Santelmo Magazine to unveil latest issue at Museo ng Pag-Asa

Santelmo Magazine, a quarterly literary journal born out of the resurgence of patriotic writing, will unveil its second issue at Museo ng Pag-Asa, the museum in Quezon City that houses the memorabilia and artifacts of former vice president Leni Roberdo’s presidential campaign. The event is scheduled on September 28 at 9 am. 

Executive Publisher Marvin Aceron thanked Museo ng Pag-Asa and the Angat Pinas, Inc. Foundation for their support and for providing the venue. He noted that their backing recognizes the role that arts and literature play in enlightening Filipinos. Aceron reiterated Santelmo’s editorial mission, saying, “We seek to be the keeper of the flame…. To rage and fight against the disease of forgetting that beset our people, the weak memory that erases and alters…. We need words…to make our country strong, to make humanity stronger.”

Edited by the same editorial team of the best-selling poetry book, 100 Pink Poems Para kay Leni with National Artist for Literature, Virgilio S. Almario, serving as editorial adviser, Santelmo Issue Number 2 builds on the theme of “Deception, Disinformation, and the Big Lie.” It features a painting by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab on the cover, and opens with a section devoted to literary translation — with essays and notes on the subject and examples of actual translations such as Virgilio Almario’s Filipino translation of Wallace Stevens’  poem “The Idea of Order at Key West,” and T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock;” Kenneth Cinco’s Waray Binisaya translation of Mary Oliver’s poem, “This Morning;” Merlie Alunan’s English translation of Ester Tapia’s Cebuano Binisaya poem, “Nituo Ko Nimo;” Marne Kilates’ Filipino translation of six English poems by Kerima Lorena Tariman; and Gene Alcantara’s Filipino translation of Anna Akhmatova’s poem, “Requiem.”

In an essay in Filipino, National Artist Virgilio Almario pushed for measures to develop the endeavor of translating. He wrote, “Napakahalaga sa pagsasalin sa Filipinas. Sa katunayan, at dahil isang multilingual na bansa tayo, kailangan natin ng isang pambansang adyenda sa pagsasalin — at bahagi ng isang Kawanihan sa Pagsasalin at isang proseso para sa pagbibigay lisensiya sa propesyonal na mga tagasalin — para higit na matupad ang demokratikong simulain ng komunikasyong pambansa at higit na magbigkis ang sambayanang Filipino.”

(Translation is very important to us in the Philippines. In fact, and because ours is a multilingual nation, we need a national agenda on translation — part of this is (establishing) the National Institute of Translation and the process of granting licenses to professional translators — in order to boost a national communication initiative and the national unity.)

Also in Santelmo Magazine Issue Number 2 are articles and poems on the theme “Deceit, Disinformation and the Big Lie;” an excerpt from Luis H. Francia’s The Strange Case of Citizen de la Cruz, a recent play staged in the US by a Filipino-American theater group; a profile on “Rosas” singer Nica del Rosario, and more features.

Santelmo 1 was released on June 30, 2022 with the team of 63 Kakampink writers and artists expressing the theme of faith, hope, and rebirth.

Santelmo Literary Magazine is available through the San Anselmo Publications, Inc. Facebook page, and at Shopee. – Rappler.com