04
Dec
Dec
The 10 Best Books of 2008
The editors of The New York Times Book Review have selected these titles from the list of 100 Notable Books of 2008.
News on Books & Literature
28
Nov
Nov
‘40 Years of Writing in America,’ Book by Filipino Author in US, to Be Launched at Bound Bookshop
Forty Years of Writing in America
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko
Philippine launching on December 1, 2008, 4 pm at Bound Bookshop. Everyone is invited.
As the title suggests, the book dwells on forty years of writing in America. Through those
years, the author has put her thoughts, reflections, experiences, perspectives and approaches via
the vehicle of the written word. It is not a chronology. Nor is it an anthology. Wittingly or unwittingly,
it has a dual background: the Philippines, the author’s birthplace and the United States which she has
called home for more than four decades. There are events that have been identically celebrated by the two nations. Such familiar signposts were what America brought to the Philippines. Therefore, celebrations, i.e., Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day; Memorial Day; Father’s Day; Christmas and the New Year are far from alien to Filipinos, hence the sense of focus on those significant commemorations in the book.
The book’s seven chapters tell how the author dealt with multifaceted influences, her impressions on the
land of her birth gathered during many periodical visits. The martial law government from 1972-1986 was a new chapter in her homeland’s history, written descriptions about it came from her own experiences and other Filipino Americans who likewise returned to visit their homeland. “America: A New World Renewed” is thus entitled because the author had resided in the United States, returned to her birthplace briefly and when the appropriate moment came, decided to migrate to the U.S.. Shortly after, Ludy became a U.S. citizen, and called her adopted home, “a new world renewed.”
She writes about the personalities she met; writing assignments as a graduate student; occasions of significance that left indelible influences on her; a number of national issues which she calls “hot-button” concerns confronting today’s America. High on her list are those that include Iraq, the economy, poverty,
education, medical care, immigration reform, problems of the aging, civil rights, civil service, misplaced
values, boundaries on church and state issues, global warming, U.S. foreign relations, and those that
members of the U.S. citizenry consider of present-day relevance.
Inevitably, Philippine cultural influences in America are discussed: various representatives from the ranks
of music; art and dance, all products of creativity of her homeland’s artistry; her pleasure in meeting with
the granddaughter of the first president of the Republic of the Philippines, Margie Moran, Miss Universe of
1973, daughter of Charo Roxas-Moran, a college classmate and sorority sister from the author’s under-
graduate days at the University of the Philippines; Historic Los Angeles, a Filipino Town bustling in that
busy metropolis, how the Filipino relies on faith as a rallying force; Dr.Jose P. Rizal, the Filipino people’s
greatest hero; political and social indicators in the Philippines; progress reports on Philippine education;
and not forgetting to discuss the assimilation process popularly experienced by the immigrant Filipino’s status enhanced by education and training against the backdrop of new horizons.
The chapter on “The Philippine Heritage” zeroes in on the legacy Filipinos abroad do to preserve their
inimitable beliefs on the role of the family: respect for their elders; preserving the cultural heritage; Filipino
hospitality; the pride exuding from Filipino entrepreneurship; feeling of elation derived from family traits passed on from one generation to another, many of which Filipino Americans attribute to their forebears.
“The Power of Communication” highlights letters from some of the author’s former students in the Philippines who have corresponded with her for the first time after more than forty years from various parts of the globe. Her sense of nostalgia is awakened by the nature of communication pieces she receives from her students who, as they are ensconced in their professional life, remember the author as a mentor.
The last chapter’s focal point is on the author’s family, her three children and half-a-dozen grandchildren, each one his/her own person as they all have become part of the warp and woof of the American fabric that underscores education, one legacy that is highly-prized by the American people as a bulwark of what makes their nation unparalleled in the world.
