Painting the word beyond

Sunday Inquirer Magazine/FEATURES/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Printed stampita-size versions of a painting of EDSA People Power of 1986, with the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary dressed in yellow, went around during that time when most Filipinos were aglow with patriotic fervor. The original painting was later presented as a gift to the then newly-installed president, Corazon C. Aquino, the widow swept into power by an almost bloodless uprising.

Now, alas, that painting (“Our Lady of Edsa,” 1987) cannot be found or traced.

Fortunately, an almost exact version of the painting exists, plus or minus some faces that were in the lost original version.  This version was done by the same artist and is in the possession of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM), the congregation to which the artist belonged.

The artist, Sr. Elisea Quinto, FMM, went to the Eternal Art Gallery in the Sky in 1993, but she left behind a body of work that speaks of her fervor for her art, and most of all, for her calling to the Franciscan way of life.

The FMMs recently mounted an exhibit of Sr. Elisea’s paintings as part of their preparations for the celebration of 100 years of their presence in the Philippines. Founded in 1888 by a brave and charismatic French nun named Mary of the Passion, the FMMs had their beginnings in the wilds of India. The first batch of FMMs arrived in the Philippines on Dec. 10, 1912, part of the stream of arrivals of Catholic missionaries, mostly from Europe, in the early 1900s. The missionaries became involved in various apostolic ministries.

The opening of the pre-centennial exhibit also featured the launching of Sr. Elisea’s book of paintings, titled “A Flame of Fire.” The title is a translation from French of a line in a prayer of the FMMs’ foundress: “Make my heart and the institute a flame of fire which will embrace the whole earth. Cleave this flame Yourself.”

A total of 48 paintings in oil and acrylic by Sr. Elisea are included in the book. But not all were available for showing at the exhibit. For example, the life-size portrait of the late Rufino Cardinal Santos (1960) that hangs at the lobby of the Cardinal Santos Medical Center could not be borrowed.

Sr. Elisea’s paintings belong to a certain art genre that could probably be described as “religious art.” These are not naïf art at all. But one cannot miss the innocence that pervades many of her prayerful renditions. The nun deliberately hewed close to the prayer-book art of yesteryears.  Her saccharine works would give critics a toothache.

“Our Lady of the Mission,” 1985. Contributed photo

But the bright celestial scenes ooze with symbolism. These must be Sr. Elisea’s idea of the so-called beatific vision. Lots of clouds, doves and lilies.  Cherubim and seraphim galore.  No laughing or angry Jesus meant to jolt or stun.  And the only street scenes are in one painting that shows the Child Jesus handing bread to a crippled child on the street of Nazareth circa 10 AD, and the EDSA highway people power scene circa 1986 AD.

Jesus and Mary, Franciscan saints and martyrs are common in Sr. Elisea’s paintings.  She did several of Sts. Francis of Assisi, Clare and Anthony, and painted the FMM sisters who were martyred in China during the Boxer Rebellion (among the many canonized by Pope John Paul II before he died in 2005.)

Most of Sr. Elisea’s paintings are huge and hang mostly in the halls of religious houses. Many paintings are in FMM convents. She painted several Last Suppers.  Her huge “The Annunciation” (1950) is the backdrop of the altar at the FMMs’ convent in Tagaytay. “St. Francis Preaching in the Woods” (1959, 359” x 68”), is at the lobby of the FMM-run Stella Maris College in Quezon City.

The FMM sisters think there might be other paintings by Sr. Elisea out there, and wish that they knew who the owners are.

Sr. Elisea hailed from Quezon province and was one of 15 siblings. She joined the FMMs in 1942 and made her final vows in 1948. She was already a nun when she finished Fine Arts, summa cum laude, at the University of Santo Tomas in 1950. The nun was sent to the FMMs’ generalate in Rome where she stayed for four years to further develop her talent.

But painting was not Sr. Elisea’s main preoccupation in life.  Sr. Emma Fondevilla, present head of the FMMs in the Philippines, observed that Sr. Elisea was “first and foremost a missionary.”

A short bio in Sr. Elisea’s book describes her thus: “Open to the Spirit and to the signs of the times, she served the poor with great sensitivity and compassion. She was actively involved in various ministries: in the prisons, relocation areas, medical clinics and feeding centers.”

The FMMs recall that Sr. Elisea did creative work in solitude and mostly in the stillness of the night after she was done with her varied chores during the day. Her paintings, her sisters say, are indeed “the fruits of her contemplation and missionary dynamism,” and her personal depiction of a world beyond the here and now as we know it. •

Communicating on non-communicable diseases

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

The initials NCD (non-communicable diseases) should become as familiar as NGO, MDG, HIV, CNN and WHO if used often enough. Why, even AH1N1 (hard to say for the H-challenged) made it to our vocabulary. Many Filipinos prefer to just say “Ahini.”

