Virginia Reyes Moreno Obituary

Virginia Reyes Moreno

April 24, 1923- August 14, 2021

Dramatist, UP Film Center’s Founding Director, and The High Priestess of Philippine Poetry

Virginia Reyes Moreno, also known as Virgie Moreno, Piling Arkanghel, and Aling Barang, was a poet and playwright. Known as “The High Priestess’’ or “Empress Dowager of Philippine Poetry,” which was conferred by no less than the National Artist for Literature Jose Garcia Villa, she was a founding member of The Ravens, a literary barkada from the University of the Philippines Writers Club which was formed after the Japanese occupation. The Ravens would continue to write and publish as individuals and as a group through the years.

The only female Raven, Virginia Moreno was born in a bahay na bato in Juan Luna Street, Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila, on 24 April 1923. She was the daughter of ship captain Jose Moreno, Sr. and rice trader Felicidad Reyes. Fashion designer Pitoy Moreno was her younger brother. She studied at Torres High School and received her bachelor of philosophy and master of arts degrees in English literature at the UP. She was a member of the UP Writers Club and worked on the staff of the Literary Apprentice. At 22, she went to the United States of America as a scholar, her first trip abroad. Later on, she received a certificate in creative writing at the University of Kansas, and a certificate in French civilization from Sorbonne, University of Paris, France. She was a writer in residence at the University of Iowa International Writers Program from 1973-1974.

She taught literature, humanities, and cinema for many years at UP. She became the founding director of the UP Film Center in 1976 and served as its head until her retirement in 2003. It was through her pioneering efforts that cinematic arts as a discipline gained an enviable place in the Philippine academe, according to the Film Center, now known as the UP Film Institute. She also served as chair of the UP President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts.

Outside the academe, she chaired the UNESCO Culture Committee of the Philippines. She also managed Los Indios Bravos Café in Malate, Manila, which was a well-known meeting place for artists and writers.

Many of Moreno’s poems appeared in the Literary Apprentice. Her collection Batik Maker and Other Poems came out in 1972, which were the same poems that won first prize in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature. There were only 13 handcrafted copies of the Batik Maker and Other Poems made for its 1975 launching at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Writer, bookmaker, and fellow Raven Hilario S. Francia meticulously crafted and stitched each copy of the book. Her poems were translated into Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia and published in international magazines. They were also included in textbooks and anthologies such as The Ravens, 1980; A Native Clearing, 1993; and The Ravens 2: An Anthology, 1996. She also crafted essays and short stories in English.

She wrote several plays, including Mariang Makiling; Glass Altars, written and published in the Literary Apprentice in 1952.  She wrote Giting Kayumanggi (Brown Nobility), a historical pageant performed by the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company for the Independence Day 1964 celebrations at the Lincoln Center in New York. She also penned Straw Patriot, written and published as a playbook, in 1967. It was translated into Filipino by Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez as Bayaning Huwad. It was the first play staged by the Philippine Educational Theater Association at its new theater in Fort Santiago, Manila, on 29-30 December 1967.  She then wrote Indio Spoliarium in 1971, which won honorable mention in the CCP Literary Contest in the same year.

Aling Barang received fellowships and observation grants from the Rockefeller Foundation; the Breadloaf Writers Workshop and a theater observation tour, 1954; the French Centre of Drama, 1972-1973; the British Arts Council in 1972; and the British Film Institute, the French Republic, the Yugoslavian Film and Drama Institute, and the Swedish Film Institute, all in 1978.

Teresita Herbosa, a former student, shared, “I saw her flag down a UP Ikot, got into the front seat beside the driver, in all her glory, wearing a black and white mini-dress, in white high heels, with thick black sunglasses ala Breakfast at Tiffany’s and holding a black and white umbrella. She symbolized the art scene at UP Diliman in the 70s.” 

Virginia Moreno received the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Republic in 1979. It was a national honor bestowed on academics for their valuable contributions to education and science. She also won Don Pablo Roman Prize for “The God Director” in 1981, South East Asian Writers or S.E.A. Write Award in 1984, and the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the city of Manila in 1991. She received the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for poetry in English from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas in 1993.

