Gala Night Program.p65

G A U D E A M U S
Gala Night
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY FELLOWSHIP NIGHT
20 MAY 2011, FRIDAY, 4 P.M.,
CLAIRE ISABEL McGILL LUCE AUDITORIUM
SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY, DUMAGUETE CITY
the national writers workshop is sponsored by
silliman university and the national commission for culture and the arts
Gaudeamus
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
FELLOWSHIP NIGHT
From the
D I R E C TOR
EMERITUS
Dr. Edith L. Tiempo
National Artist for Literature
HOW TO
WALK ON A
SEAWALL
BY MIRO FRANCES CAPILI
W
e tried to write.
We had positioned
ourselves where our bodies
would be able to cleave the wind,
hoping perhaps to intercept what
occult lore its salty tongues would
carry; to entrap the utterances of the
afternoon in free verse, realist fiction,
villanelles, sci-fi, prose poetry. What
precluded the wall, of course, was the
pure verve of sea, that bladder of the
warm earth, an unruly and irreducible
reminder of timelessness. Everything
else, among them the wispy periphery
of sky, seemed simply to be what had
happened to occur around at the time
of creation.
From time to time one of our poets would
offer to read aloud what she had written, only to
realize that the sibilance around us silenced both
sound and subterrain of her imagery. The wideness
of the sea, she began, and the sea was wider still.
Waves making love, she tried, and it became
impossible to ignore the sultry impassioning of
water folding into water.
We had tried, as fools do who trust in the
glib promises of syntax and metaphors and line
cuts, to discipline the dance; the lissomeness of the
water, into written entry. But no theory instructs
the mastery of seas. Memory cannot temper a
rolling patch of sky. A rogue splinter of peach dusk
explodes with too much ebullience to hold the grace
of a poem. An afternoon offers its own syntactic
patterns and resonances.
And how do you dilute a sea, the near
painful clarity of day, a summer of literature and
noise, to ease into a story?
I imagine it would take the same pains
required to grow old and confuse home with
memory, as the wise are able to do who’ve culled
their lives carefully. Keep in constant vigilance.
Take long walks. Accept that falling spectator to
the inaccessible rituals of waves, at times, comes at
the expense of wordlessness. Grow a habit. Kick it
after the second hour. Arrive at an awareness that
a seawall in Dumaguete city has more in common
than you think with the lamppost at the corner of
the next street—it is a time, a place, an atmosphere,
a parable, a tumor; a sweet kind of terror,
something to despair over. Set store by William
Stafford when he says, “For the person who follows
with trust and forgiveness what occurs to him, the
world remains always ready and deep, an
inexhaustible environment, with the combined
vividness of an actuality and flexibility of a dream.”
You are surprised. How difficult it is to still
the imperative of bodily experience, of wanderlust,
of energy and movement, as you develop with age
a skill for ordinary life. How rare now those images
of brute, fervid illumination. You quit trying to
make small talk in line for your passport
application. The laundry waits in the hamper by
the door. You find a quicker way to remove the
dribbles of pumpkin soup from last night’s dress.
You find yourself most displaced in yourself. You
wake up, wanting to follow the sounds of the
morning.
So you slip quietly out of the soul for some
fresh air. Take a walk. Find a curious other
Elsewhere, other Elsewhen, lying in the gutter, or
warm in the outstretched hand of a beggar, or
stowed away among old tickets in the compartment
of a bus bound for a place whose name you can
pronounce but can’t remember. Pick it up. You
decide that this, what you have just found, could
derail you. It could be a useless divergence you’re
afraid to admit you have all the time for. You’re
afraid it will rain for a million years within you,
forming new seas; sail you away to a purer shore.
Could usher you back into the discrete homicides
of squat, ordinary life.
But let’s say you’ve run into a profound
enough moment of tenderness—your first
awareness of how great of this world the Negros
Sea seems to annex, for instance, when you reach a
certain hilly point of Siquijor. You get wind of this
possibility while top-loading a jeepney, and a year
later you are still suspicious of where the ride had
ended. You spend weekends at beaches within the
proximity of Metro Manila, wondering why no one
else notices that the “white” sand the ads were so
proud of more closely resembles gravel, or that the
milky waters have forgotten how they had
themselves once seemed to dream up the color
cerulean. You arrive home and greet your mother
ma’ayong hapon (your family hails from Batangas).
Obedient to a warning you once heard about
vampires in Siquijor leading human lives by day,
you avert your gaze from men wearing reflective
shades on the way to school. And you have been
breathless so often from the dressings of strange
plants sprouting from the lawns of random
neighbors, from the grain crackling all over the
corners of old silent films, from the word decadence
and how it sounds like the butter melting in the
cleavage of your morning pan de sal. You become
difficult to please.
Your wife, your lover, a classmate, will at
some point harbor suspicion from your attachment
to precious little instances of life. They will doubt
the triumphs you find in a can of soup, a better
edition of The Shipping News; of lying on a seawall,
observing a lamppost. That they will declare your
sanity upended and recommend a good
psychiatrist is a possibility. Live with it.
Stuff the new wonder in a place whose
sound and silence only you understand. Often your
thumb will seek it out and attempt to stroke it,
reacquainting itself with the rough corners and
willowy indents in reverent little gestures. Let it.
A tacit smile, in turn, will find a way to seek out
your face when this happens. Let it grow.
Now begin the walk back to where you
remember your old house was. Lose your way. Find
it eventually, in a place between the tagline of a
slimming tea ad you once read while taking a piss
during a stopover, and the second name of the man
who sold you your first harmonica. Try to act
surprised when you find yourself unable to walk
right back in.
First published in UNO Magazine, March 2011. Miro
Capili was part of the 49th National Writers Workshop.
Pro g r a m m e
G A U D E A M U S
Gala Night
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY FELLOWSHIP NIGHT
Over
ture
verture
Danilo Francisco M. Reyes and Niccolo Vitug
on the piano
Opening Video
Opening Number
Silliman University Kahayag Dance Troupe
Ronnie Mirabuena
Artistic Director
orkshop
ows of the 50th W
Rec
ognition of the Fell
Workshop
Fello
Recognition
The fellows will also be given their certificates
Wel
come Remarks
Welc
Dr. Evelyn F. Mascuñana
Chair, Department of English and Literature
Coordinator, National Writers Workshop
Award for the United Bo
ard for Christian Higher Educa
tion in Asia
Board
Education
Accepting for UBCHEA
Dr. Christopher Ablan
UBCHEA Liaison Officer, Silliman University
Award for The University of Io
wa
Iow
Accepting for the University of Iowa
Prof. Robin Hemley
Non-Fiction Program Director, The University of Iowa
Musical Intermission
Silliman University Gratitude Goodwill Ambassadors
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez
Artistic Director
Award for THe Crea
tive Writing Found
ation
Creative
Founda
Accepting for the Creative Writing Foundation
Alfred Yuson and Susan Lara
Award for the N
ation
al C
ommission for Cul
ture and the Ar
ts
Na
tional
Commission
Culture
Arts
Accepting for the NCCA
Prof. Ricardo M. de Ungria
Award for the Duma
guete Literar
y Ar
ts Ser
vice Gr
oup, Inc
Dumaguete
Literary
Arts
Service
Group
Inc..
