Testking - Certification Guaranteed, The Easy Way!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Members of Pangasinan Historical, Cultural Commission sworn in
The newly created Pangasinan Historical and Constitutional Commission (PHCC) has been finally constituted with the oath-taking of its members as part of the celebration of the 431st on Tuesday.
Governor Amado Espino Jr. officiated the oath-taking of Dr. Gonzalo T. Duque, president of the Lyceum-Northwestern University as chairman; with Dr. Perla Legaspi; Arabella Arcinue, Nida Vergara; Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Escano, Ms. Virgie Pasalo; and Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim as members.
Duque earlier headed a committee formed by Governor Espino that conducted a research and study which finally determined in 2010 the most proximate date of the founding of Pangasinan from available records in the National Historical Institute as well as documents found in the archives of the Spanish government.
The commission, headed by Duque, composed of civil society leaders, academicians and government officials, is mandated to continue to study and make an accurate account of Pangasinan and to promote the province’s art, culture and heritage.
Gov. Espino said that as part of this effort, the province through the PHCC, is the holding of a Pangasinan Writers’ Congress to promote the Pangasinan language as a medium of literary expression.
This idea was proposed by Santiago Villafania, an accomplished writer which was endorsed by National Artist for Literature Francisco Sionil Jose of Rosales. Both were last year’s Pangasinan ASNA awardees with Sionil receiving the highest ASNA Balitok (Golden) award.
Governor Espino earlier noted that unless something is done, Pangasinan will soon be a dying dialect due to what may be called “ilocanization” of the eastern and western parts of the province.
ASNA is the primitive term of “asin”, from which Pangasinan derived its name, the place being the land where salt is produced in abundant quantity.
As a corollary project, Espino said that the province may launch the Pangasinan equivalent of the Palanca award to give due recognition to outstanding work in literature of Pangasinenses who are writing in the Pangasinan language.
The award was suggested by journalist Al Mendoza, himself a Palanca awardee from Mangatarem town for his literary works.
Santiago B. Villafania, a bilingual Filipino poet who writes in English and in his native language of Pangasinan, is the author of poetry collections Balikas na Caboloan (Voices from Caboloan) published by the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) under its UBOD New Authors Series (2005) and Malagilion: Sonnets tan Villanelles (2007). He has been published in several countries and translated into several languages. Villafania is one of the 11 Outstanding Pangasinenses conferred with the 2010 Asna Award for the Arts and Culture (literature) during the first Agew na Pangasinan and also the 430th Foundation Day of the province on April 2010. He is a member of Philippine PEN. Read more »
"The publication of Malagilion: Sonnets tan Villanelles by Santiago B. Villafania should be a source of rejoicing for readers of regional literatures. This second book by Pangasinan's leading poet today is impressive in both form and substance. Villafania has created 300 sonnets and 50 villanelles in his own language that attempt to reflect the primacy of native culture and return the poet to the central stage of social life." – A Boost to Pangasinan Literaturefrom Breaking Signs by Cirilo F. Bautista (Philippine Panorama, 16 Dec. 2007, pp.25-26)
"Sa kanyang pangalawang aklat na Malagilion, nangahas na naman siya (Villafania) na gumimbal sa pamamagitan ng kanyang Sonnets tan Villanelles upang ilibing sa limot ang aking pag-usisa't pag-urirat kung paano na ang panitikang Pangasinan." – Victor Emmanuel Carmelo Nadera, Jr., Tagapangulo, Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas
"Villafania is not only a visionary poet, he is a linguistic philosopher who codifies the origin of language and culture, dissects the myths and the common beliefs of the people against the urban legends, juxtaposes the literary tradition against the modern influences by dialectically infusing them in his poetic revelation of truth." – Poetic Revelation in Language and Culture by Danny C. Sillada (Manila Bulletin, 12 May 2008, pp. F1-F2)
"Sumusunod si Sonny Villafania sa landas na hinawan ng mga manunulat sa Pangasinan na nauna sa kanya. Sa kanyang paglalakbay, hinahawan din niya ang bagong mga landas na maaaring sundin ng susunod na mga manunulat sa wikang Pangasinan. Subalit hindi lamang para sa mga taga-Pangasinan ang kasalukuyang akda. Ito rin ay panawagan sa mga manunulat sa ibang mga wika sa Pilipinas upang patuloy na pagyamanin ang kanilang panitikan at pagsulat. Kung walang mga lokal na panitikan ay hindi magiging posible ang tunay na panitikang pambansa." – Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, Tagapangulo, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF).
Photos: Book Launching at the Pearl Manila Hotel, 5 Feb. 2008
"Santiago Villafania's Balikas ed Caboloan certainly has reinvigorated the anlong tradition of Pangasinan that for a long period of time suffered silence from the hands of writers more attuned to English writing. Characteristically anacbanua, Villafania's poetry echoes his predecessors and presages a promising era for young writers in Pangasinan." – Dr. Marot Nelmida-Flores
Six of my poems translated into Arabic by Prof. Abdul-Settar Abdul-Latif (English Dept., College of Education, University of Basrah, Iraq) and have been published in TEXT - the Cultural Monthly Journal, Issue No.13
Translations of Swansong of the sea into Italian by Mario Rigli and into Arabic by Nizar Sartawi
Translations of Erolalia in German, Arabic, Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian language. And here is the 1st version of the poem published in The Sunday Times (Manila Times, 11.23.2003).
Monday, April 11, 2011
Post a Comment