So, say NCD. Popularize it. Because fighting NCD is now on the global agenda and it better be on our national agenda, too.

Many diseases vie for attention. Advocates for their control and obliteration from the face of the earth are doing their best to lobby for funds, research, medicines and action on the part of their leaders.

There are two categories: the infectious or communicable, and the non-communicable. Cancer is an example of an NCD. Like other NCDs, and depending on many factors, it could be preventable, controllable, treatable and curable.

On Sept. 19 and 20 the High-Level Meeting (HLM or summit) on Non-Communicable Diseases will take place at the United Nations in New York. It is not often that the UN convenes a summit to tackle diseases. The last one was in 2001, which was on HIV-AIDS, a communicable disease.

Last June the American Cancer Society convened an international media forum to drum up the importance of the high-level meeting on NCDs. Global Cancer Ambassadors from the Philippines Dr. Rachel Rosario, Emer Rojas and Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala were in attendance and, upon their return, they embarked on an information campaign on NCDs in order to call the attention of government, civil society groups and the media.

The Sept. 19 UN summit will bring together the world’s heads of state/government to develop global strategies to address the urgent problem of the rising rate of NCDs, which are the world’s leading cause of death. The summit is expected to focus on galvanizing action at global and national levels to address the health and socio-economic impacts of NCDs. Multi-sectoral approaches are important in NCD prevention and control.

This summit is expected to come out with a political declaration that will determine the course of action over the next years for nations to address the NCD epidemic in order to save lives. Tobacco control is expected to be high on the agenda. The NCD Alliance has been calling for the accelerated implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

This once-in-a-generation gathering is seen as an opportunity to put cancer and other NCDs on the global health agenda. According to the American Cancer Society, cancer and other NCDs have traditionally been neglected by the global community. NCDs receive less than 3 percent of public and private funding. The global health agenda has been dominated by HIV-AIDS, malaria, TB, maternal and child health.

NCDs are a development issue because their risk factors are closely linked to poverty. The arguments are strong. NCDs are a serious threat to the health of people in developing countries. Some 63 percent of all deaths in the world are due to NCDs; more than 80 percent are in developing countries; 90 percent of those who die from NCDs below age 60 are in developing countries and economies in transition. Most of these deaths could have been prevented.

There is unequivocal evidence that NCDs are a threat to socio-economic development in developing countries. The NCD epidemic is growing faster in the poorest countries where the poorest people are more likely to smoke and often spend more on tobacco than on education, health and clothing combined. The cost of treating NCDs creates a poverty trap for poor families.

NCDs hold back the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in developing countries, particularly Goal 1 which is to “eradicate extreme hunger and poverty” and the health-related goals.

Will focus on cancer and other NCDs undermine efforts for HIV-AIDS and infectious diseases control, maternal health and other priorities? NCD prevention and control advocates will tell you that if development efforts are to succeed, they must address all diseases that trap households in cycles of illness and poverty.

For example, TB epidemic control is made difficult by coexisting epidemics of HIV and NCDs. Tobacco use, a leading cause of NCDs, is a big risk factor in the spread of TB. NCDs and infectious diseases are a double burden.

Interventions for NCDs will not undermine other global health goals. They will, in fact, contribute towards the MDG goals. Controlling NCDs can help reduce poverty and promote gender equality and child health. Reducing adult death rates and disability reduces poverty and promotes economic growth.

Preventing NCDs diminishes the overall burden on health services. But this implies strengthening of health systems under strong leadership. Governments must invest in cancer and NCD control, through health literacy, technology and delivery of services.

So, although this historic UN summit on NCDs is for heads of state/government (with some representatives of NGOs, academia and the private sector in attendance), it is important that those of us on the ground keep watch and stay informed. Summits such as this hold the key in shaping priorities and mobilizing coordinated global action plans.

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The 3rd “Silver Linings,” an educational forum and homecoming for breast cancer survivors and their circle of support, will be held at the Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City on Sept. 17, Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is organized by icanserve, “a sisterhood like no other.” Registration fee is only P100 and includes meals. I hope to meet women from the rural sectors who will be there, and listen to their stories.

Send feedback to cerespd@gmail.com or www.ceresdoyo.com.

A mother's call on World Suicide Prevention Day

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Joy and hope. She wears them like the bright silk shawls that she fashions from nature’s looms. These, Jean Margaret “Jeannie” Lim Goulbourn continue to weave into the fabric of her life and those of others even after a loss that tore into her heart.

