Specialists agree that literature mirrors society, and what happens there is reflected in their works
WHEN 150 Ilokano writers meet for their two-day annual convention ending April 27 in Cagayan, they will be underlining what philologists say of literature and their advocates: literary promoters and culture conservators.
Cultural heritage specialists are agreed that literature, in the case of the 150 members of GUMIL Filipinas or the national association of Ilokano writers, mirrors their society, and what happens there is reflected in their works – fiction and non-fiction – in one form or another.
We see eye to eye with culture and literature experts that both are deeply intertwined, given that literature serves as a mirror reflecting societal values, beliefs and customs, while also shaping cultural understanding and influencing societal norms.
The annual convention, the latest since GUMIL Filipinas was founded in October 1968 in Baguio City, will be held at the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of the coastal town of Santa Teresita, hometown of incumbent President Ariel S. Tabag, and guest of honor Dionisio S. Bulong, retired editor in chief of the Ilokano magazine Bannawag published in Metro Manila.
LGU Santa Teresita, which will look after accommodation and food items and the Manila Bulletin-published Bannawag, headed by editor Cles B. Rambaud of Pinili, Ilocos Norte, is the media partner of GUMIL Filipinas.
According to Tabag, Bulong, who retired from Bannawag in 2004, was chosen since he has been considered the most outstanding literary writer from Santa Teresita, known as a prime agri-industrial and ecotourism destination.
The town, 586 kms north of the capital, is known for its natural attractions like caves and falls, and for promoting environmental awareness and protection, with the “Namunit” festival highlighting its potential as the “Caving Capital of the North.”
Given the theme of “Ni Mannurat kas Mangmangged” (The Writer as Wage Earner) Bulong is expected to discuss how writing helped him elevate his life as initially a farmer, musician, journalism graduate, then editor in chief of Bannawag and be an example and inspiration to fellow Ilokano writers.
There are other lecturers who will tackle how to grapple with the different genres or or assist writers who may find themselves immersed perhaps as contributor to different publications, gatekeeper, lecturer, or language consultant, translator, or as an academic.
Delegates will also hear lectures on how to write a book, how to write a movie script, how to be an effective vlogger in this age of social media as well as becoming a constructive radio commentator.
As in the previous years, the Cagayan convention will again unveil the association’s Dap-ayan where delegates can have an exchange of thoughts with panelists in an open forum setting of a conference.
Awards will be given out during the convention, prior to the election on April 27 for a new set of officers for the next two years, to those who have distinguished themselves in literary contests.
These include the Pedro Bucaneg award, given by the 57-year-old biggest literary association in the Philippines, to a writer who has had superb contribution in the efflorescence of Ilokano literature.
The Santa Teresita convention was preceded in March by DAN-AY (an acronym for Poems and Others) which celebrated in person in Ilocos Sur the birthdays of two Ilocano literary greats: Pedro Bucaneg and Leona Florentino.
Bucaneg, a prominent Filipino poet and considered the “Father of Ilocano Literature,” was born in March 1592 and died around 1630, 158 years before Francisco Baltazar was born in Balagtas, Bulacan, while Florentino was born on April 19, 1849 and died on Oct 4, 1884.
