The month of April is National Literature Month. By virtue of Proclamation No. 968, s. 2015, which was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III on 10 February 2015, the country essentially makes an official acknowledgement that Philippine literature–written in the different Philippine languages, including English, Spanish, and the various regional tongues–is very much associated with the history and cultural legacy of the State, and thus must be promoted among Filipinos.
The proclamation also acknowledges that the “national literature plays an important role in preserving and inspiring the literature of today and in introducing to future generations the Filipin
o values that we have inherited from our ancestors.” April had been chosen to mark the commemoration of the Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar Day, and the birth and death anniversaries of literary pillars such as Emilio Jacinto, Paciano Rizal, Nick Joaquin, Edith Tiempo, and Bienvenido Lumbera, and the proclamation tasks the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and its affiliate agencies, the National Book Development Board, and other concerned stakeholders, to support the declaration of the month of April as Buwan ng Panitikang Filipino or National Literature Month.
This is the third year that the nation is celebrating National Literature Month, which came about largely through the efforts of National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, otherwise known as Rio Alma. This year’s theme, “Banyuhay,” the Filipino word for “metamorphosis,” emphasizes that literature, a creative endeavor, is “also a political and social institution as well as a force that shapes life and everyday living. It is a vital instrument that helps us evaluate and implement right and necessary changes.”
Several literary and cultural events have been lined up for the whole month of April all over the country to “stimulate the mind and enrich the soul in the name of literature,” and it kicked off with the celebration of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar Day or Araw ni Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar on April 2. On the 229th birth anniversary of Baltazar, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) put a spotlight on how Balagtas paved for national freedom with the Pambansang Kampong Balagtas 2017, a literary conference that gathered 100 student-writers from all over the Philippines, held at the Orion Elementary School in Orion, Bataan.
In Dumaguete City, we kicked off our local slate of literary events with a lecture by poet Eugene Gloria last April 7, titled “Strangers in Our Own Art,” where he gaves a craft talk on the “unknowns and possibilities” of poetry writing. It was held at the Robert and Metta Silliman Library in Silliman University, spearheaded by Lady Flor Partosa of the Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center.
On April 10, we follow it with “Storyang Anunugba,” a storytelling event with Ron Jacob Calumpang, Bernice delos Reyes Delanto, Onna Rhea Quizo, and Steve Banua Sanchez, Monday at 7:00 PM at The Bean Connection at Portal West along Silliman Avenue. It is coordinated by yours truly for th Silliman University Culture and Arts Council.
On April 27, PechaKucha Dumaguete will hold PK Night Vol. 17, with the theme “Let’s Talk About Film and Literature,” featuring short talks on a variety of topics involving literature and film by experts and enthusiasts, using the famous “fast-talk” platform of presentation. It is slated at 7:00 PM at the Local Palette, also along Silliman Avenue. It is coordinated by Renz Christian Torres for PechaKucha Dumaguete.
On April 28, a forum with Nerissa Balce, Gary Devilles, Ian Rosales Casocot, Alana Leilani Narciso, and Lady Flor Partosa will give an educator’s workshop titled “Teaching the Cultures of Martial Law,” centering on the visual, literary, and pop cultural readings of the Martial Law Period. It is slated at 10:00 AM at the Robert and Metta Silliman Library, Silliman University. It is coordinated by Lady Flor Partosa of the Edilberto and Edith Tiempo Creative Writing Center.
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Author’s email: ian.casocot@gmail.com
