Master of Kutyapi Dies Today, the Music Lives On

Samaon Sulaiman, master of kutyapi and Manlilikha ng Bayan (or National Living Teasure, a rank equal to a National Artist), died today. Cause of death: aplastic anemia.

This text message came from Felipe "Jun" de Leon Jr., chair of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, just as the artist's talk of Gilda Cordero Fernando was starting at Silverlens Galleries' SLAB with panelist Patrick Flores, UP Diliman art studies professor and curator of Vargas Museum, discoursing on what is quality in art.

Jun calls the recently deceased "one of the shining lights in the non-Western musical heritage of old Philippines. It will be hard to develop another one like him."

Sulaiman's passing is a great loss to Filipinos. I had to stand up from where I was seated to absorb the message. Friend Anna Leah was taking a water break at about the same time. She inhaled deeply when I broke the news and said how her son Diwa owes so much of his music-making to this Maguindanaoan.

As I texted back and forth with sympathizers in media who could possibly share the news of this latest loss to the nation, Jun gave more details: that the deceased's body is in Magonoy, Maguindanao, and "his family took him home when doctors in Cotabato City hospital gave up all hope on him as his body could no longer accept any blood transfusion. In a few hours after he was brought home, he died. According to Islamic practice, he will be buried within 24 hours."

It has been a season of departures.

But as I watched Gilda in widow's weeds and an off-white vest with shoulder accents that looked like wings about to sprout, her gesture of spreading her arms as though to embrace this new phase in her life assured me at least that painting, writing, music and the things that make living worthwhile will go on.

Photo of Samaon Sulaiman from http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca/org-awards/gamaba/samaon_sulaiman.php