Ludy candidly brings out her experiences in having navigated oceans, from the East Pacific to the West Pacific. She expresses hers and her husband’s many hopes that as “worthy” Americans, they have rendered what they were capable of doing, as they guided their children to complete their educational objectives in line with their professional pursuits while they share America’s gifts. As their dreams about freedom and
education still continue to be central to their priorities, the author calls those pivotal pieces of the legacy
which she and her husband as their grandparents, wish to pass on to their children’s children, their half-a-dozen grandchildren, their third generation, they who are first-generation Americans.
*****
Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko is a product of two educational systems: the state-owned University of the Philippines where she received her undergraduate degrees and the Graduate School of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles (a private institution of higher learning) where she was granted graduate degrees in journalism and communications.
Ludy held a tenured faculty position at the University of Southern California (USC) where she edited an academic journal and co-authored articles in academic publications.
“Forty Years of Writing in America” is her first solo-flight.
Since 1966, Ludy’s news stories and feature articles originated from her assignments while attending
The Graduate School, USC. In 1971, after she received her Ph.D., Ludy charted her own voyage of discovery drawn from her columns in the Philippine News, the only coast-to-coast Philippine American weekly in America, interspersed with assignments from other publications, Philippine Review, Filipino Panorama and Manila’s Business Daily where she maintained a column, Dateline U.S.A., as its overseas columnist.
Living in America continuously, Ludy first glimpsed, then embraced what she eventually promised to do,
continue writing her column so she could “give something of myself,” to her community. Early on, she envisioned what she would be doing, articulating her insights and perspectives and has not stopped doing just that. Hers is a style that has sprung from her reportorial days in the Manila Daily Bulletin, her first
employer after her graduation from the U.P. She has written for such Philippine publications: Sunday Times; Weekly Women’s Magazine; Daily Times; Saturday Mirror; Kislap-Graphic and The Nation.
Ludy still refers to the City of Baguio as her old hometown. Her husband, Colonel Hermie Ongkeko, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, retired from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ludy and
Hermie have three children. The eldest, Rafael, is a Superior Court Judge, County of Los Angeles; his
siblings are Gilda and Gerine. Gilda holds a master’s degree in social work from The Graduate School of
Social Work, USC and is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California in Los Angeles. She has established and owns a child development center in the City of Santa Monica; Gerine, a Certified Public Accountant, has a master’s in professional accounting earned at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Ludy and Hermie have six grandchildren: two granddaughters and four grandsons. Four are all college and university graduates; only the youngest grandsons are still in school; one at Maine’s Bowdoin College and the youngest, in high school.
When asked what she enjoys most, Ludy has a quick reply, “Grandparenthood. It has no parallel.”
24
Nov
Nov
National Book Awards Winners Announced
The best published books of 2007 were given special recognition when the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle announced the winners of the 27th National Book Awards last November 15 at the Yuchengco Museum.
The Ateneo de Manila University Press bagged the Publisher of the Year Award. Among the writers who won awards for their books published in the Philippines in 2007 were Senator Edgardo J. Angara, Senator Juan Flavier, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Conrad de Quiros, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, and Tony Perez.
This year’s trophies were designed by young sculptor Glenn Cagandahan.
LIST OF WINNERS
ANTHOLOGY: Cordillera in June: Essays Celebrating June Prill-Brett, Anthropologist, edited by B. P. Tapang (UP Press); Mga Piling Dulang Mindanao, Unang Aklat, edited by Arthur P. Casanova (UST Publishing House).
ART & BEST DESIGNED BOOK: Salvador F. Bernal: Designing the Stage, by Nicanor G. Tiongson, designed by Brian Tenorio (NCCA).
BIOGRAPHY / AUTOBIOGRAPHY: From Barrio to Senado: An Autobiography, by Juan M. Flavier; Legends & Adventures, by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil (Circe Communications); Maria Kalaw Katigbak: A Charmed Life, by Monina Allarey Mercado (Anvil).
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: The Boy Who Touched Heaven / Ang Batang Humipo sa Langit, by Iris Gem Li, translated by Roberto Añonuevo (CANVAS and Adarna House).
