Keepers of Memory
by Red Constantino
After three days of a pewter sky came sunshine.
Zachary See, an intellectual who hides the fact that he’s a baker of seriously lovely scones, and historian Ambeth Ocampo, strode into the Constantino Foundation compound the other week to see the exhibit, Letizia: A Life in Letters. They joined Girlie and Kartini Alampay, who had walked in minutes earlier.
It was the day before free public access to the Linangan Gallery ended. The exhibit’s visitors seemed gratified with their experience. Girlie and Kartini were certainly delighted to have their photos taken with Ambeth, Zach, and my mum Lourdes Constantino, Dudi to friends and family, [READ]
“Letizia Roxas Constantino, historian” by Ambeth Ocampo
Historian Ambeth R. Ocampo appreciated the exhibit when he dropped by the other week: “A recording of her playing the piano accompanied me as I walked through the exhibition. I felt like a child in a candy store, not knowing where to start or where to look.” If you fill up this form (https://forms.gle/YYFDFJAfS1uejQ5Q9) you [READ]
Letizia: A Life in Letters – Extended Viewing Opportunity
Thank you for your interest in the exhibit Letizia: A Life in Letters! Unfortunately, the period of free public access ended last 30 May. In response to persistent requests, however, visitors to the exhibit can still be accommodated, without charge, depending on the availability of foundation officers.
If you’re interested in visiting, please confirm your appointment by filling out the form below:
Visitors from far away!
It’s been almost two months and we’ve had so many delightful visits. From students to scholars, activists to advocates, poets and engineers, to parents, grandparents, journalists, photographers, government officials, and corporate officers. The visitors have been dazzling, curious, funny, introspective, and fully engaged.
Among the most special however are the visitors from far away, who braved the distance, heat, and road congestion just to see the exhibit. It’s been exhilarating and humbling to realize the sharing we’ve organized is received so warmly.
In a workshop on climate and Philippine history we held last year at the Linangan Gallery, participants travelled all the way from the Bicol region and Baguio to join the discussion in person. In the current exhibit, we’re experiencing similar efforts. It’s a great reminder of the lengths [READ]
Letizia Constantino, her letters, and her grandson – Philippine Daily Inquirer
“An invitation from Renato Redentor “Red” Constantino to view the exhibit “Letizia: A Life in Letters” slipped into my DM shortly before Holy Week. (Red and I were classmates at Jose Abad Santos Memorial School or JASMS, which used to occupy a wide stretch of land along Edsa.) The exhibit celebrates Letizia Constantino’s 105th birth anniversary and runs until May 30 at the Constantino Foundation’s Linangan Gallery, 38A Panay Ave. in Quezon City.”
Here’s what happened when Liana Rhissa Garcellano went to the exhibit.
Letizia Constantino, her letters, and her grandson
by Liana Garcellano | May 25, 2025
An invitation from Renato Redentor “Red” Constantino to view the exhibit “Letizia: A Life in Letters” slipped into my DM shortly before Holy Week. (Red [READ]
Poets and scholars visit exhibit!
What a magical day it was to receive four fine women, all of them luminaries in their respective fields, three of them Constantino Foundation partners, thanks to the IYAS and one who was a close personal friend of Letizia Roxas Constantino, and, in her words, a proud student of Renato Constantino.
This was the second visit of the esteemed feminist scholar and writer, Rosalinda Pineda Ofreneo, who had joined the opening of the exhibit last April 9, the birthday of the woman honored in the event. At the exhibit’s opening, Tita Inday, as her legion of students, friends, and fans call her, had to wade through over 150 people who had turned up, and she knew she saw too little of the displays, letters, and [READ]
Discover the story of Letizia Roxas Constantino in this moving feature by Rolling Stone Philippines
This Exhibition Brings A Hidden Figure Into The National Spotlight
From April 9 to May 30, the retrospective “Letizia: A Life in Letters” will be open to the public and will spotlight the life and writings of the esteemed but humble historian and nationalist
By Mel Wang | April 10, 2025 | Rolling Stone Philippines Letizia Roxas Constantino, the late wife to nationalist historian and acclaimed journalist Renato Constantino, had often shied away from the spotlight. Despite being an esteemed writer, historian, and academic herself, Letizia had little desire to be a prominent figure in historical textbooks. When the matriarch was invited to be a guest speaker at The Philippine Booklovers in 1978 in place of her husband, she emphasized that she was at the podium “quite by accident.” “Instead of the major Constantino, you have this afternoon, the minor Constantino,” [READ]
A visit from the royalty of good causes
A visit from the royalty of good causes: Three generations of fine Filipinas dropped by to see the Letizia: A Life in Letters exhibit. It was a pleasure to guide Teresita Ang See, her daughter Meah, and Meah’s daughter, Mayim, around the Constantino Foundation’s Linangan Gallery.
Tessy, as the academic and civic leader is known to friends, and Meah, are family friends. Meah is also a writer and, like her mother, is actively involved in countless social causes.
Renato and Letizia knew Tessy. Past foundation president, the late RC Constantino, his wife, Dudi (seen in the picture with her son, Red) and their children are good friends with both Tessy and Meah. It was thus a delight in Panay Ave. to receive Mayim as well, now a young woman pursuing a career in the arts.
Tessy and Meah are behind the celebrated Bahay Tsinoy, museum of Chinese in Philippine Life in Manila [READ]
No instructions. No assignment. Just inspiration.
“It felt like her words filled the entire room.” Francheska put pen to paper after experiencing Letizia: A Life in Letters. No prompt. Just purpose.
#LetiziaALifeInLetters #ConstantinoFoundation