Accepting for DULA
Mr. Bobby Flores-Villasis and Ms. Bing Sumanoy
The family of the late Ernesto Superal Yee are also asked to come on stage
y
Address for the Fift
th Anniversar
Fiftth
Anniversary
Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe-Alvarez
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Lost in the St
ars: In Memoriam
Stars:
aff
ation
al writers W
orkshop St
Award for the n
Workshop
Staff
na
tional
Accepting for the Staff
Prof. Warlito Caturay
The panelists of the Department of English and Literature are also asked to come onstage
Award for the n
ation
al writers W
orkshop P
anelists
na
tional
Workshop
Panelists
Accepting for the Panelists
Dr. Anthony Tan
The panelists will also be given their certificates
RHYTHM OF VIOLETS: Poetr
y & Song Cy
cle
Poetry
Cycle
with
Christine Lao, Shane Carreon, Myrna Peña-Reyes, Dr. César Ruìz Aquino,
Katrina Saga, Jem Robert Talaroc, Carla Mongado, Onna Rhea Quizo, Rigel Suarez,
and Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez
“Afternoon of the Sea Faun”
by Edith Lopez Tiempo
“Sunlight at Auvers”
by Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas
“The River Singing Stone”
by Myrna Peña-Reyes
“Point of View”
by César Ruìz Aquino
A Video Trib
ute t
o the Founders of the W
orkshop
Tribute
to
Workshop
Rec
ognition for C
ollege Assurance Plan
Recognition
College
and A
tty
ue Sobrepeña jr.
At
ty.. enriq
enrique
Accepting for CAP and Atty. Sobrepeña
Dr. Josefina Cornelio
Former Deputy Head, CAP College and CAP College Foundation
Rec
ognition for dr. R
owen
a Tiempo-T
orrevillas
Recognition
Ro
wena
Tiempo-Torrevillas
Rec
ognition for Dr. Edilber
to K. Tiempo
Recognition
Edilbert
Rec
ognition for Dr. Edith L. Tiempo
Recognition
Cl
osing Remarks
Closing
Dr. Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas
Director-in-Residence, National Writers Workshop
Cl
osing Number
Closing
‘T
od
ay’
‘Tod
oda
Presenters
in order of appearance
Moses Joshua Atega
Patrik Norouzi
Alfie Calingacion
Gino Francis Dizon
Oscar Serquiña Jr.
Jenette Ethel Vizcocho
Ian Rosales Casocot
Myrna Peña-Reyes
Lorna Reyes Makil
Lady Flor Partosa
Philip Van Peel
Alana Cabrera-Narciso
Rebecca de la Torre
César Ruìz Aquino
Misael Ondong
Allen Samsuya
Andrea Macalino
Ceres Abanil
Gémino H. Abad
Bobby Flores Villasis
Miro Frances Capili
Aaron James Jalalon
Susan S. Lara
Alfred Yuson
Marius Monsato
Maria Rochelle Villaruel
Voice-over
Ian Rosales Casocot
WRITER AND DIRECT
OR
DIRECTOR
Danilo Francisco M. Reyes
PR
ODUCTION ASSIST
ANT and pr
ogram design
PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT
program
Ian Rosales Casocot
PR
ODUCTION ASSIST
ANT and SET DESIGN
PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT
Moses Joshua Atega
ST
AGE MAN
AGER
STA
MANA
Christel Kho
TALENT C
OORDIN
ATOR
COORDIN
OORDINA
Diomar ABrio
About the Workshop
T
he National Writers Workshop
in Dumaguete is the oldest
creative writing program in
Asia. The Workshop has been directed
for the past 50 years by National Artist
for Literature Dr. Edith L. Tiempo,
along with her husband and
Workshop founder, the late Dr.
Edilberto K. Tiempo. In 2009, Dr. Edith
Tiempo was named Director Emeritus
of the National Writers Workshop,
now known as the Silliman University
National Writers Workshop.
The Silliman University National Writers
Workshop is the only three-week long writers
workshop in the country, devoted to helping
writers hone their craft in the genres of poetry,
fiction, nonfiction, and drama. As the longest
running among the nation’s writing workshops, the
Silliman Workshop has trained several generations
of writers, many of whom are now influencing the
shape, direction, and development of Philippine
literature. Over six hundred young writers have
received the workshop fellowships, which are open
for annual competitions. Many of these writers
have won major prizes in the Don Carlos Palanca
Literary Awards, the Philippine Graphic Literary
Contest, and the Philippines Free Press Literary
Contest, among others. With the workshop’s
integrity and tradition over the years, it has become
a rite of passage for the country’s finest writers.
Apart from Silliman University, over the
years the Workshop has received support from the
Ford Foundation, the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the CAP Family of
Companies, the Creative Writing Foundation, the
Dumaguete Literary Arts (DuLA) Group, and
various cultural institutes based in the United States
ad Europe.
Last 2010 marked a milestone in the
development of Philippine literature and the
writing craft, as the Silliman University National
Writers Workshop, headed by its first Director-inResidence Dr. Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas and the
visionary Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, University
President, first invited a writer beyond the
Philippines to sit in as a guest panelist for a week
to enrich the workshop by infusing Asian
consciousness. The first international guest writer
was Hong Kong’s Xu Xi. For 2011, it is Singapore’s
Kirpal Singh.
Also in 2010, Silliman University welcomed
the panelists, writing fellows, workshop alumni,
and guests to the Writers Village at Camp Lookout,
Valencia; its realization made possible through
generous hearts.
About the founders
E
DITH L. TIEMPO, poet, fictionist,
teacher and literary critic is one of the
finest Filipino writers in English
whose works are characterized by a
remarkable fusion of style and substance,
of craftsmanship and insight. She was born
on 22 April 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva
Vizcaya. Her poems are intricate verbal
transfigurations of significant experiences
as revealed, in two of her much
anthologized pieces, “The Little Marmoset”
and “Bonsai”. As fictionist, Tiempo is as
morally profound. Her language has been
marked as “descriptive but unburdened by
scrupulous detailing.” She is an influential
tradition in Philippine literature in English.
