Professors Monico Atienza and Rene Villanueva of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature passed away today, UPAlumni.net learned from text messages that circulate in the UP alumni community.
Prof. Atienza was a well-loved teacher and activist prominently known in the national democratic movement. He went into a coma in December last year after a heart attack.
In a letter soliciting financial support, his colleagues provided this backgrounder on Prof. Atienza:
Atienza was the president of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) Movement, an organization of activists in the 1960s and 1970s. In various ways, he has continuously helped and inspired activists of people’s organizations and institutions, especially the youth and students.
As a political prisoner during martial law, Monico was heavily tortured and held in solitary confinement. Government intelligence claimed that he was a ranking member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines and head of its National Organization Department when he was arrested in 1974. Released in 1977, he went back to the university.
As secretary-general of the militant Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth) in the late 1960s, he was among the indefatigable architects of the youth and student activism that eventually expanded to help establish today’s formidable progressive mass movement in the Philippines.
In 1987, he survived an assassination attempt by a death squad of the Philippine military which claimed the lives of two colleagues. Monico’s health, already deteriorated by the torture in 1974, all the more worsened with the injuries he sustained in the incident. A shrapnel remains embedded in his head and a leg wound would not heal to this day.
Meanwhile, Prof. Villanueva, a playwright, was among the leading figures in children’s literature in the Philippines. He was the former executive Producer of Batibot and creative director of Philippine Children’s Television Foundation. He was in the hall of fame list of the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. He graduated with a degree in history at the Lyceum of the Philippines in 1975.
On his blog, which he started only this September, Prof. Villanueva’s last entry was about the Manila Peninsula takeover.
Below is his Panitikan.com.ph profile:
Isa sa pinakamasigasig na manunulat na Filipino si Rene O. Villanueva. Nagsimula siyang kumatha ng mga dula, kuwentong-pambata at sanaysay noong magtatapos ang dekada ’70. Noong 2004, ginawaran siya ng Gawad CCP Para sa Sining (Literatura); nahirang siyang Pinakamahusay na Alagad ng Sining sa 2005 Gawad Chanselor sa UP. Kabilang siya sa unang batch ng manunulat na iniluklok sa Hall of Fame ng Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature; bukod sa may hawak ng dalawampu’t siyam, pinakamaraming bilang ng natamong karangalan mula sa Palanca sa buong kasaysayan ng timpalak. Sa kasalukuyan, naglilingkod siya bilang assistant professor sa Departamento ng Filipino at Philippine Literature sa University of the Philippines; namumuhay siyang mag-isa sa Area 17, U.P. Campus. Makokontak ang awtor sa e-mail address na renatovillanueva2000@yahoo.com
Sources and related links:
9 responses so far ↓
1 xiao // Dec 5, 2007 at 8:04 pm
http://michaelxiaochua.multiply.com/photos/album/278
Ngayong hapon, pumanaw ang manunulat at lumikha ng Batibot na si Rene Villanueva. Kausap ko lang siya dalawang linggo pa lamang ang nakakalipas at nais ko siyang imbitahan sa Tarlac. Mula noong Huwebes ay naratay na siya.
Pagkatapos ng ilang oras, sumakabilang-buhay na rin si Monico Atienza, makabayang guro, na isang taon nang naka-coma.
Tila naghintayan lamang ang dalawang magkaguro sa UP Departamento ng Filipino.
Sir Rene, ang daming mabubuting bata dahil sa Batibot at sa mga kwentong pambata mo. Hinding-hindi ka mamamatay!
Sir Nic, hindi masasayang ang pakikibaka mo. Hinding-hindi ka mamamatay!
Selebrasyon para sa inyong naging buhay at pasasalamat sa Panginoon sa inyong pag-iral!
XIAO
2 Anonymous // Dec 6, 2007 at 12:34 am
nilisan mo man itong daigdig
tinig mo’y patuloy na maririnig
lulan ng mga himig mong alay
na lipos ng pag-ibig
pag-ibig sa bayang sayo’y nagluwal
at sa manggagawang labis mong minahal
tulad mo ay di malilimot
habang kami ay narito
marami pang dapat imulat kasama
lipuna’y puno ng problema
sa paghinto ng tibok ng puso mo
kami ang magpapatuloy
marami pang dapat imulat kasama
lipuna’y puno ng problema
sa paghinto ng tibok ng puso mo
kami ang magpapatuloy
nilisan mo man itong daigdig
tinig mo’y patuloy na maririnig
lulan ng mga himig mong alay
na lipos ng pag-ibig
marami pang dapat imulat kasama
lipuna’y puno ng problema
sa paghinto ng tibok ng puso mo
kami ang magpapatuloy
marami pang dapat imulat kasama
lipuna’y puno ng problema
sa paghinto ng tibok ng puso mo
kami ang magpapatuloy
pag-ibig sa bayang sayo’y nagluwal
at sa manggagawang labis mong minahal
tulad mo ay di malilimot
habang kami ay narito
tulad mo ay di malilimot
habang kami ay narito
tulad mo ay di malilimot
habang kami ay, narito
3 Anonymous // Dec 6, 2007 at 12:35 am
Para kay Sir Nic,
Maraming salamat sa lahat!
Pagpupugay!
4 noelle // Dec 6, 2007 at 12:43 am
Sir Monico, hinding-hindi ka namin malilimutan. Mahal na mahal ka namin.
5 Len // Dec 6, 2007 at 3:16 am
We will forever miss you, Sir Monico…that smile you always used to have, the interesting discussions in our classes, our tambay days in your office…until we meet again Sir.
6 Anonymous // Dec 6, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Salamat, Ser Nic. Ang dami kong natutunan, pinag-isipan at matatandaan dahil sa inyo.
7 chris // Dec 6, 2007 at 9:55 pm
isang pagpupugay sa lahat ng natamo ni propesor villanueva, hindi lamang sa mga patimpalak, kundi sa lebel ng kaalaman naming mga estudyante niya. hind ko makakalimutan ang mga naituro niya..
8 lena // Dec 9, 2007 at 12:05 am
Sir Nic,
Mamimiss ka namin.
Maraming, maraming salamat po.
9 xarpresth // Dec 13, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Sir Nic,
Maraming salamat po sa pang-unawa at pag-intindi sa huling taon ko sa u.p. Mahirap nang humanap ng isang gurong katulad mo.
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