Her most famous play, The Onyx Wolf, which she wrote for six days and six nights with Jorge Arago typing as she dictated, won third prize at the CCP Historical Playwriting Contest in 1970. It was published as a playbook in 1971. The Onyx Wolf was adapted into dance by Alice Reyes as Itim Asu and became one of the inaugural presentations at the CCP’s Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino in 1971. It was directed by Rolando Tinio, who later became National Artist for Literature and Theater. The written work received an award from the Southeast Asian Theater Organization International Literary Prize in 1972.  It was later listed as the lone Philippine entry in Avant-Garde Staging around the World (1974). Also known as La Loba Negra, it was adapted again for stage in 1984 and 1990. A new version entitled Itim Asu: 1719-2009 was presented by dancer Myra Beltran: It was a multi-media concert and was shown from 2009-2012 at the Dance Forum Studio, West Avenue, Quezon City, RCBC Theater, Makati and UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Beltran, the choreographer of the Itim Asu: 1719-2009, shared on her Facebook timeline, “She wrote, ‘the race needs mute women for the long wail.’ It is not easy to sustain that. One feels alone, burdened - the weight of memory. By her example though, I learned that this feeling, this inner stance, can be parked on the back burner, so to speak, and one can put one’s feet up, laugh out loud, enjoy the wine. But always, to pay attention, to be attentive when Itim Asu reveals herself again. Because she will, Tita Virgie taught me, at certain moments of history.  That is why in her play within a play, she was able to string a timeline from Rajah Sulaiman, Fr. Jose Burgos, Jose Rizal, with Huseng Batute, playwright, the one who would narrate it, the bearer of memory. As I discerned, by the witness of her play, the timeline extended on through to Ninoy Aquino. And at the time of the premiere of my version of Itim Asu, Cory Aquino’s death was still fresh, and her son had just announced his candidacy - as if the fleshing of Itim Asu at that moment was fulfilled.”

Another version of Itim Asu was scheduled for a run starting February 2020 as part of Ballet Philippines’ 50th season at the CCP, with music by National Artist Antonino Buenaventura and choreography by Reyes, now a National Artist for Dance. Aling Barang was able to watch the special one-off presentation before the rest of the performance dates were canceled due to the national health crisis.

She passed away in her home in Malate, Manila, on 14 August 2021. She was 98.

She lived in the same house that became a shelter for rebels, revolutionaries, insurrectionists during the Martial Law. Writer Babeth Lolarga, a former student of Aling Barang, said, ‘it was a safehouse below the radar of the military. After all, her younger brother, Pitoy, dressed high society, including First Ladies.’

The Malate home she called Café Orfeo continued to welcome writers and artists, such as the regulars of the Los Indios Bravos and those that looked up to her as a mentor and friend. Virginia Moreno would organize lunch and dinner parties, intimate poetry readings, and music events, complete with opera and singing activities. She continued to grace film festivals, exhibits, and book launches with her presence. She frequented events as the guest of honor. She would share stories to friends and strangers about her experiences during the Japanese occupation, her travels abroad, her relations, and the local arts and culture scene, then and now. It was always with lively rhetoric, humor, and wit.

Virginia Moreno was the president of the J. Moreno Foundation, a charitable organization established by her brother Pitoy that provides grants for UP Manila College of Medicine interns and financial support for the Philippine General Hospital Children’s Ward and the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts. The spirit of compassion runs in the family, for she was well known for helping those who are in need. Her bionote in the book Ravens in Love was surely written by another writer for it said: “Virgie,” added Villa, “has always supported the arts and fellow artists. I myself has been a recipient of her support, morally and substantially.” And Villa mentioned some of his hospitalization bills -redeemed personally by Virgie Moreno -while he was confined in a New Jersey hospital under the care of his Filipino doctor friend Dr. Eugene Pulmano. The nephew of the late expatriate Filipino artist in France was also a recipient of her support when he had to go to Paris to attend his dying aunt in a Paris hospital in 1994.

 

Buntalo (maikling sanaysay)

 Nakasulat uli ako kahapon!

