4th Lamiraw Workshop Fellows Named
By Fhen Macabasag • Oct 25th, 2007 • Category: NewsFor more than one week, I have been anxiously anticipating for the response from the Lamiraw organizers and stuffs pertaining to my application to be their fellow in this year’s workshop. Every minute of the day, I constantly open my e-mail address in the hope of receiving their reply. It was Voltaire Oyzon who invited me, and just today, I was surprised perusing and reading Nimfa B. Quirante’s article entitled “4th Lamiraw Workshop Fellow Named” posted in PIA Homepage with my name on it. I was named as one of the twenty qualified fellow for this year’s Lamiraw workshop. Quirante wrote:
Catbalogan City (24 October) — The 4th Lamiraw Creative Writing Workshop slated on November 8-10, 2007 at TTMIST, Calbayog City, Samar identified the fellows who have qualified. This year’s National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) fellows from Samar, Leyte and Biliran are Reynaldo Garnace, Lemuel Zaldariaga, Joderic Navarette, Genevieve Tasan, Leonilo Lopido, Cheenee Gahuman, Nica Daguman, Jerry Gracio, [Teofhen] Arthur Macabasag, Nimfa Quirante, Luciano Abia, Sunray Balasbas, Hermie Sanchez, Jaime Sagayap, Nemesio Baldesco, Isabel Eman, Joel Monteron, Reah Rosales, Jhoanna Arocha, and Francis Senolos.The named NCCA fellows will avail themselves of free registration, accommodation, food, and workshop materials.The workshop is a joint project of Tiburcio Tancinco Memorial Institute of Science and Technology (TTMIST) and the (NCCA).
According to Harold Mercurio, Lamiraw convenor, this year’s creative writing program is focused on cultural enrichment for teachers, students, and local writers in Eastern Visayas region to expose them on contemporary Waray, Cebuano and Philippine Literature in English; to enhance the writing techniques of the participants on contemporaneous literature and to create a venue for the discussion of Literature and Literary Studies.
With the theme, “An padayon nga pagsurat sa aton pinulungan, paghinumdom san aton tinikangan,” this year’s workshop is also aimed to encourage the creation of literature in the Waray language and other Visayan languages spoken in Eastern Visayas as a way of expanding the frontiers of Philippine literature; to elevate progress on creative writing in the region by introducing young writers both to indigenous literary craft and to more contemporaneous models of writing; to encourage book production; and to serve the needs of Literature teachers in Eastern Visayas.
Mercurio further said that those fellows identified submitted three (3) poems or one (1) short story or two (2) essays or any reasonable combination of the genre to Lamiraw through mail or e mail as a pre-qualification requirement.
Their works will be critiqued by the following panelists: 1) Prof. Merlie Alunan, grand slam winner of Don Carlos Palanca Awards; 2) Dr. Victor Sugbo, Waray literature scholar and UP Tacloban faculty; 3) Dr. David Genotiva, seasoned literary critic and editor of PAGSUBAY—the Official Publication of the Graduate School of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU); 4) Mr. Dante Rosales, graphics artist and member of Ibabao Arts Council of Calbayog; and 5) Mr. Voltaire Oyzon, faculty member of Leyte Normal University and Champion of the 2007 Waray Poetry Contest sponsored by Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino
For those who qualified, they will be privileged to attend the workshop and they will also be toured to some heritage sites in Calbayog City. (PIA Samar/with Neil Lopido)
Fhen Macabasag is [a] Waray.
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Congrats Fhen for passing to be one among the 20 qualified Fellows in the 4th Lamiraw workshop!
I am happy for you. This type of workshop will be a venue for you to refine your technical aspect in writing a certain poetry or literary work.
As I know, creative writing workshop is a ‘new’ and enticing trend for the Filipino contemporary writers. National artist for literature Edith Tiempo and her late husband pioneered this in our country, in the late 60′s.
Good luck to you my good friend!
Rivas:
I appreciate your nice words, my friend.
True, this type of workshop is a venue for me to ‘refine’ and improve my “technical aspect in writing a certain poetry or literary work.” And that is my basic intention why I join this creative writing workshop.
