After Kristine: Naga City's Premier Bookstore to 'Temporarily Cease Operations'

Tropical Storm Kristine ravaged several provinces and regions in the country since it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on October 20. It first hit the Bicol Region, dumping up to 528.55 mm of rainfall in Daet, Camarines Norte, from the evening of October 22 (Tuesday) to the morning of October 23 (Wednesday). According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, this is the highest recorded 24-hour rainfall in the province since the 1920s.

Unprecedented amounts of rainfall also hit the rest of the region, with Naga City's local government unit saying that theirs is equivalent to 2.5 months' worth. Severe flooding, storm surge, and torrential rains inundated thousands of homes and displaced many.

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Naga City's premier bookshop and cultural hub, Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema, was not spared. This is the second time that this happened this year, having already been affected by Severe Tropical Storm Enteng in September. 

Aftermath of Tropical Storm Kristine, October 2024

Back then, Savage Mind founder and award-winning writer and filmmaker Kristian Sendon Cordero already sounded off the alarm.

"We call on concerned agencies to expedite the work on the proper drainage system in Naga. Last April 2024, we sent a communication to the barangay and to the Naga City Government LGU regarding the poor drainage system, we got no official reply except to wait for another budget year and pray that our area will be covered. We hope that a structural overhaul of the drainage system in this city will be a matter of priority," he said in a post on September 1.

Aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Enteng, September 2024

Savage Mind After Tropical Storm Kristine

In the aftermath of Kristine, rare books were strewn all over the floor, chairs and tables were toppled over, and a pair of musical keyboards were partially submerged by floodwater. The three cats resting outside the bookshop were, thankfully, rescued before the water got to them.

Cordero's team assessed the damage on Thursday morning and updated everyone with a post:

"The bookshop that we have built for the last six years did not survive the latest tropical onslaught that occurred yesterday.

This is, in fact, our second flooding incident for the year, with less than two months to recover, and despite our preparations for Typhoon Kristine, we were just overwhelmed by the 15-feet-high waters that inundated our space.

We will be updating you with our situation as we begin our inventory and assessment of losses.

Books, important archival materials, and artworks have all been destroyed. Like the many good people in Naga and in Kabikolan, we are experiencing the lowest point of our lives today.

We thank everyone who has assured us of their prayers and offered solidarity. We are grateful to our friends, benefactors, and fellow creatives who are joining us in this vigil of our darkest nights.

We will keep you posted, and we hope that everyone finds that little ray of hope as we face the coming days."

Ultimately, on Thursday night, Savage Mind officially announced temporary closure.

"We are totally devastated. What we hold now in this darkest night is the fortitude to bear the same kind of suffering that impels us to always learn to share what we hold dearly— our love for arts, for books, and for Bikol. Please help us rebuild Savage Mind. For now, we shall temporarily cease our operations until such time we regain strength and recover from our immense losses." 

The 'Creative Heart of Bikol'

Savage Mind was the realization of Cordero's experience at some of the most vibrant bookshops and cafes abroad during his writing residencies and fellowships. In a 2020 interview with Inquirer, he was quoted as saying, "I felt a certain kind of connection to these places. It’s always like finding yourself in the right place, with the right people, in a perfect moment."

Savage Mind before the storm

When he returned to Naga City in 2018, Cordero—who also happens to be the Ateneo de Naga University Press Deputy Director—established the independent bookstore that sells titles from commercial publishers, university presses, independent publishers, and self-published writers. It also has titles about Bicol, in the Bikol language, and by Bikol writers, including Luis Cabalquinto, who helped with the costs of the property. The bookstore also has books in other Philippine languages, dedicated spaces for National Artists for Literatures as well as Nobel Prize for Literature winners, a section on martial law, and a collection of children's literature.

Tugawe Cove Cafe

Beyond selling and showcasing books, Savage Mind also holds poetry readings, workshops, film screenings, exhibits, and other cultural events.

Savage Mind's Facebook page, which often posts quotes from authors, expressed their grief and bid farewell through a line from Australian writer Jamila Rizvi: "A trip to the bookshop is the ultimate exercise in empathy. Within it, you will find endless opportunities to see and understand the world from someone else's point of view."

It would take some time to rebuild it all for this place that's described as the "soul of the community, a bastion of free thinking."

In the meantime, they rest.

Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema is at 5 Peninsula Street, Tinago, Naga City. Follow Savage Mind: Arts, Books, Cinema for updates. Donations can be made through GoGetFunding.