Salamat sa Palihang Lila na inorganisa nina Ivie Urdas at Tala Tanigue. Salamat sa writing prompt mula kina Ivie at Cheska Lauengco: mga babae sa Olympics.

Matagal ko nang naiisip itong mga sinabi ko sa akda. Kaya natuwa ako na may writing prompt na para dito. At may palihan pa. Additional motivation para makapagsulat. Pero ang goal ko kahapon ay makatula. Umpisa na ng oras ng palihan ay naglilista pa lamang ako sa journal ng mga salitang associated sa boxing. Walang ni isang taludtod. So ni-let go ko muna ang tula.

Miss ko na ang palihan. First things first. In a matter of minutes, binago ko ang goal. Ginawa kong makapagsalang ng akda sa palihan. Kaya nagsulat na muna ako ng mga bagay na gusto kong sabihin.

Salamat sa mga nakasama kagabi: Ivie, Cheska, Kaye Oyek, Ka Adelma Salvador, Agatha Bagares, Lauren Chua, at Anna Liza Gaspar, na nakasakay ng kotse at lumilipat-lipat mula barangay hall hanggang munisipyo sa Ilocos, para lang sa mas maayos na internet. Salamat sa kuwentuhan, bahaginan ng talino, at komento sa mga akda.

Buntalo

ni Beverly Wico Siy

Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit itinuturing na sports ang boxing.

Ang goal ay mapatumba ang kalaban sa pamamagitan ng rapidong mga suntok. Sa pamamagitan ng kirot. Itinatanghal na mahusay ang tao na nagdudulot ng kirot sa kapwa, gamit ang sariling kamao.

Sigurado ako, lalaki ang nag-imbento nito.

Kung nireregla ka ay di mo maiisip na gawing contest ang buntalan. Buntalo ang dapat itawag diyan. Talo ang sumusuntok at nasusuntok. Sa mata, ilong, bibig, dibdib… hindi dibdib, suso! Suso. Sikmura. Hindi sikmura. Tiyan! Tiyan na may bituka’t karugtong ng fallopian tubes, na karugtong ng matris, na binabahayan ng bata at pinagmumulan ng mens.

Reglamento pa lang, below the belt na.

Kung nireregla ka at boksingero, kailangan mong ipagdasal sa lahat ng diyos na huwag matapat sa araw ng dalaw ang araw ng basagan ng mukha at sikmura. Baka umapaw ang napkin mo habang sinasangga ang suntok ng iyong katunggali. Katunggali na ang puntirya ay ang namamaga mong mata at putok mong bukol sa sentido.

Foul.

Dahil walang tumatawag ng foul.

Sa loob at labas man ng ring.

Lalo na sa labas ng ring. Ang mga manonood, ay, ano pa nga ba kundi puro lalaki? Naghihiyawan. Nang walang mayaw. At kung may ma-knock out sa dalawang babae, sila pa ang unang nagdiriwang.

Ubos na ang oras. Pagang-paga na ang mukha ng magkalaban, pero wala pa ring bumabagsak. Sino sa kanila ang nakarami ng suntok, nagpakatas ng dugo, nakapagpaalog ng utak, nakapagpalamog ng laman? Sino ang nanalo?

Isang kamao ang itinaas sa ere!

At nagwagi na naman ang mga tite.

Riel Jaramillo Hilario Obituary

 Riel Jaramillo Hilario

CCP Thirteen Artist Awardee, Sculptor, Curator, and Respected Critic of the Arts Market

June 20, 1976-August 5, 2021

Riel once said, “Art is My Religion, and I am a Priest of that Faith.”

Born on June 20, 1976 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Ronald “Riel” Jaramillo Hilario came from a family of traditional furniture makers and wood carvers. He grew up in Tondo, Manila, and moved to Laguna when he was accepted in the visual arts program of the Philippine High School for the Arts. He also received training in santo-making under his uncle Jose Lazo in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur in his teen years. At the University of the Philippines, he studied painting and art history.

Since Riel’s first one-man show in 1996 up until 2001, he exhibited paintings and drawings. Come 2002, he gave more attention to wood carving and the tradition of rebulto-making that his family in Ilocos was known for.