DRAMA: Tatlong Paglalakbay: Isang Trilohiya ng Mahahabang Dula, by Tony Perez (UST Publishing House).
ESSAY / CREATIVE NONFICTION: Pagmumuni-muni at Pagtatalak ng Sirenang Nagpapanggap na Prinsesa: Mga Piling Maikling Sanaysay, by J. I. E. Teodoro (Imprenta Igbaong); Tongues on Fire, by Conrado de Quiros (Anvil).
FICTION: Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street, by Benjamin Pimentel (ADMU Press).
HISTORY: Kolonyal na Patakaran at Nagbabagong Kamalayang Filipino: Musika sa Publikong Paaralan sa Pilipinas, 1898-1935, by Raul C. Navarro (ADMU Press); The Saga of La Naval: Triumph of a People’s Faith, edited by Lito B. Zulueta (Dominican Province of the Philippines).
JOURNALISM: The Rulemakers: How the Wealthy and Well-Born Dominate Congress, by Sheila S. Coronel, Yvonne T. Chua, Luz Rimban, and Booma B. Cruz (Anvil).
LAW: A Living Constitution: The Troubled Arroyo Presidency, by Joaquin G. Bernas SJ (ADMU Press).
LITERARY CRITICISM: Sipat Kultura: Tungo sa Mapagpalayang Pagbabasa, Pag-aaral at Pagtuturo ng Panitikan, by Rolando B. Tolentino (ADMU Press).
MEDICINE: Bone Tumors in Filipinos: A Collection of 876 Cases from the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital, by Edward H. M. Wang and Ariel Vergel de Dios (Bookmark).
POETRY: Antisi*Pasyon asin iba pang Rawitdawit sa Bikol asin Ingles / Anticipation and Other Poems in Bikol and English, by Victor Dennis T. Nierva, translated by Marne L. Kilates and H. Francisco V. Peñones Jr. (Goldprint); Mostly in Monsoon Weather: Poems New & Revisited, by Marne L. Kilates (UP Press); Passage: Poems, 1983-2006, by Edgar B. Maranan (Bookmark).
SCIENCES: Living with Nature in Our Times, by Abercio V. Rotor (UST).
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Colonial Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in the Philippines, by Warwick Anderson (ADMU Press); The Dynamics of Regional Development: The Philippines in East Asia, edited by Arsenio M. Balisacan and Hal Hill (ADMU Press).
THEOLOGY & RELIGION: Investing in Miracles: El Shaddai and the Transformation of Popular Catholicism in the Philippines, by Katharine L. Wiegele (ADMU Press).
TRANSLATION: Lagalag sa Nanyang, translated by Joaquin Sy from Nanyang Piaoliuji, by Bai Ren (UP Press).
TRAVEL: Baler, Aurora, by Edgardo J. Angara, Jesus T. Peralta, Domingo Madulid, Jose Maria A. Cariño, Xavier Brisset, Enrique Quezon Avanceña, Manuel L. Quezon III, Ricardo T. Jose, and Juan Edgardo M. Angara (Rural Empowerment Assistance and Development Foundation).
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR: Ateneo de Manila University Press
A citation was given to Vocabulary of the Kapampangan Language in Spanish and Dictionary of the Spanish Language in Kapampangan, translated by Venancio Q. Samson from Vocabulario de Pampango en Romance, y Diccionario de Romance en Pampango (1732), by Diego Bergaño (Holy Angel University Press).
The finalists were chosen by the following professional organizations and academic institutions: American Hospitality Academy, Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices, Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center, DLSU Business Management Department, DLSU Department of Communications, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting, NBDB, National Historical Institute, Philippine Economics Society, University of Asia and the Pacific Filipino Department, UP Institute of Creative Writing, UP College of Fine Arts, UP Department of Psychology, UP-NCPAG, UP-NISMED, Philippine Literary Arts Council, Philippine Travel Agencies Association, and Women’s Studies Association of the Philippine.