Together with her late husband, Edilberto
K. Tiempo, she founded and directed the
Silliman National Writers Workshop in
Dumaguete City, which has produced some
of the country’s best writers. Tiempo’s
published works include the novel A Blade
of Fern (1978), His Native Coast (1979), The
Alien Corn (1992), One, Tilting Leaves (1995)
and The Builder (2003); the poetry collections,
The Tracks of Babylon and Other Poems (1966),
and The Charmer’s Box and Other Poems
(1993); and the short story collection Abide,
Joshua, and Other Stories (1964). (Adapted from
the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts website)
About the founders
F
iction-writer and literary critic
EDILBERTO K. TIEMPO was born
in 1913. He obtained his M.F.A. from
the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. in
English from the University of Denver. In
addition to having been a Guggenheim and
Rockefeller fellow, Dr. Tiempo, alongside
wife Edith, spent around four years
studying literature and creative writing in
the Iowa Writers Workshop. Upon
returning to the Philippines in 1962, the
Tiempos founded the Silliman National
Writers Workshop after the objectives of the
Iowa writers’ clinic. In the 1960s, he taught
in two American schools, but it was Silliman
University which Tiempo chose as his base,
serving as department chair, graduate
school dean, vice-president for academic
affairs, and writer-in-residence. He reaped
numerous honors for his writing, among
them the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Prize, Palanca Awards, the National Book
Award, and a prize in the U.P. Golden
Anniversary Literary Contest. He authored
over a dozen books in his lifetime. Titles
include the collections A Stream at Dalton
Pass and Other Stories (1970), Snake Twin and
Other Stories (1992) and Literary Criticism in
the Philippines and Other Essays (1995); as well
as the novels Cry Slaughter (1957), which had
four New York printings and six European
translations, To Be Free (1972), the awardwinning More Than Conquerors (1982), and
Cracked Mirror (1984). Tiempo died in
September of 1996, but his final novel, Farah,
saw print in 2001. (Adapted from the Panitikan
website)
From the
Ac t i n g
President
W
hen the first Filipino
President of Silliman
University, Dr. Leopoldo
T. Ruiz, gave his inaugural address at
our commencement on 6 April 1953,
he defined the true university as one
where, among others, there is
“constant enlargement of the horizons
of man’s knowledge...”
Until today, successive administrations of
the University have been measured against such
yardstick as defined by Dr. Ruiz, and as one of the
innovative academic programs introduced in the
university in the summer of 1962, this National
Writers Workshop is then one of those pillars of
the true university.
Indeed, whether in creative, research, or
academic writing, a university cannot be one
without a solid, stable program in writing. At
Silliman University, where the first three chairmen
of the English Department—Dr. Metta Jacobs
Silliman, Dr. Edilberto K. Tiempo, and Dr. Edith L.
Tiempo—shaped her destiny, the National Writers
Workshop was a natural progression that brought
the University into international prominence. And
as the brainchild of husband-and-wife team, Dr. Ed
and Dr. Edith Tiempo, another natural progression
is their daughter taking over—Dr. Rowena TiempoTorrevillas, the Writers Workshop’s current
Director-in-Residence.
For the past three weeks, we welcomed to
this gathering of minds the creative writers who
are striving to perfect their craft in spite of a
rigorous journey in the process of discovering their
strengths and weaknesses. This is a program so
structured to develop one’s critical insights to
expand one’s knowledge—the true horizon of the
true university. For wasn’t it the American
management guru, Peter Drucker, who gave us the
term “knowledge work,” describing it as work that
is not easily designed because knowledge does not
result in a product but instead, in a contribution of
knowledge to somebody else?
Such then is the hallmark of the true
university—where “knowledge work” is
generated, criticized, expanded, analyzed,
assimilated—an academic program of the National
Writers Workshop that only Silliman University
can design and achieve!
For the past three weeks, the design of
creative writing as knowledge not only sharpened
some more to conform to what a true university is,
but also, each one of the writing fellows—
individually screened and selected—were tested to
the limit by the mentors of this innovative summer
program, a knowledge journey towards selfdiscovery of qualities that are self-imposed in their
desire to perfect their craft.
Now then is a happy moment for us in the
University to have welcomed everyone of our
writing fellows to the Rose Lamb-Sobrepeña
Writers Village, the permanent home of Silliman
University’s Writers Workshop.
In the last three weeks, I am sure that our
fellows have also discovered that although the Rose
Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village is only a year old,
it is also the only place on this earth where the
tranquility of the environment could give them
their needed serenity to achieve their creative
genius! Again, congratulations on having been
admitted to this summer’s program!
Dr. Betsy Joy B. Tan
Acting President, Silliman University
From the
d i r e c tor
in residence
A
t this moment, across the
planet, the fields of Iowa are
being tilled and prepared for
planting the seed that will feed the
whole world.
Where we are today, a world away, the seeds
from Iowa — the nursery of writing worldwide,
the Iowa Writers’ Workshop — are being reaped
in our midst: fifty years of the written word, shared,
cultivated, celebrated in a golden harvest.
Dr. Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas
Director-in-Residence
From the
Wo r k s h o p
Co o r d i nator
M
ay 2011 is the fiftieth
anniversary of the National
Writers Workshop. Let us
try to trace briefly, dwelling only on
the broad historical contours, the
evolution of the National Writers
Workshop.
In 1961, National Artist for Literature Dr.
Edith L. Tiempo and her late husband, Dr. Edilberto
K. Tiempo, planted the seed for what is now the
Silliman University National Writers workshop.
In 2010, 49 years later, Silliman University,
through a generous donation of Atty. Enrique
Sobrepeña Jr., an Outstanding Sillimanian Awardee
in the field of business, realized its vision to create
a Writers Village on this gentle slope at the foothills
of Mount Talinis as primary venue for the National
Writers Workshop, and as a home for writers away
from the distractions of city life.
Now in 2011, the National Writers
Workshop celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. We
pause to think—we are now at the threshold of
another fifty years, or a hundred years or more, for
as long as there are writers who write about life,
love, friendship, loyalty, honor, or about hatred,
greed, envy, betrayal, dishonor, all universal
themes that have preoccupied writers throughout
the ages.
Yes, we pause to think, what’s next? For now
the University’s most immediate dream or vision
is the Asianization of the Writers Workshop—
inviting panelists and fellows from neighboring
Asian countries to create a space for a vibrant blend
in the literary arts and writing craft, and expanding
Silliman University’s relevance and reach beyond
its campus by the sea to gain value as an institution
to others beyond itself.
This vision became a reality in 2010 when
we invited a notable Hong Kong-based writer, Xu
Xi, a veteran in writers’ workshops, as guest
panelist. This year, we have expanded to two Asian
guests from Singapore: one, a young Singaporean
student—Jasmine Teh—as writing fellow, and the
other, her mentor, Dr. Kirpal Singh, a notable
Singaporean writer and another veteran in writers’
workshops, as guest panelist in the last week of the
workshop. The National Writers Workshop is a
three-week workshop—the longest writing
workshop in the Philippines.
This is one of the highlights in the workshop
calendar for May 2011. Another highlight is the
Gala and Awarding Ceremonies tonight at the
Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, when
institutions and persons who have supported and
contributed to the development and growth of the
National Writers Workshop will be recognized.
Amazingly, there seems to be an
inexplicable convergence of circumstances, a
happenstance that can make one superstitious (or
one think that this augurs successful fruitful
ventures in the future): this is the visit to Silliman
on the last days of the workshop by Prof. Robin
Hemley, director of the Non-fiction Program at the
University of Iowa, who is visiting with twenty
students.
Why this convergence of circumstances?
Why now at this threshold of the next fifty or more
years of the Workshop’s existence, when there is a
lot of wondering as to what would happen next,
some dreaming or envisioning?
We see that what started as a seed in 1961,
and followed by a vision in 2010, are now realities
in 2011. Let me end with this thought: dreams and
visions are the stuff realities are made of.
Dr. Evelyn F. Mascuñana
Chair, Department of English and Literature
The 50th Anniversary Writing Fellows
CHARMAINE CARREON is taking up her M.A.
in Creative Writing at the University of the
Philippines in Diliman. She also teaches in UPCebu. She has attended the 10th Iyas Creative
Writing Workshop and the UP Visayas Centennial
All-Visayan Writers Workshop.
GLENN L. DIAZ is taking up his M.A. in Creative
Writing at the University of the Philippines in
Diliman. He was a Fellow for the 10th Ateneo
National Writers Workshop. He has a short story
published in the Philippine Free Press, and is at
present a freelance writer, contributing non-fiction
articles to the Philippine Star, Philippine Daily
Inquirer, BusinessWorld, and others.
PHILLINE P. DONGGAY is a presenter of The
Climate Project, a leadership training group
established by Al Gore. She is also a PR/Media
Communications Manager of GREENERGY
Development Corporation. She is also an editor of
an online magazine, an ABS-CBN producer/writer
for CHUY!, and an events organizer. Originally
from Cagayan, she received her BS in Commerce
from De La Salle University. She is passionate about
traveling and writing.
ROGELIO FANTONIAL GARCIA JR. is an
instructor at the Department of English Language
and Literature in Xavier University and is also
taking up his M.A. in the school. He was Mindanao
State University’s Writer of the Year in 2009 and
was a writing fellow to the Sulat-Dula Playwriting
Workshop. His works have been published in
Sun.Star Davao, Dagmay, and in the “Youngblood”
column of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
EVANGELINE B. GUBAT is taking up her M.A.
in Creative Writing at the University of the
Philippines in Diliman. She earned her Bachelor of
Fine Arts from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Her works have appeared in different publications,
and one of her poems is anthologized in One
Hundred Love Poems: Philippine Love Poetry Since
1905. Currently, she is a freelance feature writer.
JEFFREY JAVIER is a Creative Writing major in
the University of the Philippines Mindanao. He has
attended the DWG-ADDU Writers Workshop in
2009. His stories and poems have appeared in
Dagmay and in Sun.Star Davao.
CHRISTINE LAO, after earning her Bachelor of
Laws in the University of the Philippines College
of Law, has been a Philippine attorney since 2001.
She was a legal consultant for the Asian
Development Bank and was also a lecturer at the
English Department in the Ateneo de Manila
University. Her stories have been published in the
Philippine Speculative Fiction series (in 2008 and in
2011), and her poems in 100 Filipina Poets: First
Annual Festival of Women’s Poetry (in 2008). One of
her stories has just recently appeared in Kritika
Kulura.
EMMANUEL LEAN P. LAVA is a corporate
Business English Trainer in goFluent Phils., Inc. and
is a contributing writer in GabLifeStyle Magazine. He
has previously received his BA in Economics in the
Ateneo de Manila University.
ANDREA MACALINO earned her B.A. in English
Literature from the Ateneo de Manila University.
Her short story was a finalist in the Philippine Free
Press Awards. Currently, Andrea is an Executive
Assistant of the Ateneo Center for Continuing
Education and is a content developer in Phinma
Education Network.
MARIUS ANGELO G. MONSANTO is from
Davao City. A Creative Writing student in the
University of the Philippines Mindanao, he was
fellow in the 15th Iligan National Writers
Workshop. His works have been published in
Sun.Star Davao.
ALLEN SAMSUYA, a Creative Writing student in
the University of the Philippines Mindanao, is from
Cotabato City. He was a Fellow in the Davao
Writers Workshop in 2009, and a finalist in the
Davao Band Fest song-writing competition.
MIGUEL ANTONIO D. SULANGI was given the
BPI-DOST Science Award in 2010. He is a Physics
major in the Ateneo de Manila University, and is
also a member of Heights, Ateneo’s literary folio.
ALYZA MAY T. TAGUILASO was a fellow in the
Ateneo Writers Workshop and in the Iyas Creative
Writing Workshop. Her work has also appeared
in the recent Kritika Kultura: Anthology of New
Philippine Writing in English. A Biology major from
Ateneo, she is pursuing her Doctor of Medicine
degree from the University of the East Ramon
Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center.
JASMINE TEH studied Information Systems
Management at Singapore Management University
and lives in Singapore.
ELAINE MICHELLE M. TOBIAS has published
her works in The Literary Apprentice and in the
University of the Philippines English Department’s
Ampersand. At present, Tobey is a writer for The
Mind Museum, a project of Bonifacio Arts
Fundation, and a Creative Writing Major in UP
Diliman.
MARIA ROCHELLE A. VILLARUEL studies in
De La Salle University, where she is working for
her Master of Fine Arts degree. She has contributed
articles to various publications—including
Masigasig/Entrepreneur, Yes! Magazine, Cosmopolitan
Philippines, etc.—and has worked in TV production
and advertisement. At present, Miel is a writer for
Global Property Guide.
F e l lows from 1962 to 2011
1962
J. Lorenzo Rivera
Jose Ferraris
Jose Lansang Jr.
Luciano Tenedo
Petronilo Daroy
Socorro Federis-Tate
Vic Samonte
Wilfrido Nolledo
1963
Alberto Florentino
Amalia Perez
Bataan Faigao
Elena Reyes
Emmanuel Osorio
Erwin Castillo
Fernando Afable
Geronimo Sicam
Indalecio de Leon
Ireneo Gancuangco
Jesus Peralta
Ko Won
Leonidas Benesa
Linda Ty-Casper
Nicanor Tabligan
Raymond Llorca
Rogelio Sicat
Valdemar Olaguer
1964
Alfredo Cuenca
Alfredo Morales
Erwin Castillo
Jose Carreon
Nelson La Rosa
Ninotchka Rosca
Orlando Hernando
Roberto Pontinela
Rolando Carbonell
Rolando Pena
Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez
1965
Alma de Jesus Tayo
Elsie Martinez-Coscolluela
Estelita Juco
Freddie Dimaya
G. Burce Bunao
J Maidan Flores
Jose Montebon
Maximo Tuason
Rita Gaddi
Teresita Dato
1966
Alfredo Pucay
Antonio Samson
Carmelo Chionglo
Cesar Victor Reyes
Federico Licsi Espino
Marra Lanot
Norman Quimpo
Salvador Bernal
1967
Antonio Enriquez
Cesar Ruiz Aquino
Edgar Libre-Griño
Eduardo Yap
Florence Baban
Jesus Chanco
Joy Dayrit
Jun Canizares
Mar Arcega
Migen Osorio
Ricardo Patalinghug
Robert Villasis
Romeo Virtucio
Sr. Ma. Delia Coronel, ICM
Sr. Mary Imelda Domingo
Thelma Enage
1968
Alfred Yuson
Armando Ravanzo
Cesar Mella, Jr.
Dionisio Gabriel
Donel Pacis
Emmanuel Lacaba
Lamberto Ceballos/Caballes
Rene Estella Amper
Rene Bonsubre
Urias Almagro
1969
Alfrredo Navarro Salanga
Artemio Tadena
Dory Robles
Gemma Tadena
Josephine Soto
Lamberto Antonio
Linda Faigao
Melquiades Allego
Rosalinda Roxas
Virgilio Almario
Wigberto Fuentebella
1970
Alberto Casuga
Carlos Aureus
Carlota Abellana
Celedonio Aguilar
Conrado de Quiros
Fr. Miguel Fernandez
Franklin Osorio
Gwendolyn Reyes
Junio Ragragio
Macario Tiu
Ricky Lee
Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez
1971
Aida Rivera-Ford
Desmond Montemayor
Dolores Martir
Edgar Griño
Eduardo Lucero
Edward Garrett
Erwin Castillo
Gil Garcia
Leticia Farinas
Loreto Matienzo Jr.