Riel revealed in an interview with travel blogger Glenn Martinez, “there were a number of factors that made me shift my focus on sculpture, especially wood carving as my main practice. But there are two major ones I can cite. First, I had several encouragements from peers, my teachers and from collectors as my initial attempts to do wood sculpture were received well. It was Roberto Feleo who directed me to research rebulto-making in Ilocos Sur in my senior year at PHSA. I had a few forays into wood carving but it was only in 2001 that I showed my first series at Pinto Art Museum, to be followed by a solo of freestanding works at Boston Gallery in 2005. Second, it served as my self-directed therapy … I had schizoid visions and dreams that were terrifying and disturbing I felt the need to find an outlet that was more tactile than painting or writing. The following year I started carving wood sculptures based on the tradition of the rebulto, but following the urgings and suggestions of my visions. The practice had a cathartic effect, and also helped me refocus my cultural work to do research on the craft.”

Equipped with lessons from his mentor, the independent curator Roberto “Bobi” Valenzuela, Riel worked as a curator for Boston Gallery in Quezon City and Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo City for a number of years. He also served as secretary of the National Committee on Art Galleries of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, under the leadership of Sid Hildawa. He also became part of the Sungdu-an 3 National Travelling Exhibit with his collection of works entitled “Iconologia” (2003), which toured several art spaces in the country, including the Cultural Center of the Philippines. And then he co-founded the educational program called Art Informal in 2004.

Riel went full-time in sculpture in 2008, and presented his series “Aniwaas” at Art Informal after a year. From 2010-2011, he had “Bario Balasan” at Art Informal, while “If an Apostle Looks In No Monkey can Look Out” and “Astral Projections” were presented at The Drawing Room Contemporary Art in Makati City. He was one of the ten winners of the 2011 Manila Art Awards of the Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards. His rebultos, installations and other works have graced shows and art fairs abroad namely in Singapore (ArtStage 2011 and 2012) Hong Kong (HKArt 11), Delhi (India Art Summit ’11), London (Stories of Dreams and Realities, Rossi & Rossi Gallery), Basel (Scope Basel 2011) and Jakarta (Lintas, Edwin Gallery, 2011).

Architect Cesar Aljama said, “I can still remember how I was immediately struck by his artwork, "Namongan: The Conception of Lam-Ang," the first time I chanced upon it on display at the dining hall of Sitio Remedios Heritage Village in Currimao, Ilocos Norte… There was something in the rebulto, depicting the conception of the Ilocano mythical warrior-hero Lam-Ang, that evoked religious undertones and indigenous mysticism of a vintage santo. I stood in front of it for quite a while to admire the austere gracefulness of the polychromed wooden sculpture with intricate curvilinear designs from nature delicately carved on it. I could just imagine the passion that went into the creation… I could tell the artist was exceptionally intense.”

Riel also dabbled in writing about Philippine contemporary artists. His biographical essays  were included in the book Without Walls (2011) by Winrum Publishing.

The year 2012 was a highlight in his career. He became one of the recipients of the 2012 Ateneo Art Awards, and was among the eight national winners of the Philippine Art Award. Riel was the artist-in-residence in Paris at the 2012 Cite Internationale des Arts, through the Philippine Artist Residency Program of Alliance Francaise de Manile. The CCP recognized his hard work and unique talent by naming him as one of the recipients of the Thirteen Artist Awards.

Then he went to New York for a residency sponsored by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and to Malaysia courtesy of the Asian Cultural Council. He held solo exhibitions there through these opportunities. He was later named Elizabeth McCormack and Jerome Aaron Fellow with regards to his ACC grant.

This multi-talented artist continued to work with wood, found objects, metal, paper, canvas and other materials to produce art that were described as ageless contemporary sculptures on antique, and mythical and surreal images straight out of a religious-folk experience. He presented them in solo and group exhibits in the local and international art scene. He also continued to accept residencies in various parts of the globe, such as Nanji, Seoul, South Korea and Amsterdam, Netherlands. He augmented his knowledge by attending international conferences on museum work, gallery work and curatorial work.

With more than 20 years of experience as an artist and curator, he advocated for the rights of the Filipino artists. He used social media to showcase his latest carvings, sketches and projects, but it was also a space where he shared ideas on the Philippine art market and business models for art venues that are just and fair, especially for the Filipino creators.

