(APR. 4)—Former Asian Center (AC) Dean Mario Ignacio Miclat, PhD, passed away on Apr. 3. He was 71.
Known fondly as Doc Mic, Miclat was an acclaimed writer, poet, China
studies expert, translator and Philippine Studies professor.
He won numerous awards and had been honored with lifetime achievement
awards, including the 2013 Gaward Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for
fiction in English and Filipino from UMPIL (Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa
Pilipinas), and 2006 Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan of the City of
Manila.
For his body of works, Miclat won the 1988 Gawad CCP (Cultural Center
of the Philippines), Palanca Awards for Literature (1986-1987), 2008 UP
Centennial Professorial Chair Award and 2008 UP Press Centennial
Publication Awards.
His book “Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions” was long-listed for the
2009 Man Asian Literary Prize, while his “Beyond the Great Wall” was
awarded the 2006 National Book Award for biography.
He was also author of “Mga Kuwento ng Kabayanihan” (1988) and “Pinoy
Odyssey” (1989; relaunched by UP Press in 2005 as Pinoy Odyssey 2049),
among others.
In 2019, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) honored him Kampeon ng
Wika for his exemplary contribution toward the development and growth
of the national language.
He was AC dean from 2010 to 2012 and retired as UP Full Professor. He
was also former Director of UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino (1996 – 2001)
and Associate of Likhaan: UP Institute of Creative Writing.
In her article “Mario Miclat’s mighty heart,”
(https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/346464/mario-miclats-mighty-heart/)
published on the “Inquirer” on Sept. 24, 2019, Alma Miclat wrote how she
and husband Mario went to Beijing, China in the 1970s, “right before
the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in 1971. Martial law would
be declared in 1972,” and lived there for 15 years.
In China, the couple worked at Radio Peking which aired “a 30-minute
program in Filipino three times a day and which was beamed to the
Philippines.” There, their two daughters Maningning and Banaue were
born.
Miclat who was the UP Creative Writing Center (now Likhaan: Institute
of Creative Writing) National Fellow for Translations (1995-1996) also
received a citation from ICW.
Wife Alma in the same article wrote, “Earlier, Doc Mic received a
citation for his accomplishments as a writer and academic from Likhaan
(UP Institute of Creative Writing) headed by Jose “Butch” Dalisay Jr. It
describes him as: ‘Accomplished essayist and fiction writer, whose
skill and craftsmanship have created stories of remarkable sharpness and
poignancy in both English and Filipino, and whose extraordinary
insights into culture, politics, history, literature and the human
condition have enriched local and international discourse on nation and
imagination. It adds: ‘Passionate teacher, whose depth of knowledge and
understanding has inspired countless future scholars, writers and lovers
of the written word.’ Finally, the citation says, ‘Tireless
administrator, colleague and friend, whose quiet gestures of kindness
have touched many lives and whose magnanimity of spirit casts a ripple
that extends to infinity.’”
Born in Marikina on Sept. 12, 1949, Miclat is survived by wife Alma, daughter Prof. Banaue Miclat-Janssen of the UP Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts and husband, and grandson Raja Miclat-Janssen
Author: Mariamme D. Jadloc
Photographer: Panitikan.ph
Source: https://upd.edu.ph/doc-mic-writes-30/
