The Department of Trade & Industry-Creative Industries Development Office announced during World Cities Day on Oct. 31 that Dumaguete City has been endorsed to the UN Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organization-Creative Cities Network as the country’s official candidate for a ‘City of Literature’ designation for 2025.
The endorsement comes from the DTI, the Philippine National Commission for UNESCO, the National Commission for Culture & the Arts, and the Office of Cong. Christopher de Venecia.
Also endorsed to UNESCO is Quezon City, which is vying for the designation ‘City of Film’.
Dumaguete’s bid for ‘City of Literature’ is spearheaded by DTI-Negros Oriental, and the Office of the Mayor of Dumaguete, through the City Tourism Office, together with Buglas Writers Guild.
BWG President Ian Rosales Casocot said the designation is worthy of Dumaguete’s storied literary heritage. “Dumaguete has always been considered as the hometown of Philippine literature,” Casocot said.
“Dumaguete is the home of two National Artists: Edith Tiempo for Literature, and Eddie Romero for Cinema, the latter being a writer as well. This is the home of the longest creative writing workshop in Asia—the Silliman University National Writers Workshop founded in 1962, and was awarded the Gawad CCP para sa Sining in 2012 for its contributions to Philippine culture,” Casocot added.
He said the workshop has shaped the trajectory of many celebrated Filipino writers today. “And because of that, Dumaguete has always been a constant subject of many literary works, from novels to poetry, from essays to plays. It is high time that Dumaguete is recognized for its role in shaping literature in our corner of the world.”
Since its establishment in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network has promoted cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
The UCCN global community of cities works together to share experiences, and create sustainable and inclusive urban development strategies driven by creativity.
To date, the Philippines has three cities recognized under the prestigious UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Iloilo City for Gastronomy, Cebu City for Design, and Baguio City for Crafts & Folk Art.
In 2004, Edinburgh in Scotland, which hosts the annual International Book Festival, became the first ‘City of Literature’. Currently, there are 53 ‘Cities of Literature’, spanning 34 countries. Other ‘Cities of Literature’ worldwide include Iowa City in the US, Dublin in Ireland, and Barcelona in Spain. (Buglas Writers Guild)
