Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno mourns demise of Carlos Celdran

https://www.facebook.com/iskomorenodomagoso/posts/2423262984409797

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso mourned the passing of cultural activist and performance artist Carlos Celdran, saying that the country’s capital lost again one of its ‘promoters.’

“Kahapon, nawalan tayo ng isang tao na talagang pinagmamalasakitan ang Lungsod ng Maynila (Yesterday, we lost a man who really cared for the City of Manila),” Domagoso said in a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 9.

“Nawalan na naman kami ng isang promoter, isang tagapagtaguyod ng kasaysayan ng mga magagandang aral na puwedeng matutunan sa ating mahal na Lungsod (We lost another promoter, an advocate of history of good lessons that we can learn from our beloved city),” he added.

Celdran’s wife, Tesa, confirmed his passing through a Facebook post on Tuesday, October 8, saying that her husband died of “natural causes.” No further details have been disclosed.

Celdran, 46, was a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States in 1996.

He came to prominence in September 2010 when he interrupted a service at the Manila Cathedral to protest against the opposition of the Catholic Church to the then Reproductive Health Bill. He dressed up as the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, carrying a placard with the word “Damaso” in it. Damaso is an antagonist friar in Rizal’s novel, “Noli Me Tangere.” In his blog, Celdran described this as his “most shocking work to date.”

Celdran was also known for his work “If These Walls Could Talk,” a walking tour that aims to enlighten people about Manila’s history between the 14th century and World War II. There was a sequel of it titled “Livin’ La Vida Imelda,’ an hour and a half long monologue of “architectural and geopolitical adventure from post-war Manila until present day.”

In 2018, he spearheaded the first-ever Manila Biennale, a month-long art exposition inside the walled city of Intramuros, Manila.

In his post, the mayor said Celdran promoted Manila City in his “own little way, the way he knows it.”

“In fact some people may not understand him, but one thing is for sure, whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it for the city of Manila,” Domagoso wrote.

Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo earlier extended her condolences to Celdran’s family.

“I will always be grateful for his support and appreciative of his contributions to raising the awareness of our fellow Filipinos regarding our history and culture. He will be missed,” she tweeted.