nameabledays Archive One

A Day After, the painting featured on the invitation to the one-woman show

& my thanks to noted painter Lina Llaguno Ciani
for letting me read my poetry at the opening
and share the appreciation of her audience.


And, of course, to Galleria Duemila owners Silvana and Ramon Diaz, for their warm and generous welcome, glorious pasta, cheese, olive oil, fruits, superb espresso, and wine during the first meeting and the lone dress rehearsal (of the Keynote presentation of the paintings and my poetry). And to gallery staff Mimi and Sandy for their indispensable help and technical assistance. And to Cynthia Villanueva Cochon, my high school speech teacher and friend who has always lent her appreciation and support for my work, and who referred Lina to me almost out of the blue—or out of the gray skies of our province and Bikol after the terrible rains of Typhoon Reming in 2006, the aftermath of which is the subject of Lina’s new paintings. For poets long used to precious few readers composed of friends and relatives and a handful of friends from the old hometown, “After the Rain” (the exhibit runs from February 2 to 29 of this year), is a munificent instance and venue for reaching an audience and readership beyond the blog or the bookshelf.




Lina & yours truly assist the two guests of honor cut the strings: Ms. Cosetta Fedele (partly hidden), wife the of the Italian ambassador, Rubens Fedele; and Ms. Carina C. Lebron








Galleria Duemila owner Silvana Diaz offers gallery guest book for signing










Lina Llaguno Ciani & Cynthia Villanueva-Cochon, with the painting Noon Moon behind them












Ms. Coscetta Fedele & Silvana Diaz















The friends from Daraga & guests: Pam, the Artist, a friend, Cynthia






Lina’s most distinguished company graced the occasion, led by two guests of honor: Coscetta Fedele, wife of the Italian ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Rubens Fedele, and Carina C. Lebron, who speaks perfect Italian. Ms. Fedele is a long-time friend of Lina’s. The Filipina artist was attending a June 12 Vin de Honeur at the Philippine Embassy in Italy when she was introduced to the couple and discovered that they lived in Tevignano Romana, one of the oldest comuni north of Rome, where Lina lives. The municipality is on the famous Lake Bracciano, an important tourist attraction, and apparently the scene one would find from the painter’s window. The gracious Ms. Fedele and Lina had been friends ever since. Ms. Lebron is the owner and founder of Casa Montessori International in South Forbes Park, and when she lived in Italy to train in the Montessori method, the two Filipinas became close friends. The ebullient Silvana Ancellotti-Diaz, the Italian moving spirit behind Galleria Duemila and Lina’s friend, introduced me for the poetry reading. Duemila might be considered Lina’s home gallery, having staged her one-woman shows there almost yearly when she comes home from Italy. Of the 34 shows in her career, 12 were at Galleria Duemila.








Lina & Ms. Lebron view the Foglia series










The Cruzes of Legazpi City













Jun Balde & Hope Abella (back turned) from the reader's corner


















A candid interview with guest of honor Ms. Coscetta Fedele














Members of the old gentry of Legazpi City and Daraga, Lina’s hometown (and mine), came to attend and there was a reunion of sorts for the distinguished daughter of the town and city. Among them whom I can recall with apologies for my “memory almost full” (another apology to Paul McCartney), were the Locsin family, including a former schoolmate at Daraga Elementary School, Roberto Locsin, and his gracious wife from the Bayona family; and Dr. and Mrs. Cruz. I made acquaintance too with Lina’s niece, the lovely Marie, whom I delightfully found was the daughter of my poet friend Remigio “Toy” Llaguno Jr. In those golden days, Toy recruited me to man a two-person editorial staff (he was editor, I was associate) for our college publication (Divine Word College of Legazpi), which he christened Outspeak. We published a few issues before he graduated and left me to form a staff of my own. And of course on hand was Lina’s close friend Cynthia Villanueva-Cochon and her daughter. My former speech teacher in high school was apparently up and about even if she was fresh from a pacemaker operation. Also present was Fr. Ely Mata, SVD, brother to my high school classmate Gil, and Mona, who sang with me in Amy Manila’s New Tomorrow Sing Out in Legazpi, when the world was almost carefree.








Cynthia Villanueva-Cochon, Ms. Fedele, Marne and Pamela Grace Bañez









With Cynthia's friend in his magnificent costume










Michelle Washington of MMQ Theater Group and UP, with Marne & Dan at the back







Some members of the liveliest group of the night who finished all the wine and almost all the beer: Hope Abella of Lingap Foundation; Peter Pinder, poet from New Zealand and Baguio; Senate publications editor Dan Pinto; novelist Jun Balde; and my signifant other, Pam










One more toast for the night with Lester A. Harvey of Le Soufflé, New Zealand and Pasay City, Pam & Jun

(Photos by Pamela Grace and Marne)



Joining me and Pam at the garden cocktails were Hope Abella of Lingap Foundation, and two fast friends, the novelist Abdon “Jun” Balde Jr, and editor of the Senate publications Dan Pinto. The day before, the three of us, together with Jun’s lovely wife, Fe, had just arrived from Legazpi City. We went there to attend part of the 60th year celebrations of Jun’s alma mater, Aquinas University, where he received honors in ceremonies called Omaw sa Oragon (Tribute for Distinction and Excellence) for literature. Jun is a retired engineer of 30 years who went back to his old love, writing (and painting), and has since then published seven books and won awards for all of them.

The new friends we made were, among others, Michelle Washington of MMQ Theater Group and who teaches theater in UP, and two gentlemen from New Zealand, poet Peter Pinder who has made Baguio and the Philippines his home for some thirty-five years, and Lester A. Harvey of Le Soufflé, who has also been in our country for more than 30 years. They joined and enlivened our table, together with Silvana’s artist daughter, Romina, who teaches photography to children from the informal settlers’ area near the gallery.

The conversation, Peter and Jun quoting of lines of poetry, Hope and Romina sharing insights from their earnest social work, and frequent laughter from Jun’s adventures as a project engineer in Katmandu, and Lester’s irrepressible humor (we were later joined by Silvana), made our table the liveliest in the garden party, and the longest-staying group that finished the wine and consumed the beer well into the night. A heady night of art, poetry and wine (thanks to Lina and Silvana) it was, I hope we didn’t awake the ghosts in the storied house of the Diazes in old, genteel, Pasay.



And for those who've never been there (including myself), here's a picture of Lina's other hometown, Trevignano Romano, on the famous Lake Bracciano north of Rome. Perhaps the glorious sight one would find looking out of the artist's window. (courtesy of Wikipedia)


(For my review of the one-woman show, without reference to my poems on the paintings, please refer to or click the entry (last of January 2008) at the Archive on the right column of this page. My poems on the paintings will posted next, as promised, bringing this series of postings to three.)