Pablo Tariman, a vanguard of lifestyle journalism who spent decades covering the arts, culture, literary, and entertainment scenes for the Inquirer and other publications, passed away on Oct. 9, according to profuse tributes from family friends and colleagues posted on social media. He was 76.
Hailing from Baras, Catanduanes, Tariman built his byline first in reportage, writing countless feature stories on artists and performances, especially his forte of classical music, and, later in life, became a published essayist and poet.
He also turned himself into an impresario, producing concerts and performances that brought local and international classical artists to stages not only in Manila but also in many provinces across the Philippines.
He was an indefatigable champion of, in particular, globally renowned Filipino pianist Cecile Licad, whose engagements here and abroad he assiduously covered. He brought Licad to many provincial sorties, helping expand and sustain the audience for classical music in the country.
Life’s work
In 2024, Tariman collected the bulk of his arts reportage into the 586-page anthology ‘Encounters in the Arts.’
‘From the weight and thickness of [his] ‘Encounters in the Arts’ alone and the starry names that fill the contents page and photo folio, the author has veritably compiled his life’s work,’ wrote Elizabeth Lolarga in Vera Files.
In interviews, conversations, and feature stories, Tariman covered a Who’s Who of world artists: Licad, of course, but also Van Cliburn, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Kurt Masur, Gary Graffman, Nelly Miricioiu, Arthur Espiritu, Redentor Romero, Otoniel Gonzaga.
He wrote, too, about Natalia Makarova, Maya Plisetskaya, Lea Salonga, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Nonoy Froilan, cinema stalwarts like Nora Aunor, Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, Peque Gallaga, Ricky Lee, and even younger names like John Lloyd Cruz.
Music, opera, literature, cinema, dance-Tariman would write about them all in a career spanning over 48 years.
Hailing Tariman and his book, Inquirer columnist and UP professor emeritus Randy David said: ‘No one knows the Philippine performing arts scene inside out better than Pablo Tariman. For almost half a century, Pablo has been a tireless chronicler of some of the country’s most memorable artistic happenings. Artists implicitly trust him because he understands their needs and their vulnerabilities. He listens; he doesn’t judge. He remains in awe of how they balance the demands of their artistry with the exigencies of their lives as ordinary mortals. This book attests to the author’s sharpness as an observer of the arts and empathy as a human being.’
Honored poet
Tariman, father to three daughters – one of them the activist Kerima Tariman, who was killed in 2021 – and grandfather to six grandchildren, is also the author of ‘Love, Life and Loss: Poems During the Pandemic,’ a book of poetry published by his own company, Music News and Features.
Two of his poems were selected for the anthology ‘The Best Asian Poetry 2021,’ which featured 160 Asian poets and was published in Singapore.
In 2023, he received the Graphic Salute Award as one of the poets honored at the Nick Joaquin Literary Awards by the Philippines Graphic magazine.
It was at the Graphic where he had started his career as a young proofreader in 1971 after graduating with a journalism degree from Manuel L. Quezon University.
From first covering show business, he began writing extensively about music, theater, literature, and the other arts for a succession of broadsheets and publications. Decades later, the age of social media didn’t deter him; his byline transitioned seamlessly to online outlets.
In April 2018, in one of his moving, reflective pieces for the Inquirer, Tariman wrote, ‘This is a time to mourn a big number of friends in the arts who have moved, seemingly one after the other, to the afterlife. The rate of their passing literally kept one busy writing obituaries every other week.’
Now Tariman, the untiring champion and connoisseur of such artists, has joined their company in the Celestial Auditorium.
He is survived by his wife, Merlita Lorena-Tariman, and children and grandchildren. /cb