Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award 2006 names finalists

"Propagandist inspires Bicol literature revival"

(Editor's Note: Published on Page A14 of the January 12, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

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LITERATURE in Bicolandia is being revived, and the least known propagandist of the Philippine revolution, a native of Naga City, is inspiring the effort.
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For two years, the Arejola Foundation has been sponsoring the “Premio Tomas Arejola” in the region’s premier city in honor of Tomas Arejola, a member of the elite from the then Nueva Caceres (now Naga), who joined the propaganda movement in the late 1800s in Spain.
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Carlo Arejola, 38, the revolutionary’s grandnephew, said the foundation wanted to focus on the power of the pen to pursue the legacy of Tomas’ “love and dedication to freedom that brings back the sense of one’s self.”
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Carlo, who manages the foundation, explained that the Premio Tomas Arejola wanted to contribute to the “arduous task of reviving the dying Bicol language and culture.” It aims to popularize the use of Bicol and generate literature in the language.
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Unlike those in Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Tagalog, Bicol literature is not included
in the prestigious Palanca Awards, he said.
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According to Maria Lilia F. Realubit, a retired University of the Philippines professor, the Bicol language has several dominant dialects like those spoken in Naga (Camarines Sur), Albay, Daet (Camarines Norte), Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon, the Rinconada in the fourth district of Camarines Sur, and the Miraya in the third district of Albay.
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Tomas moved within the circle of the ilustrados in Spain and Europe while studying law at the Universidad Central de Madrid, Evelyn Caldera Soriano said in her book, “Two Bicolano Revolutionaries: Tomas and Ludovico Arejola,” published by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts in 1999.
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Tomas, she said, was an active member of the propaganda movement that sought the assimilation of the Philippines as a province of Spain.
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He exchanged letters with national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, the recognized leader of the propagandists in Madrid, and Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt, an Austrian ethnologist who actively supported the cause of the Filipinos.
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Tomas also regularly associated with Antonio Luna and Miguel Morayta, two prominent figures of the La Solidaridad propaganda movement.
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His older brother, Ludovico, a military officer of the revolutionary government under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, was appointed Coronel de la Milicia Territorial and tasked with organizing volunteers in Ambos Camarines (the two Camarines provinces) and Catanduanes.
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Soriano, a grandniece of the Arejolas and associate professor and director of European Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University, said Tomas, though the least known of the propagandists, had written statements and position papers of the movement.
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The author, who has been tracing propaganda documents, affidavits and correspondence in Europe and in museums and archives, even unraveled Tomas’ skills in projecting neutrality when facing contending personalities inside the ilustrado circle in Madrid—the antipropaganda forces that included Wenceslao Retana, Mir Deas and Quioquiap, and the prominent propaganda forces that included Rizal and Luna.
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But Tomas was among those listed as one of Rizal’s sympathizers in Luna’s letter to the national hero on Oct. 22, 1888. The propaganda movement was then pushing Rizal to lead a Filipino Colony.
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Soriano also found that her granduncle had been elected member of the Malolos Congress under Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government.
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But she said Tomas was unable to come home to fulfill his duties and was instead directed by the revolutionary leaders to organize a revolutionary committee in Madrid. Tomas represented the Malolos government abroad and was a signatory to the Malolos Constitution.
His remarkable career as a propagandist, revolutionary, negotiator and political leader spanned decades, from the revolution against Spain to the American war of subjugation to the First Philippine Assembly.
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He died a statesman in 1926.
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Instrument of change
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The scope of this year’s Premio Tomas Arejola is being widened to include poetry, short stories, essay, drama and novel, Carlo said.
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Only poetry and fiction were included in the first contest in 2004. The first entries were submitted by both old and young writers. Kristian Cordero and Rizalde Manrique, both in their 20s, emerged as winners.
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Carlo mused that even in the second Premio Tomas Arejola in December last year, the finalists in the children’s story and one-act play (the new categories) were mostly young writers.
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Jose Jason L. Chancoco and Sonny C. Sendon, both in their 20s, and Francisco Peñones, who is in his 50s, won in the children’s story category.
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Carlo said the popularization of children’s literature in Bicol could help in the propagation and appreciation of the Bicol language.
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“It’s really a good thing that there were lots of entries from young writers. I am happy that there is hope to keep our advocacy for Bicol language’s preservation and appreciation,” he said.
But the judges—Realubit, Department of Education Director Orfelina O. Tuy and Prof. Lorna Billanes, a Doctor of Philosophy candidate for creative writing at Miriam College—did not give recognition to the one-act play entries in the Second Premio Tomas Arejola.
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Realubit, chair of the board of judges, said entries in this category did not qualify because of format problems.
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Entries for this year’s awards will be accepted beginning February. “It will be open to all writers in Bicol language and no age limit is imposed. But writers under 18 years old are required to submit their parents’ consent,” Carlo said.
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Writers’ workshops
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The Tomas Arejola Foundation conducts writers’ workshops before the works for the contest are chosen. This year, applicants who are at least 16 years old and have submitted either three poems, one short story or one one-act play written in Bicol will be admitted to the workshops.
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Vice Mayor Gabriel Bordado, who is also a writer, recalled that the interest in reviving Bicol literature started in 1973 with the organization of the Heritage Society.
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But it did not gain momentum until the writers’ workshop in 1993, which was facilitated by known writers like Teo Antonio and Jose Dalisay Jr., he said.
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Since then, several initiatives to revive Bicol literature have been undertaken. Among them, Bordado said, were the formation of the writers’ group “Kabulig,” the publication of “Mga Tula Para ki Ina,” and the meeting of Bicol writers in Aquinas University in 2000.
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The Premio Tomas Arejola is a noble initiative beyond politics that inspires, gives guidance and incentives and serves as a lighthouse to writers in Bicol, he said.
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(For more information on the Third Premio Tomas Arejola, contact Carlo Arejola, managing director of The Tomas Arejola Foundation, 2nd Floor, Dabu Building, Elias Angeles Street, Naga City, or email SuratBikol@gmail.com)

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