During the COVID crisis, he regularly posted on social media a series of portraits in graphite on paper. It featured friends, mentors, and Filipino artists, with captions that expressed his gratitude to the subject of his art. In August 5, 2021, his life was claimed by COVID-19. He was 44.

At the time of his passing, Riel was preparing for the Philippine’s ‘Bangkota’ Pavilion for the upcoming Expo 2020 Dubai.  He created human bird hybrids called Limokon and Timamanukin for this event. His curator for the pavilion Marian Pastor Roces said, “I’d like to think that after his sudden passage to the afterlife a few hours ago, indeed to becoming avian-human himself, Riel flies free.”

by Beverly Wico Siy

Joseph Israel Laban Obituary

 Joseph Israel Laban

Cinemalaya Filmmaker, Writer, Documentarist

March 9, 1981 - July 25, 2021

Joseph Israel Laban was an award-winning journalist and independent filmmaker. He was a Fulbright Scholar and held a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from New York University where he was a recipient of the NYU Graduate School for the Arts and Sciences Scholarship. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines  Diliman.

He was born on March 9, 1981 in Boac, Marinduque.

In 2002, the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature recognized a one-act play he wrote about domestic violence. He was a Fellow of the Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance 2007 (SEAPA) where he reported on the post-conflict situation in East Timor. In 2008, he contributed to the book “Wrongs Against Rights: Impunity Across Southeast Asia.”

In 2011, Laban directed, wrote and produced “Cuchera,” a film about the plight of Filipino drug mules. It was screened at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Toronto International Film Festival - Discovery Section, as well as other festivals including Stockholm, Fribourg, Cleveland and Belgrade.

 In 2013, he directed, wrote and produced the film “Nuwebe”, also under the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. For his work on this film, he won Best Director at the 2015 ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards in Sarawak, Malaysia. It has been screened at more than fifty international film festivals including Montreal, Vancouver, Geneva and Goteborg. It has won several international awards from festivals like the Queens World Film Festival (Best Director), Harlem International Film Festival (Best Actress) in New York City, Lume International Film Festival (Special Mention) in Brazil and Festival Internacional de Cine Puebla (Special Mention) in Mexico. For this film, he also won Best Director at the ASEAN Film Festival and Awards.

In 2014, he produced the film Children’s Show directed by then first-time director Roderick Cabrido. The film won the Special Jury Award at Fantasporto: 35th Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal; Special Jury Award, Grand Jury Award for Best Screenplay, and Fantastic Cinema Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Fantastic Cinema Festival of the Film Society of Little Rock in Arkansas, USA; Grand Prize at the Gwangju International Film Festival in South Korea.

In 2015, he directed, wrote and produced the micro-budget experimental film “The Sister.” The film has  won awards at the Harlem International Film Festival (Best Cinematography) and the Guam International Film Festival (Best Actress). It also competed at the Dhaka International Film Festival and the Black Movie Festival de Films Genève. He also attended Berlinale Talents at the Berlin International Film Festival. That same year he participated in EngageMedia Southeast Asia Video Camp in Myanmar; he attended the Taipei Produire au Sud Workshop conducted by the Nantes Festival des 3 Continents. He participated in the INTERDOC Masterclass in Serbia. 

In 2016, Laban produced and wrote the film "Purgatoryo" directed by Cabrido, where he won the Best Screenplay award with co-writer Denise O'Hara at the QCinema International Film Festival. Also in 2016, he co-produced the film "Tuos" again directed by Cabrido, starring Ms. Nora Aunor. "Tuos" won the Audience Choice Award along with four other technical awards at the 12th edition of Cinemalaya. That same year, he participated in The Asian Pitch in Taipei, Taiwan and Tokyo Docs in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2017, Laban directed, wrote, and produced the film "Baconaua," where he won as Best Director at the 13th Cinemalaya Festival. The film also won the Special Jury Prize and Best Cinematography award, and hailed by the Young Critics Circle as the best film of 2017. “Baconaua” had its international premiere at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival where it was awarded the Asian Cinema Fund Post Production Grant. Laban also won the Best Screenplay award at Cinemalaya for his work on the short film "Bawod" directed by Ilonggo filmmaker TM Malones. Laban attended the Docs by the Sea International Documentary Forum in Bali, Indonesia on the same year.

