodlust. But regardless of what most saw his creations as just collectors items being brought just to sold for a "better price", the thought behind his works continue to resonate- especially to a generation yearning for change. And not surprising that Jose's thoughts of rebellion in his works did really inspire especially those who take protest against the ruling order and its tyranny.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/world/asia/f-sionil-jose-dead.html