According to Phil
Harold Mercurio, regional coordinator of the National Committee on
Literary Arts (NCLA) for Eastern Visayas, Abunda sponsored five
writers’ groups namely, the Katig-uban han mga Magsusurat ha
Sinirangan Bisayas Writers Network Inc (Katig Writers Network), the
mother organization of which is Tacloban based; Calbayog Literary Arts
Organization (CALAO Writers Inc.) in Calbayog, Samar; Abaknon Literary
Arts Guild (ALAG Writers Inc.) in Capul, Northern Samar; Sirak Writers
in Borongan City, Eastern Samar and the Bisdak Writers in Biliran.
The groups of writers
aim to revive writing in Waray, Cebuano and Inabaknon. The writers
also aim for cultural understanding and linguistic tolerance among the
people of Region 8.
Katig Writers Network,
said Mercurio, is optimistic that this attempt of writers to form a
solid front in order to unite the writers in the twin island of Samar
and Leyte, including Capul and Biliran Islands will usher the
flourishing of a new era in Waray writings including Cebuano and
Inabaknon.
Katig, a waray term
which means outrigger of a boat symbolically represents the stability
and vibrancy needed by the literature of
Eastern Visayas.
“The rebirth of the
regional writings of Eastern Visayas is a painstaking process,”
Mercurio said in an e-mail.
“It demands dedicated
cultural workers in the literary field to work collectively, the once
dying Waray writings are brought back to life again through a
sustained effort of many local writers, the media and academe,” he
added.
The young writer is
grateful to his Kuya Boy for approving the proposal to fund the SEC
registration. “This is a big boost to the morale of the writers,” the
writer said.
Voltaire Oyzon, Phil
Harold Mercurio, Milen Esteria, Jhonil Bajado and Jethol Paanod are
the respective leaders of the writers’ groups.
Boy Abunda, who is
also a Waray and hails from
Borongan
City,
Eastern Samar has been helping the writers since 2010. He has pledged
financial support to Katig Writers Inc by sending a writing fellow
every year to the Iligan national Writers Workshop.
Writers call it the
Boy Abunda Writing Fellowship.
Incidentally, Abunda
is the 2011 Ambassador of Festivals in the Philippines as appointed by
the National Commission for Culture and Arts.
(with CALAO writers)