In 2018, he was a Fellow of the New York University Production Lab – Development Studio. The NYU Production Lab is a prestigious and competitive screenplay and film development program. It functions as a creative content incubator for the entire NYU Community. From more than 200 applications, they ultimately selected six fellows, including Laban, the only fellow  from Asia. He also attended the 21st Ricky Lee Scriptwriting Workshop in the same year.

In 2019, he was part of the International Jury of the Pune International Film Festival.

As a documentarist, Laban started as a production assistant and producer of Probe. Eventually, he went on to produce and direct documentaries for Get Real! of Channel News Asia. He contributed video work to the The New York Times Video Unit and articles to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).  He was also the founder and festival director of the CineTotoo Philippine Documentary Film Festival.

He passed away at the age of 40.

At the time of his passing, he was the Creative Consultant of GMA News and Public Affairs, and was assigned to such programs as Front Row where he was executive producer, director and writer; and Reporter’s Notebook where he worked as head writer.

According to the Film Development Council of the Philippines, he participated in the Berlinale Co-Production Market Online Visitors Programme 2021. He was one of the Philippine delegates because his project titled "Guerra” and the movie "The Beer Girl in Yangon" which he co-produced with an Indonesian company are currently participating in the Open Doors Hub of the 74th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

Director Jose Javier Reyes bids farewell to Laban, “Your passing is such a loss to Philippine independent cinema.  But your passion will never be forgotten and serves as an inspiration for the persistence of talent in an ever-changing climate of filmmaking.”

by Beverly Wico Siy

Domingo Goan Landicho Obituary

 Domingo Goan Landicho

Agosto 4, 1939-Hulyo 29, 2021
Premyadong Manunulat, Aktor, Guro at Anak ng Magsasaka

Kilala bilang Mang Domeng, ang manunulat na si Domingo Landicho ay nakapaglathala na ng 50 aklat ng tula, maikling kuwento, nobela, dula, talambuhay, literaturang pambata at mga aklat ng pag-aaral. Siya rin ay aktor  sa dula, pelikula at telebisyon.

Isinilang sa payak na pamumuhay si Mang Domeng sa Luntal, Taal, Batangas noong Agosto 4, 1939. Siya ay anak ng magsasaka. Nagtapos siya sa Batangas National High School at kumuha ng mga kursong Bachelor of Arts at BS in Journalism sa Lyceum of the Philippines. Tuloy-tuloy siya sa kanyang pag-aaral. Natapos niya ang kanyang MA sa Education sa National Teachers College. Nais siyang maging abogado ng kanyang mga magulang kaya siya ay nagtapos din ng Bachelor of Laws sa Lyceum. Ngunit pagsapit ng dekada 90, siya ay pumasok na sa pag-aaral hinggil sa lipunang Filipino. Noong 1994, nakuha niya ang kanyang Ph.D sa Pilipinolohiya mula sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas.

Siya ay lumilikha ng mga obra at nagtatanghal habang siya ay nag-aaral.

Naging manunulat siya ng Bongga tabloid magazine ng pahayagang Manila Chronicle. Nalathala rin ang kanyang mga kuwento sa Philippine Free Press noong dekada 70.

At ayon kay Gardy Labad, “he has written a number of beautiful plays for PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) in the 70s! Staged at the Raha Sulayman Theater (in Intramuros) and at the La Ignaciana Wet Season Venue! Domeng was also an actor!”

Nagsulat din si Mang Domeng ng tatlong dula para sa Dulaang UP: Toreng Gareng (1977), Dapithapon (1978), at Elias at Salome A Musical (1997). Gumanap din siya bilang aktor na Pilosopong Tasyo (Noli Fili, 1992), bilang Guro (Ang Pagbabalik ng Madame, 1992), at bilang Brother Sammy (Ang Butihing Babae ng Timog, 1993).
Lagi siyang iniimbitahang magtanghal at magbasa ng kanyang mga tula sa mga poetry reading, vigil, piyesta, pagpuputong ng korona sa mga beauty queen, at iba pang mahalagang anibersaryo at pagdiriwang. Dahil dito, siya ay tinaguriang “poet of the people” o makata ng masa, gaya ni Huseng Batute. Ang kanyang mga tula ay itinatampok at itinatanghal sa iba’t ibang sulok ng Pilipinas bilang bahagi ng extension program ng Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Sa kanyang mga tula ay laging tampok ang mga nangyayari sa bansa. Bago ideklara ang batas militar, lagi siyang nagtatanghal ng kanyang mga progresibong tula sa malalaking pagtitipon ng mga aktibista.

 
Ang tula naman ni Mang Domeng na “Kaya ng Pinoy” (The Filipino Can) ay regular na itinatampok sa mga rally sa EDSA, na may kinalaman sa People Power, sa pamamagitan ng grupong Kontra-Gapi, isang performing group na gumagamit ng mga katutubong instrumento sa paglikha ng musika. Ang tula rin niyang ito ay itinanghal ng Apo Hiking Society sa isang popular na TV program noon.

Sa kalagitnaan ng dekada 80, siya ang regular na makata ng Sic O'Clock News, isang sikat na TV program sa Channel 13. Itinatanghal din niya ang kanyang mga tula sa iba pang TV program, gaya ng Public Forum ni Randy David at Make My Day ni Hilarion Henares Jr. Itinanghal din niya ang kanyang tula bilang rap sa isang rally laban sa mga base militar ng mga Amerikano  noong kainitan ang isyu ng kanilang pananatili sa Pilipinas.

 
Gumanap din siya sa ilang pelikula. Isa rito ay ang "Year of Living Dangerously" sa direksiyon ni Peter Weir, at kasamang aktor sina Mel Gibson at Sigourney Weaver noong dekada 80.

Binabasa ni Mang Domeng ang kanyang mga tula sa sariling radio program na Iskolar ni Dr. Propesor sa Radyo Veritas noong kalagitnaan ng dekada 90. Karaniwan ding binabasa ang kanyang mga tula sa Radyo Balintataw ng DZRH, ito ay isang pangkulturang programa na pinamumunuan ni Cecile Guidote Alvarez.

Noong tag-init ng 2001, katuwang ang munisipyo ay nagsagawa ng palihan sa pagtula si Mang Domeng sa mga estudyante ng elementary at high school sa sariling bayan, ang Taal, Batangas.  Ito ay nagsilang ng isang koleksiyon ng mga tula ng 45 kabataang makata.  Dito rin itinatag ang Ugnayan ng Talino sa Adhikain ng Kapatiran (Utak).  Pangarap ni Mang Domeng na maging pambansang organisasyon ang Utak para maipalaganap ang mga adhikain ng grupo sa pagsusulat.

Noong 2002, siya ang kumatha ng Panalangin ng Bayan para sa State of the Nation Address ng Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Sa parehong taon ay kinomisyon siya ng dating secretary ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources na si Heherson Alvarez upang sumulat ng mga tula batay sa mga painting na gawa ng mga Filipinong artist, na bahagi ng Water Sail Festival sa Boracay.

Bilang guro ay matagal siyang naglingkod sa UP Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas. Siya ay naging Writer-in-Residence nito. Naglingkod din siya bilang associate director for criticism ng UP Likhaan Institute of Creative Writing. Siya ay ginawaran ng honorary title ng Professor Emeritus ng malikhaing pagsulat at panitikan sa UP Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura sa kanyang pagreretiro noong 2004. Isa sa mga naging proyekto ng UP DFPP ay ang paligsahan sa pagsulat at pagtatanghal ng mga malikhaing akda at tinawag itong Landichohan bilang pagpupugay kay Mang Domeng. Itinalaga namang Writer-in-Residence si Mang Domeng ng De La Salle University nang taong 2010-2011.

 
Taong 2013 naman nang siya ay magpinta at makapag-exhibit ng sariling visual artworks sa GSIS Museum.

