SOLIVEN
MANILA, NOVEMBER 18, 2011
(STAR) FAMILY JEWELS By Michelle
Dayrit-Soliven (Photo - First love: Future book lover meets Encyclopedia
Britannica, 1931)
Last Sunday's Soliven family dinner was an extra special one. As
always the meal prepared by my mother-in-law Ofelia Gaerlan-Soliven took center
stage. But that night, the convivial conversation was deep and animated. In
between bites of succulent roast chicken with lechon sauce and my father-in-law
Guillermo V. Soliven's favorite kare-kare in creamy peanut butter served with
steaming rice and bagoong, memory banks were unearthed at the dinner table. My
in-laws shared their favorite memories of an extraordinary gentleman who, to
this day, leaves us all in awe of his courage, talent, wit and passion.
Papa Willie announced that there was a book launching on Nov. 10. Oh wow, we
all can't wait to get our hands on it. What's in the book, we all wondered
aloud? "It's very well written by Nelson Navarro," he said. "Well, of course not
every single memory of my brother Max can be included in the book, you know.
There was just way too much going on in his life up to the day he died. Let me
share some stories with you that could have been another chapter or two."
So, while having our lively dinner, I sat down with Papa Willie and what
ensued was a retelling of the noble story of Uncle Max. Not only that, Mommy
Ofie, my husband Benny and my brothers-in-law Philip and Bookie also shared
their memorable thoughts about a man named Max V. Soliven.
Papa Willie's recollections
"My Manong Max had a good start in life. That's to say, he went through the
school of hard knocks. He was born No. 1 in a brood of nine brothers and
sisters. (I am the second and the only remaining brother today). He was only 12
when our father died in the war, after the Fall of Bataan and the Death March.
Being No. 1, he had to help our young 30-year-old mother keep the family
together. He did odd jobs while studying and winning medals at the Ateneo as a
scholar. He saved up money to buy a second-hand bicycle, which he used to
messenger for the Jesuits on the side.
The four eldest brothers: Max (second from left) with Willie,
Regie and Manny, gallivanting along Baguio's Session Road.
"After our Papa died at age 44 because of the war, Mama became the sole
breadwinner for us nine children. There was Max, me, Manny, Regie, Augie, Tessa,
Mercy, Vic and Ethel. Max was just starting high school. While we had
scholarships to keep us in high school, our problem was to keep food on the
table. Max, being the eldest, opted to help out by getting a part time job. So
from morning to early afternoons he went to class, while afternoons to early
evenings he went to work on his bicycle as a messenger.
"Max grew up in a household full of challenge and competition. With no father
figure around, he had to be the tie breaker and the strong right arm of our
young mother. He made many sacrifices for love of family that I will always be
grateful for.
"More scholarships propelled him to graduate studies abroad — including
Fordham University, Johns Hopkins University and the Harvard University where he
earned his master's degrees in Journalism, Political Science and Government.
"Our father Benito Soliven was himself a distinguished politician in
President Quezon's day. But unlike the traditional politico, he discouraged his
children from following in his footsteps. In fact, before he died at the young
age of 44, he told Max to solemnly promise never to enter politics, but to seek
his star under another sky.
"Max obeyed and stuck to what he did best. He did shine as one of the most
brilliant journalists of all time. He co-founded The STAR with Betty Go-Belmonte
and Art Borjal.
"Though Max never entered politics, he waded into the political waters in
another way, through the power of the pen, or to be more precise, through the
power of the typewriter.
"From a very young age, Max showed quick thinking awareness of what was going
on around him. When he was only six, he had an accident. He was sideswiped by a
car while waiting to cross Aviles street to his kindergarten class at Holy Ghost
College from our home, which is now part of the Malacañang compound. He suffered
a broken arm. During the court inquest, the errant driver's lawyer tried to
confuse him by saying that he was crossing the street when the accident took
place. Max quickly countered, 'But sir, I wasn't crossing. I was waiting with
yaya on the bangketa for the cars to pass!' He won the case."
"Max was Mama's enforcer. He was always obedient to her orders and requests.
Whether we younger siblings liked it or not, he became our 'father figure,'
helping Mama run the household like a tight ship.
Pelagia's jewels: Proud mother with all her nine surviving
children at the time of Max's college graduation, 1951.
"In all his work, Max was hard-hitting. But he was also fair. His work was
guided by a deep religious faith. He admired St. Thomas More, and took to heart
what this Lord Chancellor of England said to the Court of King Henry VIII, as he
faced death by treason, 'I remain the King's good servant, but I am God's
first'."
Mommie Ofie's memories
"Every time I would get pregnant (and that happened six times), I would lose
so much weight and would become very, very thin. Ever the concerned brother, Max
would give his younger brother Willie a scolding, saying 'Hey, you are not
taking good care of your wife'!"
Memories of my hubby Benny Soliven
"One time on a plane ride, I opened The STAR to read Uncle Max's column and
to my surprise he wrote how proud he was about our son Vincent who was then in
Grade 1. How impressed he was when he heard Vincent singing his Jingle Bells in
Chinese at the Soliven family Christmas party. This was his way of urging us to
encourage our son to pursue his Chinese lessons diligently. We did. Uncle Max
will be proud to know that Vincent is now in Advanced Chinese."
