NCCA Chair, National Artist Virgilio Almario Visits Chicago

National Commission on Culture and the Arts Chair Virgilio S. Almario views the extensive collection of Philippine artifacts at the Field Museum with Collections Department Archaeologist Jamie Kelly (second from left), Anthropology Department Neal Mattherne, and Ms. Annie Luis. (Chicago PCG photo)

CHICAGO 05 July 2018 – National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairman and National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario visited Chicago on 13 to 15 June 2018, to grace the Independence day celebration and other events organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.

Arriving from Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon, Chairman Almario’s first stop was at the Field Museum of Natural History where he, together with NCCA Director for International Affairs Annie Luis, was able to view the 10,000 artifacts from the Philippines, including the Golden Tara under its protection.

Chairman Almario served as the special guest of the Philippine Consulate General at the Independence Day reception, attended by state and local officials, Chicago Consular Corps, members and Filipino Community leaders from Illinois, at the Kalayaan Hall on Thursday evening.

Chairman Almario delivered a message that would inspire Filipinos to rise above their differences and unite on common goals and aspirations.

Earlier that day, Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin introduced Chairman Almario to the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) Director Dr. Javier Laguna, and Advisor of the Mexico Consulate General of Francisco Olavarria.

Dr. Laguna made a presentation and initiated a discussion on the interest of UNAM and the Mexican Consulate General in working together with the Philippine Consulate General to highlight the Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco.

On Friday, the Chairman visited and offered flowers at the Rizal monument in Margate Park, together with Consul General Jamoralin, Ms. Luis, Deputy Consul General Romulo Victor Israel Jr., Mrs. Marilyn Calo Arensman, Cultural Officer Anna Liza Alcantara, and a few other personnel of the Philippine Consulate General.

After a luncheon hosted by the Filipino American National Historical Society Midwest Chapter over Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza, Chairman Almario walked over several blocks to meet with Mr. David Spadafora, Ph.D., President of Newberry Library. They discussed possible collaboration that would highlight the Newberry Library’s special collection of Rizal manuscripts, maps and other Filipiniana.

At the library’s Towner Fellows Lounge, Chairman Almario then delivered a lecture on his “personal experience with the Newberry Library and the recuperation of national memory.” He spoke of the vital importance and challenges of cultural research for the Philippines, considering the proven existence of ancient Filipinos way before the “discovery” of the Philippines by Magellan in 1521. Yet an inward-looking historical and cultural research simply for purposes of recovery may not be sufficient.

“The more arduous task… is the recuperation of whatever memory we have at hand. This will call for setting aright of past faults, augmenting presently insufficient details, and reinterpreting information according to the evolving needs and visions of nationhood,” Almario said.

After his lecture, Chairman Almario and the audience had the privilege of viewing the Newberry Library’s collection of Philippine manuscripts, including handwritten notes and correspondences of national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal during his time as a student in Manila, Madrid, and Berlin.

Proclaimed as National Artist in 2003, Chairman Almario previously served as Executive Director of NCCA before being elected Chairman in January 2017. He concurrently sits as Chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.

Popularly known as Rio Alma, he is a poet, author, critic, translator, teacher and literary historian, “who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics.” END

Curator of Mammals Lawrence Heaney briefs NCCA Chairman Virgilio S. Almario and NCCA Director for International Affairs Annie Luis who are joined by Field Museum Government Affairs and Sponsored Programs Director Deborah Bekken. (Chicago PCG Photo)

Floral offering at the Rizal monument in Chicago. NCCA Chairman and National Artist Virgilio S. Almario (third from right) is accompanied by Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin (third from left), Mrs. Marilyn Calo Arensman, Ms. Annie Luis of NCCA, Deputy Consul General RV Israel Jr., and Consulate General’s Cultural Officer Anna Liza Alcantara. (Leila V. Imperial photo)

Member readers and staff of Newberry Library and members of the Filipino community listen intently to NCCA Chairman Virgilio S. Almario at the Towner Fellows Lounge of the library. (courtesy of DCG RV Israel Jr. photos)

For more information, visit www.chicagopcg.dfa.gov.ph; www.chicagopcg.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinChicago.