Lady author from Davao del Sur shines in National Book Awards

BY IVY TEJANO

Dec 13, 2023 11:23 PM

  

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DAVAO CITY – The book “Dili Pwede Mogawas ug Uban mga Sugilanon” (Can’t Go Out and Other Stories) by Elizabeth Joy Serrano-Quijano, an author with a Blaan-Ibaloy heritage from Davao del Sur, was named Best Book of Short Fiction in Binisaya in the 41st National Book Awards recently.

The award-winning book derived its title from the author’s short story featured in “In Our Own Words: Writing from the Philippines” four years ago. John Bengan, a Carlos Palanca awardee, translated the book into English with illustrations by Noi Narciso.

Quijano regarded her achievement as the first book authored by a Blaan a shared success for the entire community.

She said despite her stories being written in Binisaya, a reflection of her childhood in Davao, she aims to write in the Blaan language one day.

Quijano hoped that her success will inspire other people, particularly the younger generation of the indigenous people (IP), and encouraged them to express and convey their distinctive experiences and stories rooted in their cultural communities.

“Akong gusto ra gyod unta daghan pang indigenous people ang mosulat sa ilang mga istorya kay rich kayo ang ilahang literature (I wish that more indigenous people would write stories because their literature is vibrant),” Quijano said. 

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) said the Dili Pwede Mogawas ug Uban mga Sugilanon contained 10 stories in Binisaya/Cebuano with English translations and promotes marginalized identities.

“Committed to the exploration of the Mindanaoan, specifically the Blaan community experience, the author has woven a post-colonial subtext into the fabric of her stories,” the NBDB said in their announcement of the official list of 35 winners of the 41st National Book Awards.

The winning titles came from various publishing firms in Manila, Bicol, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao. Presentation of awards was scheduled in February.

Quijano said she hopes that IPs will receive the recognition they deserve to fulfill their potential, particularly in writing. She added that she feels fortunate to have her parents’ support, enabling her to develop literacy skills at a young age.

“We hope to attain authentic development by writing our stories,” Quijano said, emphasizing the importance of reading with physical and mental comfort. She added that one cannot write without being a reader.

Quijano earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Mass Communication degree at the Holy Cross of Davao College in Davao City in 2009. She is currently a teacher at the Southern Philippines Agribusiness and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) in Malita town in Davao Occidental. 

Her narratives have been featured in various publications, including World Literature Today, Words Without Borders, UP Mindanao Banwa Journal, LIT, Anomaly, Shenandoah, and Barzakh Literary Magazine (translated by John Bengan).

Which German habits or characteristics you acquired as a foreigner living in Germany and you realized while visiting your home country?

 

Gautam Sawala

Living in Germany since 2014.

5,831 followers

41 following

Yes, I am weird, weird is good. Normal is overrated.

Gautam Sawala was born in India and had a humble upbringing. He moved to Germany in 2014.

He is a graduate in MSc. Computer Science from Saarland University, Saarbrücken. He works as an Android and iOS Developer and is a business partner in an e-commerce startup. He is also a co-founder of The Honest Blog, where he writes about living, studying and working in Germany. He is a published writer at Quartz.

Being unconventional is his forte. Having taken five years to finish his master studies is a testimony to that. Speaking his heart, by writing controversial answers on Quora and blogs is another.

When he is not talking about himself, he loves to ski in the mountains or walk the city with a camera. He is also trying not to break something while learning to skateboard. He also loves to binge on TV Shows.

Growing up Gautam has been infamous for being nerdy and spelling mistakes. Thanks to the autocorrect feature, the latter one isn’t a thing anymore.

Here is some of the habits I got used to living in Germany which I realize only when I visit my home country, India:

• Drinking black coffee.
• Drinking sparkling water.
• Eating much less spicy food.
• Using plastic bottles as currency. Expecting pfand (deposit) to be paid back for returning the bottle.
• Segregating the garbage.
• Using tissues and toilet paper.
• Calling professors at university by their name instead of “sir” or “prof”.
• Walking out half way through the lecture.

11 reasons why study in Germany? - The Honest Blog

• Criticizing everything from weather to traffic. Even when there isn’t much to complain about.
• Summers: It’s so hot! I’m sweating like a pig here.
• Spring/ Autumn: The weather here sucks! It’s always pouring, always!
• Winters: Was I high when I decided to come here? -5 degrees! I could sit in a refrigerator and feel warmer now.

