farewell, sir resil

The very first time I met National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares was on October 19, 2018, at the Bohol Cultural Center, when Tagbilaran City finally hosted the Taboan Philippine Writers Festival, once a regular flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He was the occasion’s keynote speaker and one of that year’s Taboan awardees. After I had presented for the panel on speculative fiction with Joselito delos Reyes and Charles Dominic Sanchez, I approached him and we talked for a while. When he learned I had studied at Silliman, he shared that he was an alumnus of sorts too—he never finished his degree there, but the fond memories of the campus, especially the cafeteria, and of Dumaguete’s seaside life had never left him. I thought that was the end of it.

*

The next day, October 20, fellow Taboan panelist and friend Melvin Magsanoc of Benguet and I were rushing to the elevator at MetroCentre Hotel to meet the rest of the delegates (we were heading to the National Museum of the Philippines for a tour) when someone from the corridor called out for us to wait. Sir Resil hurried in. The doors slid shut, the elevator went down, and then a halt. Power outage. We were literally stuck in an elevator with a National Artist. I brought it up and we all laughed. Minutes passed and I suggested we take a photo together in the unmoving elevator to commemorate our unfortunate circumstance. And then the power came back. Sir Resil didn't join the tour that afternoon; he was catching the last trip back to Cebu. I thought that was the last time I’d see him.

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On April 4, 2025, Sir Resil returned to Dumaguete. I am now based in this city, and funny how our paths cross again for another literary activity. He delivered the keynote address for the 2nd Dumaguete Literary Festival on Day 1 while I was going to be part of a panel on poetry and ekphrasis on the last day. His speech presented the case for the city to become a UNESCO Creative City of Literature because, in his words, “for those who live in Dumaguete and the many writers and lovers of literature who have visited and sojourned in this city, Dumaguete has imprinted itself quite memorably as a city of our affections, and imagination's home.” This was before the city officially received the designation on October 31, 2025. He added, “One must see not only the city’s tradition and current status but the award’s potential and prospective value in raising the city’s visibility and promoting further development that will go beyond the literary field to sectors like tourism, education, and the local economy, as well as diffuse outwards to other places in the country. The stakes are high since Dumaguete is the country’s best bet for being a city of literature, and I really think that if Dumaguete does not get this honor, it is unlikely that another Philippine city will.” Later that day, I approached him to get my copy of Enigmatic Objects signed and told him about the Taboan elevator story from seven years ago. We laughed again, instantly bonded by that brief shared shenanigan. That was the last time I saw him. He celebrated his 83rd birthday yesterday, September 4.

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This morning, September 5, he passed away. Rest in peace, Sir Resil.

[ more photos here ]