Ang kanyang mga natanggap na parangal at puwesto sa loob at labas ng bansa ay ang sumusunod: siya’y naging pangulo ng 16th World Congress of Poets na nagdaos ng isang pandaigdigang kongreso ng mga makata sa Clark Field sa Angeles City, Pampanga noong 2000. Pinili siyang isa sa 2000 Outstanding Writers of the 20th Century ng International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England para sa taong 2000. Tumanggap din siya ng Artist Ambassador Award mula sa Artist Embassy International sa California, USA, noong 2000, Poet of the Millenium Award mula sa International Poets Academy, India, noong 2000 at Southeast Asian Writers Award noong 2003 sa Thailand. Pinarangalan siya ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) ng Gawad Balagtas para sa kanyang mga katha.

Tumanggap siya ng maraming Palanca Award, Catholic Mass Media Awards, KADIPAN Literary Contest Award, at Institute of National Language Awards. Naglingkod din siya bilang direktor para sa Asia of Poet Laureate International. Kasapi rin siya ng PEN International, at honorary member ng International Writers' Workshop ng University of Iowa, USA.

Si Mang Domeng ay pumanaw noong Hulyo 29, 2021 sa edad na 81.

Ang ilan sa mga tula, nobela at kuwento ni Mang Domeng ay inilathala bilang mga librong Paglalakbay, Mga Piling Tula (1974); Himagsik, Mga Nagkagantimpalang Kuwento (1972); Sa Bagwis at Sigwa (1976); Niño Engkantado (1979); Alay Katipunan ng mga Piling Tula (1984); Tula sa Ating Panahon (1989); Dupluhang Bayan at Dalawa pang Tula (1990);  Apoy at Unos Katipunan ng mga Tulang Popular (1993), Anak ng Lupa (1995), Ina at Ibang Katha (1998), Mata ng Unos (2003) na ayon sa guro at kritikong si Teresita Maceda, “this is the only novel in post-modernist style that deals fully on Marial Law experiences,” at Bathaluman at Ibang Kuwento (2005).

 
Isa sa mga nobela ni Mang Domeng ay itinanghal bilang Carlos Palanca Memorial Award Grand Prize Winner. Ito ay ang Bulaklak ng Maynila (1995). Di kalaunan ay ginawa itong pelikula. Kinilala sa maraming pagkakataon at nailipat sa iba’t ibang plataporma ang nobela niyang ito. 

Naglathala din siya ng aklat kasama ang asawa, at pinamagatan itong Supremo. Ayon sa UP Press: Ang dalawang akda sa aklat ay bunga ng magkahiwalay na panahon ng pagsulat at kapwa nagkamit ng pagkilala sa taon ng paglikha. Nagkagantimpala ang Supremo, dulang pampelikula ni Domingo G. Landicho, sa paligsahang itinaguyod ng Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas at UP Film Center noong 1976. Nagtamo ang Sa Ngalan ng Bayan, sarsuwela ni Edna May Obien-Landicho, ng Gawad Sentenyal sa Panitikan noong 1998 sa pagdiriwang ng ika-100 anibersaryo ng Pilipinas. Ang malikhaing panulat ng magkabiyak na manunulat ay waring itinadhanang maging bahagi ng isang aklat pangkasaysayan sa dalawang anyong pampanitikan. Ang paglalathala nito ay wari ding tunay na ipinaghintay at itinakda sa isang mahalagang tadhana: ang pagsalubong sa ika-150 taon ng pagsilang ni Gat Andres Bonifacio sa 2013. Kapwa naniniwala ang magkabiyak na pinakamabisang baluyan ng diwa ng kabayanihan ng lahi ang mga malikhaing akda. Ito ang magkatuwang nilang pagpupunyagi para ipalaganap ang kabayanihan ni Andres Bonifacio, na kanilang kinikilalang tunay na sagisag ng kadakilaan ng uring anakpawis.

Narito ang mabubuting salita tungkol kay Mang Domeng mula sa Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing:  Through the years, he has shaped Philippine literature with dozens and dozens of his books and contributions to publications, including “Supremo,” a dramatic play he had co-written with his beloved wife Edna May Obien. As Professor Emeritus of the UP Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, there is also no doubt about the many, many students he had helped grow.

ni Beverly Wico Siy