Ma. Zenaida French
Primo Pacis
Rene Martinez
Val Fajardo
1972
Alfredo Macaraeg
Edgar Maranan
Ernesto Lariosa
Francis Macansantos
Freddie Hernandez
Josefina Cabe
Luis Cabalquinto
Pantaleon Auman
Ramon Cortes III
Rene Parohinog
Rogelio Mangahas
Virgilio Vitug
1973
Angelito Santos
Anthony Tan
Antonio Orogo Jr.
Catherine Salazar
Cecilia Nava
Felix Fojas
Jaime An Lim
Jolico Cuadra
Ma. Cristina Ferreros
Mauro Avena
Meng Magno
Oriel Muspratt
Vidal Armamento
1974
Bella Apelo
Cynthia Rodriguez
Elizabeth Orteza
Gaudioso Sustento
Generoso Taduran
Gilbert Centina III
Herminio Beltran
Hortensia Balisalisa
Jose Gilbert Licuanan
Leoncio Deriada
Luis Cabalquinto
Rodulfo Alano
1975
Cristina Velez
Estrella Alfon
George Vail Kabristante
Manuel Concepcion
Oscar Pecson
Romeo Centina
Sammy Sta. Maria
1976
Danilo Estiva
Fornarina Enemicio
Goddy Ricafort Ypon
Inez Taccad-Cammayo
Jun Cruz Reyes
Kee Thuan Chye
Marie Marjorie Pernia
Mario Eric Gamalinda
Socorro Tate
Teoh Choon Ean
Wong Po Wah
1977
Angelo Bernardo
Connie Imperial
Diana Gamalinda
Domingo de Guzman
Edel Garcellano
Eduardo Orozco
Ernesto Superal Yee
Noralyn Mustapha
Victor Mandala
1978
Aida Manansala
Anthony Serrano
Denise Allas
Grace Monte de Ramos
Jorge Sabino
Juan Arcellana
Melito Baclay
Nadine Rodriguez
Rene Saguin
Simeon Dumdum
1979
Enrico Enerio
Geraldine Maayo
Henry Villalva
Jessie Bandillo
Leslie Lofranco
Letty Salanga
Priscilla Supnet
Susan Lara
Vicente Bandillo
1980
Antonio Hernandez
Aries Baluyos
Augusta de Almedda
Carlos Basa Cortes
Edgar Alosbanos
Edmundo Farolan
Elsa Mampo
Ely Centina
Maria Linda Felipe
Rene Espeleta
Timbasal Tawasil
Wilfredo Alberca
1981
Achilles B. Mina
Emilia Salanga
Jose Y. Dalisay Jr.
Loretta Medina
Manolo Fernando
Mercedita Flores
Tita Taule
1982
Fanny HB. Llego
Merlie Alunan
Patricia Rivera
Rhodora Espinosa
Seth Florentino
Victoria Kapauan
1983
Baboo Mondonedo
Danton Remoto
Emmanuel Espinola Jr.
Isabela Banzon
Louie Stuart
May Datuin
Ricardo de Ungria
1984
Alexander Lee
Clovis Nazareno
Connie Maraan
Ed delos Santos Cabagnot
Fidelito Cortes
Ramon Bautista
R. Torres Pandan
Victor Peñaranda
1985
Ernesto Bitonio Jr.
Gina Apostol
Merlinda Bobis
R. Romea Luminarias
Rodolfo Silvestre
Victorio Sugbu
1986
Agustin Rodriguez
Charlson Ong
Fatima Lim
John Kenneth Go
Meynardo Macaraig
Ruby Tan Enario
Rufino Vigilar
1987
Anthony Buyawe
Nino Soria de Veyra
Cecilia Roxas
Grace Odal
Marne Kilates
Vicente Ignacio de Veyra
1988
Cesar Bacani Jr.
Cyrus Borja
Dinah Roma
Jose Celmar
Mozart Pastrano
Timothy Montes
Victorino Manalo
1989
Christine Godinez-Ortega
Cynthia Lopez Dee
Danilo Francisco Reyes
Felino Garcia Jr.
Gilbert Tan
Jose Wendell Capili
Lakambini Sitoy
Luna Sicat
Maria Jovita Zarate
Miriam Coronel Ferrer
Nenita Lachica
Ramon Boloron
Rex JMA Fernandez
Romeo Baquiran Jr.
Timothy Wells
VE Carmelo Nadera Jr
1990
Albert Claude Evangelio
Anne Panning
Arile Valerio
Elmar Ingles
Franklin Cimatu
Generoso Opulencia
Jessie Garcia
J. Neil C. Garcia
Ma. Cristina Martinez
Nerissa Balce
Noel Ramiscal
Philip James Laquindanum
Pio Ricky Torre
Rofel Brion
Violeta Ledesma
1991
Adrian Antique
Ana Carla Villarmente
Ben Javier
Bonnie Jane Flores
Camilo Villanueva Jr.
Cesar Aljama
Clarita Kwan
Ma. Theresa Quintana
Ma. Criselda Bonganciso
Maningning Miclat
Minerva Chanco
Noberto Bana III
Peter Lay
Rhoda Montes
Shalom Galve
Victor John Padilla
1992
Angelo Rodriguez Lacuesta
Allan Bodoy
Antonio Mapa Jr.
Bonnie Jane Flores
Dean Francis Alfar
Homer Novicio
Jess Alfonso Macasaet
Maria Elena Paterno
Nicolas Pichay
Orlynne Genato
Ramil Gulle
Renerio Concepcion
Timothy Montes
1993
Alexander Edmund Capiz
Andre Lagunzad
Lu-Ann Fuentes
Diwata Hope Bose
Gerardo Antoy
Gerardo Torres
Eugene Gloria
Leigh Reyes
Liezl Sitosta
Lilia Maria Sevillano
Ma. Romina Gonzales
Melanie San Juan
Michael Maniquiz
Natasha Vizcarra
Padmapani Perez
Reinerio Alba
Rolito Beratio Mojica
Ruel De Vera
Vicente Garcia Groyon III
1994
Alessandra GL Gonzales
Alma Anonas-Carpio
Anthony Kintanar
Aurelio Pena
Calbi Asain
Doreen Jose
Edelisa Cruz
Espereanza Nuqui
Josefina Tejada
Lilibeth Rose Mercado
Ma. Rhodora Ancheta
Melchor Cichon
Michael Obenieta
Nerisa del Carmen Guevara
RJ Ledesma
Ruben Canlas Jr.
Sylvia de Guzman
1995
Mads Bajarias
Anne-Marie Jennifer Eligio
Beatriz Lorete
Conchitina Cruz
Francis Martinez
Januar Yap
Larissa Saguisag
Lorenzo Paran III
Lourd Ernest De Veyra
Ma. Bigonia David
Carla Pacis
Ma. Leovina Nicolas
Ma. Liza Fetalino
Maria Chona Jomilla
Melecio Turao
Melissa Salva
Michael Anthony Dizon
Ralph Semino Galan
Randolf Bustamante
Robert JA Basilio Jr.
