1st Taboan Literary Awards: Visayan Writers

CEBU, Philippines - A highlight to TABOAN 2010: 2nd Philippine International Writers’ Festival on February 10 – 12, 2010 at Casino Español de Cebu, will be the 1st TABOAN Literary Awards. As in most market places or meeting grounds – taboan – the sheer exuberance of various intellects and talents will bring about an effulgence of something transcendent, yet somehow rooted to the area of the taboan. That is the initial thrust of TABOAN, and as what Dr. Ric de Ungria stated as Festival Director of the 1st TABOAN, “the first of its kind, it is a work in progress. It is an annual event to look forward to, and to come up with new features and events…”

Hence, TABOAN 2010 is a Visayas-rooted festival. We came up with the Awards Committee comprising the National Committee on Literary Arts’ (NCLA) Visayas coordinators. The NCLA members nominated their choices, the these were short-listed by the Awards Committee: Dr. Ric de Ungria – chair, with members Dr. Elsie Coscuella –Western Visayas coordinator, Dr. Vic Sugbo – Eastern Visayas coordinator and Dr. Hope Yu – Central Visayas coordinator. Sponsored by GLOBE Telecom, Department of Tourism, Province of Cebu, and University of the Phils. Foundation. Also supported by San Miguel Corporation, Mdme. Amparito Lhuillier and Chateau de Busay.

The first TABOAN Literary Awardees are: Dr. Resil B. Mojares (Cebu) – world-renowned historian and biographer in English, Magdalena Jalandoni-Gonzaga (Iloilo, posthumous) – pioneering and prolific woman fiction writer and poet in Hiligaynon, Estrella D. Alfon (Cebu, posthumous) – pioneering and multi-awarded female short story writer and playwright in English and Cebuano, Austregelina Espina-Moore (Cebu, posthumous) – another pioneering female novelist in English and Cebuano, Edilberto K. Tiempo (adopted citizen of Dumaguete, posthumous) – internationally known novelist and short story writer in English and father of the ongoing and longest-running Silliman University’s Summer Writers’ Workshop, Dr. Erlinda Kintanar-Alburo (Cebu) – a feminist voice who is the current Director of the Cebuano Studies Center and writes poetry in English and Cebuano, Temistokles Adlawan (Cebu, posthumous) – prolific and nationally recognized short story writer and novelist in Cebuano who missed the award by three months, since he passed away in November, 2009, Gremer Chan Reyes (Cebu) – multi-awarded short story writer and novelist in Cebuano, Dr. Leoncio P. Deriada (Iloilo) – world-renowned fictionist in English, Filipino, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a and Cebuano with 13 Palanca awards, among many others, Gumer M. Rafanan (Cebu) – prolific fictionist in Cebuano with 27 novels and 80 prize-winning stories, poems and essays, Msgr. Rudy E. Villanueva (Cebu) – internationally admired English novelist with the pen name Renato E. Madrid, who is also a well-known composer of Cebuano and English music for Mass and stage musicals, Dr. Rene E. Amper (Cebu, posthumous) – although a medical doctor by profession and a town official by avocation, he was foremost a top caliber poet in English and Cebuano, Merlie M. Alunan (Tacloban) – multi-awarded poet in English and Cebuano.

Awarding will be at the formal closing dinner at the Casino Español Ballroom on February 12: Pasundayag ug Pasidungog. (Photos grabbed from www.upd.edu.ph)