I was not expecting that I will be qualified for this year’s Lamiraw workshop. But alas, I was named as one of its limited Fellows!
Again, Thank you!
that’s my mom/
yup, your mom, my high school teacher. congrats,ma’am! keep on writing! samar has a lot of stories to tell.
Meds:
Hi!
One of my fellow Fellow in the 4th Lamiraw workshop is actually your mom! That’s interesting…Hmmmmmm
Prior to your affirmation, I was already thinking that if “Nimfa B. Quirante” was not ‘you,’ then it could be your mother because ‘your’ name is usually taken up from your mother’s name. I believe your full name is Medora NIMFA QUIRANTE! heheheh
FYI: Kami la nga duha ni Mrs. Quirante an taga-Borongan nga nakuha/nakarawat para hini nga workshop!
Eric Aseo:
I believe one of your fellow writer in LSDE is also my fellow Fellow in this workshop. Heheheh
I guess, Reynaldo Garnace is a staff of LSDE, if I am not mistaken.
Am I right?
And I agree with you, Samar has a lot of stories to tell!
One does not use the term “alas” to express happiness or elation; it is only used to emphasize grief, misfortune, bad luck or any negative situation.
Maybe the workshop convenor committed an egregious error, he he he1
Eric Aseo:
Ha diri pa la maiha nga mga oras, nahibaruan ko nga nagsusurat ka gehap hin mga siday ha Midweek Reporter.
Nasiring hi Voltaire Oyzon nga mag-upay an imo mga nahimo nga siday!
Subay hini, mayda kami ginpaplanohan nga magtindog ngan mag-organisa hin usa nga pangkultura nga organisasyon. Diri pa ini bug-os, ha Calbayog pa ini tutuhayon upod an iba nga mga Lamiraw Fellows!
Gin-iimbetahan ka namon ni Volts nga bumulig ka hini. Kun interesado ka, pagsumitir la han im’ mensahe ha e-mail ad:
siday_kultura@yahoo.com
Pwede ka gehap bumisita ha sayt:
http://sidaykultura.wordpress.com
Maghuhulat kami han imo positibo nga baton.
Mabuhi ha linggwahe ngan literatura nga Waraynon!
P.S.:
Ha iba nga interesado bumulig bahin hini, labot la kan Eric, pwede kamo bumisita ug magsumitir hin mensahe ha nasabi nga e-mail ad o sayt. Pagpakilala la han iyo tinuod nga ngaran.
Salamat han pagbasa!
thanks for the invitation, Fhen. panalagsa manla ak hini magsurat hin siday. when i do, kaurugan para la ha ak kalugaringon. napiritan la ak hadto han editor han scope mag, not midweek, nga mag-submit hin siday. maupay nala nga mayda ko mga sinurat hadto. pero sige la, kun mayda, ipapadara ko.
magin malinampuson unta an iyo workshop ha calbayog. ipadayon an pagbuhi han waray nga pinulungan!
salamat utro.
eric
Eric Aseo:
Salamat han im’ ‘malaksi’ (Waray Leyteño dialect) nga pagbaton.
Nagpapasalamat gehap ako han imo pagpatapod nga kun mayda ka mahimo nga siday, imo it’ isusumitir, diri man ha nasabi nga e-mail ad, ha Siday nga sayt.
Pagkaklaro la sangkay: An pagbulig ha hihimuon nga pankultura nga organisasyon in diri nangangahulogan han pagsurat hin siday, o iba pa nga mga panliteraryo nga hirimuon, nga gawas ha panuyoanan/intensyon nga para la ha imo kalugaringon. Pwede ka magsurat hin siday, ngan iba pa, ha ano man nga mga intensyon/panuyoanan basta nagamit la han pinulongan nga Waray.
Pwede pa kita magklaro ha pira pa nga butang bahin hini, pwede ha natura nga e-mail ad/sayt na la pakiana ug paghatag hin suhestyon para ha pagpadukwag han nasabi nga organisasyon.
Maghuhulat ako han imo positibo nga kabatonan hini…
Mabuhi an literatura ngan linggwahe nga Waraynon!
