Retired Supreme Court Justice Isagani A. Cruz will deliver this year’s Jose Rizal Lecture. Michael Mastura will give the keynote address.
Among the famous writers participating are Milu Aguilar, Albert Alejo, S.J., Carol Arguelles, Erma Cuizon, Lilia Ramos de Leon, Ophelia Dimalanta, Antonio Enriquez, Teresita Erestain, Aida Rivera Ford, Vicente Groyon, Nationa Artist Nick Joaquin, National Artist F. Sionil Jose, Domingo Landicho, Susan Lara, Paolo Manalo, Elmer Ordoñez, Don Pagusara, Frank Rivera, Alejandro Roces, Godofredo Ropera, Menchu Aquino Sarmiento, Susie Tan, National Artist Edith L. Tiempo ,and Marites Vitug.
The conference is made possible through the generous help of SM, Inc., Pagcor, and Solidaridad Bookshop.
Nationally published writers and journalists do not have to pay a fee to attend the conference or to enjoy the meals. Non-writers and observers. Such as teachers and students, may attend the conference but will have top pay for snacks and lunch.
ARTISTS I REMEMBER: this time of year, I remember dear artist and writers whose lives I shared all too briefly: Carol Afan, Nick Agudo, Wilfredo Alberca, Estrella Alfon, Lamberto Avellana, Concesa Baduel, Corinta Barranco, Manuel Principe Bautista, Betty Go-Belmonte, Luis Beltran, Leonidas Benesa, Trinidad Benito, Ishmael Bernal, Mike Bigornia, Nida Blanca, Mario Bolasco, Raul Bonoan SJ, Art Borjal, Lino Brocka.
Aurelio Calderon, Giovanni Calvo, Guadalupe Carbonell, Celso Carunungan, Levi Celerio, Claro Ceniza, Renato Constantino, Jose Cruz SJ, Patricia Melendrez-Cruz, Edilberto Dagot, Petronilo Bn. Daroy, Pio De Castro III, Horaciode la Costa, Adul de Leon, Ricardo Demetillo, Francisco Demetrio, Fe Dizon, Martin Drury, Antonio Dulalia, Jean Edades, Virgilio Enriquez, Nieves Epistola, Merito Espinas, Aurelio Estanislao, Ariston Estrada, Doreen Fernandez, Wili Fernandez, Marcelino Foronda.
Carolina Garcia, Rita Gomez, NVM Gonzalez, Salvador Gonzalez, Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero, Luisa Mallari-Hall, Atang de la Rama Hernandez, Estelita Juco, Maria Kalaw Katigbak, Emmanuel Lacaba, Amado Lacuesta Jr., Serafin Lanot, Leandro Locsin, Salvador P. Lopez, Ella Luansing, Frank Mallo, Vicente Manansala, Raul Manglapus, Bert Marcelo, Nonoy Marcelo, Josefina Mariano, Epifanio Matute, Felicidad Mendoza, Helen Meriz, Maningning Miclat, Lina Espina Moore, Lina Espina Moore, Alfredo Morales,
Orlando Nadres, Antonio Ma. Nieva, Valerio Nofuente, Bienvenido Noriega Jr., Onib Olmedo, Rey Paguio, Benjamin Pascual, Manuel Pichel, Joaquin Po, Nina Estrada Puyat, Carlos Quirino, Jose Quirino, Felicitas Reyes, Evelyn Ribaya, Carolina Rionda, Francisco Rodrigo, Ma. Teresa Escoda Roxas, Ben Rubio, Bonifacio Salamanca, Alfredo Navarro Salanga, Dionisio Salazar, Oscar Salazar, Leopoldo Salcedo, Rachel San Miguel, Lucio San Pedro, Romulo Sandoval,
Bienvenido N. Santos, William Henry Scott, Jesus Sibal, Rogelio Sicat, Vic Silayan, Elpidio Sta. Romana, Osmundo Sta. Romana, Vito C. Santos, Agustin Sotto, Trinidad Tarrosa Subido, Conchita Sunico, Josefina A. Tabujara, Alfredo Tiamson, Edilberto K. Tiempo, Rolando Tinio, Filonila Tupas, Danny Villanueva, Manuel Viray, Wilfredo Virtusio, Virgilio Vito, Mary Walter, and Leopoldo Yabes.
I also remember my bridge-playing friends (Linda Campos, Phyllis Harvey, Paquito Javier, Dioscoro Papa, Helen Saad, Vic Santiago, and Teresa Yuchengco), my fellow Fulbrighters (Corazon Agrava, Marcelo Fernan), and most of all, my fellow UPSCANs ( Francisco Abao Jr., Violeta Calvo-Drilon, Generoso Gil, Bienvenido M. Lim Jr., and Wilfredo Santiano).
Please say a special prayer for my mother, in her youth a short story writer, Pacita Ronquillo Cruz, who passed away in 2001.