Anthologies of reg’l literature: A time capsule

 “An anthology is deemed a time capsule because it is a collection of works that captures and preserves the culture, emotions, and perspectives of a specific era for future generations”

WE DOFF our hat to GUMIL Metro Manila, arguably the most well-integrated literary association in this country of 117 million of diverse literatures and persuasions.

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This time next year, in 2026, this group of Ilokano writers in the metropolis will mark its 60th anniversary since it was founded, ahead of any literary organization and, by the record, eight years ahead of the Writers Union of the Philippines or the Unyon ng Mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas.

This month, the GUMIL Metro Manila leadership, headed by Faye Flores-Melegrito of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, sounded the clarion call for members to submit their short stories and poetry for the two anthologies planned to be launched during the anniversary.

The two anthologies are are an add-on to the dozens of books the association, from the time it was founded and headed by Dr. Hermogenes F. Belen of La Union, had published, which strongly endorses the idea of preserving regional literature.

The publication of the anthologies is important because it acts as a cultural time capsule, safeguarding the unique history, identity, and values of Ilokanos, who make up nearly 13 million of the country’s population.

An anthology is deemed a time capsule because it is a collection of works that captures and preserves the culture, emotions, and perspectives of a specific era for future generations.

While the Ilokanos are primarily concentrated in the Ilocos Region and other areas of Northern Luzon, their population is distributed across the entire country due to historical migration patterns, not to mention Hawaii, California and other states in continental USA, and Canada.

Scholars are one in saying an anthology is highly effective in preserving literature, especially regional literature, by collecting diverse works in a single, accessible volume and contributing to the formation of a cultural canon.

Anthologies also provide condensed access to a wide range of works that might otherwise be difficult to find or access individually, making them crucial for students and general readers.

The GUMIL leadership has identified six editors – three for fiction and another three for poetry – all credible redactors by their own merits.

Book titles for the anthologies have not been disclosed, but we are told the books will act as a snapshot of the artistic and social values, beliefs, customs, and even the historical context of the Ilokanos.

Hope is high the anthologies, aimed at enriching the libraries of the north, will be widely used in educational settings which hopefully will help promote literacy and ensure that future generations learn about and appreciate their literary heritage.

At the same time, the new anthologies, as have the previous ones published by GUMIL Metro Manila, will offer a platform for lesser-known Ilokano and marginalized authors to gain exposure to a wider audience alongside established authors, which is critical, if indispensable, for maintaining diversity in literature.

The short story editors are: Lito Paringit Hilidon, from Nueva Vizacaya, whose awards include 1st Prize in the 9th Saniata Literary Awards and the 2023 Gawad Bienvenido Lumbera Literary Awards (Short Story-Ilokano Category);

Ariel Sotelo Tabag, from Cagayan, an Ilokano writer, translator, and editor; author of nine Ilokano books and has translated several significant Ilokano works into Filipino. He is the incumbent president of the umbrella organization GUMIL Filipinas;

Neyo Escobar Valdez, from Ilocos Sur, the outgoing Executive Council Member (Northern Luzon) of the National Committee on Literary Arts and former Secretary-General of GUMIL Filipinas; 1st Prize winner in the Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature and the Don Vicente Pacioles Awards for Iluko Literature in 2001.

In the poetry anthology, the editors are: Roy V. Aragon, from Nueva Vizcaya, a fictionist and poet writing in Ilokano and Tagalog (Filipino) languages; he has won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature for his short stories in Ilokano and Tagalog and was a recipent of the National Book Award for Ilokano Poetry for his poems;

Honor Blanco Cabie, from Ilocos Norte, declared Ilokandia’s Saribitniw King in 2008; 1st prize winner in the Poetry Writing Competition in the 16th World Congress of Poets in 2000; recipient of a Cultural Center of the Philipppines Grant in Iloko Poetry in 1995; speech writer, former President of GUMIL Filipinas, and university professorial lecturer/associate professor;

Linda Lingbaoan-Bulong, of Tinguian descent from Abra, is a recipient of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Grant for Essay (1994) and the National Book Development Board Writing Grant (2014) for her novel, Kalinawa (2016); named Most Outstanding Citizen of Peñarrubia (1994) for Literature, and has been given the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas (2015) for Ilokano fiction by UMPIL, and the Leona Florentino Award (2015) by GUMIL-Filipinas.

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