P.S.: Kahikikit-a/kababasa ko la han imo iginsumitir nga mensahe ha e-mail ad, salamat, bugto ko ha pinulongan!
Mea Culpa:
I used the term ‘alas’ in my previous comment, which is posted in this section.
Mav is ‘technically correct’. True, ‘alas’ is use to “express sorrow, regret, grief, misfortune, compassion, or apprehension of danger or evil (www.answers.com and http://www.allwords.com).”
However, as I deem it right, it is not merely limited or confined to such too technical definition. Following allwords.com, the term ‘alas’ is equivalent in its Thesaurus as “dear me, oh, my God.” And as a speaker/writer, I used that term to imply “Oh.” In other words, “But ‘oh’, I was named as one of its limited Fellows!”
If I made an “egregious error,” mea culpa!
So you mean, it was a misfortune that the convenor of that workshop made an egregrious error in selecting you as a “fellow”, that’s why your use of the word “alas”?
Nagpapalusot ka pa, buking na nga, e! He he he!
But then again, with such inane/nonsensical post as “Writer’s Awareness is Writer’s Press Freedom”, the convenor of such workshop may really have erred in selecting as one of their fellows.
Or should I say, the fellows of that workshop deserve each other’s company?
I’m waiting with bated breath to be proven wrong.
maverick: please keep your comments constructive. thanks!
To Ced Solidon :
At the risk of incurring your ire being the administrator of this blog site and the possibility of being banned altogether, please allow me to post this rejoinder that I did not start this kind of exchanges.
If you will just peruse the previous posts of the other bloggers, you will see/read that others started this nasty name-calling like “pasaway”, “insinuating friend”, “baltok nga sangkay” (which was obviously a sarcasm), etc. and self-congratulatory statements like “intellectuals”, “poets”, etc. I have never resorted to such kind of personal and derogatory labels or self-congratulatory qualities.
Regrettably, however, mediocre pieces of discourses shamelessly masquerading as “intellectual” pieces have been allowed to be posted. The administrator of this blog site should have the literary sense, at the very least, to advise the poster that such pieces, although covered by the freedom of expression clause of our basic charter, must have at least a modicum of accuracy and correct English usage in order not to offend the sensibilities of other particpants of this blog site, especially that some have announced themselves to all and sundry that they are fellows to a literary grouping(!)
We should not be too onion-skinned to acknowledge if ever other bloggers would call our attention to such middling discourses, otherwise such posters would falsely assume that what they are doing is corect and acceptable, when in truth and in fact, such posts do not deserve the electronic space they are written on.
Hi. No ire incurred on this part of the planet, so it’s all good.
As for those name-callers, you can always choose to ignore them so the issue doesn’t grow bigger than it should be. Personally, I see no sense in arguing over the internet.
And for being the admin of this blog, I choose to have no say in whatever the others write, or how they write them. If incorrect grammar can be so offensive then a lot of people must have been imprisoned by now.
Thanks!
Actually, English grammar is no big deal except for the fact that some chooses to crow about their being “fellows of a literary grouping” or of being “intellectuals” or “poets”, which is at the very least self-congratulatory, and worst, that such self-acclamation is absolutely without any basis judging from the mediocre pieces submittted in this blog site so far.
To be very blunt about, if the choices made by that literary grouping is typical of the other members, then they truly deserve each others’ company.
But please stop representing yourselves as representative of the intellectual/literary capacity of Samareños because I for one refuse to be lumped together with your group!
I have five minutes so I’ll reply.
If you find the pieces here mediocre, don’t you think that a person of your stature and, as your statements suggest, someone with exceptional taste at that, should waste any of your time perusing them?
You have spoken your mind and I honestly appreciate it, but I frankly see no point in making a really big deal about any of this.
Finally, as far as I know, none of us has made claims about being the representative of the intellectual and literary capacity of Samarenos. The About page is a reading that I suggest you look into.
End of discussion on my part. You may continue as you please.