Philip Soliven on his Uncle Max
"So many Filipinos all over the world miss his widely read The Philippine
Star column. When I used to live in Hong Kong, Uncle Max often visited me to
update me with what was going on in Manila. There was a time he asked me to
accompany him to his suite at the Regent Hotel. He said, 'I need to finish up an
article for my column before we have dinner.' When we got to the room, I saw his
trusty old typewriter sitting on the hotel desk. Yes, that typewriter travelled
everywhere with him. I watched thinking how brilliant my Uncle Max was, as he
sat down, pounded non-stop on the keys in deep concentration and completed his
article in just barely an hour and a half."
Recollections of Mita Soliven, wife of Philip
"I was fascinated by Uncle Max because he was such a dynamic person loaded
with charisma. He loved to share the latest news. I enjoyed listening to him
whenever he spoke because I always learned something new."
Assemblyman Benito Soliven (second from left) with top Congress
leaders, meets with President Quezon (second from right) at Malacañang Palace,
1939.
Bookie Soliven on Uncle Max
"I was perhaps one of the last persons he texted before he died. I still have
his text in my cell phone. You see, Uncle Max enjoyed watching movies. So I
would always invite him whenever my company, Warner Brothers, hosted movie
premieres. I texted him to invite him and he texted me back: 'Thank you for your
invite. I will be back from Tokyo on the 27th. Love, Uncle Max.'
"When we had the premiere showing of Borat, Uncle Max brought 20 of his 'gang
mates,' which included his best buddies Arthur Lopez, Babe Romualdez and Ricky
Soler. It felt like one grand and happy gang reunion. After the movie, he did
something he doesn't normally do. He embraced Papa Willie tightly like he was
saying goodbye."
***
As for me, my favorite memory of Uncle Max was at the unveiling of their
father's, the late assemblyman Benito Soliven's, statue. This took place in the
town of Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
"Michelle, come, you have to try this delicacy called empanada," Uncle Max
told me. We were billeted at the Vigan Plaza Hotel and he invited me to cross
the street with him for a snack. We sat down on a wooden bench fronting a picnic
table under the shade of a hundred-year-old tree. I took my first bite of that
famous Vigan empanada courtesy of Uncle Max. I can still smell the tantalizing
aroma of that empanada. Not only did he share with me a bowl of sukang Iloko to
dip our empanadas in, he also shared with me his "precious" love story.
After studying in New York, he got engaged. She was American. All the wedding
invites were out and presents were received. The church and reception had all
been finalized. One week before the wedding she intimated to him her wish to
continue living in the US. To which Uncle Max simply couldn't and wouldn't
agree. "No ifs or buts, my life is in the Philippines. I must serve my own
country and that is where I need to be." Since she was unrelenting, Max
immediately cancelled the wedding.
He was grateful that destiny brought him back to the Philippines to meet an
incredible and brilliant woman whom God planned to be his wife. Her name:
Preciosa Quiogue Silverio Soliven. "I'm so glad I made the right choice and
finally found the one I truly love, my partner for life," he told me. Their
marriage was blessed with beautiful children and grandchildren.
Thank you Uncle Max for all that you have done, shared and taught us. We
continue to miss your vibrancy at all the Soliven family reunions. You are one
special person who will never be forgotten. You left your indelible mark not
only in the hearts of our family and your friends but also in a country you
served and loved so much.
(The book is available this weekend at Fully Booked and Powerbooks and
Solidaridad. E-mail maxv.solivenbook@yahoo.com)
(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@
yahoo.com.)
Hot off the press: Max Soliven biography (The
Philippine Star) Updated November 13, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines (Maximo V. Soliven: The Man and the
Journalist) by Nelson Navarro is now available in bookstores. Max Soliven's
life and career spanned almost eight decades of wars, revolutions and
unimaginable changes in culture and technology that all spilled, sometimes
un-gently, into the 21st century. He saw his country emerge from its long and
fevered colonial past into the uncertain tangle and frustrations of nationhood
in a world imperiled by nuclear weapons, financial meltdown and climate change.
First as trail-blazing reporter, briefly as boy publisher, and later as the
Philippines' most respected publisher and columnist, Max rose to the top of his
chosen profession in no time at all.
Starting from the police beat in 1954, he made national politics and world
affairs the unerring focus and main concern of his six-times-a-week column in
the Manila Times, the nation's largest and most influential newspaper. He was
among the first print journalists to venture into the new medium of television,
hosting his own top-rated weekly talk show.
A victim of martial law, he survived into the post-Marcos period and helped
revive the nation's free press as founding publisher of the Inquirer and shortly
after, the Philippine STAR.
What was the secret of the man's success and power? First, he always knew who
he was and what he stood for. Second, he always spoke out his mind and was never
afraid to disagree with those who held other views. He always stood his ground.
He never yielded to tyranny or injustice and always upheld "faith in the
Filipino" as the guiding principle of his life. He was a man of peace and
non-violence who, at the same time, was fearless and always hopeful about the
nation's future.
He lived and died a journalist. Max Soliven's story is a reminder for
Filipinos to act in accordance with Christian principles, accountability and
responsibility.
Maximo Soliven: The Man and the Journalist is a must-have book for government
and civic leaders, journalists, students and for all Filipinos. For more info
e-mail maxv.solivenbook@yahoo.com or log
on to http://maxvsolivenbook.nowplanet.tv.
PHNO'S FAVORITE JOURNALIST, PUBLISHER &
FRIEND
IN MEMORIAM: BY THE WAY MAX
V. SOLIVEN
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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