The winners were chosen jointly by the Manila Critics Circle and the National Book Development Board’s appointed judges. Aside from members of the Manila Crtiics Circle, the following were the NBDB’s appointed judges per category: Dr. Mario Miclat (Anthology), Cid Reyes (Art/Architecture), Dr. Priscelina Legasto (Biography/Autobiography), Usec. Elmer Hernandez (Business and Economics), Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz (Children’s Literature), Chef Richard Cordova (Cook Books and Food), Alvin Yapan (Drama), Dr. Nona Ricafort (Education), Wendell Capili (Essay), Jun Cruz Reyes (Fiction in a Vernacular Language), Charlson Ong (Fiction in a Foreign Language), Prof. Ambeth Ocampo (History), Malou Mangahas (Journalism), Ret. Supreme Court Justice Santiago Kapunan (Law), Dr. Pamela Constantino (Linguistics), Prof. Gary Devilles (Literary Criticism), Dr. Francisco
Altarejos (Medicine), Dr. Gemino Abad (Poetry), Dr. Merle Tan (Science), Dr. Zosimo Lee (Social Science), Quinito Henson (Sports), Dr. Dennis Gonzalez (Theology and Religion), Marne Kilates (Translation), Emily Abrera (Travel), and Francisco Doplon (Design).
The 27th National Book Awards is sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Yuchengco Museum, Manila Bulletin, Galerie Joaquin, Fuji Xerox, and Senator Mar Roxas.
24
Nov
Nov
Philippine PEN Annual Conference Set
PHILIPPINE PEN ANNUAL CONFERENCE
December 6, 2008
Bulwagang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining
4th floor, Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Manila
“LITERATURE FROM THE MARGINS:
Changes in the Literary Canon”
December 6 (Saturday)
8:00-9:00 am Registration
9:00 am Opening Ceremonies
The National Anthem
Reading of the PEN Charter: Susie Tan
Welcome Remarks: Nestor Jardin, President, CCP
Opening Remarks: Lito Zulueta
Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Erma Cuizon
Keynote Address: Dr. Resil B. Mojares
Launching of PEN books
10:00 am Coffee Break
10:30 am First Literary Session:
“Struggle/People’s Literature
Chair: Rolando Tolentino
Panelists: Mila Aguilar, Gelacio Guillermo, Domingo Landicho,
Rosario Cruz Lucero, Jose Rey Munsayac, Axel Pinpin, Alexander
Martin Remollino, Norman Wilwayco
12:00 noon The Jose Rizal Lecture (CCP, Silangan Hall)
Introduction of Lecturer: Jose Victor Torres
Lecturer: Fr. Rolando de la Rosa,O.P., Rector, UST
1:30-3:00 Second Literary Session:
“Gender Issues in Literature”
Chair: Shirley Lua
Panelists: Ronald Baytan, Karina Bolasco, Neil Garcia, Thelma B.
Kintanar, Jessica Zafra
3:00-3:30 Coffee Break
3:30-5:00 Third Literary Session:
“Critical Issues/Special Topics”
Chair: Elmer A. Ordoñez
Panelists: Susan Lara, Malou Jacob, Bienvenido Lumbera, Charlson Ong, Ma. Luna Sicat Cleto
5:15-6:00 Plenary Session
Resolution
Election of Board of Directors/Officers
Presiding: F. Sionil Jose, Philippine PEN Chair
Convenors:
Lito Zulueta, Chair
Marjorie Evasco, Shirley Lua, Elmer A. Ordonez
14
Nov
Nov
Ricky Lee Sets Launch of New Novel
From Nocturnal Neurons:
“THE RICKY LEE READERS”
Gina Alajar, Chanda Romero, Cherie Pie Picache, Cesar Montano, Lorna Tolentino, Eugene Domingo and Piolo Pascual will be reading excerpts from Ricky Lee’s upcoming novel Para kay B (O kung paano dinevastate ng pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin) at the grand book launch on NOVEMBER 30, Sunday, 4 PM at the UP Bahay ng Alumni, Diliman, Quezon City. No less than Ms. Marilou Diaz-Abaya will be the director-of-ceremonies of this star-studded event to be graced by luminaries in the fields of cinema, television, and literature.
