By Randy Espares Jr. 

Far Eastern University (FEU) Center for the Arts (FCA), Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA), and Institute of Arts and Sciences (IAS) collaborated with Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. (MMAFI) to honor Miclat’s death anniversary with a four-program event highlighting art and poetry held at the University Conference Center last September 27. 

The event titled ‘Ningning at Liwanag’ was held prior to the 28th death anniversary of FEU professor and artist Maningning Miclat, who passed away on campus on September 29, 2000. 

The program features a Filipino poetry workshop, an art exhibit featuring winners of MMAFI and FEU IARFA students, a book launch, and the awarding of the 2023 Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards winners. 

Actress and sister of Manining, Banaue Miclat, stated the significance of the partnership between MMAFI and FEU in an interview with FEU Advocate. 

“The Maningning Miclat Art Foundation, Inc. started the partnership with FEU in terms of helping the FEU Community and the Metro Manila and the Philippines—and even the world community, to be able to get to know Maningning not as an urban legend, but as an artist, a visual artist, and a trilingual poet,” she said. 

Cavite Young Writers Association president Karl Orit  and Likhaan: Institute of Creative Writing director Romulo Baquiran were the invited speakers for the Ningning Filipino poetry workshop.

Banaue stressed that she wanted the seminar to spark interest in future poets.

“Well, we hope that it will inspire them to write, we hope that those who feel like they don’t know where to start were able to have seeds of how to begin writing poetry, and from there we hope that they will join the poetry awards in two years,” she explained. 

Students from FEU, University of the Philippines, and other schools participated in the event.

In the afternoon, a ribbon cutting was held in the exhibit hall displaying art pieces from FEU IARFA students and former MMAFI awardees.

The exhibit was then followed by a launch for the book, ‘Ningning at Liwanag: Antolohiya ng 10 Nagwagi sa Gawad Maningning Miclat sa Tula’, showcasing poetry from the previous winners of the poetry award from last ten years. 

The awarding ceremony of the Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards 2023 attended by National Artists Virgilio Almario and Ramon Santos concluded the event. 

Grace Balaja and Jan Dennis Destajo won the Maningning Miclat Poetry Awards 2023 for Tulang Filipino and the English Division, respectively. 

In 2018, FCA teamed with MMAFI to celebrate the organization's art awards with a performance of Maningning’s poems at the FEU Auditorium. 

MMAFI holds poetry awards every odd-numbered year, and art awards for even-numbered years.