Instead of dwelling in the abyss of sorrow, Jeannie, noted fashion designer (Silk Cocoon), entrepreneur, former model and wellness advocate, decided to put meaning into her daughter’s life and death. By doing so, she hopes to help those on the verge of a similar tragedy and prevent the loss of precious lives. In 2007, she put up the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF) in memory of a daughter whose death was caused by depression.

The whole day tomorrow, World Suicide Prevention Day, NGF will hold various activities. Early in the morning a “fit and fun walk,” and at 9 a.m., a lecture at the University of the Philippines. The open-air activities begin at 2 p.m. at Liwasang Aurora in the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. There will be booths to stress the theme of “Rediscovering Oneself” as a path to healing from depression.

QC is the sponsor city this second time around, with Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte pledging to make the city a hub of mental wellness. Three government agencies –the Departments of Health, Social Welfare and Development, and Education –have pledged support for the advocacy.

Capping the day and to remember loved ones lost to suicide and depression is a solemn candlelight memorial walk around the Quezon Memorial Circle. Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia will lead the participants. After she lost a daughter in a fire several Christmases ago, De Venecia put up Ina Foundation to help “orphaned” parents.

The candlelight walk will be followed by a free concert featuring several artists, among them, 8Track, Q-York and Morisette Amon.

“Bringing Depression to Light” is the goal of NGF’s advocacy. NGF advocates the treatment of depression through holistic means. Lifestyle change, good nutrition and a healthy support system help keep depression at bay.

An NGF poster shows a smiling young lady holding a dog. On the upper part where her eyes and forehead should be are the words: cum laude, accomplished pianist, fiction writer, volunteer, loves to cook, animal lover, committed to the environment, fun girlfriend, good daughter, dear sister, supportive friend, secretive, chronic depressive, committed suicide in 2005.

Jeannie, the NGF president, points out, “Depression knows no age, social class or gender. It can affect anybody. However, this mental illness is highly treatable and preventable.”

But awareness is key. Persons who suffer from depression need not feel they are alone while they cope with their mental condition.

So, tomorrow they and their circle of support (if any) should attend the gathering and discover ways of coping, find hands that reach out and meet kindred spirits who have overcome. Several schools – University of the Philippines, Miriam College, Ateneo and De la Salle – will provide free services and exhibit booths.

I am not a depressive, but I have friends who were/are and it is not easy to fathom the episodes of darkness that they go through. One friend killed herself six months ago by jumping from the 19th floor of a posh apartment building. I had dreaded the day it would happen, and one day she decided to end it all.

Another friend, a concert pianist, continues to cope in her own brave way. Several years ago she decided to come out in the open in the hope of shedding light on the condition and I was there to write her story. She will be at the gathering.

When Jeannie asked me if I could help her in her advocacy, I said yes. Last year I wrote a Sunday Inquirer Magazine article (“Weaving Meaning into Loss,” 10/30/2010) on her memories of Natasha and her reflections on the tragedy that visited her family. Jeannie and her Canadian husband Sydney have two daughters: Katrina and Natasha. Natasha died in 2002.

At the time of her death, Natasha had just finished working with an international fashion company in Hong Kong and was going into her own product line. There was a lot going for her. Her international education and travels had exposed her to enriching opportunities. She had a very supportive family. “She and her sister Katrina were very close,” Jeannie recalled. “They were like twins.”

Jeannie described Natasha as happy, gregarious and friendly. “Then I observed how her personality changed. We had her see a psychiatrist who gave her anti-depressants. She did tell us that there was something about the medication, that she felt funny and lightheaded. Her perception of reality changed. She had mood swings, she avoided crowds.” Those were warning signs. Three months later, Natasha was gone.

NGF aims “to share with the world the need for education and information on depression – what it is, what causes it, how to manage it and how to heal from it.” Depression can be treated and those afflicted must seek the correct help. Suicide, NGF stresses, should not be an option. (Visit www.ngf-hope.org or call 8972217.)

Jeannie’s wish list: For the DSWD to set up counseling rooms for depressives. For the DepEd to conduct seminars for teachers on how to spot depression. For the DOH to look at the “one suicide each day” statistic in the Philippines. For schools, hospitals and churches to put up informative posters on depression.

Jeannie’s thoughts constantly turn to Natasha’s passing. “My faith was shaken. This girl had a lot of dreams for the poor, the sick and the aged. How could we allow these to go to waste? But there is a reason for everything. Natasha was really on loan to us, and she had a purpose.”

Send feedback to cerespd@gmail.com or www.ceresdoyo.com