In its 24th year: Pagsurat Bikol VII held in Virac, Catanduanes

Several firsts marked the quadrennial Pagsurat Bikol VII (PBVII) for the writing and study of Bikol literature.

It was held for the first time in Catanduanes, the island facing the Pacific Ocean, or outside what Catandunganon poet and publisher Allan Popa calls “Sa Ibong” or the Bikol mainland.

It was mainly a Creative Writing workshop instead of the usual writers-teachers conference.

The 12 writing fellows represented marginalized sectors such as the indigenous peoples and fisherfolk as well as the different provinces and languages of the region.

PB VII also included the gift-giving of books by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Aklat Ulagad, Kabulig-Bikol, Inc., and Nap Arcilla; a tour of downtown Virac; a night out at Café de Au where restaurateur-musico Genesis Efondo serenaded the fellows with his original Bikol songs; poetry performances by fellows and panelists, songs by Jimple Borlagdan, and a performance by Musika Arimbukad; and a Baltas-Isla Literary Tour which included a visit to an abaca-making facility and an artist’s studio. A lecture by Arnold Valledor on the literature of place and a mini-workshop was also held in the northern town of Panganiban. It was attended by participants from varied sectors, including abaca planters and families of those who prepare betel nut chew.

The 12 writing fellows of the workshop with the theme “Pagbaltas, Pag-iba, asin Pagsurat” (Traversed, Walked With, Write) were Sheila Ann Abarra, Luz Angela Benjamin, Mary France Buban, Jan Carl Campit, Jose Carrascal, Kent Patrick R. De Lima, Mark Kevin de los Santos, Lyndon Jr. G Mohametano, Dann Philip A. Monsod, Danica F. Temeña, Francis B. Tolero, and Regine Borjal Trapago.

The panelists were writers from Catanduanes Allan Popa, Emman Barrameda, Napoleon Arcilla, Gerry S. Rubio, Joey Gianan Vargas, and Paul John Padilla; Jaime Jesus Uy Borlagdan of Tabaco, Albay; Shaunnah Ysabel Cledera of Naga City; and Workshop Director Reashiela Lucena Khan. Other resource speakers were Paz Verdades M. Santos, Ramon Felipe A. Sarmiento, Arnold M. Valledor, and Niles Jordan D. Breis. Catanduanes State University President Patrick Alain T. Azanza welcomed the fellows, panelists, and guests to the island at a dinner that also featured the launch of the late poet Efren T. Sorra (Etasor)’s second book Daan na Duyan selected by Gerry S. Rubio (Aklat Ulagad 2024).

The fellows said they were very happy with the experience and vowed to continue writing after the NCCA-funded workshop which had logistical support from Philseaboard, Inc. headed by Gina P. Elegado in partnership with the Catanduanes State University. Other entities that supported the effort were the Local Government Unit of Panganiban, Paraiso ni Honesto, ARDCI Foundation, Inc., E-Crown Hotel and Restaurant, Aklat Ulagad, Kabulig-Bikol Inc., Cafe de Au, and the Provincial Tourism Office of Catanduanes.

Carrascal penned two poems about his experiences while Monsod has been writing more because of the new ideas and experiences from Catanduanes. Buban vowed she would serve as her people’s voice. Mahometano was greatly inspired by Etasor who had only a newspaper as platform for his poetry but continued to pursue the literary arts. He said he would be bringing home to Bulan, Sorsogon materials and learnings from the fellowship. Rapper Campit was elated to hear his work discussed for the first time and to talk about issues about Bikol writing, culture, and languages and looked forward to the future of Bikol literature. Mark Kevin de los Santos said “Para akong kalapating pinakawalan sa ere’t pinagronda kasama ang mga agila ng panulatan, sa kanilang gabay ay higit lumawak ang mundong puwede kong galawan, natanaw ko rin ang mga sulok na dati’y pinapangarap ko lamang na masilayan, higit dumami ang maaari kong puntahan.”

An interesting insight was provided by Kent de Lima of Iriga: “PB 7 acknowledges that the economic centers of Bicol Region subsume through establishments and institutions, homogenize and hegemonize even through language, and that Rinconada, a language sandwiched by two of those powers, should be given space to subvert these imbalances. I feel that PB 7 was able to shed light on those issues and carve out a space for our humble mother tongue.” Privileged to have studied in Manila, he calls on those who have had similar access to return to Bikol what they learned dahil kung nagpa-Manila kayong tatlo ang bagahe niyo, uuwi kayong sangdaan ang bitbit.”

Pagsurat Bikol, now in its 24th year, was first held in 2000 at the Aquinas University. It was organized by Jazmin Badong Llana with the help of writers H. Francisco V. Peñones Jr., the late Reynaldo “Tootsie” Jamoralin and Rodolfo Alano, and many other advocates, to promote Bikol letters. The conference was a turning point for Bikol literature and ended with the participants taking an oath and signing a pledge for the growth and development of Bikol literature. A follow-up conference was held also at Aquinas University in February 2004 to assess if Bikol literature had expanded or developed, if publishing was better, and if Bikol literature was being read and taught in schools and elsewhere. Bikol letters snowballed thereafter. PB III shifted its venue to the Naga College Foundation with Kabulig as its partner in July 2008 and focused on the teaching of Bikol literature. PB IV was held in April 2012 at the Ateneo de Naga University with filmmakers, alternative publishers, children’s story writers, novelists, and journalists among the panel members. PB V was convened at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua, Camarines Sur, where the output of younger writers was introduced and three new books were launched. Undaunted by the pandemic lockdowns, PB VI pushed through in 2020 on an online platform via Camarines Norte State College. Because of its online mode, PB VI had the largest registration of all the conferences. Writers, cultural workers, and teachers who had not been in previous Pagsurat Bikol panels were invited to deliver papers. The organizers of Pagsurat Bikol proposed that PB VII be held in Catanduanes in 2024.

For more highlights of the workshop, see the Pagsurat Bikol VII Facebook page. – Doods M. Santos