TO MAVERICK JOCKEY:
while i might be tempted to believe that u deserve a spot on that fellowship thing in calbayog more than mr. macabasag, prudence suggests u slow down a bit coz this is not ur own web site. it’s good to be critical if ur motivation is constructive.
and maybe u need to luk into d mirror from time to time also.
ur post on the 10th of nov which goes: “some chooses to crow about their…” fails basic grammar, agreement of verb and subject, i.e.
the indefinite pronoun SOME takes plural verbs when it refers to number, amount, or individuals. so it shud read: some choose or chose (past tense) not chooses.otherwise, how do u reconcile “chooses” and “their?”
well said… kablam!
To Observer :
I have no pretensions about anything, especialy about being a part of any literary grouping. As I have said before, grammar is no a big deal, except when some “crow” about their being selected for such grouping without thinking if they really have to “crow” about it in light of the propriety of their posted pieces.
But if your objection to my posts is on the ownership of this blog site, please bear in mind that participation in the discussions on this site is not limited to claims or titles of ownership, otherwise if that is your main criteria, only the administrator of this site will be left all by himself.
“and maybe u need to luk into d mirror from time to time also.” and you will read/find for yourself in your very own post the very mote that you are seeing in another person’s eye. (“u”, “luk”, “d”, “coz”, “ur”, “nov”, “shud” etc.)
Thanks, Mav for the honest comments.
You have proven yourself, indeed, a language maven and literatti with gourmet taste. All others be glad, we have one from the East!
This blog’s admin perhaps can make your work official so that all can benefit from your talents.
I suggest that you be named the official grammar police of this blog and resident literary critic.
Hail to you, Mav!
To balangaw :
I have no ambition whatsoever to be a guardian or whatever because in it lies the danger of prior censorship and fanaticism, like what is happening in some religiously-overzealous countries.
My basic objective, in joining this site, is to negate and expose in my own way and to the full extent of my limited knowledge and understanding, the propaganda, lies, agitations, false insinuations, innuendos, ascriptions, misdirections, obstructionism, false rhetoric, demonization of the basic pillars and institutions of our society, etc. perpetrated and still being perpetrated to this moment by the Communists, their cabal of open and secret sympathizers, supporters and syncophants in the province of Eastern Samar and throughout the country.
My motive? It’s a personal matter (rest assured though, I have and harbors no ill-will to other posters on this site; just a matter of divergence of ideologies). But just to dispel any misconception in any blogger’s mind : I am not connected with the government, local or foreign.
I thought for a second that you were with the CIA. I’m joking of course.
Wow, noble job, Mav.
But a rapid review of your comments would tell that you were more pre-occupied with forms not with substance, censorship in its most subtle form, only schooled propagandists are capable of.
Afraid of the commies and their ideology? Sleep tight darlin’, it’s long dead. Only that the likes of Hermo, Jovie, Bert and you are trying to resurrect it.
Be more afraid of the government that steals from you in daylight and tells you everything is alright.
And be wary of those who ask you to keep mum because you have no literary sense.
Hail to you, Mav!
o balangaw:
As I’ve said before, form is no big to me; it only becomes grating to the senses when some flount about their so-called “literary” pieces without first making sure if they’re really worth the electronic space they’re written on.
As to the Communist ideology, it may be a dying ideology, but please remember that a dying animal is much, much more dangerous than a healthy one – it will take anyone and anything in its path and within its reach. Just look at the countless Filipino youth today who are still being beguiled and mislead by these open and closet Communist propagandists and agitprops and ultimately sunk into a quicksand of misery and desolation by the empty and false promises of salvation from perceived inequities in life.
As to our present government, I am not afraid of it yet I will never be its syncophant. On the other, I pay my taxes religiously (and substantially)) yet I donot bellyache about. I have no quarrel against it yet I donot and will not tolerate any of its abuses. I contribute my two-cents worth of effort and money to nation-building yet I donot ask anything for it in return. Yet among our fellow countrymen, how many perform their civic duties such as payment of taxes willingly and religiously? How many of our countrymen are bellyachers who are the most noisy in demanding for the delivery of government social services yet contribute nothing, or at best miniscully, to the national coffers and yet tries very hard to topple and/or discredit it? The Communists, their supporters, sympathizers and syncophants in our country.
As to those who have no literary sense, I understand that according to some learned people, freedom includes the right to be “st_p_d”. Well, I will concede them that.