Seann Tan
Ursula Priscilla Calasanz
1996
Abigail Aquino
Andrea Pasion
Caroline Howard
Cesar Naniong
Cherrie Sing
Christina Peralta
David Brooks
Gabriel Baban Keith
Homer Novicio
Ina Alleco Silverio
Jhoanna Lynn Cruz
John Labella
Kris Lanot Lacaba
F.H. Batacan
Mae Emmily Magtalas
Michael de Guzman
Nid Anima
Rosanna Cabusao
Tara FT Sering
1997
Alex Gregorio
Alexander Tan Jr.
Diane Coleen Jorolan
Eduardo Geronia Jr.
Frances Ng
Gad Lim
Israfel Fagela
J. Ana Flores
Jennifer Patricia Cariño
Jeremiah Bondoc
Joel Toledo
Jose Edmundo Reyes
Lor Arejola
Maribel Bagabaldo
Mary Ann Tobias
May Jennifer Amolat
Nicole Roldan
Riza Faith Ybañez
Ronald Baytan
Ronald Villavelez
Sandra Nicole Roldan
Sem Precioso Villareal
Sergio Pontillas
1998
Carlomar Arcangel Daoana
Ceres Abanil
Isagani D’Bayan Jr.
Jojo Alamillo
Jude Espina Ganzon
Lawrence Ypil
Lilledeshan Bose
Miguel Syjuco
Raymund Magno Garlitos
Rebecca April Khan
Rizaldy Dandan
Tanya Sevilla
1999
Allan Popa
Barbara Ricafrente
Bernice Roldan
Christine Flores
Indira Endaya
Jessica del Mundo
John Go
Jose Perez Beduya
Mayo Uno Aurelio Martin
Libay Linsangan Cantor
2000
Alex de los Santos
Elmer Pizo
Gerald Ramos
Isolde Amante
Jean Claire Dy
Noel Villaflor
Roberto Salva
Ted Limpoco
Ulysses Navarro
Vincenz Serrano
Wayne Mark Lopez
Ian Rosales Casocot
2001
Christine Alindada
Anna Bernaldo
Alvin Dacanay
Jin Paul De Guzman
Jeneen Garcia
Barry Gutierrez
BJ Patiño
Janet Villa
Yeyet Villa
Marby Villaceran
2002
Kristine Alave
Daryll Jane Delgado
Ana Maria Katigbak
Peter Mayshle
Maryanne Moll
Michael Morco
Allan Pastrana
Baryon Tensor Posadas
Angelo Suarez
Naya Valdellon
2003
Mark Anthony Cayanan
Vincent Coscolluela
Jonathan Davila
Louella Fortez
Ken Ishikawa
Carljoe Javier
Maria Francezca Theresa Kwe
Nikki Paredes Jasmine
Rolando Salvaña
Anna Felicia Sanchez
Joseph Rosmon Tuazon
Niccolo Vitug
2004
Selina Alano
Ia Aparentado
John Bengan
Mitzie Correa
Hedwig De Leon
Faye Ilogon
Marie La Viña
Gabriela Lee
Glenn Maboloc
Monica Macansantos
Ginny Mata
James Iain Neish
Romel Oribe
Myrza Sison
2005
Anna Cristina Abola
Angela Balcita
Jose Perseus Canivel
Mikael Co
Elizabeth Rae Cowan
Matthew Davis
Jun Dela Rosa
Maria Cynthia Diangson
Bernadette Esposito
Whitney Fleming
Brian Goedde
Jynelle Gracia
Charisse-Fuschia Paderna
Maria Lourdes Parawan
Benedict Parfan
Gerardo Peralta
Bonnie Rough
Rica Bolipata-Santos
Alex Sheshunoff
Virginia Villanueva
2006
Douglas Candano
Dominique Cimafranca
Erica Jean Cabanawan
Darwin Chiong
Patricia Evangelista
Antonio Adrian Habana
Anna Escalante Neri
Noel Pingoy
Michelle Sarile
Larissa Mae Suarez
Andrea Teran
2007
Kristian Abe Dalao
Krisette Sia-Valderia
Jennelyn Tabora
Sharleen Banzon
Cecille La Verne de la Cruz
Pancho Villanueva
Catherine Alpay
Sasha Martinez
Janina Marie Rivera
Michelle Eve de Guzman
Robert Jed Rio Malayang
Mia Tijam
Martin Villanueva
Jan Paulo Bastareche
Primy Joy Cane
Justine Megan Yu
2008
Lawrence Bernabe
Noelle Leslie dela Cruz
Ma. Celeste Fusilero
Rodrigo dela Peña
Arelene Jaguit Yandug
Bron Joseph Teves
Marguerite Alcarazen de Leon
Dustin Edward Celestino
Joshua Lim So
Liza Baccay
Fred Jordan Mikhail Carnice
Ma. Elena Paulma
Anna Carmela Tolentino
Lamberto Varias Jr.
2009
Mariane Amor Romina Abuan
Jonathan Gonzales
Arkaye Keirulf
Patricia Angela Magno
Niño Manaog
Keith Bryan Cortez
Ana Margarita Stuart del Rosario
Monique Francisco
Russell Stanley Geronimo
Aleck Maramag
Gabriel Millado
Gabrielle Nakpil
Joy Rodriguez
Philip Kimpo Jr.
Marck Ronald Rimorin
2010
Gian Paolo Simeon Lao
Dominique Allison Santos
Jacob Dominguez
Oscar Serquina Jr.
Aaron James Jalalon
Jenette Ethel Vizcocho
Gilda Ysobel Galang
Anne Carly Abad
Gino Francis Dizon
Jose Carlo Flordeliza
Ida Anita Del Mundo
Samantha Echavez
Kelly Marie Tulio Conlon
Miro Frances Capili
Christina Mae del Rosario
2011
Charmaine Carreon
Evangeline Gubat
Jeffrey Javier
Allen Samsuya
Alyza Taguilaso
Glenn Diaz
Christine Lao
Emmanuel Lava
Andrea Macalino
Marius Monsanto
Philline Donggay
Rogelio Garcia Jr.
Miguel Sulangi
Elaine Tobias
Maria Villaruel
The 50th Anniversary Panel of Writer/Critics
DR. ROWENA TIEMPO-TORREVILLAS
teaches nonfiction writing and transnational
literature at the University of Iowa. Prior to joining
the English Department faculty at the University
of Iowa, she was for nearly two decades
administrator of the International Writing Program.
She holds the Ph.D. in English and Literature from
Silliman; her career includes the Gawad Balagtas
from the Writers’ Union, two Philippine National
Book Awards, as well as the Palanca for poetry and
fiction; the UMPIL Distinguished Writer Award in
1984, Outstanding Educator of the Year at the
National Gintong Sipag Award in 1985, Philippine
National Book Award, Progress 2002 Famous Fifty
in Iowa City. She writes fiction, poetry, nonfiction
and literary criticism. Her books include The Sea
Gypsies Stay, Flying Over Kansas: Personal Views,
Mountain Sacraments: Selected Poems, Upon the
Willows and Other Stories, and The World Comes to
Iowa. Her works have been translated into
numerous languages, including Arabic, Bengali,
Chinese, Hebrew, Russian. She and her husband
Lem live in Iowa City.
