LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Provincial Government of Benguet headed by Governor Dr. Melchor Daguines Diclas held the 2nd BIYAG “Ped-agan” or Creative Writing Workshop Fellowship at the Benguet Agri-Tourism Farm in Bulala, Sablan, Benguet recently.
At least 18 fellows from different municipalities gained insight and knowledge on writing poems, short stories, and essays, and were given ideas how they could publish literary pieces. Their outputs per literary genre were judged and the winners — Poet of the Year, Short Story Writer of the Year, and Essayist of the Year — will be recognized during the BIYAG Awarding Ceremony on April 28 at the Ben Palispis Auditorium.
The speakers were Dr. Joti Tabula, President, Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA); Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT) and a Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards Hall of Fame awardee; Dr. Ryan Guinaran, awardee of the Catholic Mass Media Awards-Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards for Children and Youth; and Ms. Heather Ann Pulido, 2022 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards-Short Story for Children Third Placer.
BIYAG 2022 Fellows who published their books after the 2022 workshop compose the panelists. They are Ronald S. Fernandez (Silhouettes of Dead Stars over the Cordillera Range), Richard A. Giye (The Visiting Moth: Collection of Select Stories and Essays), Jovener S. Soro (Sulatin ni Manasseh), Amelita C. Wansi (Supernovial), and Silverio Jr. A. Pilo (PuLaG).
The two-day activity is part of the 2nd celebration of the Benguet Indigenous Youth Arts Guild (BIYAG) Festival with the theme “Celebrating the Essence of the Benguet Youth, Culture and the Arts, and Nature — Our Life, Our Future.”
Governor Diclas recognizes the contribution of the young aspiring writers in the promotion and preservation of Benguet culture and its beautiful landscapes and that there is a need to help them develop their writing skills through activities such as the “Ped-agan.”
Recently, Governor Diclas has issued an executive order creating the Provincial Book Development Board (PBDB) which aims to promote the publications of books on the rich culture and history of the province. By SAP Jr.