To everyone who reads this message:
I appreciate the time you spent in writing and sending your comments (translated as individual opinion) in this site.
I just have some clarification, or perhaps request, to our avid and non-avid ‘commentators’ or critics, if one permits me to use them:
First, you are always welcome, and even appreciated, in expressing your views — be it negative or positive — so long as it is relevant and consistent with the topic being tackled by a definite article or writing; in this particular case, about the Lamiraw workshop.
I do not get it why few ‘comments’ in this article by Ninfa Quirante, which I posted in this site, utilizes the signifiers “communist,” “ideology,” “propagandist” among others. I don’t know if I am just plain “st_p_d” (for whatever that means to the one who reads), but there is no paragraph nor sentence that tells or describes them, either implicit or explicit.
To our critical commentators, you can express all your personal grudge and/or animosity, if you may allow me to use those words, but please try to write your opinion relevant to the write-ups!
Thank you!
It’s either you’re playing innocent or coy or just plain “st_p_d” not to admit your attempt to eulogize or hero-fy those “desaparicidos” whom everyone in this site (who was not born only yesterday) knows exactly to whom you are referring to : Communist cadres, supporters, sympathizers and syncophants who fell in the on-going Communist rebellion/insurgency in the countryside and then calling representatives of government authority in the countryside as “itom nga yatot”.
That’s the epitome of an ingr_t_ who bites the hand that nourishes and protects it from the very depredations that is ironically being eulogized and hero-fied and puts their lives on the line time and time again to enable you to engage in such inane and nonsensical perorations in poetry and literary ejaculations that contribute nothing to concrete nation-building except to encourage daydreaming and delusionary visions.
Hail, Mav ( not hell, hehehe )!
If to post a mediocre piece is stupid, to wait for your masterpiece to come is more stupid, and to be intolerant of those who dare to publish is most stupid.
Why not just post your anti-commie articles here with your by-line? And happy shall we examine their substance, not their form.
And baby, bigotry begets bigotry. You wanna fight that ideology? Not with intolerance or repression or you send young men and women to the mountains to invigorate your “dying animal”.
You have forgotten Sun Tzu.
I don’t know if someone understood my point…
In anyway, let me explicate what I meant in my previous statement, just in case someone misreads them.
As I have already reiterated, anyone can express ALL their “personal grudge and/or animosity” but write their opinion/s relevant to the write-ups. Allow me to say this again, “in this particular case, about the Lamiraw workshop!”
Obviously, the interpretation, or more likely the statement, of “desaparicidos” in the comment above belongs to my previous posted ‘literary piece’ (allow me to employ that phrase despite some open opposition to my being ‘literary’), and not in this specific Lamiraw page.
What I mean, what is the direct and explicit relevance of ‘desaparicidos’ in Lamiraw workshop? — The way I see it, NONE!
If you want to express ALL your opinions — let me repeat them again, be it negative or positive — express them in the right venue. I’m not stopping anyone, as long as they are in the right venue.
If someone still could not get this message right, I will be forced to erase their succeeding comments, which is vividly unrelated and irrelevant to my write-ups.
Thank you!
pasintabi lang, fhen. since we’re in the mood for technical errors instead of substance, “flount?”
isn’t this supposed to be “flaunt?”
If there’s an exquisite manifestation of a lynch mob, this is it, ha ha ha!
Hi, Mav.
Where art thou? Busy? Resting?
That’s good for you,man.
And for the rest of the people here,hehe.
Happy New Year to Everyone. I enjoyed reading the comments and exchanges of opinion (civil disagreement:). As I am not a professional writer but loves to read and attempts to write… while grammar is important, of course substance, our choice of words, I find it also very important that one’s writing is effective when it communicates what one wants to say.
Congratulations to those chosen for Lamiraw Workshop.
Just passing by in this life time. Take care all!
To balangaw:
It appears that you’re waiting for my masterpiece to come and you feel stupid because I’ve kept you waiting. He he he, at least, that’s a lesser inconvenience than reading the stupid and non-sensical ravings of the resident “poet” (almost equal to the airy expulsions of a “p_w_t”) of this site.