To attend this event and get a copy of the book, please secure your passes/bookmarks from these contact details:
0906-5208085;
0921-7849363;
ewongco@gmail.com;
writers.studio12@gmail.com.
14
Nov
Nov
Philippines’s Miguel Syjuco Wins Asia’s Top Literary Prize
Hong Kong, 13 November 2008 – A panel of three internationally acclaimed authors and experienced literary judges named Filipino author Miguel Syjuco the winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize for his novel Ilustrado, a fictional account of a young Filipino caught within a notorious scandal spanning over the Philippine history.
(The same novel also won the grand prize for the novel in this year’s Palanca awards. More about Syjuco and his novel here.)
The Man Asian Literary Prize was established in 2006 to bring greater worldwide attention to Asian writing and authors. The inaugural prize was awarded in November 2007 to Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, which was published in English to great acclaim in early 2008. Several works shortlisted and longlisted for the 2007 Prize have since been published.
The panel of judges for the 2008 prize praised Ilustrado:
“The shortlist for the Man Asian prize testifies to the great vitality of the novel in Asian societies undergoing hectic and unexpected transformations. In the end, we had to choose; and Ilustrado seems to us to possess formal ambition, linguistic inventiveness and sociopolitical insight in the most satisfying measure. Brilliantly conceived, and stylishly executed, it covers a large and tumultuous historical period with seemingly effortless skill. It is also ceaselessly entertaining, frequently raunchy, and effervescent with humour.”
The prize winner was announced at a celebratory dinner at The Peninsula Hong Kong and Miguel Syjuco was awarded USD 10,000.
The judging panel for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize is: Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada (Chair); Nicholas Jose, writer, scholar and former Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in China; and Pankaj Mishra, acclaimed Indian writer and thinker.
The shortlist of five from which the winner was chosen included Indian writer Kavery Nambisan for The Story that Must Not be Told, Indian writer Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi for The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay, Filipino writer Miguel Syjuco for Ilustrado, Chinese writer Yu Hua for Brothers and Filipino writer Alfred A. Yuson for The Music Child.
Man Group plc is the sponsor of the Man Asian Literary Prize, in cooperation with Asian Literary Prize Ltd. Man Group also supports a variety of other programmes as well as charities aimed at furthering literature and literacy, including the Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival, a 10-day event that attracts authors from around the world and thousands of attendees. Separately, Man Group also sponsors the annual Man Booker Prize and the bi-annual Man Booker International Prize, in conjunction with the Booker Foundation.
Additional information on the website:
www.manasianliteraryprize.org
08
Nov
Nov
Filipino-American Poets Featured at the US Library of Congress
The APA Collection at the Library of Congress is exhibiting the books of
Asian American women poets in collaboration with the First Annual Festival
of Women’s Poetry on the Internet. (http://wompherence.proboards82.com).
A collection of the published works of select poets in the list of “100
Filipino women poets” featured on the website and curated by Luisa Igloria,
multi-awarded poet, are part of the Library’s special exhibit.
Angela Manalang Gloria’s *Poems *released in 1940 is considered the first
published poetry collection by a Filipina. The original, the revised edition
and the updated edition (*The Complete Poems,* edited by Edna Zapanta
Manlapaz) are part of the exhibit. Two seldom seen monographs, Two
Voices, *Selected Poems of Abelardo Subido and Trinidad Tarrosa Subido,* published in 1945 and
Trinidad Tarrosa Subido’s *Private Edition: sonnets and other poems *(2002)
are likewise included.
