(Remarks by Rosalinda Pineda Ofreneo during the opening of the exhibit on “Pasts Revisited,” Yuchengco Museum, 11 June 2026)
The writings of Renato and Letizia Constantino embody their partisanship, their passion for justice and freedom, their devotion to a vision that is both beautiful and illuminating. And if we get to know the partnership of husband and wife behind the partisanship, we can see a mirroring of sorts – love of country made stronger and firmer by love for each other, the family that sprung from that love, and the close circle of a “few loyal friends,” as Renato described them.
Today, I have the unenviable task of describing in three minutes, a “romance” which spanned more than half a century. Having served as Renato’s biographer with the close guidance of Letty, I was regaled by many amusing and revealing anecdotes detailing their unusual courtship going all the way back to their University days – when he, described by her as an “antipatico”, initially dismissed her as someone whose brains were in her dancing feet . This unlikely “romance”, which endured the many trials marking the journey of Renato as a courageous and uncompromising dissenter, lasted till the final months of Renato’s life when they still read love letters to each other.
Despite his imperfections, for after all, he was only human, Renato tried to live what he believed in as fully as he could, and to make the best of what he had in terms of human relationships. He dared to love and dared to struggle, emerging from it all as victor and survivor. He bequeathed to his loved ones, as well as to his people, a usable life which they could revisit anytime through his writings.
He also bequeathed what I would describe as a “usable love” which he shared with Letty, who started off as an “adoring wife” serving Renato hand and foot as prescribed by patriarchal culture, but who eventually came into her own as an equal intellectual partner. She was much more than the self-described carpenter who patiently put together the scaffolding, the building blocks, and the finishing touches to Renato’s masterful architectural design. He would publicly compliment her, in his introduction to their first history volume entitled “A Past Revisited,” as “the lighthouse of my intellectual peregrinations.” Letty, with Renato’s prodding, successfully freed herself, and emerged from the shadows which covered her real worth, when she consented to be recognized as co-author of their second history volume, “The Continuing Past.” This intellectual affirmation came simultaneously with many other reassuring acts of care and affection which made Letty feel very much cherished – cooking for her, cutting her nails, dabbling in chemistry to make perfume for her, gifting her on her birthday with books equaling the number of her years.
This usable, confluent love that transcends mere romantic fascination, teaches us that it is important to be an instrument of both freedom (to be “mapagpalaya”) and caring (to be “mapagkalinga”) in all realms of relationships. To be able to achieve what we long for, we need to keep the fire burning in our hearts as well as in our bellies . Renato and Letty kept the fire burning for country and people, fueled by their abiding love for each other and the cause they both pursued with single-minded devotion.
In this sense, Renato and Letty may well be considered among the principal characters in one long epic love poem about the birthing of a free and caring society, still unfinished to this day. This exhibit can give us a rare glimpse of the catalytic roles they played. ###
Both books by Rosalinda Pineda-Ofreneo – Renato Constantino: A Life Revisited, and Dahil ang Bukas ay Para sa Mapagkalinga – can be bought at the YSpace Museum Shop.
Renato Constantino: A Life Revisited by Rosalinda Ofreneo
Dahil ang bukas ay para sa mga mapagkalinga by Rosalinda Ofreneo