KIRPAL SINGH, who shares the same name with
an Indian spiritual leader, is known worldwide as
a scholar and writer. Born in Singapore in 1949, he
stayed very briefly in Malaysia when he was a child
and then went back again to Singapore to get his
education. While in primary school, he started
dabbling in poetry, and eventually, while studying
Arts for his A-levels in Raffles Institution, he
published his work in Singapore Pot-pourri, where
he compiled poems, prose, and plays by local
authors. Singh graduated with honors at the
National University of Singapore where he met his
professors Edwin Thumboo and Lee Tzu Pheng—
whom he credits with playing significant roles in
his literary growth. To date, Singh has published
not only books of poetry, but also research articles
and critical writings which have appeared in
international publications such as the Ariel, Diogene,
Commonwealth Novel In English, Literary Criterion,
Quadrant, Southern Review, and Westerly. Singh also
has overseen the editing of different publications;
he was also editor of the literary journal World
Literature Written in English. He has attended
various international writers’ festivals, and has
been to Adelaide, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Toronto,
and Kent to read his works. In 1993 and 1994, he
was the first Asian director of the Commonwealth
Writers’ Prize. Later in 2004, he became the first
Asian and non-American director of the American
Creativity Association’s (ACA) board. At present,
he is the Assistant Professor at the Singapore
Management University.
CÉSAR RUÌZ AQUINO finished his Ph. D. in
Creative Writing at Silliman University and
currently teaches Literature and Creative Writing
courses in this same institution. Winner of various
international (most recent of which is the 2005 SeaWrite Award from the queen of Thailand) and
national literary awards, Dr. Aquino has published
World Without End, a collection of poems; Chronicles
of Suspicion, a collection of short stories; Checkmeta:
The Cesar Ruiz Aquino Reader, another collection of
stories and poems; and In Samarkand: Poems and
Verseliterations, another book of poems.
the entire country when it was announced that he
won Italy’s most coveted literary achievement in
the Foreign Author category, the Premio Feronia—
Città di Fiano 2009 for his work, In Ordinary Time.
MYRNA PEÑA-REYES earned her BA in English
from Silliman University and went on to acquire
her MFA in Creative Writing from the University
of Oregon, where she taught for some time. Ms.
Peña-Reyes has already published two books of
poems, The River Singing Stone (Anvil, 1994) and
Almost Home: Poems (UP Press, 2003; 2004). Her
other poems, fiction, essays, and literary reviews
have appeared in the Sands and Coral, the Silliman
Journal, the Philippine Collegian, Solidarity, the
Philippine Free Press, The Weekly Graphic, the Weekly
Women’s Magazine, the Asia-Philippines Leader, and
The Sunday Times Magazine. Her works were also
anthologized in Philippine publications such as the
Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English
From 1900 to the Present (1998); A Habit of Shores:
Filipino Poetry and Verse from English ‘60s to the ‘90s
(1999); and Filipino Women Writers in English: Their
Story 1905-2002 (2003) as well as in US publications:
From Here We Speak: An Anthology of Oregon Poetry
(1993); The Forbidden Stitch (1989); Making Waves
(1989); Gathering Ground (1984); Anthology of Eugene
Writers #1 (1982), and Sequoia (1973).
GÉMINO H. ABAD is one of the Philippines’
foremost contemporary poets and critics as well as
a distinguished academician. He has published
several collections of poems and critical essays,
including Fugitive Emphasis (poems, 1973); In
Another Light (poems and critical essays, 1976); A
Formal Approach to Lyric Poetry (critical theory,
1978); The Space Between (poems and critical essays,
1985); and Poems and Parables (1988). He is also
well-known for having edited what are considered
landmark anthologies in Philippine poetry: Man
of Earth (1989), A Native Clearing (1993) and A Habit
of Shores: Filipino Poetry and Verse from English, ‘60s
to the ‘90s (1999). The University of the Philippines
has awarded Dr. Abad its highest academic rank
of University Professor. Currently, he is Emeritus
University Professor at the College of Arts and
Letters, UP-Diliman, where he teaches creative
writing. Dr. Abad has recently brought honor to
Poet RICARDO M. DE UNGRIA has won five
National Book Awards for his books of poetry. He
has also earned various research grants, one of
which is a Fulbright Grant, which sent him to
Washington University in St. Louis where he
received his MFA in Creative Writing in 1989. Aside
from this, he played a significant role in establishing
two writers groups: he is a founding member of
the Philippine Literary Arts Council, and he
founded the Davao Writers Guild when he moved
to Davao in 1999. Since then, he has organized
annual readings in schools and published works
in Dagmay, a Davao-based literary journal. From
2001 to 2007, he served as Chancellor of UP
Mindanao. He was also the Commissioner for the
Arts for the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts. Presently he teaches creative writing to
undergraduate students in UP Mindanao.
SUSAN S. LARA is a distinguished fictionist and
author of the book Letting Go and Other Stories. A
workshop alumna, Ms. Lara graduated from the
University of the Philippines Dilliman with a BA
in English. She is currently a professional
communications consultant.
DANILO FRANCISCO M. REYES is the author
of the poetry collection Promising Lights, and is at
work on another volume as well as a collection of
short stories. He has an MA in English Literature
from the Ateneo de Manila University, and is on
the faculty of Ateneo’s Filipino and English
departments. He recently completed a research
fellowship with the Japan Foundation, which
brought him to several institutes and cultural sites
across Asia.
BOBBY FLORES VILLASIS was a Creative
Writing Fellow to both the National Writers
Workshop in Dumaguete and the UP Writers
Summer Workshop (where he won the Best Fiction
Manuscript Prize, the first of many literary awards).
Aside from being a multiple recipient of the Palanca
Award for the one-act and full-length plays, Mr.
Villasis was also first prize winner for short fiction
in the Focus Magazine and the Philippine Free
Press literary contests. His books include Suite
Bergamasque (short fiction, winner of the 2001
National Book Award given by the Manila Critics
Circle); and Demigod (personal anthology). He was
also co-editor of Kabilin, the official book of the
Negros Oriental Centennial Celebration.
ALFRED A. YUSON is in the Hall of Fame of the
Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the
Philippines’ most prestigious literary distinction,
and has been conferred in 1992 the S.E.A. Write
Award for lifetime achievement. To date, he has
authored 19 books, including novels, poetry
collections, short fiction, essays, and children’s
stories. These include Sea Serpent (Monsoon Press,
1980), Trading in Mermaids (Anvil Publishing,
1993),Mothers Like Elephants (Anvil Publishing,
2000), Hairtrigger Loves: 50 Poems on Woman (UP
Press, 2002), and the translation, Love’s A Vice/Bisyo
and Pag-Ibig: Translations into English of 60 Poems
by Mike L. Bigornia (National Commission for
Culture and the Arts, 2004). Krip Yuson is currently
Chairman of the Writers Union of the
Philippines, and writes a literature and culture
column for The Philippine Star aside from teaching
fiction and poetry at Ateneo de Manila University,
where he holds the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial
Chair in Creative Writing.