The Wompherence Exhibit in the Library is displayed in the Asian Reading
Room, LJ150 at the Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Avenue, N.E. and is
open to the public Monday through Saturday during the month of November. For
more information, contact Reme Grefalda at regr@loc.gov or (202) 707-6096.
The Filipino poets featured at the Library exhibit are: Mila Aguilar, Cora
Almerino, Linda Alburo, Lilia F. Antonio, Jessie Badillo-Snyder, Merlinda C.
Bobis, Carlene S. Bonnivier, Cynthia Buiza, Sofiya Cabalquinto, Catalina
Cariaga, Marjorie Evasco, Penelope Flores, Sarah Gambito, Jean V. Gier, Reme
Grefalda, Jessica Hagedorn, Aileen Ibardaloza, Luisa Igloria (Ma. Luisa B.
Aguilar Carino ), Marra PL Lanot, Babeth Lolarga, Susan T. Layug, Fatima
Lim-Wilson, Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo, Angela Manalang-Gloria, Maningning
Miclat, Barb Natividad, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Cristina Querrer, Lilia
Quindoza-Santiago, Barbara J. Pulmano Reyes, Patria Rivera, Nadine Sarreal,
Trinidad Tarrosa Subido, Eileen Tabios, Ester Tapia, Edith L. Tiempo, and
Rowena T. Torrevillas.
Readers can find the works of the 100 Filipina poets in
http://www.wompherence.proboards82.com/index.cgi?board=fip
Wompherence is spearheaded by Moira Richards, Shayla Mollohan, and Louisa
Howerowe of the Women’s Poetry Collective (Wompo) started by poet Annie
Finch, who directs the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Low
Residency Program. One recent and brilliant example of another Wompo
collaborative effort is the anthology published by Red Hen Press in January
this year, LETTERS TO THE WORLD.
08
Nov
Nov
Author to Speak on ‘Misrepresentation’ of Jose Rizal
Dr. Floro Quibuyen, author of A NATION ABORTED, will speak about how
Rizal has been misrepresented by the prevailing orthodoxy on
Philippine nationalism in a lecture titled, “What Nation was Aborted?
Recovering History from Historians,” on Tuesday, November 11, from 4
pm, at the Museo ng Maynila (what used to be the Army and Navy Club),
Roxas Blvd., Manila.
The lecture coincides with the release of the second edition of his A
NATION ABORTED: Rizal, American Hegemony, and Philippine Nationalism,
which contains two new chapters. The book (rated “one of the most
provocative books” for the ’90s by the Japanese publishing house
Iwanami), urges students and teachers and thoughtful readers to
rethink long-held ideas about our history, and to reread Rizal and his
ideas against what has been taken as “official nationalism.”
The program will be opened by Ms. Gemma Cruz-Araneta, vice chair of
the co-organizer Manila Historical and Heritage Commission. To lead
the discussion after the lecture, Ms. Sylvia Mayuga and Mr. Alex
Dacanay will give commentaries about the book.
Attesting to the author’s broad interests, his short film, “Hibik sa
Dapit-hapon,” an imagining of Josephine witnessing Rizal’s execution,
will also be shown. “Hibik” was adjudged one of the top ten films of
the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines Film Festival in 1981.
Through all these years of his varied career, independent scholar Dr.
Quibuyen has been a prolific professor, innovative educator, and
pioneering filmmaker. He has taught over 30 different courses in the
social sciences in several universities here and abroad. He has made
film projects both in the Philippines and Hawaii. And although
officially retired from the UP Asian Center, Dr. Quibuyen continues to
teach as Professorial Lecturer at the University of Santo Tomas.
17
Apr
Apr
Five journalists plunge into the book business
ON A WING and a prayer. That was the spirit that bound five journalists when they plunged into the business of selling new and read books, says Inday Espina Varona, editor of the Philippine Graphic.
“We’ve been talking about it. Usapang panaginip lang (dream talk),” she says of the bookshop they call “Bound” that opened March 8 at 105-A Scout Castor St., in Quezon City.
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