Tito Genova Valiente, film scholar, anthropologist, educator, and long-time BusinessMirror columnist, passed away on August 22 at age 71.
His death was confirmed through a social media post by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), which paid tribute to his life and works. A member of the NCCA National Committee on Cinema, he has assumed various roles, with Vice Head as his last post.
Valiente was a long-time member and former chair of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the country’s oldest film critics’ group and presenter of the Gawad Urian.
Fellow Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino member, Dr. Rolando Tolentino, told BusinessMirror:
‘Tito was an astute intellectual grounded in social awareness, involvement and practice. He knows what he is talking about and is straightforward and kindhearted even if what he says maybe unkind to others.
‘His columns, personal essays, and other writings reflect this critical stance, fluidly drawing from various sources, including personal memory, without being intrusive, and written with the finest literary style.
‘His personal thoughts in his latest writings become a shared collective experience, testament and vision. He leaves this body of works, generations of students and younger colleagues open to the path of thought less travelled, a supportive peer, a dear friend, and fellow flaneur I will dearly miss.
Valiente was born in San Fernando on Ticao Island, Masbate, on December 11, 1955, and was raised in Naga City,
While he remained rooted in the cultures of the Bicol Region, especially Masbate, he also believed that understanding the nation’s cultural life is deeper when taking a broader look at the regions, the diversity of people, customs, and languages.
For friends and colleagues, Valiente was a gentle person who never failed to reach out to warmly greet or check in on them-this writer included-often leading to humorous exchanges, as he was known for his acerbic though good-natured wit.
A devoted cultural worker, he was known to diligently take long bus rides between Bicol and Manila to fulfill his commitments to NCCA and the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, or to deliver lectures in conferences.
Valiente authored ‘The Last Sacristan Mayor and the Most Expensive Mass for the Dead: Tales from Ticao’ (2017), published by the Ateneo de Naga University Press. He also co-authored ‘Kabansayan: Contemporary Arts from the Regions, Bikol, Philippines’ (2017) with Dennis Bascuña Gonzaga. He co-edited with Hiroko Nagai ‘Transnationalizing Culture of Japan in Asia: Dramas, Musics, Arts and Agencies* (2009), and ‘War Memories, Monuments and Media: Representations of Conflicts and Creation of Histories of World War II’ (2011).
Decentralizing Manila
Through his work with the NCCA, he made cinema accessible to a broader audience by advocating regional film development. He worked towards expanding the audience by leading community screenings, regional film festivals, and symposiums.
‘Stuck in the big cities of Metro Manila, it could not be denied that short as well as full-length feature films were not only having a limited audience; they were not representations of the ‘worlds’ out there,’ he wrote in his March 6 ‘Reeling’ column.
On the power of films, he declared in the same column, ‘Shifting or decentralized, cinema will always remain a potent social force.’
Mentor and educator
Valiente graduated from the Ateneo de Naga University and pursued postgraduate studies in anthropology at Rikkyo University in Japan under a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education.
He became a research fellow under a Japan Foundation grant. His scholarly interests range from Philippine myths and folklore to the Filipino diaspora, and the social and cultural connections between the Philippines and Japan.
Valiente taught in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and in the Japanese Studies Program of Ateneo de Manila University.
Valiente also served as director of the Institute of Bikol History and Culture at Ateneo de Naga University and actively helped advance Bicol arts and literature through forums and workshops.
He helped develop a new generation of film critics as a founder of the Film Criticism Collective and as a mentor in the Yamagata Film Criticism Workshop.
Multi-awarded film critic
The mild-mannered Valiente remained humble despite his many leadership roles and serious advocacy work. This didn’t go unnoticed, and he was given the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas in 2016 for his lifetime achievement in the English essay.
He also received the Naga City Mayoral Award for outstanding achievement in cultural anthropology. He has also been recognized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines for his contributions to film criticism and his advocacy for regional cinema.
On his Facebook page, fellow Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino Dr. Rolando Tolentino posted that the group is preparing for the 49th Gawad Urian.
Tolentino wrote: ‘Missing the valiant exchange with Tito Valiente. Beginning this reiteration of Gawad Urian. He will sorely be missed.’