• Griping about public transport:
• 1 minute delay: Maybe the bus got stuck at a signal it will be here soon.
• 2 minutes delay: Probably the driver took longer smoke break so the bus got delayed.
• 3 minutes delay: Alright, I am getting a little uncomfortable now. I am recalculating my plan and checking if I need to inform the other person that I’m going to be late.
• 5 minutes delay: I am getting impatient now. I’m mentally preparing my apologies to the person I’m meeting. I should have probably taken the previous bus. I would have reached half hour early, but at least better than being late.
• 10 minutes delay: I am frustrated. This is too much. Whoever talked about German efficiency was probably drunk. I’m going to write about this on Quora, even if it does not fit the context of the question.
• 20 minutes delay: Alright, I’m going back home now.
• Using “,” as a decimal separator.
• Saying Danke schön (Thank you very much) and Bitte (Please) very often.
• Being at least five minutes early for an appointment or meeting.
• Going for a walk at two in the morning.

• Wearing a seatbelt or helmet while driving.
• Walking or driving on the right side of the street.
• Waiting patiently for red light to turn green.
• Pressing this button to make the signal turn green.

• Not bothering about small talk. You rarely strike a conversation with strangers.

• Feeling of something missing, loneliness and emptiness.

11 Things that happened to you after living in Germany

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Marcos wants to see more women in key leadership posts

BY BETHEENA UNITE

Dec 13, 2023 12:32 PM 

President Marcos is hoping to see more women in key leadership positions in the country, including government seats.

 National Executive Board and Regional Presidents of the Lady Local Legislators League of the Philippines, Inc. (Photo courtesy of PCO)

Marcos made the statement in his speech at the oath taking ceremony of the National Executive Board and Regional Presidents of the Lady Local Legislators League of the Philippines, Inc. (Four-L Phil’s), stressing the "steady" work women put in their work.

The President noted that women have been working very hard for the society all throughout the country's history, so he hopes to see more opportunities in facets of the society open for women.

"[C]reate a conducive and nurturing environment for women and for girls to participate freely and equally in our political, social and economic spheres," Marcos said on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

"So, moving forward, I hope to see more women in key leadership positions in the country," he added.

He further said that women, especially girls, must not be excluded from certain sectors of the economy and the society, stressing that "women leaders play an indispensable role in the vital task of nation building."

Marcos encouraged the women leaders to continue to work for the passage of local legislative measures that aim to improve the lives of the people, especially the vulnerable.

He urged them to embrace their commitment to conduct fair and gender-responsive programs in their respective localities and broaden the growth of opportunities and enhance the role of women in the society.

"Let us aim to eradicate prejudice and discrimination against women in every facet of our society," he said.

The Chief Executive also told the women legislators to work with the government in closing the country's gender parity to improve the Philippines' ranking in the global gender gap index in the World Economic Forum.

This year, the Philippines attained a rating of 79.1 percent in gender parity, ranked 16th among 146 countries globally

The administration, he said, remains steadfast in implementing the magna carta of women at all levels of government. 

Mindanao quake damage now at almost P1-B, NDRRMC says

BY AARON RECUENCO

Dec 13, 2023 09:43 AM

  

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The damage to agriculture and infrastructure as a result of the 7.4 magnitude quake that hit Mindanao early this month is now at almost P1 billion, reports reaching the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) revealed on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

In a situation report released on Wednesday, the NDRRMC said the damage to infrastructure is at P837.5 million, almost all of them are in the Caraga region while the rest were reported in Davao Region.

For agriculture damage, it said the report from National Irrigation Administration (NIA) was at P91 million while P19.2 million in agriculture products as reported by the Department of Agriculture.

In the same data, it said a total of 177,689 families composed of 790,773 individuals, some of them lost their homes as the NDRRMC reported that there were 354 damaged houses and 5,442 houses were partially damaged.

The epicenter of the earthquake was traced in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur and so far, it has already triggered a total of 7,444 aftershocks.

There were three reported fatalities, including a pregnant woman, and 74 people who suffered injuries, although the NDRRMC said they are yet to validate the casualty reports from the field.

What’s your greatest desire?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IT should be to look for Christ, to be with Christ, to follow Christ. That’s where we can find what is good for us in any situation we can find ourselves in. If that is not yet our greatest desire, then it’s about time that we train ourselves to acquire such desire.