As to my anti-communist bias, just think that all articles wherever they see print that speak against their evil and lies are all published under my by-line for I wholeheartedly agree with them, no matter who their authors may be. And you are absolutely free to examine their form and substance.
If you refer to bigotry, isn’t communism a form of bigotry? Why does it label capitalists in society as such? Why does it consider the working class as superior to all other social classes? Why does communism impose the so-called “dictatorship of the proletariat” doctrine? Why does communism consider capitalism as anti-people? That’s bigotry, pure and simple because it makes certain assumptions purely from the ideological point of view.
If you presume I can prevent even an inane posting from being published in this forum, think again. Who holds the censor’s scissors on this site? I am just a mere visitor here; you’re giving too much credit.
But if for one small bit I can expose the lies, falsehoods, outright dishonesty, extortions, genocide and bigotry that these communists and their leaders, ,members, sympathizers and supporters have been committing against and/or belching out to the greater masses of our fellow Filipino countrymen, then I will feel vindicated and will not care the minutest iota about your airy pronouncements.
Lastly, why should about Sun Tzu? Isn’t he the same mold from whence came Mao Tse Tung, the communist ideologist on whose model of communist insurgency Joma Sison has adopted in the raging communist rebellion in our country?
Up yours!
Hail, Mav.
At long last, you responded. But still you didn’t get my point after two months of pondering over my brief posts. No worry, even intellectuals like you sometimes fail to see the obvious.
I leave you with your McCarthyist tendencies, your idea of censorship, and your take on bigotry. Good luck to this blog and this country.
As to Sun Tzu, yes, he was useful to Mao. Still I suggest you read up on your Asian history, or ask people in corporate Makati or maybe call up your mistahs to know that old warrior and what he stands for.
Happy New Year, kabayan!
To balangaw:
It appears that you have the mistaken notion that it’s only you who has the capacity to understand things; maybe that explains your condescending attitude – an attitude usually born out of extreme or too much belief in oneself.
My opinions donot depend on the say-so of others – alien philosophers included – especially models upon whom the current Communist insurgency ravaging our country is based upon, among others. Maybe that also explains your bigotry – mistakenly assuming that all PMAers are narrow-minded, as narrow-minded and as vindictive as Joma Sison is – who will not hesitate to eliminate or liquidate all his opponents to maintain the purity of his idelology. The list of those he has ordered killed is long which include the likes of Romulo Kintanar, etc.
I am no alumnus of the PMA, although I do not feel dishonored by your mistaken presumption. But if you think the mumblings of an ancient philosopher will bring you solutions to the myriad problems besetting the Philippines, you are absolutely free to presume. I just wonder if majority of our countrymen will consider you sane enough to even listen to your ramblings.
I read blogs on my spare time. Not that I have so much time to. I do not like wasting my time but i would like to connect with the rest of the world and talk about how we could help improve – in various sense of the word – improve our writing; improve our environmental awareness; our individual awareness, etc.
This is my first and last entry. Reading from the beginning, I think Maverickjockey loves to engage people in a non-positive conversation. You tend to react to one topic that strikes you and deviates from the real focus of these blogs. Read back and you contradict yourself. Let us refrain from intellectaul masturbation. I know you could and may react to “intellectaul masturbation” or negate any part of my feedback. But again, many reminders above have been posted to focus the discussion related to Lamiraw. We can be a devil’s advocate and that’s entirely healthy, but let this blogs be a channel to motivate critical thinking rather than kill people’s enthusiam in great exhaustion of attempting to refocus you or make you understand their obvious points.
My respect to all the writers…
To blogger or whatever else name you choose to have :
If you think engaging in this website is just a waste of time, I believe the very first person who will disagree with you is the administrator of this site. I will however let them speak for themselves; I am not as presumptuous as you are insofar as the expression of opinion of other people are concerned.
On the matter of inconsistencies, maybe it’s you who has become confused with your biases and your twisted or off-tangent presumptions about other people and posters in this forum.
By the way, you seem to have a deep-rroted fancy for self-stimulation. Is that how you relieve yourself of your emotional stresses, angst and frustrations? You’re really some kind of a j-rk then.