By Ronquillo C. Tolentino
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz’s
Short Stories Collection
Short Stories Collection
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz (February 21, 1912 - December 31, 1982), the first Kalibonhon to become a Division Superintendent of Schools of Aklan, was a great contribution of Aklan to Philippine literature.
Just like the Egyptians who scratched their achievements on the papyrus and the medieval monks who wrote their ideas in huge quartos, Dr. Beato de la Cruz translated on paper the voices within him, making him one of the exceptional writers of the Philippines in the 20th century.
Dr. Beato de la Cruz was not just a writer; he was also an icon of pluckiness. He was one of the three Aklanons whose poems have been included in Guerilla Flower, an anthology of war-time creative writings. He was a propagandist whose puissant pen gave birth to the Kalibo War Bulletin, am eloquent World War II guerrilla paper which came out after Pearl Harbor and which, in the words of Teodoro Agoncillo in his book History of the Filipino People, "had the widest circulation in the island of Panay."
He was a man close to the hearts of many people, being an educator all his life. He belonged to a breed of a few who dared to accept the challenge and intrepidly conquered the odds, and led a noble and candid way of life. In the language of his brother, the late Dean of Aklan Journalists, Roman A. de la Cruz, he "had shown great love and proficiency as a literary writer and scholar on studies of the educational system."
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz was a prolific writer and intellectual of his era. During his sojourn at the Victoria University in Manchester , England, he wrote whimsical verses as beautiful as "The Snows May Come No More."
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz believed that all men are practically virtuous although they differ in their degrees of power and their designs for service. He was very persuasive at his godliest hour. At his awaken hour, certain sparks flash across his mind and brighten his soul. He wrote with brilliance and fire.
A word, a name or a thought stirred his imagination and led him to the realm of fancy. It was during his time that vibrant sparks of thought flit before his eyes like butterflies and as he pursued these illusive thoughts, he lost himself in deep reverie and became a recipient of mysterious messages from nowhere.
He was barely 22 years old when his poem " Kalamigan Falls" found space in pre-war Philippine Magazine. From then on, his works were also reprinted in anthologies and school study books, not to mention his countless materials which find publication in the Philippine Prose and Poetry, Philippine Journal of Education, Saturday Evening News Magazine, The Sunday Post Magazine, Graphic Magazine and Philippine Outlook Manila.
When he was young, he used to say, "within my breast lodge the slumbering seeds of intolerance and the gems of wild genius that is nurtured by the early rains of indulgence and bent by the wounds of adversity, so I shall be strong, supple and useful. If I have suffered, I do not feel any bitterness."
Even 25 years after his demise, Dr. Beato’s legacy continues to shine in the hearts of the folks touched and gratified by his lines of wisdom. His family, through the efforts of John Guidon Macciri and wife, Dr. Cynthia, has seen it fit to have this compilation realized.
While this book is intended primarily as a gift for his beloved wife, Josefina Mirasol Icamina, a compassionate woman who finds strength in the mighty libretto of her beloved significant other, I would also consider this a perpetual bequest for all people who find beauty and meaning in Dr. Beato’s mythical prowess.
This collectanea, I must admit, is the work of the "Unseen Power."/MP
Just like the Egyptians who scratched their achievements on the papyrus and the medieval monks who wrote their ideas in huge quartos, Dr. Beato de la Cruz translated on paper the voices within him, making him one of the exceptional writers of the Philippines in the 20th century.
Dr. Beato de la Cruz was not just a writer; he was also an icon of pluckiness. He was one of the three Aklanons whose poems have been included in Guerilla Flower, an anthology of war-time creative writings. He was a propagandist whose puissant pen gave birth to the Kalibo War Bulletin, am eloquent World War II guerrilla paper which came out after Pearl Harbor and which, in the words of Teodoro Agoncillo in his book History of the Filipino People, "had the widest circulation in the island of Panay."
He was a man close to the hearts of many people, being an educator all his life. He belonged to a breed of a few who dared to accept the challenge and intrepidly conquered the odds, and led a noble and candid way of life. In the language of his brother, the late Dean of Aklan Journalists, Roman A. de la Cruz, he "had shown great love and proficiency as a literary writer and scholar on studies of the educational system."
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz was a prolific writer and intellectual of his era. During his sojourn at the Victoria University in Manchester , England, he wrote whimsical verses as beautiful as "The Snows May Come No More."
Dr. Beato A. de la Cruz believed that all men are practically virtuous although they differ in their degrees of power and their designs for service. He was very persuasive at his godliest hour. At his awaken hour, certain sparks flash across his mind and brighten his soul. He wrote with brilliance and fire.
A word, a name or a thought stirred his imagination and led him to the realm of fancy. It was during his time that vibrant sparks of thought flit before his eyes like butterflies and as he pursued these illusive thoughts, he lost himself in deep reverie and became a recipient of mysterious messages from nowhere.
He was barely 22 years old when his poem " Kalamigan Falls" found space in pre-war Philippine Magazine. From then on, his works were also reprinted in anthologies and school study books, not to mention his countless materials which find publication in the Philippine Prose and Poetry, Philippine Journal of Education, Saturday Evening News Magazine, The Sunday Post Magazine, Graphic Magazine and Philippine Outlook Manila.
When he was young, he used to say, "within my breast lodge the slumbering seeds of intolerance and the gems of wild genius that is nurtured by the early rains of indulgence and bent by the wounds of adversity, so I shall be strong, supple and useful. If I have suffered, I do not feel any bitterness."
Even 25 years after his demise, Dr. Beato’s legacy continues to shine in the hearts of the folks touched and gratified by his lines of wisdom. His family, through the efforts of John Guidon Macciri and wife, Dr. Cynthia, has seen it fit to have this compilation realized.
While this book is intended primarily as a gift for his beloved wife, Josefina Mirasol Icamina, a compassionate woman who finds strength in the mighty libretto of her beloved significant other, I would also consider this a perpetual bequest for all people who find beauty and meaning in Dr. Beato’s mythical prowess.
This collectanea, I must admit, is the work of the "Unseen Power."/MP
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