Why is that? The simple answer is because Christ himself said that he is “the way, the truth, and the life” proper to us. In the Book of Isaiah, we are told that “they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall take wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (40,31)

Besides, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Christ clearly tells us: “Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” (11,28) And he reassures us that he will be the one to give us rest. He also tells us that his yoke is sweet and his burden light.

Thus, if we find looking for Christ and living with him not sweet and light, we can be sure that we are not truly with him yet. Let’s do something about it immediately. To be with Christ should give us the sensation of lightness, peace, joy and confidence, irrespective of the situation we may be in. It should fill us with energy to do a lot of good.

Even in our difficulties and suffering, such conditions of lightness, peace, etc., should be felt. After all, it would be Christ who would be bearing them more than us. We simply share a little of the weight. And when we share it with him, we would know that such difficulties and suffering have some positive value.

We should be wary when we are complacent in this duty of looking for Christ in everything that we do. We have to look for him, so we can find him and be with him, and share what he has with us.

We have to be wary when we would just allow ourselves to be dominated or ruled by our earthly condition—our moods, bodily health, the temper of the times, etc. We should be guided always by our faith which, by the way, is a gift God gives us always in abundance. The gift of faith is no problem. It’s never in short supply.

Right at the start of the day, let’s take the decision to be ruled by our faith, and not simply by our earthly condition, and to start looking for Christ. With him, we are assured of a happy life despite whatever. Our outlook in life would always be marked by optimism and confidence. Yes, Christian life is always a happy life.

Let’s help one another develop this greatest desire to look for Christ. That way, we can help many people deal properly with problems, challenges and trials. Just looking around, we can see many cases of people in states of sadness, discontent and depression. Mental illness is becoming a kind of epidemic these days. Sad to say, some people, especially the young ones, choose to commit suicide.

This business of looking for Christ in order to have a happy and meaningful life, should be made a culture in our place. It should be an ordinary and commonplace thing around. It’s not meant only for a few chosen ones. It’s meant for all!

Diesel prices cut by P1.85/liter; gasoline by P1.60 per liter

BY MYRNA M. VELASCO

Dec 11, 2023 02:09 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Reflecting these lower prices at the pumps will come as a bit of good news to Filipino consumers – especially in this stretch of the holiday season when most are on their shopping rush, or on constant drive and commute to catch-up meetings, parties and other gatherings.

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Santa’s slick surprise will also manifest at the oil pumps this week as the price of diesel products will be on rollback by a significant P1.85 per liter; while gasoline prices will be trimmed by P1.60 per liter, based on the price adjustment announcements of the oil companies.

The industry players similarly advised that the price of kerosene, which is an essential base for aviation fuel and an important commodity for many households, will be reduced by P1.40 per liter.

As of this writing, the oil firms that already sent notices on their price cuts effective Tuesday (December 12) had been Shell Pilipinas Corporation, Chevron, Seaoil, Cleanfuel, PTT Philippines, PetroGazz and Jetti Petroleum; while their rival firms are anticipated to match this week’s newly enforced pricing trends. 

The oil firms implemented the downswing in prices based on cost movements anchored on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) index; as well as other factors affecting prices – such as foreign exchange rate, market premium, biofuel costs as well as the sweep of competitive pressure on prices at the domestic downstream oil industry.

Reflecting these lower prices at the pumps will come as a bit of good news to Filipino consumers – especially in this stretch of the holiday season when most are on their shopping rush, or on constant drive and commute to catch-up meetings, parties and other gatherings.

The recent incessant impact of high oil prices on the country’s inflation rate will also be eased; and this will similarly keep consumers away from the typical spiraling effect of surging fuel prices on the cost of basic commodities and services.

In the world market, industry experts noted that persisting concerns of lower-than-expected economic growths in major economies had been precipitating overall downtrend in oil prices. 

In fact, even the recent pronouncement of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and ally-producers (OPEC+) on voluntary production cutback had not been given weight at market sentiments when it comes to the recent swing of international prices.

According to industry watchers, the era of lower prices may continue in the remaining days of the year if there are no major geopolitical events that could send markets into fresh round of jitters.

As of Monday (December 11) trading, international benchmark Brent crude just edged up slightly to $76 per barrel from last week’s more than $75 per barrel price level.