About the writers village
T
he Mary Rose Lamb Sobrepeña Writers Village is a gift by Atty.
Enrique Sobrepeña Jr.—1973 Outstanding Sillimanian
Awardee in the field of business—to Silliman University. Atty.
Sobrepeña’s dedication to the arts has helped establish Silliman’s role
as a hub for literature and creative writing in Asia. The Writers Village
is named in honor of his wife Mary Rose Lamb Sobrepeña.
Today, the site is the primary venue for the Silliman University National Writers
Workshop, founded by Drs. Edilberto and Edith Tiempo in 1961. The Writers Village, a
project initiated by University President Dr. Ben S. Malayang III, is part of a long tradition
of gifts to the University from the Sobrepeñas, avid patrons who have also helped keep
the workshop alive as keen supporters through the years.
The donation for the creation of the Writers Village, located in Camp Lookout, in
Bongbong, Valencia, was facilitated by former University President Dr. Quintin S.
Doromal. Groundbreaking rites were held on 15 November 2009, and dedication rites
were held on 13 April 2010. The Village was first used for the 49th National Writers
Workshop in May 2010.
The Writers Village is now home to writers of all persuasions. Its establishment
helps promote the arts and culture at Silliman University and in the Dumaguete and
Negros Oriental community.
Acknowledgments
the national writers workshop would like to thank
Dr. Ben S. Malayang III
Dr. Betsy Joy B. Tan
Dr. Edith L. Tiempo
Dr. Margaret Helen Udarbe-Alvarez
Dr. Teresita Sy-Sinda and the Alumni College
Mr. Jose Mari Jonathan Antonio
Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez
Dr. Christopher Ablan
Dr. Josefina Cornelio
Prof. Robin Hemley
Ms. Susan Lara
Dr. Ricky M. de Ungria
Ms. Jacqueline Piñero-Torres
Ms. Arlene Delloso-Uypitching
Ms. Annabelle Lee-Adriano and Antulang Beach Resort
Mr. Edo Adriano
Mr. and Mrs. Simon and Virginia Stack
Ms. Jacqueline Veloso-Antonio and Globe Telecom
Forest Camp
Office of the Negros Oriental Governer
Gov. Roel Degamo
Provincial Administrator Arnel Francisco
Dr. Nic Elman and the Provincial Tourism Office
Sidlakang Negros
Bobby Raymundo
Myla Abellana
Office of the Dumaguete City Mayor
Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria
Mr. Joel Toledo of Philippines Free Press
Mr. Joel Salud of Philippine Graphic
Mr. Krip Yuson of Philippine Star
Ms. Isolde Amante of Sun.Star Cebu
Prof. Irma Faith Pal of MetroPost
Mr. Allen del Carmen of Visayan Daily Star
Mr. Ely Dejaresco of Negros Chronicle
Mr. Roy Bustillos of KillerBee
Silliman University Camera Club
Mr. Greg Morales
Mr. Urich Calumpang
Ms. Gladys Borromeo
Mr. Hersley Ven Casero
Ms. Alma Zosan Alcoran
Mr. Philip Calumpang
Silliman University Gratitude Goodwill Ambassadors
Office of Information and Publication
Mr. Ian Lizares
Mr. Fredjordan Carnice
Ms. Sonia SyGaco
Ms. Andrea Macalino
Ms. Christine Lao
Mr. Sarge Lacuesta
Ms. Rica Bolipata-Santos
Mr. Dean Francis Alfar
Mr. Burtlan Partosa
Mr. Tyrone Partosa
Rev. Noel Villalba
Mr. Carlo Angelo Regalado
Banda Manga
Ms. Nerisa del Carmen Guevara
Ms. Sharon Dadang-Rafols
Ms. Lua Padilla-Hagedorn
Ms. Kakay Pamaran
Ms. Lia Padilla Hagedorn
Ms. Katrina Saga
Mr. Ricardo Abapo
The Quizo Family Singers
Ms. Mennem Peark Caballero
Mr. Joshua So
Pastor Giovanni Punzalan
Mr. Richard Kim
Mr. Patrik Norouzi
The Luce Auditorium Corps of Ushers and Usherettes
Ms. Jean Espino and the Silliman Cafeteria
Prof. Joseph Basa and the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium
Silliman University Instructional Media Center
Silliman University Buildings and Grounds
The City Engineers Office
General Services Office of Dumaguete
Manang Josephine and Manang Bebe of the Writers Village
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
Chantilly
Hon. Enrique Gonzalez
Municipal Mayor
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
Hon. R
oel Degamo
Roel
Ms. Annabelle Lee
Lee--Adriano
Governor
General Manager
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
City Mayor
Bais City, Negros Oriental
Hon. Chiquiting Sagarbarria
City Mayor
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
Arlene
Delloso-Uypitching
&
Don
Ramas-Uyitching
Simon
&
Virginia
Stack
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
College of
Performing
and Visual Arts
Hon.
Pryde Henry
Teves
Dr
istaSuarez
Dr.. Elizabeth Susan V
Vistaista-Suarez
Third District R
epresentative
Representative
Dean
Negros Oriental
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
Hon.
George
Arnaiz
Hon.
Jocelyn
Limkaichong
Second District R
epresentative
Representative
First District R
epresentative
Representative
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
the national writers workshop
would like to thank
Hon.
Karen
Villanueva
City Mayor
Royani Dy
Bais City, Negros Oriental
General Manager
The Workshop Staff
Director Emeritus
Director-in-Residence
Workshop Coordinator
Secretariat
Finance Officer
Publicity Officers
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Photography
Designs and Layouts
Kit/Souvenir Officer
Transportation Officer
Program Officers
Food Committee Officer
Accommodations Officer
Registrations Officers
Evaluations Officer
Physical Arrangement Officers
Requisitions Officer
Screening Committee
Ushering
Dr. Edith Lopez Tiempo
Dr. Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas
Dr. Evelyn F. Mascuñana
Alana Leilani C. Narciso
Lady Flor N. Partosa
Prof. Warlito Caturay Jr.
Ian Rosales Casocot
Dr. Cesar Ruiz Aquino
Misael Ondong for Tapok Silliman
Ian Rosales Casocot
Muhammad Syarief Asbir
Ian Rosales Casocot
Greg Morales and Urich Calumpang
Silliman University Camera Cllub
Ian Rosales Casocot
Rebecca de la Torre
Prof. Philip Van Peel
Ian Rosales Casocot
Moses Joshua Atega
Prof. Diomar Abrio
Rebecca de la Torre
Rina Fernandez-Hill
Joan Generoso
Ronelaine Picardal
Myla June Patron
Jennifer Solitana
Sherro Lee Lagrimas
Moses Joshua Atega, head
Hermesiela Duran
Jankaren Kitane
Dubhe Flores
Michael Patron
Dr. Rowena Tiempo-Torrevillas
Prof. Myrna Peña-Reyes
Dr. Cesar Ruiz Aquino
Mr. Bobby Flores Villasis
Patrik Norouzi
Shanice Rae McSavaney
Ela Clavano
Marian Vanslembrouck
Alfie Calingacion
Lissa-Patricia Duch
Glenna Christina Duch